Motor, cognitive, and socio-cognitive mechanisms explaining social skills in autism and typical development.

Challenges in social functioning are considered a core criterion for diagnosing autism. Although motor skills, executive functioning (EF), and theory of mind (ToM) abilities independently affect social challenges and are interconnected, these abilities' shared contribution to the explanation of social functioning in autism remains under-investigated. To address this disparity, we examined the motor, EF, and ToM abilities of 148 autistic and non-autistic youth (ages 6-16 years), evaluating these variables' impact on social ability and their interconnections. Our mediation model exploring the contribution of motor, EF, and ToM skills explained 85% of the variance in social functioning (Social Responsiveness Scale-SRS-2). Analysis yielded a direct path from study group to SRS-2-social (typically developing-TD > autistic) and two main parallel indirect joint paths: (a) Group ➔ motor ➔ EF ➔ SRS-2-social; and (b) Group ➔ motor ➔ ToM ➔ SRS-2-social. In two secondary indirect paths, autistic children showed lower motor skills, which in turn explained their higher EF and/or ToM impairment, which in turn explained their higher social skills impairment. Put differently, our results suggest that better EF and TOM proficiency may compensate for poorer motor skills. Findings also indicated that the collective impact of motor, EF, and ToM skills on social functioning, along with the mediating role played by EF and ToM on the social-motor linkage, may contribute to understanding individual differences in the social functioning of autistic children. These conclusions call for the inclusion of motor, EF, and ToM activities into daily practices to facilitate social functioning.

Pathways to peer interaction in ASD and TD through individual and dyadic joint-action motor abilities.

Purpose: Any social engagement, especially with peers, requires children's effective activation of social and motor mechanisms. Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display dysfunctions both in individual motor functioning (e.g., fine/gross) and in dyadic joint action (JA), where two partners coordinate movement toward a shared goal. Yet, these mechanisms' contribution to peer interaction has been underexplored. Method: This study examined the contribution of individual motor functioning and JA performance to peer interaction (cooperation, attentiveness, social engagement, and dyadic quality), while comparing children and adolescents' (youngsters) with ASD versus those with typical development (TD). Results: Results indicated more competent peer interaction in TD than in ASD. Interestingly, only the ASD group showed significant maturation with age for social engagement and dyadic interaction quality, calls for further examination of developmental trajectories. However, even the oldest participants with ASD continued to lag behind the youngest TD group. Also, findings indicated that better individual motor functioning and JA performance explained better peer interactive competence; yet, the contribution of individual motor functioning to social cooperation and dyadic quality was moderated by JA performance. Thus, youngsters' individual motor system was found to be an important contributor to peer interaction in those with low to moderate JA coordination capabilities, but not for those with high JA. Conclusion: Results emphasize possible distinct contributions of each motor mechanism and their interaction for facilitating social interaction, hence, encouraging incorporation of individual and dyadic motor skills explicitly into social interaction interventions for youngsters ASD.

Social-Motor Coordination Between Peers: Joint Action Developmental Trajectories in ASD and TD.

Coordinating a physical movement in time and space with social and nonsocial partners to achieve a shared goal - "joint action" (JA) - characterizes many peer-engagement situations that pose challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This cross-sectional study examined development of JA capabilities comparing ASD versus typically developing (TD) groups in early childhood, preadolescence, and adolescence while performing mirroring and complementing JA tasks with social (peer) and nonsocial (computer) partners. Results indicated better motor coordination abilities on computerized tasks than in peer dyads, with larger peer-dyad deficits shown by the ASD group. Developmental growth in JA abilities emerged, but the ASD group lagged behind same-age peers with TD. Socio-motor interventions may offer new channels to facilitate peer engagement in ASD.

Communicating Without Words: School-Based RCT Social Intervention in Minimally Verbal Peer Dyads with ASD.

Despite their social withdrawal, school-age children with autism spectrum disorder who are minimally verbal (MVASD; i.e., use a limited repertoire of communicative spoken words) have received few interventions supporting peer engagement. This study examined efficacy of a novel ecological randomized controlled trial-school-based peer social intervention-designed to increase social engagement (via available communication channels) in school-age peer dyads with MVASD. Fifty-four children with MVASD (8-16 years) in 9 Israeli special education schools were randomly assigned to conversation intervention, collaboration intervention, or waitlisted treatment-as-usual (control) group (n = 18 per group). Manualized conversation and collaboration interventions each included 60 lessons (15 weeks × 4), implemented by teachers at school and supervised by researchers. Pretest-posttest improvement in spontaneous peer interaction was measured via 3 data sources/methods: teacher-reported social behavior (Vineland: Socialization domain) and direct observations of children's spontaneous free play (Modified-Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication) and free conversation (Social Conversation Scale). Allocation group was masked from reporters/coders. As secondary outcomes, children's progress was measured in executive functions (BRIEF Inventory), and communication (Vineland). Significant pre-post improvement emerged for both intervention groups' spontaneous free conversation and for the collaboration group's spontaneous free play. Teacher reports, although mixed, indicated that the conversation group's socialization skills improved, but communication did not. Children in the conversation group also improved their metacognitive executive skills (e.g., planning, monitoring, organization). Strengthening this high-risk school-age population's ability to interact more spontaneously with peers through conversation and collaboration intervention holds promise for reducing social withdrawal in MVASD.

The Association of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases with Autoimmune Disorders: A Report from the epi-IIRN.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are conflicting data on the association between inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] and autoimmunity disorders. The aim of this study was to explore this association including the effect of medications. METHODS: We utilized health administrative data collected by three of the four health maintenance organizations [HMOs] in Israel, covering 52% of the country's population. We explored the prevalence of the following autoimmune disorders: insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM], psoriasis, Sjögren syndrome, coeliac disease, systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], primary sclerosis cholangitis [PSC] and autoimmune thyroiditis, among all IBD patients vs non-IBD controls. Case ascertainment was determined according to validated computerized algorithms. RESULTS: In total, 12625 IBD patients were compared to 12625 controls. A total of 1395 [11.1%] IBD patients had at least one autoimmune disease compared with 740 [5.9%] of non-IBD controls (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99 [95% confidence interval 1.81-2.19]; p < 0.05); all autoimmune diseases, except for thyroiditis, were more prevalent among IBD patients. Adjusted for confounding variables, anti-tumour necrosis factor [anti-TNF] medications were associated with a higher prevalence of psoriasis (54 [5.7%] in IBD vs 177 [4.1%] in controls; OR = 1.50 [1.07-2.08]; p < 0.05) but lower prevalence of Sjögren (1 [0.1%] vs 39 [0.9%]; OR [95% CI] = 0.13 [0.02-0.94]; p < 0.05) and coeliac disease (11 [1.2%] vs 68 [1.6%]; OR [95% CI] = 0.51 [0.27-0.99]; p < 0.05). Thiopurines and 5-aminosalicylates were not associated with any autoimmune disorder. CONCLUSION: IBD is associated with all autoimmune diseases explored here except for thyroiditis. Anti-TNF users have a higher prevalence of psoriasis, and lower prevalence of Sjögren and coeliac disease.