ABSTRACT
Abstract Introduction Few studies have used eye tracking as a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preterm infants. Objectives To evaluate fixation time on social and non-social figures and percentage of preterm babies who gazed at the images. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 31 preterm infants born weighing ≤ 2,000 g in which eye gaze was evaluated at 6 months of corrected age. Six boards with social and non-social figures were projected on a computer screen, successively, evaluating time and percentage of preterm babies who gazed at each board. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) was answered at 18 months of corrected age. Results Preterm infants showed longer visual fixation time on social figures compared with non-social images, regardless of the position of the social figure on the board. Similar percentages of preterm infants gazed either at social or non-social figures, at social figures with a direct or an indirect look, and at the eyes or mouth of the social figures. No preterm infant screened positive on the M-CHAT. Conclusion At 6 months of corrected age, preterm infants show the ability to gaze in an eye-tracking test, with preference for social figures, suggesting that this tool could be useful as another screening instrument for ASD.
Resumo Introdução Poucos estudos utilizaram a varredura visual como ferramenta para rastreamento de transtorno do espectro do autismo (TEA) em bebês prematuros. Objetivos Avaliar bebês prematuros quanto ao o tempo de fixação de olhar em figuras sociais e não sociais e a porcentagem deles que olharam para as imagens. Métodos Este estudo transversal incluiu 31 bebês prematuros com ≤ 2.000 g ao nascer, cujo rastreamento visual foi avaliado aos 6 meses de idade corrigida. Seis pranchas com figuras sociais e não sociais foram projetadas em tela de computador, sucessivamente, avaliando-se o tempo e porcentagem de prematuros que olharam para cada prancha. O Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) foi respondido aos 18 meses de idade corrigida. Resultados Os bebês prematuros apresentaram maior tempo de fixação visual em figuras sociais do que não sociais, independentemente da posição da figura social na prancha. Porcentagens similares de prematuros olharam tanto para figuras sociais como para não sociais, para figuras sociais com olhar direto ou indireto, e para boca ou olhos das figuras sociais. Nenhum prematuro foi rastreado positivamente pelo M-CHAT. Conclusão Aos 6 meses de idade corrigida, prematuros apresentaram habilidade para varredura em teste de rastreamento visual, com preferência por figuras sociais, sugerindo que esta ferramenta pode ser útil como mais um instrumento para rastreamento de TEA.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant , Adult , Vision Disorders/diagnosis , Vision Tests/methods , Infant, Low Birth Weight , Infant, Premature , Cross-Sectional Studies , Eye Movement Measurements , Checklist , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosisABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Few studies have used eye tracking as a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preterm infants. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate fixation time on social and non-social figures and percentage of preterm babies who gazed at the images. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 31 preterm infants born weighing ≤ 2,000 g in which eye gaze was evaluated at 6 months of corrected age. Six boards with social and non-social figures were projected on a computer screen, successively, evaluating time and percentage of preterm babies who gazed at each board. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) was answered at 18 months of corrected age. RESULTS: Preterm infants showed longer visual fixation time on social figures compared with non-social images, regardless of the position of the social figure on the board. Similar percentages of preterm infants gazed either at social or non-social figures, at social figures with a direct or an indirect look, and at the eyes or mouth of the social figures. No preterm infant screened positive on the M-CHAT. CONCLUSION: At 6 months of corrected age, preterm infants show the ability to gaze in an eye-tracking test, with preference for social figures, suggesting that this tool could be useful as another screening instrument for ASD.
Subject(s)
Infant, Low Birth Weight , Infant, Premature , Vision Disorders/diagnosis , Vision Tests , Adult , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis , Checklist , Cross-Sectional Studies , Eye Movement Measurements , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Vision Tests/methodsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Disability in a child affects not only the child's life but also the family's life. The aim of our study is to verify the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of disabled children with cerebral palsy (CP) with epilepsy compared with non-epilepsy children evaluated in a Brazilian center. METHODS: Thirty mothers of disabled children participated in the study. The control group comprised of 18 healthy mothers of children without disabilities. All mothers agreed to participate in the study. They completed the evaluation forms of the SF-36 health survey, a well-documented, self-administered QOL scoring system. RESULTS: The results of our study support the premise that mothers of children with CP, as a group, have poorer QOL than mothers of not disabled children. CONCLUSIONS: We also observed that mothers of children with CP and epilepsy have poorer QOL than mothers of children with CP without epilepsy.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Palsy/rehabilitation , Disabled Children/rehabilitation , Epilepsy/rehabilitation , Mother-Child Relations , Mothers/psychology , Cerebral Palsy/physiopathology , Cerebral Palsy/psychology , Child , Epilepsy/physiopathology , Epilepsy/psychology , Female , Humans , Quality of Life , Severity of Illness Index , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The frequencies of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) in Down's syndrome (DS) have been reported from 1% to 11%. However, it is not clear if the frequency of this co-occurrence is higher or lower than in other mental retardations. We study a large sample of DS population, finding a PDD frequency of 15.6%, with 5.58% of autism (eight males and two females) and 10.05% of PDD non autism (nine males and nine females. The meaning of this frequency is discussed.
Subject(s)
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/epidemiology , Down Syndrome/epidemiology , Adult , Child , Female , Humans , Male , PrevalenceABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To verify differences in the visual scanning strategies between pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and controls when they are observing social and non-social pictures. METHOD: PDD group (PDDG) comprised by 10 non-retarded subjects (age from 4 to 41) and age-matched control group (CG). Nine social pictures with human beings (including two pictures of cat mask), and 3 nonsocial pictures of objects were presented for 5 seconds. Saccadic movements and fixation were recorded with equipment EyeGaze (LC Technologies Inc.). RESULTS: PDDG (mean=292.73, SE=67.62) presented longer duration of saccadic movements for social pictures compared to CG (mean=136.06, SE=14.01) (p=0.04). The CG showed a higher number of fixations in the picture 7 (a women using a cat mask, with the eyes erased) (CG: mean=3.40; PDDG: mean=1.80; p=0.007). CONCLUSION: The results suggest differences in strategies that PDD explore human picture. Moreover, these strategies seem not to be affected by the lack of expected part of the face (the eyes).
Subject(s)
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/physiopathology , Fixation, Ocular/physiology , Saccades/physiology , Visual Perception/physiology , Adolescent , Adult , Autistic Disorder/diagnosis , Autistic Disorder/physiopathology , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Humans , Male , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To verify differences in the visual scanning strategies between pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and controls when they are observing social and non-social pictures. METHOD: PDD group (PDDG) comprised by 10 non-retarded subjects (age from 4 to 41) and age-matched control group (CG). Nine social pictures with human beings (including two pictures of cat mask), and 3 nonsocial pictures of objects were presented for 5 seconds. Saccadic movements and fixation were recorded with equipment EyeGaze® (LC Technologies Inc.). RESULTS: PDDG (mean=292.73, SE=67.62) presented longer duration of saccadic movements for social pictures compared to CG (mean=136.06, SE=14.01) (p=0.04). The CG showed a higher number of fixations in the picture 7 (a women using a cat mask, with the eyes erased) (CG: mean=3.40; PDDG: mean=1.80; p=0.007). CONCLUSION: The results suggest differences in strategies that PDD explore human picture. Moreover, these strategies seem not to be affected by the lack of expected part of the face (the eyes.
OBJETIVO: Verificar diferenças nas estratégias de varredura visual de indivíduos com transtorno invasivo do desenvolvimento (TID) comparados a controles normais na observação de figuras sociais e não sociais. MÉTODO: Estudo caso-controle. Grupo TID: dez sujeitos com TID, inteligência normal e idade entre 4 e 41 anos; Grupo Controle: dez sujeitos pareados por idade. Os sujeitos observaram por 5 segundos 9 figuras de seres humanos e 3 figuras de objetos. Os movimentos sacádicos e o número de fixações foram gravados em equipamento EyeGaze® (LC Technologies Inc.). RESULTADOS: O grupo TID apresentou maior duração dos movimentos sacádicos na observação de figuras humanas [TID=292,73 (EP=67,62); controle= 136,06 (EP=14,01); p=0,04]. O grupo controle apresentou maior número de fixações na figura 7 (mulher com máscara de gato sem os olhos) (TID=1,8; controle=3,4; p=0,007). CONCLUSÃO: Indivíduos com TID parecem utilizar estratégias diferentes para explorar figura humana. Além disso, o padrão de investigação deles não se modifica quando observam uma figura que rompe com o esperado (a falta dos olhos.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Adult , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/physiopathology , Fixation, Ocular/physiology , Saccades/physiology , Visual Perception/physiology , Autistic Disorder/diagnosis , Autistic Disorder/physiopathology , Case-Control Studies , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/diagnosis , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
The category "Pervasive Developmental Disorders" includes autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome, Rett's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and a residual category, named pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. In this review, Rett's syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, which are well-defined categories, will be discussed, as well as the not well defined categories that have been included in the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified group. Different proposals of categorization have been created, some of which based on descriptive phenomenological approach, and others based upon other theoretical perspectives, such as neuropsychology. Current proposals are presented and discussed, followed by critical appraisals on the clinical advantages and disadvantages of these concepts.
Subject(s)
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/classification , Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/diagnosis , Asperger Syndrome/classification , Asperger Syndrome/diagnosis , Autistic Disorder/classification , Autistic Disorder/diagnosis , Child , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Rett Syndrome/classification , Rett Syndrome/diagnosisABSTRACT
A categoria "transtorno invasivos do desenvolvimento" inclui o autismo, a síndrome de Asperger, a síndrome de Rett, o transtorno desintegrativo da infância e uma categoria residual denominada transtornos invasivos do desenvolvimento sem outra especificação. Nesta revisão, a síndrome de Rett e o transtorno desintegrativo da infância, que são categorias bem definidas, serão discutidas, assim como as categorias não tão bem definidas que foram incluídas no grupo transtornos invasivos do desenvolvimento sem outra especificação. Diferentes propostas de categorização têm sido feitas, algumas baseadas em abordagem fenomenológica descritiva, outras baseadas em outras perspectivas teóricas, tais como a neuropsicologia. As propostas atuais são apresentadas e discutidas, seguidas por avaliações críticas sobre as vantagens e desvantagens desses conceitos.
