Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are recognized neurotoxicants, but the extent to which PBDEs influence various domains of behavior in children is not fully understood. As such, we reviewed ...epidemiologic studies published to date to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on PBDEs' potential role in behavioral development. We identified 19 epidemiologic studies reporting on associations of prenatal and childhood concentrations of PBDEs with behaviors assessed in children from 1 to 12years, including executive function, attention, externalizing and internalizing behaviors, adaptive skills, and social behaviors/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While the mechanisms of PBDE neurotoxicity in humans are still not clearly elucidated, findings from this review indicate that PBDE exposure during fetal development is associated with impairments in executive function and poorer attentional control in children. Results from large prospective cohorts demonstrate that prenatal and postnatal PBDE exposure adversely impacts externalizing behavior (e.g., hyperactivity and conduct problems). Additional studies are needed to determine whether PBDEs are associated with internalizing problems, adaptive skills, and social behaviors/ASD in children. Future studies will help better understand the potential neurotoxic effects of PBDE exposures during adolescence, possible sex-dependent effects, and the impact of exposure to BDE-209 and alternative flame retardants. Future studies should also examine chemical mixtures to capture real-world exposures when examining PBDEs and their impact on various behavioral domains in the context of multiple chemical exposures.
•Prenatal PBDEs are associated with executive function impairments and inattention.•Prenatal and postnatal PBDE exposures increase externalizing problems in children.•PBDEs' association with internalizing, adaptive, and social behaviors is not clear.•PBDE exposure adversely affects behavioral development in children.
Follow-up studies of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood that focus on friendship formation during adolescence are scarce. The present study focused on exploring ...characteristics possibly related to the ability to establish friendships during adolescence among children diagnosed with ASD in toddlerhood.
The cohort included 43 participants who underwent comprehensive assessments during toddlerhood and adolescence. Participants were divided into two groups Friendship(+)/Friendship(-) based on (1) adolescent social insight as assessed by professionals and (2) parental and adolescent self-reports regarding having or not having friends. No differences in IQ, ASD symptoms, or adaptive behavior during early childhood were found between the two groups.
Different and better changes in social communication, adaptive socialization, and daily living skills were observed for the Friendship(+) group. Adolescents with ASD in the Friendship(+) group exhibited greater social independence. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder incidence, anxiety symptom severity, and placement in mainstream or special education classes did not differ between the two groups.
This long-term study highlights that for children with ASD, longitudinal growth in social communication and adaptive functioning is possible, highly important for and related to the development of the complex ability to establish friendship.
There is growing evidence of a camouflaging effect among females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly among those without intellectual disability, which may affect performance on ...gold-standard diagnostic measures. This study utilized an age- and IQ-matched sample of school-aged youth (
n
= 228) diagnosed with ASD to assess sex differences on the ADOS and ADI-R, parent-reported autistic traits, and adaptive skills. Although females and males were rated similarly on gold-standard diagnostic measures overall, females with higher IQs were less likely to meet criteria on the ADI-R. Females were also found to be significantly more impaired on parent reported autistic traits and adaptive skills. Overall, the findings suggest that some autistic females may be missed by current diagnostic procedures.
High rates of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms have been documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and have been associated with social and adaptive ...impairments. The study examined the frequency of clinically elevated ADHD and anxiety symptoms in an ASD group in comparison to a non-clinical group, compared the clinical presentation in the ASD group with and without ADHD and anxiety, assessed which child and familial variables add to the severity of Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (HI), and anxiety symptoms, and evaluated whether having clinically elevated ADHD and/or anxiety symptoms adds to the prediction of adaptive functioning in ASD. The study included 260 participants diagnosed with ASD (mean age: 7.5 ± 1.1), using standardized tests. The rate of clinically elevated ADHD and anxiety symptoms in ASD was 62.7 and 44.6%, respectively, and symptom severity was significantly greater than the non-clinical sample. The entire population was divided into four subgroups: ASD alone, ASD+ADHD, ASD+anxiety, ASD+ADHD+anxiety, based on the parental behavioral questionnaire. The ASD alone group showed less severe autism symptoms in comparison to the other groups. Having ASD+ADHD symptoms was associated with greater impairments in socialization adaptive skills. Only the group with ASD+ADHD+anxiety was associated with poorer daily living adaptive skills. Regression analyses for prediction of ADHD and anxiety symptoms revealed that being a female and having lower adaptive skills scores predicted higher Inattention severity; being older, having better cognition, and more severe Restrictive Repetitive Behavior symptoms predicted more severe HI symptoms; being older and having more severe social impairments predicted higher anxiety scores. A regression analysis for the prediction of adaptive skills revealed that in addition to cognition and autism severity, the severity of Inattention symptoms added to the prediction of overall adaptive skills. In light of these findings, clinicians should diagnose these comorbidities in ASD early on, and provide effective interventions to reduce their negative impact on functioning, thereby improving outcome.
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the relationships among sleep problems and daytime behaviors in a large, well-defined cohort of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Out of a ...registry population of 3452 children with ASDs, a subset of 1193 children aged 4 to 10 years of age from 14 centers across the country was used to evaluate the relationship between varying levels of sleep problems and daytime behavior. Measures included Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Survey Interview Form, Second Edition, and Child Behavior Checklist. Multiple analysis of covariance was used to assess the association between sleep and behavior.
Results suggest that sleep problems, as identified by parent report by use of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, have a negative relationship with daytime behavior. More specifically, children with ASDs and sleep problems had more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist, and poorer adaptive skill development, as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, than children with ASDs and no sleep problems. Children with moderate to severe sleep problems had greater behavior difficulties, but not necessarily poorer adaptive functioning, than children with mild to moderate sleep problems. Both preschool- and school-aged children demonstrated a negative relationship between behavior and sleep, whereas the relationship between sleep and adaptive functioning was much more variable.
These results suggest that, although sleep has a negative relationship with internalizing and externalizing behavior, it may have a different relationship with the acquisition of adaptive skills.
Repetition effects and change detection response have been proposed as neuro‐electrophysiological correlates of fundamental learning processes. As such, they could be a good predictor of brain ...maturation and cognitive development. We recorded high density EEG in 71 healthy infants (32 females) aged between 3 and 9 months, while they listened to vowel sequences (standard /a/a/a/i/ 80% and deviant /a/a/a/a/ 20%). Adaptive skills, a surrogate of cognitive development, were measured via the parent form of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System Second Edition (ABAS‐II). Cortical auditory‐evoked potentials (CAEPs) analyses, time‐frequency analyses and a statistical approach using linear mixed models (LMMs) and linear regression models were performed. Age and adaptive skills were tested as predictors. Age modulation of repetition effects and change detection response was observed in theta (3–5 Hz), alpha (5–10 Hz) and high gamma (80–90 Hz) oscillations and in all CAEPs. Moreover, adaptive skills modulation of repetition effects was evidenced in theta (3–5 Hz), high gamma oscillations (80–90 Hz), N250/P350 peak‐to‐peak amplitude and P350 latency. Finally, adaptive skills modulation of change detection response was observed in the N250/P350 peak‐to‐peak amplitude. Our results confirm that repetition effects and change detection response evolve with age. Moreover, our results suggest that repetition effects and change detection response vary according to adaptive skills displayed by infants during the first year of life, demonstrating their predictive value for neurodevelopment.
Sensory learning (habituation and change detection) is fundamental to human cognitive development. Revealing its neurophysiological markers and its association with cognitive and behavioural outcomes is crucial. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence that repetition effects and change detection response, neurophysiological correlates of sensory learning mechanisms, are modulated not only by age but also by adaptive skills during the first year of life.
This study had two aims. Aim one investigated achievement of 10 developmental milestones in children with Bardet‐Biedl syndrome (BBS). Aim one data were derived from retrospective responses by ...caregivers of individuals with BBS who are enrolled in the Clinical Registry Investigating Bardet‐Biedl syndrome (CRIBBS). CRIBBS is a natural history registry acquiring serial observations. Aim two investigated early adaptive skills using the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS‐II 0–5) completed by caregivers of children with BBS aged from 0 to 5. There were 652 individuals with milestone information (with some variability based on availability of information for specific milestones), and 101 individuals (including 95 among the 652) with ABAS‐II information. Results revealed wide‐ranging delays in adaptive skills, particularly in the domain of Self‐Care. Expressive language appears to be the most frequently delayed developmental milestone. We found a difference by BBS genotype wherein individuals with BBS1 had higher adaptive/developmental scores than individuals with BBS10. Age also carried a significant association with adaptive skills diverging farther from a normative trajectory as children with BBS progress through early childhood.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been widely adopted in the intervention literature for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The systematic and predictable nature of ...ICTs make them particularly attractive for individuals with ASD. One ICT that has potential promise for individuals with ASD is virtual reality (VR). However, to date there is limited evidence of intervention effects for individuals with ASD when delivered via VR. The aim of this study was to extend the literature on the use of VR with individuals with ASD by presenting the design, implementation, and formative evaluation of a spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) mobile app. Using Design Based Research methods, we conducted a formative evaluation to investigate the SVVR app from the perspectives of (1) user experience, (2) feasibility, (3) relevance, and (4) usability for adults with ASD. The evaluation was conducted in two phases and consisted of expert review with four content experts and structured usage testing with five adults with ASD. Results indicate that participants with ASD found the SVVR app to be easy to use and reported an overall positive user-experience; results from expert review suggest a feasible, relevant, and easy-to-use intervention. The pedagogical and theoretical footing that informed the design and implementation of the SVVR mobile app for individuals with ASD is presented and discussed.
Children with autism spectrum disorder often display deficits in daily living skills. Behavior analysts can use telehealth, such as videoconferencing technology, to deliver interventions to families ...of these children. Given the COVID‐19 pandemic and the common barriers to accessing behavioral interventions, it is imperative to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of delivering behavioral interventions via telehealth. This study evaluated the efficacy of a parent‐implemented intervention with coaching via telehealth to improve daily living skills. Children ranging in age from 5 to 9 years participated in the study with 1 or 2 of their parents serving as the primary implementer(s). Parents implemented the intervention with fidelity and the intervention yielded increases in independent daily living skill completion for all 4 participants.
Research on the use of virtual reality (VR) for individuals with autism lacks design precedent and theoretical guidance. Further, research in this area often fails to include participants in the ...design of interventions. This paper seeks to address these gaps. A proof-of-concept adaptive skills intervention for adults on the autism spectrum was developed to promote safe and appropriate utilization of public transportation. Grounded in theories of complexity and generalization, technological and pedagogical scaffolds were designed in a staged manner and gradually faded to promote acquisition and generalization of target skills. A constellation of technologies was employed, including 360-degree video and headset-based VR. A multi-phase usage study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency and appeal of the prototype intervention so as to reveal design flaws and uncover opportunities to improve the overall learner experience. Findings are presented from the perspectives of expert testers (n = 4) and participant testers with autism (n = 5). Results suggest a largely positive learner experience and that the intervention is feasible and relevant to the unique needs of the target population. Implications are presented from the perspective of Roger's adoption characteristics.
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