Assessment of theory of mind in Tunisian verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.

The present study examined performance in Theory of Mind (ToM) in a group of 31 Arabic-speaking verbal children (7-12 years-old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in comparison with neurotypical controls (NT) matched for age and for cognitive abilities. An innovative task in a digital format named "The Tunisian Social Situations Instrument" (TSSI) was used and allowed us to study four different subdomains of ToM: attribution of intention and epistemic ToM (cognitive ToM), affective ToM, and detection of faux pas (advanced ToM). Our study showed impairments in ToM in children with ASD, similar to those reported in the literature. Our findings additionally suggested that affective and advanced ToM, specifically the detection of faux pas, might be more challenging for ASD children than other components of ToM. Future studies with larger number of children may lead us to specify which subdomains are the most impaired in order to develop specific tools targeting these specific impairments.

Theory of mind in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia: correlations with clinical assessment and executive functions.

OBJECTIVE: We examined Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) and their correlation with clinical findings and Executive Functions (EF). METHODS: The ToM abilities of 12 adolescents with EOS were compared with those of healthy participants matched in age and educational level. The Moving Shapes Paradigm was used to explore ToM abilities in three modalities: random movement, goal-directed movement and ToM - scored on the dimensions of intentionality, appropriateness and length of each answer. EF was tested using Davidson's Battery and the clinical psychopathology with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Adolescents with EOS were significantly more impaired than controls in the three dimensions evaluated for the goal-directed and ToM modalities. Regarding the random movement modality, the only difference was in appropriateness (p<0.01). No correlation with age or level of education was evident for ToM skills. Total PANSS score was negatively correlated with appropriateness score for the goal-directed (p=0.02) and ToM modalities (p=0.01). No correlation existed between performance in the ToM Animated Tasks and positive, negative or disorganisation PANSS subscores. No correlations were found among the three scores in the Moving Shapes Paradigm and any measures of the accuracy of the three tasks assessing EF. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm previous findings of ToM deficits in adult individuals with schizophrenia and attest the severity of these deficits in patients with EOS.

Parental satisfaction of an assessment unit for autistic spectrum disorders.

Background - Based on the recognized principles of assessment of autistic disorders, the child and adolescent psychiatry department in Razi Hospital developed an assessment unit with diagnostic as well as therapeutic roles. The aim of this work was to examine its functioning and to analyze the parents' perceptions about the unit services. Methods - We gathered the parental satisfaction about the unit by the means of a hetero-questionnaire. Results - Fifty-two parents of children evaluated within the unit were included.  Patients had received the diagnosis of Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified and Asperger Syndrome in accordance with DSM IV criteria, and than that of Autism Spectrum Disorder after DSM 5 publication. The overall satisfaction rate was 63%. Most parents (84.6%) rated the Psycho Educative Profile examination positively, 75% appreciated the neurological examination and the final report steps, 55.8% appreciated step of the Autism Diagnostic Interview revised and 42.3% the genetic exploration. 67% of the parents reported an improvement of their child following the evaluation. This improvement was attributed to the unit in 57.7% of cases. Parents whose children did not have associated disorders such as intellectual disability (p = 0.02), aggressive behavior (p = 0.04), affective disorder (p = 0.01) and sleep-related disorders (p = 0.03) were the most satisfied. Parents of children with epilepsy comorbidity were the least satisfied (p <10-3). 96% of parents suggested repeating the assessment once a year. Conclusion - Assessment units are based on international recommendations. However, it would be interesting to adapt assessments and orientation to the parents' expectations.

[The mobile: a new addiction upon adolescents]. / Le téléphone portable: une nouvelle addiction chez les adolescents.

AIM: This survey was conducted to investigate mobile phone use and dependence in Tunisian high school students. METHODS: Questionnaires were anonymously distributed to 120 adolescents looking for the modalities of use of mobiles. SMS dependency was assessed with the French version of the Igarashi scale. RESULTS: The two most used means for communication were SMS and missing calls. 83.2% of the sample sent more than 6 missing calls per day. According to the Igarashi scale, adolescents reported perception of excessive use in 31. Seven percent of cases, emotional reaction in 33.4% of cases and exclusive relationship maintenance thanks to mobile in 18% of cases. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a anew addictgion to mobile phone among tunisian high school students.