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Black MH, Greenwood DL, Hwa JCC, Pivac J, Tang J, Clarke PJF. What Are You Worried About? Content and Extent of Worry in Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:2040-2054. [PMID: 36988767 PMCID: PMC10052250 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05963-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Autistic adults commonly experience anxiety and worry, although knowledge on how worry presents and the content, extent, and experiences among autistic adults is limited. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was used to explore the presentation and experiences of worry in autistic and non-autistic adults. Quantitative surveys were used to compare the content and extent of worry in autistic adults to non-autistic adults, with semi-structured interviews also conducted with autistic adults to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences, impacts and content of worry in autistic adults. Findings indicated that autistic adults demonstrated clinically significant levels of worry which were substantially higher than non-autistic adults. Autistic adults described worry as a cycle of negative thoughts impacting their daily life. Findings indicate that autistic adults may worry more than non-autistic adults, impacting on participation in activities of daily living, sleep, and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa H Black
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Dana L Greenwood
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | - Jacqueline Pivac
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jessica Tang
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Patrick J F Clarke
- enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Cognition and Emotion Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Sideropoulos V, Van Herwegen J, Meuleman B, Alessandri M, Alnemary FM, Rad JA, Lavenex PAB, Bolshakov N, Bölte S, Buffle P, Cai RY, Campos R, Chirita-Emandi A, Costa AP, Costanzo F, Des Portes V, Dukes D, Faivre L, Famelart N, Fisher MH, Gamaiunova L, Giannadou A, Gupta R, Hardan AY, Houdayer-Robert F, Hrncirova L, Iaochite RT, Jariabkova K, Klein-Tasman BP, Lavenex P, Malik S, Mari F, Martinez-Castilla P, Menghini D, Nuske HJ, Palikara O, Papon A, Pegg RS, Pouretemad H, Poustka L, Prosetzky I, Renieri A, Rhodes SM, Riby DM, Rossi M, Sadeghi S, Su X, Tai C, Tran M, Tynan F, Uljarević M, Van Hecke AV, Veiga G, Verloes A, Vicari S, Werneck-Rohrer SG, Zander E, Samson AC. Anxiety, concerns and COVID-19: Cross-country perspectives from families and individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. J Glob Health 2023; 13:04081. [PMID: 37497751 PMCID: PMC10373111 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.13.04081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the mental health and well-being of children with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) and of their families worldwide. However, there is insufficient evidence to understand how different factors (e.g., individual, family, country, children) have impacted on anxiety levels of families and their children with NDCs developed over time. Methods We used data from a global survey assessing the experience of 8043 families and their children with NDCs (mean of age (m) = 13.18 years, 37% female) and their typically developing siblings (m = 12.9 years, 45% female) in combination with data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the University of Oxford, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, to create a multilevel data set. Using stepwise multilevel modelling, we generated child-, family- and country-related factors that may have contributed to the anxiety levels of children with NDCs, their siblings if they had any, and their parents. All data were reported by parents. Results Our results suggest that parental anxiety was best explained by family-related factors such as concerns about COVID-19 and illness. Children's anxiety was best explained by child-related factors such as children's concerns about loss of routine, family conflict, and safety in general, as well as concerns about COVID-19. In addition, anxiety levels were linked to the presence of pre-existing anxiety conditions for both children with NDCs and their parents. Conclusions The present study shows that across the globe there was a raise in anxiety levels for both parents and their children with NDCs because of COVID-19 and that country-level factors had little or no impact on explaining differences in this increase, once family and child factors were considered. Our findings also highlight that certain groups of children with NDCs were at higher risk for anxiety than others and had specific concerns. Together, these results show that anxiety of families and their children with NDCs during the COVID-19 pandemic were predicted by very specific concerns and worries which inform the development of future toolkits and policy. Future studies should investigate how country factors can play a protective role during future crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassilis Sideropoulos
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, London, UK
| | - Jo Van Herwegen
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, London, UK
| | - Ben Meuleman
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michael Alessandri
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | | | - Jamal Amani Rad
- Department of Cognitive Modeling, Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Center for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paulina Buffle
- Laboratory of Sensori-Motor Affective and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ru Y Cai
- Aspect Research Centre for Autism Practice, Autism Spectrum Australia, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ruth Campos
- Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adela Chirita-Emandi
- Department of Microscopic Morphology - Genetics, Center of Genomic Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Andreia P Costa
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child and Adolescents Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincent Des Portes
- National Reference Center for Intellectual Disabilities of Rare causes, Lyon University Hospital, France
| | - Daniel Dukes
- Institute of Special Education, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Laurence Faivre
- Centre de Génétique et Centre de Référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, FHU TRANSLAD, INSERM UMR1231, Hôpital d'Enfants, CHU Dijon, Dijon Cedex, France
| | | | - Marisa H Fisher
- Department of Counselling, Educational Psychology, & Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Liudmilla Gamaiunova
- Institute for Social Sciences of Religions, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Rashmi Gupta
- Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Powai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Antonio Y Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - Lenka Hrncirova
- Department of Special and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Katarina Jariabkova
- Institute for Research in Social Communication, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - Pierre Lavenex
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Development, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Pastora Martinez-Castilla
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child and Adolescents Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Heather J Nuske
- Penn Center for Mental Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Olympia Palikara
- Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK
| | - Anouk Papon
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
| | - Robin S Pegg
- Williams Syndrome Association, Troy, Michigan, USA
| | - Hamidreza Pouretemad
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Luise Poustka
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ingolf Prosetzky
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zittau / Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany
| | | | - Sinead M Rhodes
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Deborah M Riby
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neurodiversity & Development, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Massimiliano Rossi
- Service de génétique HCL, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, CRNL, GENDEV Team, UCBL1, Bron, France
| | - Saeid Sadeghi
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Xueyen Su
- Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Claire Tai
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Michel Tran
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
| | - Fionnuala Tynan
- Faculty of Education, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Mirko Uljarević
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Amy V Van Hecke
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Guida Veiga
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Alain Verloes
- Department of Genetics, APHP.NUP Robert DEBRE University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
| | - Sonja G Werneck-Rohrer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eric Zander
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Center for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrea C Samson
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
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Uljarević M, Spackman EK, Whitehouse AJO, Frazier TW, Billingham W, Condron P, Hardan A, Leekam SR. Arriving at the empirically based conceptualization of restricted and repetitive behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analytic examination of factor analyses. Clin Psychol Rev 2023; 103:102286. [PMID: 37269778 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
An empirically based understanding of the factor structure of the restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) domain is a prerequisite for interpreting studies attempting to understand the correlates and mechanisms underpinning RRB and for measurement development. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of RRB factor analytic studies. Sets of meta-analyses were performed to examine (a) the factor structure of individual RRB instruments, (b) associations between RRB subdomains across instruments, and (c) the association between RRB factors and other variables. Searches for peer-reviewed articles evaluating the factor structure of the RRB domain were performed in PsycINFO (Ovid), Medline (Ovid), and Embase (Ovid). No age, measurement, or informant-type limits were imposed. Quality and risk of bias for individual studies were assessed using relevant COSMIN sections. Among the 53 studies retained for review, 41 examined RRB factor structures among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 12 among non-ASD samples. Meta-analysis of factor correlations provided evidence that the RRB domain encompasses the following eight specific factors: repetitive motor behaviors, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, unusual interests, sensory sensitivity, and repetitive, stereotyped language. Although interrelated, RRB factors were distinct, showing a unique pattern of associations with demographic, cognitive, and clinical correlates. Meta-analyses of the associations between RRB factors and specific correlates, specifically adaptive functioning and communication impairments, should be considered preliminary due to the limited number of studies. Despite limitations, this review provides important insights into the factor structure of the RRB domain and highlights critical conceptual, measurement, and methodological limitations of the current research that will need to be addressed in order to improve our understanding of RRB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
| | - Emily K Spackman
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew J O Whitehouse
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, USA
| | - Wesley Billingham
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Patrick Condron
- University Library, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic 3010, Australia
| | - Antonio Hardan
- University Library, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic 3010, Australia
| | - Susan R Leekam
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
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4
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Ng R, Bjornsson HT, Fahrner JA, Harris J. Anxiety in Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome. Am J Med Genet A 2023; 191:437-444. [PMID: 36373844 PMCID: PMC9907226 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study examined anxiety in Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome (WSS). Eighteen caregivers and participants with WSS completed the parent- and self-report versions of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorder or the adapted version of the Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorder. Approximately 33.33% of parents and 65% of participants with WSS rated in the clinical range for overall anxiety. Across anxiety subtypes, parents primarily indicated concerns with Separation Anxiety (72%), which was also endorsed by the majority of participants with WSS (82%). The emergent trend showed Total Anxiety increased with age based on parent-informant ratings. The behavioral phenotype of WSS includes elevated anxiety. Clinical management should include incorporating early behavioral interventions to bolster emotion regulation given the observed risk of anxiety with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowena Ng
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hans Tomas Bjornsson
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Jill A. Fahrner
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jacqueline Harris
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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5
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Keating J, Van Goozen S, Uljarevic M, Hay D, Leekam SR. Restricted and repetitive behaviors and their developmental and demographic correlates in 4-8-year-old children: A transdiagnostic approach. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1085404. [PMID: 36935892 PMCID: PMC10014551 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1085404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a broad class of behaviors characterized by frequent action repetition and intense preference for sameness. Research has predominantly focused on RRBs in diagnosed clinical groups, particularly in autism spectrum disorder and genetic disorders. Using a transdiagnostic approach, the current study examined RRBs in a diverse sample of children in relation to developmental and demographic correlates (age, language, non-verbal ability, child anxiety, sex, and socioeconomic status). Separate analyses examined two RRB subtypes; repetitive sensory and motor behaviors (RSMB) and insistence on sameness (IS). Method: Children (N = 260, age 4-8 years, 174 male, 86 female) in mainstream schools identified by teachers as having behavioral, emotional, and/or cognitive difficulties, were assessed using the Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2), the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS), Lucid Ability Scale, the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). Recruitment excluded diagnosed clinical conditions. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess children's difficulties. Results: RRB scores were of high frequency and the scores for the IS were higher than for RSMB. The severity of anxiety symptoms and male sex were significantly associated with both RRB subtypes, and younger age and SES scores were associated with IS. Elevated RRB total and subtype scores were significantly related to SDQ scores for emotion, conduct, hyperactivity, and peer-relations. Discussion: The study provides the first evidence of RRBs in a diverse sample of young children with emerging difficulties in behavior, cognition, and/or emotion. The results contribute to proposals about psychological development in RRB and indicate that RRBs are best represented on a continuum of severity found across children in the early school years. The results support previous findings of a relation between RRB and anxiety reported in clinical samples and importantly, they indicate that it is time to move beyond the study of categorically defined groups and consider correlates of RRBs that include broad indices of mental health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Keating
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Van Goozen
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mirko Uljarevic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Dale Hay
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Susan R. Leekam
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Susan R. Leekam
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6
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Spackman E, Lerh JW, Rodgers J, Hollocks MJ, South M, McConachie H, Ozsivadjian A, Vaughan Van Hecke A, Libove R, Hardan AY, Leekam SR, Simonoff E, Frazier TW, Alvares GA, Schwartzman JM, Magiati I, Uljarević M. Understanding the heterogeneity of anxiety in autistic youth: A person-centered approach. Autism Res 2022; 15:1742-1754. [PMID: 35642170 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine anxiety profiles among children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. It further aimed to characterize the association between the identified anxiety profiles and key clinical and developmental variables. The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent Version (SCAS-P) data from a large international pooled sample of 870 caregivers of autistic children and adolescents (Mage = 11.6 years, SDage = 2.77; 107 females) was used. Latent profile analysis identified a three-anxiety profile solution exhibiting high entropy (0.80) and high latent profile probabilities, with good classification accuracy. Identified profiles fell along the severity spectrum and were named as the mild (n = 498), moderate (n = 272) and severe (n = 100) anxiety profiles. There were no statistically significant differences between the three anxiety profiles in terms of sex distribution. Participants in the mild profile were significantly younger than those in the severe profile, had significantly fewer social communication difficulties than youth in the moderate anxiety profile group and had significantly fewer restricted and repetitive behaviors and lower cognitive functioning scores compared to participants in moderate and severe anxiety profiles. This is the first study to move beyond identifying associations and group-level differences to exploring and identifying characteristics of anxiety-based subgroups at an individual level that differ on key clinical and developmental variables. The subgroups identified in this study are a preliminary, yet important, first step towards informing future assessment and individualized interventions aiming to support young people on the autism spectrum to reduce and manage anxiety. LAY SUMMARY: This study tried to understand if there are subgroups of autistic young people who may have similar anxiety profiles. We found that we could meaningfully group young people into three groups based on how severe the anxiety symptoms their caregivers reported were: a group with low levels of anxiety, those with moderate anxiety, and those with more severe anxiety. We also found that the young people in the mild group were younger, had fewer autism traits and lower levels of intellectual functioning than young people in the other two groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Spackman
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jian Wei Lerh
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jacqui Rodgers
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Matthew J Hollocks
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.,Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Mikle South
- Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Helen McConachie
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ann Ozsivadjian
- Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Robin Libove
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Antonio Y Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Susan R Leekam
- Wales Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Emily Simonoff
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA
| | - Gail A Alvares
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jessica M Schwartzman
- Vanderbilt Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Iliana Magiati
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Mirko Uljarević
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Harrop C, Dallman AR, Lecavalier L, Bodfish JW, Boyd BA. Behavioral Inflexibility Across Two Neurogenetic Conditions: Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2021; 126:409-420. [PMID: 34428269 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-126.5.409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral inflexibility (BI) has been highlighted to occur across genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders. This study characterized BI in two common neurogenetic conditions: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS). Caregivers of children with FXS (N = 56; with ASD = 28; FXS only = 28) and DS (N = 146) completed the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale (BIS) via an online survey. Total BIS scores were higher in FXS+ASD than both FXS only and DS (p <.001). Most endorsed items were similar across the three groups, but scores were higher in the FXS+ASD group. In all groups, BI associated with other clinical variables (receptive behaviors, anxiety, social communication). The current data suggest that BI is variable across neurogenetic conditions and higher in individuals with comorbid ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Harrop
- Clare Harrop*, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | | | | | - Brian A Boyd
- Brian A. Boyd, Juniper Gardens Children's Project, Kansas University
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8
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Uljarević M, Frazier TW, Rached G, Busch RM, Klaas P, Srivastava S, Martinez-Agosto JA, Sahin M, Eng C, Hardan AY. Toward better characterization of restricted and repetitive behaviors in individuals with germline heterozygous PTEN mutations. Am J Med Genet A 2021; 185:3401-3410. [PMID: 34423884 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to further our understanding of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) among individuals with germline pathogenic mutations in PTEN by providing multimethod characterization and comparison of key RRB subdomains across individuals with PTEN mutations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (PTEN-ASD), with PTEN mutations without ASD (PTEN-No ASD) and with ASD and macrocephaly but without PTEN mutations (Macro-ASD). Of 86 total research participants, 38 had PTEN-ASD (Mage = 8.93 years, SDage = 4.75), 25 Macro-ASD (Mage = 11.99 years; SDage = 5.15), and 23 PTEN-No ASD (Mage = 8.94 years; SDage = 4.85). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) were used as measures of distinct RRB domains. There were significant group differences in the RBS-R repetitive motor behaviors (RMB; F = 4.52, p = 0.014, ω2 = 0.08), insistence on sameness (IS; F = 4.11, p = 0.02, ω2 = 0.05), and circumscribed interests (CI; F = 7.80, p = 0.001, ω2 = 0.14) scales. Post hoc comparisons showed that the PTEN-No ASD group had significantly lower RMB, IS, and CI scores compared to both PTEN-ASD and Macro-ASD groups. Importantly, PTEN-No ASD group still showed elevated RRB levels. Furthermore, there was a portion of individuals in PTEN-No ASD group whose Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) was >70 that did not show floor level scores in the RMB domain. After adjusting for age and FSIQ scores, group differences were no longer statistically significant. RMB, IS, and CI domains showed distinct association patterns with sex, age, and FSIQ. This investigation provides the largest and most comprehensive characterization of distinct RRB domains in individuals with PTEN mutations to date. Despite the limitations, our findings have important assessment and treatment implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA.,Autism Speaks, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Robyn M Busch
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.,Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Patricia Klaas
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Siddharth Srivastava
- Department of Neurology, Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julian A Martinez-Agosto
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Department of Neurology, Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Charis Eng
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Antonio Y Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Muris P, Ollendick TH. Selective Mutism and Its Relations to Social Anxiety Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2021; 24:294-325. [PMID: 33462750 PMCID: PMC8131304 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-020-00342-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In current classification systems, selective mutism (SM) is included in the broad anxiety disorders category. Indeed, there is abundant evidence showing that anxiety, and social anxiety in particular, is a prominent feature of SM. In this article, we point out that autism spectrum problems in addition to anxiety problems are sometimes also implicated in SM. To build our case, we summarize evidence showing that SM, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are allied clinical conditions and share communalities in the realm of social difficulties. Following this, we address the role of a prototypical class of ASD symptoms, restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBIs), which are hypothesized to play a special role in the preservation and exacerbation of social difficulties. We then substantiate our point that SM is sometimes more than an anxiety disorder by addressing its special link with ASD in more detail. Finally, we close by noting that the possible involvement of ASD in SM has a number of consequences for clinical practice with regard to its classification, assessment, and treatment of children with SM and highlight a number of directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Muris
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Thomas H Ollendick
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA
- Roehampton University, London, England
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10
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Uljarević M, Jo B, Frazier TW, Scahill L, Youngstrom EA, Hardan AY. Using the big data approach to clarify the structure of restricted and repetitive behaviors across the most commonly used autism spectrum disorder measures. Mol Autism 2021; 12:39. [PMID: 34044873 PMCID: PMC8162018 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-021-00419-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompass several distinct domains. However, commonly used general ASD measures provide broad RRB scores rather than assessing separate RRB domains. The main objective of the current investigation was to conduct a psychometric evaluation of the ability of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) to capture different RRB constructs. METHODS Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) was conducted using individual item-level data from the SRS-2, SCQ, ADI-R and the ADOS. Data were obtained from five existing publicly available databases. For the SRS-2, the final sample consisted of N = 16,761 individuals (Mage = 9.43, SD = 3.73; 18.5% female); for the SCQ, of N = 15,840 (Mage = 7.99, SD = 4.06; 18.1% female); for the ADI-R, of N = 8985 (Mage = 8.86, SD = 4.68; 19.4% female); and for the ADOS, of N = 6314 (Mage = 12.29, SD = 6.79; 17.7% female). RESULTS The three-factor structure provided the most optimal and interpretable fit to data for all measures (comparative fit index ≥ .983, Tucker Lewis index ≥ .966, root mean square error of approximation ≤ .028). Repetitive-motor behaviors, insistence on sameness and unusual or circumscribed interests factors emerged across all instruments. No acceptable fit was identified for the ADOS. LIMITATIONS The five datasets used here afforded a large as well as wide distribution of the RRB item scores. However, measures used for establishing convergent and divergent validity were only available for a portion of the sample. CONCLUSIONS Reported findings offer promise for capturing important RRB domains using general ASD measures and highlight the need for measurement development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Booil Jo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Thomas W. Frazier
- Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH USA
| | - Lawrence Scahill
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Eric A. Youngstrom
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Antonio Y. Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
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11
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Uljarević M, Frazier TW, Rached G, Busch RM, Klaas P, Srivastava S, Martinez-Agosto JA, Sahin M, Eng C, Hardan AY. Brief Report: Role of Parent-Reported Executive Functioning and Anxiety in Insistence on Sameness in Individuals with Germline PTEN Mutations. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:414-422. [PMID: 33595755 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04881-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to characterize the relationship between insistence on sameness (IS), executive functioning (EF) and anxiety among individuals with PTEN mutations and individuals with macrocephalic ASD. The sample included 38 individuals with PTEN mutation and ASD diagnosis (PTEN-ASD; Mage = 8.93 years, SDage = 4.75), 23 with PTEN mutation without ASD (PTEN-no ASD; Mage = 8.94 years; SDage = 4.85) and 25 with ASD and macrocephaly but with no PTEN mutation (Macro-ASD; Mage = 11.99 years; SDage = 5.15). The final model accounted for 45.7% of variance in IS, with Set-Shifting EF subdomain as a unique independent predictor (t = 4.12, p < 0.001). This investigation provides the first preliminary evidence for the EF-anxiety-IS interrelationship in individuals with PTEN mutations and with macrocephalic ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
- La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia.
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, USA
| | | | - Robyn M Busch
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Patricia Klaas
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Siddharth Srivastava
- Translational Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julian A Martinez-Agosto
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Translational Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Charis Eng
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Antonio Y Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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12
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Iversen RK, Lewis C. Executive Function Skills Are Linked to Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors: Three Correlational Meta Analyses. Autism Res 2021; 14:1163-1185. [PMID: 33410263 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There is a consensus on the centrality of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet the origins of these behaviors are still debated. We reconsider whether executive function (EF) accounts of RRBs should be revisited. EF deficits and high levels of RRBs are often pronounced in individuals with ASD and are also prevalent in young typically developing children. Despite this, the evidence is mixed, and there has been no systematic attempt to evaluate the relationship across studies and between task batteries. We examine recent evidence, and in three highly powered random-effects analyses (N = 2964), examine the strength of the association between RRB levels and performance on set shifting, inhibitory control, and parental-report based EF batteries. The analyses confirm significant associations between high levels of the behaviors and poor EF skills. Moreover, the associations remained stable across typical development and in individuals with ASD and across different types of EF measures. These meta-analyses consolidate recent evidence identifying that cognitive mechanisms correlate with high RRBs that are seen in individuals with ASD, as well as in typical development. We propose that the EF account may be critical for guiding future interventions in ASD research. LAY SUMMARY: Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are diagnostic criteria for Autism yet also common in typical development, and if they persist over time some can have a negative impact on learning and social acceptance. The present meta-analyses found that high levels of RRBs related to poor performance on set-shifting and inhibitory control tasks, as well as high ratings on parental report scales. Future studies should create interventions that aim to improve these skills as they may help manage challenging RRBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kvisler Iversen
- Fylde College, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Charlie Lewis
- Fylde College, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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13
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Bury SM, Hedley D, Uljarević M, Gal E. The autism advantage at work: A critical and systematic review of current evidence. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2020; 105:103750. [PMID: 32810716 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite difficulties entering the workforce, people on the autism spectrum are often successful. Furthermore, they are suggested to bring unique abilities (e.g., attention to detail, tolerance for repetitive tasks) related to the repetitive and restrictive behaviours and interests (RRBI) diagnostic domain, that may be advantageous in employment. AIMS This critical and systematic review examined evidence supporting the superior workplace performance of employees on the autism spectrum, particularly regarding the RRBI domain. METHOD AND PROCEDURES A systematic review (PRISMA guidelines) evaluated empirical peer-reviewed studies that assess employees on the autism spectrum's performance in the workplace or on work-specific tasks. Nine databases were searched, with additional papers identified from reference lists and consultation. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Two quantitative and four qualitative papers met criteria. Results reflect themes; attention to detail, tolerance of repetitive tasks, special/circumscribed interests, other RRBI related advantages/concerns. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Due to the nature and quality of the identified studies there is currently no strong evidence supporting or negating a workplace autism advantage. This review highlights the need for more research and urges constraint in utilising stereotypes that may not apply to all on the autism spectrum, arguing an individual differences approach to supporting autism strengths at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon M Bury
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, VIC, Australia.
| | - Darren Hedley
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, VIC, Australia
| | - Mirko Uljarević
- Stanford Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, CA, USA; University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Eynat Gal
- University of Haifa, Department of Occupational Therapy, Haifa, Israel
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14
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Uljarević M, Cooper MN, Bebbington K, Glasson EJ, Maybery MT, Varcin K, Alvares GA, Wray J, Leekam SR, Whitehouse AJO. Deconstructing the repetitive behaviour phenotype in autism spectrum disorder through a large population-based analysis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2020; 61:1030-1042. [PMID: 32037582 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Restricted and repetitive pattern of behaviours and interests (RRB) are a cardinal feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there remains uncertainty about how these diverse behaviours vary according to individual characteristics. This study provided the largest exploration to date of the relationship between Repetitive Motor Behaviours, Rigidity/Insistence on Sameness and Circumscribed Interests with other individual characteristics in newly diagnosed individuals with ASD. METHOD Participants (N = 3,647; 17.7% females; Mage = 6.6 years [SD = 4.7]) were part of the Western Australian (WA) Register for ASD, an independent, prospective collection of demographic and diagnostic data of newly diagnosed cases of ASD in WA. Diagnosticians rated each of the DSM-IV-TR criteria on a 4-point Likert severity scale, and here we focused on the Repetitive Motor Behaviours, Insistence on Sameness and Circumscribed Interests symptoms. RESULTS The associations between RRB domains, indexed by Kendall's Tau, were weak, ranging from non-significant for both Circumscribed Interests and Repetitive Motor Behaviours to significant (.20) for Insistence on Sameness and Repetitive Motor Behaviours. Older age at diagnosis was significantly associated with lower Circumscribed Interests and significantly associated with higher Insistence on Sameness and Repetitive Motor Behaviours. Male sex was significantly associated with higher Repetitive Motor Behaviours but not Insistence on Sameness or Circumscribed Interests. CONCLUSIONS The pattern of associations identified in this study provides suggestive evidence for the distinctiveness of Repetitive Motor Behaviours, Insistence on Sameness and Circumscribed Interests, highlighting the potential utility of RRB domains for stratifying the larger ASD population into smaller, more phenotypically homogeneous subgroups that can help to facilitate efforts to understand diverse ASD aetiology and inform design of future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford Autism Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthew N Cooper
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Keely Bebbington
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Emma J Glasson
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Kandice Varcin
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Gail A Alvares
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - John Wray
- Child Development Service, WA Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Susan R Leekam
- Wales Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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15
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The relation between normative rituals/routines and obsessive-compulsive symptoms at a young age: A systematic review. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2020.100913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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16
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Conner CM, White SW, Scahill L, Mazefsky CA. The role of emotion regulation and core autism symptoms in the experience of anxiety in autism. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2020; 24:931-940. [PMID: 32050774 DOI: 10.1177/1362361320904217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Many children with autism spectrum disorder have problems with managing their emotions (emotion regulation) and anxiety. In this study, over 1000 parents completed an online survey which showed that emotion regulation and anxiety are closely linked. Although emotion regulation and anxiety are inter-connected, the results also show that autism symptoms play an important role in anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. Emotion regulation problems may be an important target for the treatment of anxiety in autism.
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17
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Uljarević M, McCabe KL, Angkustsiri K, Simon TJ, Hardan AY. Interrelationship Between Cognitive Control, Anxiety, and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Autism Res 2019; 12:1737-1744. [PMID: 31433576 PMCID: PMC6927400 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) are common in individuals with 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), yet the underlying mechanisms of these behaviors remain poorly characterized. In the present pilot investigation, we aimed to further our understanding of RRB in 22q11.2DS by exploring their relationship with cognitive control and anxiety as well as with sex, chronological age, and full-scale IQ. Parents of 38 children with 22q11.2DS (17 females; Mage = 11.15 years, SD = 2.46) completed the Social Communication Questionnaire as a measure of RRB and social and communication (SC) problems and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 as a measure of anxiety and cognitive control. Higher RRB scores were significantly associated with higher anxiety levels (r = 0.44, P = 0.006), more impairments in cognitive control (r = 0.56, P < 0.001), and higher SC scores (r = 0.43, P = 0.011). In the first step of the hierarchical regression model, anxiety accounted for 24.5% of variance (F = 10.05, P = 0.003); cognitive control accounted for an additional 18.1% of variance (Fchange = 11.15, P < 0.001) in the second step; SC score accounted for only 0.8% of additional variance in the third step (Fchange = 0.40, P = 0.53). The final model explained 43.4% of variance (F = 7.42, P = 0.001), with cognitive control as a unique independent predictor of RRB score (t = 2.52, P = 0.01). The current study provides the first exploration of the cognitive control-anxiety-RRB link in individuals with 22q11.2DS and points to cognitive control as a potentially viable target for treatments aimed at reducing RRB. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1737-1744. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome show high levels of repetitive behaviors, however, the previous research has not explored why people with this syndrome exhibit high rates of repetitive behaviors. Understanding the reasons for the high levels of repetitive behaviors is important given that these behaviors can be highly impairing. Our study found that repetitive behaviors were associated with impaired ability to self-regulate and high levels of anxiety. These findings need to be further replicated; however, they are important as they suggest potentially promising ways of reducing these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kathryn L McCabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, California
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Kathleen Angkustsiri
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California
| | - Tony J Simon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, California
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Antonio Y Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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Exploring Traits of Autism and Their Impact on Functional Disability in Children with Somatic Symptom Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 49:729-737. [PMID: 30229361 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3751-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Subclinical traits of autism were measured in children with somatic symptom disorder (SSD, n = 28) and compared with age-matched controls (n = 26) using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) children's version. The KINDLR quality of life questionnaire was used to assess functional disability. Although there was no significant group difference in total traits of autism, SSD group had significantly greater difficulty in attention switching domain. Logistic regression analysis confirmed attention switching and age were associated with increased likelihood of SSD. In SSD group, difficulty in attention switching significantly negatively correlated with total, family, and friends quality of life scores. In conclusion, assessment and treatment targeting difficulties in attention switching could be useful when dealing with children with SSD.
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19
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Largely Typical Electrophysiological Affective Responses to Special Interest Stimuli in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:3133-3143. [PMID: 29680961 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3587-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Circumscribed interests are a symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that may be related to exaggerated affective neural responses. However, the use of generic ASD-interest image stimuli has left an open question as to whether affective responses towards individual interests are greater in ASD compared to typically developing (TD) controls. We compared amplitudes of the late positive potential (LPP), an affective electroencephalographic response, between adolescents with ASD (N = 19) and TD adolescents (N = 20), using images tailored to individual likes and dislikes. We found an LPP response for liked and disliked images, relative to neutral, with no difference in amplitude between groups. This suggests that the LPP is not atypical in adolescents with ASD towards images of individual interests.
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Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Review of Associated Features and Presentation Across Clinical Populations. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-018-0139-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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21
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Uljarević M, Richdale AL, Evans DW, Cai RY, Leekam SR. Interrelationship between insistence on sameness, effortful control and anxiety in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mol Autism 2017; 8:36. [PMID: 28736608 PMCID: PMC5521115 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0158-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both self-regulation and insistence on sameness (IS) are related to anxiety, which is a common feature of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we aimed to characterise the IS-self-regulation-anxiety interrelationship by investigating the potential contribution made by self-regulation, assessed via effortful control (EC), to the IS-anxiety relationship in a sample of adolescents and young adults with ASD. METHOD Seventy-one older adolescents and younger adults with ASD (49 males, 22 females; Mage = 18.71 years, SD = 2.51, range 14.42-24.81) completed the Adult Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire-2, Effortful Control Scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire and the DSM-5 Dimensional Anxiety Scales. RESULTS IS was associated with both EC (r = -.39, p = .001) and anxiety (r = .45, p < .001), and anxiety was in turn associated with EC (r = -.44, p < .001). To characterise the nature of this interrelationship, two mediation analyses were performed using the serial mediation model in PROCESS with 5000 resamples in bootstrapping. There was a significant indirect effect of EC on anxiety, through IS (b = -.06; BCa 95% CI [-.13, -.02]), and indirect effect on anxiety through EC (b = 1.62; BCa 95% CI [.59, 3.24]) with the mediators accounting for 29.07 and 26.04% of the total effect, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides the first exploration of the IS-anxiety-self-regulation link in ASD. The finding that lower levels of self-regulation are related both to anxiety and IS behaviours points to self-regulation as a viable intervention target for both anxiety and IS behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086 Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Level 3 Foxtail Building, Long Pocket, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Amanda L. Richdale
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086 Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Level 3 Foxtail Building, Long Pocket, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - David W. Evans
- Department of Psychology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA USA
| | - Ru Ying Cai
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086 Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Level 3 Foxtail Building, Long Pocket, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Susan R. Leekam
- Wales Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales UK
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Repetitive Behaviours and Restricted Interests in Individuals with Down Syndrome-One Way of Managing Their World? Brain Sci 2017; 7:brainsci7060066. [PMID: 28617347 PMCID: PMC5483639 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7060066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper argues that the repetitive behaviour and restrictive interests (RBRI) displayed by individuals with Down syndrome have mostly positive functions. However, as research has developed from interests in Obsessional Compulsive Disorder or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, unfortunately a view has arisen that RBRI in individuals with Down syndrome are also likely to be pathological. This is particularly the case in adults. The paper reviews: (a) measures employed and the perspectives that have been used; (b) the development in typically developing individuals, those with Down syndrome, and those with other conditions associated with intellectual disability; (c) positive and possible negative effects of RBRI; and (d) the need for more research. The conclusion is that, for their level of development, RBRI are helpful for most individuals with Down syndrome.
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