When a Sibling Has Autism: Narrative Review of Interventions for Typically Developing Siblings.

Being a typically developing sibling to a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD-Sib) can be associated with several behavioral and mental health problems. With this understanding, researchers are beginning to focus on sibling-oriented interventions. This review seeks to evaluate the current literature on such interventions. We searched digital databases and identified eight relevant studies. The sample (n = 247) had an age range of 4-16 years. The outcomes were generally positive, with improvements in different facets of ASD-Sibs. Results differed due to varied intervention styles, outcome variables, methods, and samples. Our findings highlight the potential for improvement in ASD-Sib's knowledge of autism and their psychological functioning and hence call for further research with robust methods.

Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Children With Epilepsy: A Systematic Review.

Low medication adherence remains a major challenge in the treatment of epilepsy, particularly in children. In recent years, several approaches and interventions have been employed to promote medication adherence in children with epilepsy (CWE). In this study, we aimed to summarize the evidence on these interventions. In this systematic review, major medical electronic databases were searched for relevant literature from January 2005 till July 2023, including PsycINFO, Medline (via PubMed), Google Scholar, Taylor & Francis databases, and CENTRAL by the Cochrane Library. We planned to include observational studies (with a control arm) and clinical trials involving children/adolescents (<19 years) with epilepsy and/or their caregivers/families who underwent any intervention to improve adherence to anti-seizure medications. Out of 536 articles searched, eight (six randomized trials and two non-randomized intervention studies) were included in the systematic review. A total of 2,685 children/adolescents along with their caregivers participated in these studies. Six studies used educational and two used behavioral interventions to improve adherence to anti-seizure medications. Four studies showed variable levels of adherence improvement, ranging from 2-20% up to 73.9% post-intervention. To conclude, the findings suggest the potential for educational interventions to promote medication adherence in CWE. The class of evidence was II to III among the included studies, as per American Academy of Neurology guidelines.

Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures and Psychosocial Management: A Narrative Review.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES) is a common disorder that imitates epileptic seizures and has its etiological roots in psychological distress. Due to its "epileptic" similarity, it is often dealt with not only by mental health professionals but also by physicians, pediatricians and neurologists. There is a growing consensus towards the psychotherapeutic treatment of the disorder, albeit a lack of clarity in choosing a gold-standard approach. This paper seeks to serve as a compendium of different psychotherapeutic approaches and their efficacy in the management of PNES. The paper employed the search strategy by selecting the keywords: "Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) and psychosocial management", "PNES Treatment approach", "PNES and psychotherapy" in PUBMED, EBSCO host, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS database. Eventually, specific therapies were cross-searched with PNES for an exhaustive review. Several studies were found employing various psychotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of PNES in pilot studies, randomized controlled, or open uncontrolled trials. Cognitive Behavior Therapy was demonstrated as an efficacious treatment for PNES in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Other approaches that were effective in ameliorating the symptoms were psychodynamic therapies or psychoeducation based group therapies. Some therapies like Novel Integrative psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation Therapy and Mindfulness-based therapies require further exploration in larger clinical trials. The findings demonstrate that psychological intervention for PNES is a promising alternative treatment approach with a need for more RCTs with a larger sample and robust methodology for better generalization.