Atypical visual change processing in children with autism: an electrophysiological study.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may display atypical behaviors in reaction to unattended changes that occur in all sensory modalities. Atypical automatic auditory change processing has been highlighted in ASD via the analysis of mismatch negativity (MMN). The present study investigated visual deviancy detection in children with ASD in order to determine whether unusual reactions to change operate in other sensory modalities. Twelve children with ASD were presented with a passive visual oddball paradigm using dynamic stimuli. Compared to controls, children with ASD showed an earlier visual mismatch response, suggesting a hypersensitivity to visual deviancy. This study is thus consistent with the hypothesis of the existence of "general" atypical change detection processing in children with ASD that might contribute to their intolerance of change.

Quality of life of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: comparison to adolescents with diabetes.

Relationships are of great importance during adolescence. Because of their social, communication and behavioral impairments, adolescents with Asperger's syndrome (AS) or high functioning autism (HFA) probably suffer from considerable impairment of their quality of life when facing their peers in school. Nevertheless, only one recent study has been published on this subject, indicating a lower health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than in healthy controls. The goals of our study were to clarify the consequences of autistic disorder without mental retardation on such adolescents' daily lives, and to consider them in comparison with the impact of a chronic somatic disease (diabetes) and with the period of adolescence itself, using the VSP-A questionnaire. Adolescents with diabetes were chosen as a comparison group because of the encumbrance of having a constant need for insulin supplementation, to be assimilated to the constant need for communicative adjustments in teenagers with ASD, and the consequences in daily life. The effects of social skill training and social support on quality of life and the appropriateness of using the VSP-A in this population were also studied. Twenty-six adolescents with AS and HFA, 44 diabetic adolescents, and 250 controls completed a self-administered and validated questionnaire on quality of life, the VSP-A. Scores for adolescents with ASD were significantly lower than those of the control and the diabetic adolescents, especially for friendships, leisure time, and affective and sexual relationships. On the other hand, better scores were obtained for the relationships with parents and teachers and for self-image. Social parameters affected the quality of life of subjects with ASD, such as having friends, regularly participating in a sport, and having the support of a school carer. For subjects with autistic spectrum disorders and without mental retardation, impairment of quality of life is significant in adolescence and young adulthood. Such adolescents are dissatisfied with their relationships, although they often have real motivation to succeed with them. Relevance of VSP-A questionnaire in these special individuals is discussed.

Autism and developmental delay: a comparative clinical study in very young children using IBSE scale.

OBJECTIVE: This study improves the knowledge of early autistic symptomatology and research concerning (i) the significant differences in the behaviors of children with autistic disorder (AD) and children with a developmental delay (DD), and (ii) the influence of the cognitive delay on symptomatology. METHOD: Two groups of 20 young children (7-42 months) were compared: children with AD, and those with DD. The groups were paired by chronological and developmental age. The comparison was extended to four subgroups composed according to age (younger and older children--<24 months, >24 months) and to the global development quotient (GDQ) (the more and less delayed). Each child was evaluated with the Infant Behavior Summarized Evaluation scale (IBSE). RESULTS: For the younger AD children, significant differences affected social communication and their adaptation to the environment (intolerance to frustration, resistance to change). For the older children (>24 months), this study showed the rapid progression of the number of distinctive signs between AD and DD children according to age and/or developmental level. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive delay has an important influence on the symptomatology at the moment of initial recognition of an autistic syndrome. This study is a complement for the fuller understanding of the nature and early diagnosis of disorders specific to autism at the earliest phases of development.

Interaction and imitation deficits from infancy to 4 years of age in children with autism: a pilot study based on videotapes.

The present study investigated the influence of developmental level on interaction and imitation in infants and young children with autism on the basis of family videos and filmed consultation. The sample comprised 18 children with autism divided into groups according to their developmental quotient (DQ>50 and DQ<50). A quantitative evaluation was performed on video observations at four periods (10-12 months, 16-18 months, 24-26 months, after 4 years) using scales appropriate for the evaluation of interaction and imitation impairments. The findings showed that, at a very early age, infants later diagnosed as having autistic disorder show different intensities of interaction and imitation deficits according to developmental level.

Behaviour profiles in a population of infants later diagnosed as having autistic disorder.

In order to complement findings in the field of early autism and in the context of our studies on the quantitative neurobiological evaluation of patients with autism, we studied a large population of infants later diagnosed as having autistic disorder, using multivariate descriptive statistical methods. The population included 74 infants between six and 35 months, evaluated with the Infant Behavioural Summarised Evaluation (IBSE) scale. Thirteen of the 33 items of the IBSE scale were selected according to previous studies on older patients with autistic disorder. Correspondence analysis was applied to these 13 items, followed by a classical cluster analysis. This procedure permitted the identification of four different profiles which were distinguished on the basis of five main behaviours: activity, auditory perception, sensorimotility, eye contact and use of objects. These profiles are similar to those identified in older children with autism. This study provides an objective description of early clinical markers of the heterogeneity in autism and thus contributes to the description of the onset of autistic disorder. It identified more precise clinical subtyping which will be valuable for future bioclinical studies.