ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a group-based social skills training program for adolescents on the autism spectrum. Although the program has been shown to be effective in improving social skills in autistic adolescents, evidence of its effectiveness from the Mandarin-speaking Chinese population is sparse. The present study used a non-randomized, pre- and post-intervention research design to investigate the feasibility and cultural validity of the program, as well as examine the moderators of intervention outcomes. METHODS: Thirty-three autistic adolescents with intelligence quotient above 70 (Mage = 13.57, SDage = 1.43; Male: Female 25:8) and their parents received 14 concurrent 90-minute sessions. Adolescents' autistic traits, challenging behaviors, emotional functioning, socio-cognitive process, social environment factors (school support), and caregivers' well-being were evaluated. RESULTS: The findings suggest that with minor adjustments, the Mandarin version of PEERS® was generally acceptable and feasible for autistic adolescents and their parents. PEERS® may improve the social skills knowledge, reciprocal communication abilities, and emotional well-being of autistic adolescents. Also, participants with a higher level of school support, and parents with lower perceived subjective well-being at baseline may gain more benefits from PEERS®. The cultural adaptation and acceptability of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® were discussed. CONCLUSION: This feasibility study (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200061417, 2022-06-23, retrospectively registered) provides a basis for further randomized control trials of the Mandarin version of PEERS®.
ABSTRACT
Background: In recent years, parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased. Therefore, implementing effective parent training programs for parents of children with autism is of paramount importance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. However, little is known about the status of and gaps in parents' knowledge on ASD, which may hinder the development of valid parental training programs. Herein, we aimed at exploring the status of Chinese parents' knowledge, attitude and behavior toward ASD, and potential factors affecting the acquisition of correct knowledge. Methods: This study used a self-designed parental knowledge questionnaire of autism (PKQA) comprising 20 questions alongside another questionnaire comprising additional 17 questions covering the aspects of family demographics, attitudes, and behaviors of parents. In total, we included 394 parents who visited the outpatient department of the Child's Development and Behavior Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University between December 2018 and May 2019, with their children meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for ASD. Results: The median knowledge score in the PKQA was 15 [interquartile range (IQR), 13-17]. Advanced paternal age and longer time interval from diagnosis to enrolling into the parent training program were associated with a lower total knowledge score (all P<0.001). Higher maternal education attainment, higher family income, child being currently under intervention, and family members sharing a common perception of the diagnosis were associated with a higher total knowledge score (all P<0.01). Reading autism-related books (P<0.001) or attending professional lectures (P=0.019) were also associated with a higher total knowledge score. Conclusions: Taken together, this study revealed that family demographics and parents' attitudes and behaviors toward ASD may significantly influence their knowledge about autism, suggesting the need for promoting more targeted parental skills training programs.
ABSTRACT
In the current study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to collect resting-state signals from 77 males with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, age: 6~16.25) and 40 typically developing (TD) males (age: 6~16.58) in the theory-of-mind (ToM) network. The graph theory analysis was used to obtain the brain network properties in ToM network, and the multiple regression analysis demonstrated that males with ASD showed a comparable global network topology, and a similar age-related decrease in the medial prefrontal cortex area (mPFC) compared to TD individuals. Nevertheless, participants with ASD showed U-shaped trajectories of nodal metrics of right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), and an age-related decrease in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), while trajectories of TD participants were opposite. The nodal metrics of the right TPJ was negatively associated with the social deficits of ASD, while the nodal metrics of the left MFG was negatively associated with the communication deficits of ASD. Current findings suggested a distinct developmental trajectory of the ToM network in males with ASD from childhood to adolescence.