Changes in Electroencephalogram Coherence in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder After a Social Skills Intervention.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects social communication and behavior. There is consensus that neurological differences are present in ASD. Further, theories emphasize the mixture of hypo- and hyper-connectivity as a neuropathologies in ASD [O'Reilly, Lewis, & Elsabbagh, 2017]; however, there is a paucity of studies specifically testing neurological underpinnings as predictors of success on social skills interventions. This study examined functional neural connectivity (electroencephalogram [EEG], coherence) of adolescents with ASD before and after the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) intervention, using a randomized controlled trial of two groups: an Experimental ASD (EXP) Group and a Waitlist Control ASD (WL) Group. The study had two purposes. First, the study aimed to determine whether changes in EEG coherence differed for adolescents that received PEERS® versus those that did not receive PEERS®. Results revealed a significant increase in connectivity in the occipital left to temporal left pair for the EXP group after intervention. Second, the study aimed to determine if changes in EEG coherence related to changes in behavior, friendships, and social skills measured by questionnaires. At post-intervention, results indicated: (a) positive change in frontal right to parietal right coherence was linked to an increase in social skills scores; and (b) positive changes in occipital right to temporal right coherence and occipital left to parietal left coherence were linked to an increase in the total number of get-togethers. Results of this study support utilizing neurobehavioral domains as indicators of treatment outcome. Lay Summary: This study examined how well various areas of the brain communicate in adolescents with ASD before and after a social skills intervention. Results revealed increased connectivity in the adolescents that received the intervention. Secondly, the study aimed to determine if changes in connectivity of brain areas related to changes in behavior, friendships, and social skills. Results indicated that changes in connectivity were also linked to increased social skills. Autism Res 2021, 14: 787-803. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.

A Psychometric Analysis of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents Among Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Caregiver-Adolescent Agreement, Factor Structure, and Validity.

Social anxiety is common among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An ongoing challenge for both research and clinical practice in ASD is the assessment of anxious symptomatology. Despite its widespread use in samples of youth with ASD, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) has not received psychometric evaluation within this population; thus, the validity of its use in research and clinical practice for ASD remains unclear. The present study conducted a psychometric analysis of caregiver and adolescent SAS-A forms in a sample of adolescents with ASD (N = 197). Results revealed (1) poor caregiver-adolescent item-level agreement, (2) a two-factor structure, (3) lack of measurement invariance between reporters, and (4) modest evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, findings suggest that this measure demonstrates reasonable psychometric properties in an ASD sample. Lack of measurement invariance, however, calls for careful interpretation of research involving the SAS-A in ASD samples, particularly when the primary goal is to compare adolescent and caregiver reports. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Erroneous conclusions: The impact of failing to identify invalid symptom presentation when conducting adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research.

Invalid symptom report during assessment confounds the differential diagnosis process. This study examined differences in neuropsychological functioning between individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression and/or anxiety disorders before and after participants meeting diagnostic criteria for malingered neurocognitive dysfunction were excluded. One hundred sixty-one adult patients undergoing ADHD assessment [M age 27.98 (8.35)] were evaluated and assigned to one of two groups based on medical records, a clinical interview, and self-report measures (depression/anxiety disorder n = 85; ADHD and depression/anxiety disorders n = 76). When all patients were considered, individuals with comorbid ADHD and depression/anxiety symptoms performed more poorly on 10 of 18 neuropsychological measures compared with those with only a depression/anxiety disorder (Cohen's d ranged from .32 to .72). In contrast, there was no evidence that the cumulative effect of ADHD and depression/anxiety resulted in diminished cognitive performance after excluding 54 patients with invalid symptom presentation. Additionally, the magnitude of association between self-report of ADHD symptoms and performance on neuropsychological test measures decreased dramatically. Thus, it is imperative that researchers administer performance and symptom validity measures to identify invalid symptom presentation when conducting large-scale studies. The failure to do so may result in inaccurate conclusions regarding the neurocognitive functioning of patients with ADHD and comorbid conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents with ASD Completing the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention.

Depression is a common concern among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is often associated with social skills and relationship challenges. The present data, from a randomized controlled trial, examined the effect of PEERS® on self-reported depressive symptoms via the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) among 49 adolescents with ASD. Findings revealed that many CDI subscale scores declined (p's < 0.05) and were related to direct social contact on the Quality of Socialization Questionnaire at posttest (p's < 0.05). Exploratory analyses uncovered that suicidality was less evident following PEERS®. Findings support the notion that social functioning and depression may be intimately intertwined in ASD; therefore, bolstering social skills in ASD may positively influence other domains of functioning, including mental health.

Invariant two-component structure of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).

The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS; Randolph, 1998 , 2012 ) is a brief neurocognitive instrument used to evaluate cognitive functioning in clinical settings. Prior investigations of the factor structure have revealed subtle differences across samples. It was hypothesized that these differences are primarily the result of methodological decisions made by researchers. The present study utilized empirically supported extraction criteria (parallel analysis; minimum average partial procedure) and uniformly investigated 5 samples. RBANS data from 4 previously published studies (Carlozzi, Horner, Yang, & Tilley, 2008 ; Duff, Hobson, Beglinger, & O'Bryant, 2010 ; Duff et al., 2006 ; Wilde, 2006 ) were reanalyzed, and a new clinical sample was obtained from the Gundersen Health System Memory Center. The congruence of factor structures was investigated by conducting orthogonal vector matrix comparisons (Barrett, 2005 ), and a robust 2-factor structure reliably emerged across samples. The invariant RBANS 2-factor structure primarily emphasized memory and visuospatial functioning. This finding offered further support for a 2-factor RBANS structure identified in previous studies and additionally provided empirical documentation of replication across diverse samples. Due to the expansive use of the RBANS, this psychometric knowledge has significant clinical implications. It should facilitate accurate interpretation of test data and allow clinicians to make more informed decisions regarding whether the instrument is appropriate to use in various clinical settings.

A Replication and Extension of the PEERS® for Young Adults Social Skills Intervention: Examining Effects on Social Skills and Social Anxiety in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Young adults with ASD experience difficulties with social skills, empathy, loneliness, and social anxiety. One intervention, PEERS® for Young Adults, shows promise in addressing these challenges. The present study replicated and extended the original study by recruiting a larger sample (N = 56), employing a gold standard ASD assessment tool, and examining changes in social anxiety utilizing a randomized controlled trial design. Results indicated improvements in social responsiveness (SSIS-RS SS, p = .006 and CPB, p = .005; SRS, p = .004), PEERS® knowledge (TYASSK, p = .001), empathy (EQ, p = .044), direct interactions (QSQ-YA, p = .059), and social anxiety (LSAS-SR, p = .019). Findings demonstrate further empirical support for the intervention for individuals with ASD.

The Interchangeability of CVLT-II and WMS-IV Verbal Paired Associates Scores: A Slightly Different Story.

We investigated the similarity of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) Auditory Memory Index (AMI) scores when California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) scores are substituted for WMS-IV Verbal Paired Associates (VPA) subtest scores. College students (n = 103) were administered select WMS-IV subtests and the CVLT-II in a randomized order. Immediate and delayed VPA scaled scores were significantly greater than VPA substitute scaled scores derived from CVLT-II performance. At the Index level, AMI scores were significantly lower when CVLT-II scores were used in place of VPA scores. It is important that clinicians recognize the accepted substitution of CVLT-II scores can result in WMS-IV scores that are inconsistent with those derived from standard administration. Psychometric issues that plausibly contribute to these differences and clinical implications are discussed.