BACKGROUND: The constellation of pre and perinatal predictors are introduced as predictor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), however, the information about the direction and strength of these predictors are lacking in Western, Iran. The current study aimed to determine the pre and perinatal predictors of ASD among children in this region.
METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in Hamadan, Western Iran during January to March 2022. The study included 100 children with ASD who referred to the autism center as case group. Hundred children without ASD from registration system of health service centers were selected as control group and were matched (1:1) to cases by age and place of residency. A structured questionnaire about pre and perinatal predictors of ASD was developed by an expert panel. The questionnaire was administered by interviewing the mothers of children.
RESULTS: Boy gender (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 1.74-7.10, p-value < 0.001), small for gestational age (SGA) (3.92, 1.64-9.39, 0.002), maternal diabetes (3.51, 1.03-24.95, 0.04) and family history of mental disorders (3.64, 1.18-11.27, 0.04) were identified as significant predictors in a multivariable analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study emphasizes on the importance of screening and monitoring for ASD in the boys, those with history of SGA, from mothers with history of diabetes and with family history of mental disorders. Proposing the replication of findings emphasizes the necessity of conducting studies with larger sample sizes.

UNASSIGNED: A higher rate of atypical handedness prevalence (non-right-handedness or left-, mixed-hand dominance) has been recurrently reported in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to individuals with other types of developmental disabilities. However, the exact magnitude of this difference as well as the presence of possible contributing factors remained unknown. The main aim of this study was to understand caregivers\' impression of the handedness of their child with developmental disabilities and its relationship with assessments of the child using a hand preference scale.
UNASSIGNED: The sample of the present study was 1116 individuals with developmental disabilities from two countries, 541 (51.5%) individuals from Iran and 575 (48.5%) individuals from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The handedness of the sample was evaluated based on the parental report and utilizing a standardized scale (The Hand-Preference Demonstration Test \"HPDT\").
UNASSIGNED: There was a statistically significant difference between caregivers\' reports on their dependents\' handedness and the application of a valid hand preference scale and they do not necessarily overlap. There was a statistically significant relationship between handedness and type of developmental disabilities based on caregivers\' reports and individuals with ASD were more non-right-handed compared to individuals with ID based on the caregivers\' report. Hence similar difference was not seen between the ASD and ID groups when HDTP was applied as a diagnostic scale. While left-handedness in the ASD and ID group was similar (23-24%), mixed-handedness in the ASD group was 38% compared to 33% in the ID group.
UNASSIGNED: The Hand-Preference Demonstration Test (HPDT) was a valid way to determine the hand preference of individuals with ASD and ID. It is concluded that parental reports on their offspring with ASD\'s hand preference need to be approved through the application of a scale and caregivers and professionals need to be more aware of early motor symptoms such as handedness. Further research should focus on the role of handedness in the development of fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination in children with differing developmental disabilities and variations among those differing impairments.

暂无摘要。

UNASSIGNED: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communicative skills and the occurrence of repetitive and/or stereotyped behaviors. Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is classically characterized by aplasia or hypoplasia of the distal phalanx or nail of the fifth and additional digits, developmental or cognitive delay of varying degrees, distinctive facial features, hypotonia, hirsutism/hypertrichosis, and sparse scalp hair. In this study, we present a detailed description of autistic traits in a boy diagnosed with CSS and further discuss their genetic backgrounds.
UNASSIGNED: An 8-year-old boy with ASD, congenital anomalies, and neurological problems had been diagnosed with Coffin-Siris syndrome after genetic testing. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous de novo pathogenic variant (class 5) c.1638_1647del in the ARID1B gene that is causative of Coffin-Siris syndrome but also other intellectual disability (ID)-related disorders, including autism. Tests that preceded the diagnoses, as well as congenital anomalies and developmental issues, were further described in an attempt to better present his phenotype.
UNASSIGNED: Both autism and ARID1B-related disorders are on a spectrum. This report points out the importance and necessity of further research regarding the genetic backgrounds of these disorders to understand their complex etiology.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the augmented reality in children with autism spectrum disorder is an evidence-based practice. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was conducted for determining research that implemented the augmented reality. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. As a result of the review, nine single-case experimental design (SCED) research that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed using the quality indicators. At the end of the quality evaluation, the effect size of eight SCED research that were determined to have evidence of a strong or adequate quality was calculated by using Tau-U. The results of the study revealed that the augmented reality was a promising and highly effective intervention (Tau U = 0.98) in teaching new skills for children with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Euthanasia review committees (Regionale Toetsingscommissies Euthanasie, RTE) scrutinise all Dutch cases of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EAS) to review whether six legal \'due care\' criteria are met, including \'unbearable suffering without prospect of improvement\'. There are significant complexities and ethical dilemmas if EAS requests are made by people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics and circumstances of people with intellectual disabilities and/or ASD who were granted their EAS request; investigate the main causes of suffering that led to the EAS request; and examine physicians\' response to the request.
METHODS: The online RTE database of 927 EAS case reports (2012-2021) was searched for patients with intellectual disabilities and/or ASD (n = 39). Inductive thematic content analysis was performed on these case reports, using the framework method.
RESULTS: Factors directly associated with intellectual disability and/or ASD were the sole cause of suffering described in 21% of cases and a major contributing factor in a further 42% of cases. Reasons for the EAS request included social isolation and loneliness (77%), lack of resilience or coping strategies (56%), lack of flexibility (rigid thinking or difficulty adapting to change) (44%) and oversensitivity to stimuli (26%). In one-third of cases, physicians noted there was \'no prospect of improvement\' as ASD and intellectual disability are not treatable.
CONCLUSIONS: Examination of societal support for suffering associated with lifelong disability, and debates around the acceptability of these factors as reasons for granting EAS, are of international importance.

Despite long wait times, public paediatric developmental assessment services remain crucial for assessment of children. Assessment is a critical opportunity to guide the placement of supports to improve outcomes. There is little research examining how clinical assessment services conduct their assessments, present results and write reports to families. This study examined 85 reports provided to caregivers at a developmental assessment service. Reports were evaluated for whether they (1) addressed caregiver perceived needs, (2) used available data to provide appropriate information about child needs, (3) provided recommendations that were actionable and specific to needs, (4) had appropriate readability levels and (5) followed existing autism assessment guidelines. Findings showed clinicians were more focused on autism diagnostic needs while caregivers were more focused on non-diagnostic needs. Recommendations related to autism diagnoses were actionable, but they rarely addressed comorbidities such as cognitive impairments or mental health. For instance, only 13% of reports contained recommendations for conditions other than autism spectrum disorder, despite 61% of the population receiving two or more diagnoses. Reports largely followed autism assessment guidelines, but the language used was more complex for families than recommended. Recommendations for future practice are provided so that consideration may be given to how to improve the quality and effectiveness of reports for families attending services.

The present report from the field tries to present challenges associated with establishing healthcare services for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in a low- and middle-income area. The given case that has been highlighted is establishing daycare services focusing on rehabilitation and training services for individuals with ASD, and their caregivers and family members, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Based on my experience, the associated challenges are divided into three primary levels: personal, professional, and organizational. The report highlights the importance of understanding the challenges associated with establishing healthcare services with the desire to put them under control. Plus, understanding the cultural aspects of the healthcare services for individuals with ASD experiences to address the issues at each level shared. It is concluded in the final part of the report that the key to establishing healthcare quality is to understand attitudes toward healthcare at the personal, professional, and organizational levels. This attitude determines the expectation from the services and defines assistance-seeking behaviors. Results offer insight for stakeholders in the healthcare field, allowing for a better understanding and improvement of availability and access to quality-driven healthcare services. A pre- and in-service training approach is practiced to address the associated challenges of establishing healthcare services at the personal level in KRI. A similar policy might be applicable in other LMICs, where there is a lack of professional and skillful healthcare service providers.

(1) Background: \'Images of Self\' (IOS) is a recently developed and evaluated art therapy program of 15 sessions to reduce difficulties in \'sense of self\', \'emotion regulation\', \'flexibility\', and \'social behavior\' of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this paper, it is explored whether change in the child\'s behaviors corresponds to the therapist\'s actions during IOS and 15 weeks later. (2) Method: In a repeated case study design, twelve children and seven therapists participated. Art therapists monitored their own and the children\'s behavior by applying two observation instruments: the OAT (Observation of a child with autism in Art Therapy) and EAT (Evaluation of Art Therapist\'s behavior when working with a child with autism). Child behaviors during art making were-individually and as a group-compared with therapist\'s actions at three moments during the program. (3) Results: Ten of twelve children showed a substantial or moderate positive behavior change considering all OAT subscales at the end of the program and 15 weeks after treatment. Improvement of \'social behavior\' stood out. Halfway treatment art therapists most prominently showed support of \'emotion regulation\', \'flexibility\', and \'social behavior\'. Clear one-on-one relationships between changes in children\'s behavior and actions of therapists could not be identified. (4) Conclusion: The study provides new insights in the AT treatment process by monitoring children\'s and therapists\' behavior. The art making itself and the art therapy triangle (child, art making, therapist) offer opportunities to improve verbal and nonverbal communication skills of the child.

UNASSIGNED: The rapid technological advances, the traits of individuals with ASD and their interest in technology are promising for the instruction of social skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using various technological interventions. Robotic interventions are among these. However, although robotics is frequently used with individuals with ASD, there is a limited number of reviews on social skills instruction and methods. The present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive descriptive analysis on single-case experimental designs where social skills were instructed to individuals with ASD and social robots were included as independent variables.
UNASSIGNED: Thirteen single-case experimental designs published in peer-reviewed journals in which social skills were taught to individuals with ASD using social robots were reviewed with a comprehensive descriptive analysis based on five categories: (a) key characteristics, (b) methodological characteristics, (c) findings, (d) data analysis, and (e) key parameters in single-case experimental designs.
UNASSIGNED: Social robots are generally effective in the instruction of social skills. Several social skills (e.g., making eye contact, social interaction, simple greetings) were instructed in the studies. Humanoid robots and NAO were used generally. The study data were predominantly analyzed statistically. There were several problems in research based on the basic parameters in single-case experimental designs.
UNASSIGNED: The researches in this study differ in several respects (e.g., results, data analysis, and dependent variable). Thus, there is still a need for several robotics studies in the instruction of social skills. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study will be a guide for teachers who currently use robots in their classrooms but do not know which skills to use in teaching and how to use them functionally, as it shows applied research with robots.The findings of this research will show implementers working with children with ASD that technological tools can be used in rehabilitation environments, and that teachers can take a place in their robots in interventions for children with ASD, giving them a different perspective.It will be seen that the education of children with ASD is not only 1:1 and with humans, but robots can also provide education. In this way, the power of technology in teaching will become clearer. Especially in rehabilitation.Finally, this research will offer new options in teaching especially for teachers who aim at teaching social skills and will give them the opportunity to comprehensively examine the processes of different studies on these subjects.