A longitudinal comparison of emotional, behavioral and attention problems in autistic and typically developing children.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are elevated in autistic individuals but there is limited evidence on the developmental course of problems across childhood. We compare the level and growth of anxious-depressed, behavioral and attention problems in an autistic and typically developing (TD) cohort. METHODS: Latent growth curve models were applied to repeated parent-report Child Behavior Checklist data from age 2-10 years in an inception cohort of autistic children (Pathways, N = 397; 84% boys) and a general population TD cohort (Wirral Child Health and Development Study; WCHADS; N = 884, 49% boys). Percentile plots were generated to quantify the differences between autistic and TD children. RESULTS: Autistic children showed elevated levels of mental health problems, but this was substantially reduced by accounting for IQ and sex differences between the autistic and TD samples. There was small differences in growth patterns; anxious-depressed problems were particularly elevated at preschool and attention problems at late childhood. Higher family income predicted lower base-level on all three dimensions, but steeper increase of anxious-depressed problems. Higher IQ predicted lower level of attention problems and faster decline over childhood. Female sex predicted higher level of anxious-depressed and faster decline in behavioral problems. Social-affect autism symptom severity predicted elevated level of attention problems. Autistic girls' problems were particularly elevated relative to their same-sex non-autistic peers. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic children, and especially girls, show elevated mental health problems compared to TD children and there are some differences in predictors. Assessment of mental health should be integrated into clinical practice for autistic children.

Potential lethality of suicide attempts in youth.

Rates of suicide in youth have increased over the last 50 years, yet our ability to predict suicidal behaviours has not significantly improved during this time. Examining predictors of suicide attempt lethality can enhance our understanding of suicidality in youth, yet research has focused on actual medical lethality (the actual danger to life resulting from a suicide attempt) rather than potential lethality (the potential for death that is associated with a suicide attempt). Thus, the aim of the present study was twofold: first, we quantified the percentage of youth for whom the severity of suicide attempt was misclassified by considering only actual lethality; second, we tested whether key variables that predict the actual lethality of suicide attempts also predict the potential lethality of suicide attempts in youth. We examined these questions in a sample of children and adolescents admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit following a suicide attempt. Over 70% of youth who made serious suicide attempts would have been misclassified by assessments relying on only actual lethality. Although several variables relevant to the construct of actual lethality significantly predicted potential lethality (e.g., male sex, substance use disorder), others did not. In addition, we found that the subset of youth who would have been misclassified as low risk based on actual lethality had a disproportionately high need for healthcare resources due to future hospital admissions. The present study provides evidence to suggest that considering potential lethality may lead to improved detection and prediction of suicide risk in youth, and in doing so supports recent calls to broaden considerations of the lethality associated with suicide attempts.

Non-verbal IQ and change in restricted and repetitive behavior throughout childhood in autism: a longitudinal study using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised.

BACKGROUND: Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is one of the characteristic features of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This domain of symptoms includes a broad range of behaviors. There is a need to study each behavior individually to better understand the role of each in the development of autistic children. Moreover, there are currently no longitudinal studies investigating change in these behaviors over development. METHODS: The goal of the present study was to explore the association between age and non-verbal IQ (NVIQ) on 15 RRB symptoms included in the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) over time. A total of 205 children with ASD were assessed using the ADI-R at time of diagnosis, at age 6 years, and at age 11 years, and with the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) at age 8 years. RESULTS: The proportion of children showing each RRB tended to diminish with increasing age, except for sensitivity to noise and circumscribed interests, where the proportion increased over time. Although there was no significant main effect of NVIQ, there was a significant interaction between age and NVIQ. This was mainly driven by Difficulties with change in routine, for which higher NVIQ was associated with the behavior remaining relatively stable with age, while lower NVIQ was associated with the behavior becoming more prevalent with age. LIMITATIONS: The study focused on the presence/absence of each RRB but did not account for potential changes in frequency or severity of the behaviors over development. Furthermore, some limitations are inherent to the measures used. The ADI-R relies on parent report and hence has some level of subjectivity, while the Wechsler intelligence scales can underestimate the intellectual abilities of some autistic children. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that specific RRB are differentially linked to age and NVIQ. Studying RRB individually is a promising approach to better understanding how RRB change over the development of autistic children and are linked to other developmental domains.

Loyalty in managed care: a leadership system.

Healthcare executives are given a comprehensive and integrated ten-step system to lead their organization toward stabilizing a financial base, improving profitability, and differentiating themselves in the marketplace. This executive guide to implementing loyalty-based leadership can be adapted and used on an immediate basis by healthcare leaders. This article is a useful resource for healthcare executives as they move to make loyalty an organizational resource. Effectively managing the often-fragmented forces of loyalty can produce a healthier bottom line and improve the commitment among key stakeholders within a managed care environment. A brief loyalty-based leadership practices survey is included to serve as a catalyst for leaders and their teams to strategically discuss loyalty and retention in their organization.