The moderating effects of intellectual development on core symptoms of autism and PDD-NOS in toddlers and infants.

Little research has been conducted on whether deficits in developmental functioning affect the range of core symptoms for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study represents a first attempt to determine whether developmental level has an effect on the expression of ASD symptoms in infants and toddlers. Eight hundred and fifty-three infants were evaluated with respect to the nature and extent of their ASD symptoms and developmental functioning. Young children with autism displayed a higher number of symptoms than those with PDD-NOS on all three domains of impairment (social, communication, repetitive behaviors). As expected, children without an ASD evinced far fewer symptoms than both these groups. Developmental level was not found to be a moderator for expression of ASD symptoms for the entire sample, or individual diagnostic groups. Higher developmental level was associated with lower severity of evinced ASD symptoms in the sample.

Comorbid psychopathology in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disabilities.

There is an abundance of research investigating Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in children; however, little emphasis has been placed on ASD in adults, especially in regards to comorbid psychopathology. Although scales are available that measure comorbidity in adults with ID, what is needed are scales that measure comorbidity in adults with ID and ASD. One such scale is the newly developed Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Adults (ASD-CA). There are two purposes of this study. The first is to further develop the ASD-CA by calculating cutoff scores for its subscales. The second is to compare the frequency of symptom endorsements on the ASD-CA among three groups: individuals with ID; individuals with ID and ASD; and individuals with ID, ASD, and additional psychopathology.

Parent training: a review of methods for children with developmental disabilities.

Great strides have been made in the development of skills and procedures to aid children with developmental disabilities to establish maximum independence and quality of life. Paramount among the treatment methods that have empirical support are treatments based on applied behavior analysis. These methods are often very labor intensive. Thus, parent involvement in treatment implementation is advisable. A substantial literature on parent training for children has therefore emerged. This article reviews recent advances and current trends with respect to this topic.

Encopresis, soiling and constipation in children and adults with developmental disability.

Children and adults with developmental disabilities are more likely to evince encopresis, soiling and constipation than the general population. This set of related behaviors can produce a great deal of stress and can be a major restriction in independent living. This paper provides a review of the current state of knowledge on the prevalence, etiology, assessment and treatment of this co-occurring set of disorders. These problems are more common in persons with developmental disabilities then the general population. Furthermore, classical and operant treatment methods appear to be the best supported interventions for most cases. Strengths and weaknesses of the current research base are discussed along with potential avenues for future research.

The effects of intellectual functioning on the range of core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a class of conditions categorized by communication problems, ritualistic behaviors, and inappropriate social behaviors. While there is much evidence to support a genetic link for ASD, an identified genetic marker remains elusive. As such, practitioners place considerable emphasis on traditional measures of intelligence and adaptive behavior to aid in diagnosis. Despite the fact that these measures are commonplace, little research has been conducted to shed light on whether deficits in intellectual functioning affect the range of core symptoms for ASD. This study represents a first attempt to determine whether level of IQ has an effect on the expression of ASD symptoms in adults with intellectual disability (ID). Three hundred and six adults, 151 with both ASD and ID and 155 with ID alone, were evaluated with respect to the nature and extent of their ASD symptoms and intellectual functioning. Individuals with autism displayed a higher number of symptoms than those with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) on all three domains of impairment (social, communication, repetitive behaviors). As expected, persons with ID alone evinced far fewer symptoms than both these groups. IQ level was found to be a moderator for expression of ASD symptoms for the entire sample but not for the autism group.

A review of behavioral treatments for self-injurious behaviors of persons with autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are considered to be among the most serious of the mental health conditions. Concomitant with many cases of ASD is intellectual disability. Further compounding the disability is the fact that both conditions are known risk factors for self-injurious behavior (SIB). To date, the most effective intervention methods, based on the available data, appear to be variants of behavior modification. This article provides an overview of the current status of learning-based interventions for SIB in ASD and provides a review of specific studies. Although most studies describe some combination of reinforcement and punishment procedures, efforts are under way to develop more positively oriented strategies, such as functional assessment, to decrease the use of punishment. However, almost all the treatment studies employ single case designs, thus preventing a comparison of treatment efficacy. These issues are discussed along with other strengths, weaknesses, and future directions for clinical practice and treatment.