Open access article: (https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/3644/2394)

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a complex group of neurodevelopment disorders characterized by impairments in communication skills, social skills and repetitive behavior. There are varieties of different therapeutic treatment options that are frequently used with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the Clinic Brain Neuropsychiatric Institute & Research Center, Barasat, Kolkata, India, different management approached are taken for the treatment of ASD for betterment of life. These include: psychotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education, art therapy, music and movement therapy, animal therapy, etc.Since to date there is no specific medication developed to autism itself, the psycho-pharmacologic approach is addressed to some core symptoms, such as hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, etc. Psycho-pharmacotherapy can eventually improveadhesion to non-medical treatment of ASD patients. Occupational therapists (OT) offer a wide range of therapies for individuals with ASD on the basis of specific deficits and difficulties.In the evaluation and treatment of individuals with ASD, OT professionals tend to address ADLs, IADLs, adaptive behavior, rest and sleep, employment/pre-employment, and social participation.Over the last few decades, speech and language therapy, in particular the direct intervention type - the characteristic of which is the treatment directed to the abilities and inabilities of each child, has been emphasized as a means of social adjustment of communicational behavior. Simulation of the pragmatic level of language is possible in persons with ASD, it must be preceded by targeted diagnostics and assessment of individual components of the pragmatic level of language. Positive teacher attitudes are an important predictor of thesuccessful education of children with disabilities, including those with ASDs.However, the severity and pervasiveness ASD often leads tothe teaching and inclusion of this group of pupils to beseen as especially complex. Expressive Arts Therapy, specifically arts based therapeutic interventions can offer a unique and comprehensive approach to address a variety of the defining symptoms of autism and in doing so, may have the potential to improve relational capacity for those with the disorder. Art therapy can be used to address tactile and sensory integration, communication, emotion and affect regulation, as well as a way to practice social skills and increase the likelihood of bonding. The music-based interventions are effective treatment tools for individuals with ASDs because they harnessthe musical strengths of this population while alleviating their impairments. The music-based interventions particularly attractive for individuals with ASDs.The focus in recent research has shifted from the conventional use of animals for domestication purpose to clinical applications to improvise human well-being. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves use of animals in the therapeutic or treatment process, also for the treatment of ASD.

Citation: ROLE OF DIFFERENT THERAPIES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER, JOURNAL OF POSITIVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 6 No. 4 (2022), Dr. Gautam Saha and Dr. Arpita Chatterjee.

Open access article: ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34238038/ )

Abstract

Executive functions are often impaired in autistic people and relate to important outcomes such as mental health, success in school and work, and quality of life. Evaluating executive functions helps autistic people, clinicians and families identify targets for external supports and skill building. Youth self-report of executive function has not been studied, yet we know that self-report from autistic youth is key to understanding other cognitive/behavioral phenomena in autism such as anxiety, obsessions/compulsions, sensory sensitivities and repetitive behaviors. We investigated self- and parent-report of executive function problems in 197 autistic youth without intellectual disability (ages 11–18 years), including the magnitude and profiles of executive function problems autistic youth report across subdomains of EF. We compared autistic self-report with that of 114 youth with ADHD without intellectual disability and 197 neurotypical youth. We found that autistic youth report significant executive function problems compared to neurotypical youth and a distinctive profile of challenges in comparison to ADHD youth. Parents and their autistic children diverged regarding the magnitude of the youth’s EF difficulties, but both identify inflexibility as the most impaired EF subdomain. Autistic youth and their parents were somewhat more concordant in their report of executive function problems than youth with ADHD and their parents, but only showed moderate concordance at best. These findings elevate the importance of asking autistic youth directly about their executive functioning when engaging them in assessment and intervention, or researching executive functions in autism.

Citation: Kenworthy L, Verbalis A, Bascom J, daVanport S, Strang JF, Pugliese C, Freeman A, Jeppsen C, Armour AC, Jost G, Hardy K, Wallace GL. Adding the missing voice: How self-report of autistic youth self-report on an executive functioning rating scale compares to parent report and that of youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or neurotypical development. Autism. 2022 Feb;26(2):422-433. doi: 10.1177/13623613211029117. Epub 2021 Jul 9. PMID: 34238038; PMCID: PMC8742839.

Open access article: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8875834/ )

Abstract

The automatic emotion recognition domain brings new methods and technologies that might be used to enhance therapy of children with autism. The paper aims at the exploration of methods and tools used to recognize emotions in children. It presents a literature review study that was performed using a systematic approach and PRISMA methodology for reporting quantitative and qualitative results. Diverse observation channels and modalities are used in the analyzed studies, including facial expressions, prosody of speech, and physiological signals. Regarding representation models, the basic emotions are the most frequently recognized, especially happiness, fear, and sadness. Both single-channel and multichannel approaches are applied, with a preference for the first one. For multimodal recognition, early fusion was the most frequently applied. SVM and neural networks were the most popular for building classifiers. Qualitative analysis revealed important clues on participant group construction and the most common combinations of modalities and methods. All channels are reported to be prone to some disturbance, and as a result, information on a specific symptoms of emotions might be temporarily or permanently unavailable. The challenges of proper stimuli, labelling methods, and the creation of open datasets were also identified.

Keywords: affective computing; autism; autism spectrum disorder; emotion recognition; systematic literature review.

Citation: Landowska A, Karpus A, Zawadzka T, Robins B, Erol Barkana D, Kose H, Zorcec T, Cummins N. Automatic Emotion Recognition in Children with Autism: A Systematic Literature Review. Sensors. 2022; 22(4):1649. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041649

( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34468951/ )

Abstract

Background: Both chronic and acute exercise interventions have reported positive effects on executive functions (EFs) in general populations. However, data on changes in EFs in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in response to exercise interventions are still unclear.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize available empirical studies concerning the effects of exercise interventions on EFs in children and adolescents with ASD.

Methods: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses guidelines, the electronic databases CINAHL Complete (via EBSCOhost), SPORTDiscus with Full Text (via EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (via EBSCOhost), Web of Science, ProQuest, and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC; via EBSCOhost) were searched from inception to January 2021. Two authors independently extracted data and conducted a risk-of-bias analysis using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Randomized controlled trials/quasi-experimental designs that used acute or chronic exercise interventions and assessed EFs through neurocognitive tasks or questionnaires among children and adolescents with ASD were included. In total, 259 articles were identified, of which 15 full texts were independently assessed for eligibility by two authors. In total, 14 articles underwent systematic review, and seven were selected for meta-analysis.

Results: Overall, chronic exercise interventions had a small to moderate positive effect on overall EFs in children and adolescents with ASD (g = 0.342; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.084-0.600; p < 0.01). Regarding domain-specific EFs, chronic exercise interventions had a small to moderate positive effect on cognitive flexibility (g = 0.312; 95% CI 0.053-0.570; p < 0.01) and inhibitory control (g = 0.492; 95% CI 0.188-0.796; p < 0.01). However, our review found a non-significant effect size (g = 0.212; 95% CI - 0.088 to 0.512) on working memory.

Conclusions: Chronic exercise interventions appear to have beneficial effects on overall EFs in children and adolescents with ASD, particularly in relation to cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.

Citation: Liang X, Li R, Wong SHS, Sum RKW, Wang P, Yang B, Sit CHP. The Effects of Exercise Interventions on Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2022 Jan;52(1):75-88. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01545-3. Epub 2021 Sep 1. PMID: 34468951.

(https://journals.scholarsportal.info/details/21957177/v09i0001/91_mtiasdasr.xml&sub=all )

Abstract

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience difficulties functioning in society due to social communication deficits and restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Music therapy has been suggested as a potential intervention used to improve these deficits in ASD. The current systematic literature review focuses on two methods of music therapy: improvisational music therapy (IMT) and singing/listening to songs. We review the extant literature and the associated methodological limitations, and we propose a framework to assess the effectiveness of music therapy as an intervention in ASD. We suggest the creation of a standardized framework that should utilize neuroimaging tools as an objective marker of changes induced by music therapy as well as a combination of functional and behaviourial outputs, rather than assessment methods addressing a broad range of functional and behavioural outputs, rather than only the main symptoms. The methodological limitations found in the current literature prevent us from making a strong statement about the effects of music therapy in autism. We consider treatment fidelity assessments as the key to successful future attempts to truly understand music therapy effects in ASD.

Citation: Music Therapy in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review, (2022). Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,  volume 9, pages91–107. Amparo V. Marquez-Garcia, Justine Magnuson, James Morris, Grace Iarocci, Sam Doesburg & Sylvain Moreno