Research Mapping of Trauma Experiences in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The number of research related to traumatic experiences in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown exponentially, yet there are no bibliometric studies in this field. This article aimed to analyze the literature related to trauma and ASD published in Web of Science (WoS). Papers on trauma and ASD were retrieved from the WoS. Analysis and visualization of selected documents were performed using MS Excel (v16.0), VOS viewer (version 1.6.15), and R package (Biblioshiny, version 2.0). A total of 147 articles were included in this study. The results showed that production has been increasing over the last few years. Among the countries identified, the USA published the largest number of articles. Arvid Nikolai Kildahl, Sissel Berge Helverschou, and Liliana Dell'Osso were the authors with the most number of publications on this topic, and Autism was the most productive journal. The main research topics associated with ASD were post-traumatic stress and traumatic experiences in childhood. This bibliometric study contributes to understanding research trends on trauma and ASD by evaluating relevant publications in the last decades. The results of this bibliometric analysis can serve as a basis and orientation for new studies.

Impacto de la docencia online en el rendimiento académico de estudiantes españoles de medicina / The impact of online teaching on the academic performance of spanish medical students

Introducción: El confinamiento derivado de la situación sanitaria a finales del primer trimestre de 2020 en España obligó a que la segunda parte del curso 2019-2020 de todos los niveles educativos pasara a formato online de una manera forzada e imprevista. Objetivo: Identificar el impacto de la docencia online en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de medicina en el curso 2019-2020. Métodos: El estudio fue de tipo transversal y utilizó datos públicos anonimizados sobre rendimiento académico de estudiantes de medicina en universidades españolas. A partir de la información pública de los sistemas de garantía interna de calidad de estas universidades, se analizaron los valores medios de las tasas de rendimiento y éxito de los cuatro cursos comprendidos entre 2015 y 2019 en 17 universidades españolas. Estos se compararon mediante una prueba t de Student con los obtenidos en el curso 2019-2020. Resultados: Las tasas de rendimiento y éxito fueron superiores en el curso 2019-2020 en comparación con la media de los cuatro cursos anteriores. Conclusiones: La situación de confinamiento y de cambio forzado a docencia online parece haber producido una mejora en el ya de por sí elevado rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de medicina, lo que sugiere niveles elevados de resiliencia y una buena capacidad de adaptación a una situación adversa como la experimentada en la segunda parte del curso 2019-2020 (AU)

Introduction: The lockdown derived from the health situation at the end of the first quarter of 2020 in Spain forced the second part of the 2019-2020 academic course of all educational levels to be move to the online modality in a compulsory and unforeseen way. Objective: To identify the impact of online teaching on the academic performance of medical students in the 2019-2020 academic year. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and used anonymized public data on the academic performance of medical students in Spanish universities. Based on public information from the internal quality assurance systems of these universities, the mean values of performance and success rates were analyzed for the four academic years between 2015 and 2019 in seventeen Spanish universities. Using a Student's t test, these were compared with those obtained in the 2019-2020 academic year. Results: The performance and success rates were higher in the 2019-2020 academic year compared to the average of the four previous academic years. Conclusions: The situation of lockdown and forced change to online teaching seems to have produced an improvement in the already high academic performance of medical students, being this suggestive of high levels of resilience and a good capacity to adapt to an adverse situation such as the one experienced in the second part of the 2019-2020 academic year(AU)

Trends in Autism Spectrum-Related Motherhood Research: A Bibliometric Study.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in socialization. The amount of scientific research results on motherhood related to ASD has grown exponentially; however, there are no bibliometric studies in this field. Objective: This article aimed to analyze scientific research on motherhood related to the autism spectrum published in WoS. Articles on motherhood related to ASD were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS). The advanced search interface used was "Title of the article, Abstract, Keywords". The analysis and visualization of the selected documents and their data were performed using a wide range of tools and software such as MS Excel (v16.0), VOS viewer (version 1.6.15), and R packages (Biblioshiny, version 2.0). A total of 1660 articles were included in this study. Most of the publications were original articles. The United States published the most significant number of articles among the countries identified. P.R. Hastings, M.M. Seltzer, and J. Van de Water were the main authors. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders was the most productive and impactful journal. The main research topics were related to mental health and social support in the role of motherhood. This desk study provides researchers with a comprehensive understanding of ASD-related maternity research trends by evaluating relevant publications in recent decades. The results of this bibliometric analysis can serve as a basis and orientation for new studies.

Discrepancias entre padres y maestros de estudiantes con trastorno de espectro autista (TEA) en funcionamiento ejecutivo según el BRIEF / Discrepancies between parents and teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in executive functioning according to the BRIEF

Uno de los puntos críticos en la evaluación del trastorno del espectro autista es la manifestación del comportamiento en varios contextos del desarrollo, por lo que la valoración por parte de diferentes informantes es un aspecto clave. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la existencia de discrepancias entre padres y maestros en la evaluación del funionamiento ejecutivo en una muestra de 43 niños con un trastorno del espectro autista de nivel de gravedad 2. Para ello se compararon las puntuaciones obtenidas en las subescalas del BRIEF entre padres y maestros, y se analizó la relación entre tales puntuaciones. Los resultados obtenidos indicaron, en primer lugar, diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre padres y maestros en todas las escalas, siendo los maestros quienes informaron de una mayor disfunción ejecutiva, y en segundo lugar, la ausencia de correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre las puntuaciones otorgadas por ambos informantes en casi todas las escalas. Se puede concluir que existen diferencias en cuanto a la percepción que tienen padres y maestros con respecto a las funciones ejecutivas de los niños con TEA, lo que puede estar en consonancia con la relevancia o el papel que tienen estas funciones en el contexto en el que son evaluadas.(AU)

One of the critical issues in the assessment of autism spectrum disorder is the behavior exhibited in various developmental contexts, and so the assessment by different informants is important in understanding this disorder. The aim of this study was to analyze parent-teacher agree-ment on executive functioning assessment in a sample of 43 children with autism spectrum disorder with level 2 severity. For this purpose, scores given by parents and teachers on the BRIEF subscales were compared, and the relationship between these scores was analyzed. The results obtained indicated, first, statistically significant differences between parents and teachers on all the subscales, with teachers reporting greater executive dys-function in all cases. Second, there were no statistically significant correla-tions between the scores given by the two informants on almost all the subscales. Overall, these results point to the different perceptions of par-ents and teachers regarding the executive functioning of children with ASD, which may reflect the relevance or role of these functions in the con-text where they are assessed.(AU)

Intervenção educativa em um estudante com deficiência intelectual, visual, auditiva e motora / Intervención educativa en un estudiante con discapacidad intelectual, visual, auditiva y motriz / An educational intervention in a student with intellectual, visual, hearing and motor disabilities

En este trabajo se presenta el diseño, la implementación y la evaluación de un programa de intervención educativa para un estudiante con diagnóstico de hipoacusia severa, ceguera congénita, discapacidad intelectual y motriz. La finalidad de la intervención es mejorar la conexión del niño con el entorno y trabajar la anticipación de acontecimientos en su vida diaria. Para ello se trabajan principalmente tres áreas de desarrollo: adaptativa, motora y cognitiva. Los resultados obtenidos en las evaluaciones pretest y postest reflejan ligeras mejoras en los tres ámbitos tras la intervención, y por tanto, una evolución en la edad de desarrollo del estudiante. Algunas de las conclusiones más relevantes son que el trabajo individualizado con personas con discapacidad múltiple influye positivamente en su desarrollo, y que existe una falta de instrumentos de evaluación estandarizados que se adapten a las características de las personas con discapacidades múltiples y severas.

Neste estudo apresenta-se a configuração, a implementação e a avaliação de um programa de intervenção educativa para um estudante com diagnóstico de hipoacusia severa, cegueira congênita, deficiência intelectual e motora. A finalidade da intervenção é melhorar a conexão da criança com o entorno e trabalhar a antecipação de acontecimentos em sua vida diária. Para isso trabalham-se principalmente três áreas de desenvolvimento: adaptativa, motora e cognitiva. Os resultados obtidos nas avaliações pré-teste e pós-teste indicam melhora nos três âmbitos após a intervenção, e por tanto, uma leve evolução na idade de desenvolvimento do estudante. Algumas das conclusões mais relevantes são que o trabalho individualizado com pessoas com deficiência múltipla influi positivamente em seu desenvolvimento, e que existe uma falta de instrumentos de avaliação estandardizadas que se adaptem às características das pessoas com deficiências múltiplas e severas.

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of an educational intervention program for a student with a diagnosis of severe hearing loss, congenital blindness and intellectual and motor disability. The aim of the intervention is to improve the child's connection with the environment and to work on anticipating events in his daily life. For that purpose, three areas of development are mainly worked: adaptive, motor and cognitive. The results obtained in pretest and posttest evaluation reflect slight improvements in the three areas after the intervention, and therefore, an evolution in the student's developmental age. Some of the most relevant conclusions are that individualized work with people with multiple disabilities positively influences their development, and that there is a lack of standardized assessment instruments adapted to the characteristics of people with multiple and severe disabilities.

Analysis of Spanish Parents' Knowledge about ASD and Their Attitudes towards Inclusive Education.

To make possible the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream settings, parental knowledge and attitudes towards the disorder play a key role between the home and the school setting. However, prior literature has not carried out an in-depth analysis of parents' knowledge about ASD and their attitudes toward the inclusion of children with this diagnosis. This study examined the parental attitudes towards inclusion and knowledge about ASD. Participants were parents of children with ASD (n = 75), parents of children without ASD whose children had prior or current contact with peers with ASD (n = 44), and parents of children with no previous interactions with a peer with ASD (n = 51). The Attitudes of Regular Educators Towards Inclusion for Students with Autism Survey and the Autism Knowledge Questionnaire were filled out. Nonparametric statistical tests were used. Results showed that parents of children with ASD have better knowledge about this disorder and hold more favorable attitudes towards the inclusion of children with ASD than the other parents. These findings suggest that the benefits of inclusive schooling are limited to the school setting and do not appear to affect families of children without ASD.

Symbolic Play among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.

Symbolic play is considered an early indicator in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its assessment. The objective of this study was to analyze the difficulties in symbolic play experienced by children with ASD and to determine the existence of differences in symbolic play among children with ASD, children with other neurodevelopmental disorders and children with typical development. A scoping review was carried out in the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ERIC, and PsycInfo databases, following the extension for scoping reviews of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The number of papers included in the review was 22. The results confirm that children with ASD have greater difficulties with symbolic play than children with other neurodevelopmental disorders and children with typical development, even when controlling for their verbal age. Difficulties are greater in situations of free or spontaneous play. Results evidenced that the absence or deficiency in the symbolic play can serve as an early indicator of ASD between the first and second year of life, the developmental moment in which this type of play begins.

Today Is My Day: Analysis of the Awareness Campaigns' Impact on Functional Diversity in the Press, on Google, and on Twitter.

(1) Every day, people with functional diversity face different kinds of difficulties that pose a barrier to their social inclusion. These difficulties often go unnoticed by most citizens. Social networks are a powerful tool to sensitize the population. With this objective, different organizations such as associations, federations, foundations, and other institutions have promoted campaigns through the celebration of world days for different types of functional diversity. This research aims to monitor and analyze the impact of these social campaigns in Spain, including Asperger's syndrome, rare diseases, Down syndrome, autism, hearing and visual impairment, cerebral palsy, dyslexia, ADHD, spina bifida, disability, and dyscalculia world days, between 2015 and 2020. (2) The impact of each campaign on the press, Google, and Twitter has been analyzed using: MyNews, Google Trends, and Trendinalia. (3) The results suggest a close relationship between the impact on the number of pieces of news generated in the press, the searches on Google, and the hashtags in high positions on Twitter. (4) The campaigns with the greatest levels of success are those whose diagnoses involve greater difficulties in adaptive behavior. These results can provide some practical implications for future campaigns.

Is It Possible to Educate, Intervene or "Cure" Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Content Analysis of YouTube Videos.

YouTube is one of the most well-known and widely accessed websites worldwide, thus having a powerful pedagogical potential. Nonetheless, the quality and the veracity of some YouTube videos are questionable. Doubts regarding the trustworthiness of factual content is a controversial factor that needs to be taken into account, especially when addressing public health issues. For this reason, the main objective of this work is to analyze the content of the most viewed videos in Spanish on YouTube related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To carry out this research, the terms "autism AND education", "autism AND intervention", and "autism AND cure" were used (in Spanish). The analysis of these searches results indicated that videos included in the "cure" category are shorter, and less valued by internet users, obtaining the lowest ratings on the "Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool" for audiovisual materials (PEMAT-A/V), in addition to present therapies that are in fact more harmful than videos in other categories. In general, videos containing recommendations for therapies that are harmful are the ones that have received most views, along with the videos that include alternative non-harmful therapies. Practical implications of these findings and recommendations for further research are discussed.

What Motivates Internet Users to Search for Asperger Syndrome and Autism on Google?

Social campaigns are carried out to promote autism spectrum disorder (ASD) awareness, normalization, and visibility. The internet helps to shape perceptions of Asperger syndrome and autism. In fact, these campaigns often coincide with the increase in searches for both diagnoses on Google. We have two study objectives: to use Google Trends to identify the annual time points from 2015 to 2019 with the highest Google search traffic in Spain for the terms "autism" and "Asperger", and to identify news and trending topics related to ASD that took place during the weeks with the highest number of Google searches for these terms. Google Trend, MyNews and Trendinalia were used to analyze the volume of searches and trending topics related to ASD. As a result, social marketing campaigns, social networks and the publication of news items act as powerful voices that can provide a realistic or sensationalist picture of the disorder. For this reason, we concluded that campaigns play an important role in the normalization of ASD, and that it is important for organizations concerned with the visibility and social inclusion of people with ASD to check the way ASD is portrayed through the internet, media, and social networks.

La evaluación multi-informante en el trastorno del espectro autista: Un estudio de revisión / Multi-informant evaluation in autism spectrum disorder: A review study

Para poder realizar el diagnóstico del trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) se requiere de la evaluación por parte de diferentes informantes. Sin embargo, en ocasiones, se producen ciertas discrepancias entre evaluadores. Con el objetivo de aportar luz a las posibles discrepancias entre informantes, este trabajo incluye una revisión actualizada de la literatura para examinar el grado de acuerdo entre diferentes informantes en lo que respecta a la sintomatología característica del TEA en niños y adolescentes (hasta los 17 años de edad). Se analizaron un total de 20 estudios, en los que los niveles de correlación entre las evaluaciones realizadas por diferentes informantes fueron moderados o bajos. Gran parte de los estudios incluidos en la presente revisión obtuvieron que un mayor grado de acuerdo entre informantes fue asociado con menor sintomatología, mayor CI y mejores resultados en habilidades cognitivas y adaptativas. Considerando estos resultados, es necesario continuar investigando en aspectos contextuales que pueden estar condicionando los resultados de las evaluaciones multi-informantes

In order to establish a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), assessment by different informants is required. Sometimes, however, there are certain discrepancies between evaluators. With the aim of shedding light on possible discrepancies between informants, this work includes an updated review of the literature to examine the degree of agreement between different informants regarding the characteristic symptomatology of ASD in children and adolescents (up to 17 years of age). A total of 20 studies were analyzed, in which the levels of correlation between the evaluations carried out by different informants were moderate or low. A large part of the studies included in this review obtained that a greater degree of agreement among informants was associated with lower symptoms, a higher IQ, and better results in cognitive and adaptive skills. Considering these results, it is necessary to continue investigating contextual aspects that may be conditioning the results of multi-informant evaluations

Representación del TEA en los medios de comunicación: análisis de un periódico generalista / Representation of ASD in mass media: analysis of a generalist newspaper

Los medios de comunicación influyen notablemente en sus consumidores, por lo que no son meros informadores, sino que también son creadores de opinión. Este hecho es relevante para el ámbito de la inclusión, en tanto que las necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo son también un tema tratado por los medios de comunicación. En el presente estudio se analizan los artículos que abordan la temática relacionada con el Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) en el diario El País durante el año 2017. Los resultados del análisis de contenido de los artículos indican que el TEA fue un tema de interés en el año 2017. Los contenidos más recurrentes fueron las causas del TEA, frecuentemente desmintiendo su relación con la administración de vacunas, así como la visibilización del trastorno. En este sentido destaca que los aspectos que se dan a conocer del TEA son en su mayoría negativos. Asimismo, una de las carencias más significativas que se ha detectado respecto a la imagen que se proyecta del TEA es el hecho de que no se menciona de manera específica su heterogeneidad, una característica esencial del diagnóstico. En las conclusiones se discuten algunas implicaciones de los resultados para el ámbito de la inclusión

Mass media influence significantly their users, so they don't just inform them but they generate opinions too. This fact is relevant to the field of inclusion, while the special educational needs are also an issue addressed by the media. In this study the articles that deal with the topic related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the news¬paper El País during the year 2017 are analysed. The results of the content analysis of the articles point out that ASD was a topic of interest during 2017. The most recurring contents were the causes of ASD, often denying their relation with the administration of vaccines, as well as the visibility of the disorder. In this sense, the study points out that the aspects that are shown about ASD are mostly negative. Additionally, regarding the projected image of ASD, one of the most significant deficiencies that has been figured out is the fact that its heterogeneity is not specifically mentioned, and it's an essential feature of the diagnosis. The conclusions discuss some implications of the results for the scope of inclusión

Interventions for Improving Reading Comprehension in Children with ASD: A Systematic Review.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have comorbid learning difficulties in reading comprehension, an essential skill in accessing any area of the curriculum. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the effectiveness of reading comprehension interventions in students with ASD. We conducted a search for scientific articles published from 2000 to 2019 using the keyword "autis*" in combination with the terms "reading comprehension" and "intervention" or "instruction" in Psyc Info and Scopus databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 25 studies were selected. The content analysis of these studies shows that when specific interventions are carried out, students with ASD are able to take advantage of the instruction they receive and compensate for difficulties. Understanding inferences and the main idea of the text are the most common reading comprehension topics, and direct instruction is the most widely-used intervention method in the reviewed studies. Nonetheless, it must be kept in mind that some of the reviews do not specify which sub-processes are addressed in the intervention. Future work should include this aspect, consider the importance of the interventions being implemented by teachers, and take specific aspects of ICT into account that can contribute to improving reading comprehension.

Corrigendum: Sensory Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Home and Classroom Contexts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01772.].

Efectividad de las intervenciones basadas en metodología TEACCH en el trastorno del espectro autista: un estudio de revisión / The effectiveness of TEACCH intervention in autism spectrum disorder: a review study

Este trabajo incluye una revisión de la literatura para analizar la efectividad de la metodología TEACCH, así como el efecto de esta metodología en el nivel de estrés de los padres y los maestros de niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA). Considerando los criterios de inclusión, se analizaron un total de 14 estudios. Independientemente del contexto de intervención, todos los estudios revelaron mejoras en el desarrollo de los niños y una reducción en los síntomas autistas y comportamientos desadaptativos. En 11 de los 14 estudios se obtuvieron mejoras estadísticamente significativas. En cuanto al efecto en el nivel de estrés de los padres o maestros, de los 7 estudios que evaluaron el estrés, 5 de ellos obtuvieron una disminución significativa entre las mediciones pre y post. Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, la metodología TEACCH puede ser eficaz no sólo para mejorar el desarrollo del niño, sino también para mejorar el nivel de bienestar de los adultos

This work includes a review of the literature to analyze the effectiveness of the TEACCH intervention, as well as the effect of this intervention on the level of parental and teachers' stress of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Considering the inclusion criteria, a total of 14 studies were analyzed. Regardless of the context of intervention, all the studies revealed developmental abilities improvements and a reduction in autistic symptoms and maladaptative behaviors. In 11 of the 14 studies, statistically significant improvements were obtained. As for the effect of the TEACCH intervention in the level of the parents or teachers stress, out of the 7 studies that evaluated stress, 5 of them obtained a significant decrease between pre and post measurements. Considering these results, TEACCH intervention could be effective not only improving the child's development, but also enhancing the adults' level of well-being

Sensory Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Home and Classroom Contexts.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders often show impairments in sensory processing (SP) and higher functions. The main objective of this study was to compare SP, praxis and social participation (SOC) in four groups of children: ASD Group (n = 21), ADHD Group (n = 21), ASD+ADHD Group (n = 21), and Comparison Group (n = 27). Participants were the parents and teachers of these children who were 5-8 years old (M = 6.32). They completed the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) to evaluate the sensory profile, praxis and SOC of the children in both the home and classroom contexts. In the home context, the most affected was the ASD+ADHD group. The ADHD group obtained higher scores than the ASD group on the Body Awareness (BOD) subscale, indicating a higher level of dysfunction. The ASD group, however, did not obtain higher scores than the ADHD group on any subscale. In the classroom context, the most affected were the two ASD groups: the ASD+ADHD group obtained higher scores than the ADHD group on the Hearing (HEA) and Social Participation (SOC) subscales, and the ASD group obtained higher scores than the ADHD group on the SOC subscale. Regarding sensory modalities, difficulties in proprioception seem to be more characteristic to the ADHD condition. As for higher-level functioning, social difficulties seem to be more characteristic to the ASD condition. Differences between the two contexts were only found in the ASD group, which could be related to contextual hyperselectivity, an inherent autistic feature. Despite possible individual differences, specific intervention programs should be developed to improve the sensory challenges faced by children with different diagnoses.

Comorbilidad de TEA y TDAH: revisión sistemática de los avances en investigación / ASD and ADHD comorbidity: a systematic review of advances in research

La reciente publicación del DSM-5, introduce la novedad de aceptar la posibilidad de un diagnóstico comórbido de los Trastorno de Espectro Autista (TEA) y el Trastorno por Déficit de Atención/Hiperactividad (TDAH). En este artículo se realiza una revisión de trabajos que han estudiado esta comorbilidad. Se revisaron un total de 28 investigaciones, estableciendo 4 temáticas diferentes. La investigación muestra tasas variables de comorbilidad de TEA y TDAH dependiendo de la edad y procedencia de las muestras, y de los criterios diagnósticos empleados. Cuando se da la comorbilidad de TEA y TDAH aumenta la severidad de la sintomatología autista y de trastornos externalizantes e internalizantes. Sin embargo, ello no parece relacionarse con un empeoramiento del estrés parental ni de la calidad de vida familiar

The recent publication of DSM-5, introduces as novelty to accept the comorbidity between the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This article reviews previous researches that have studied this comorbidity. A total of 28 investigations were reviewed, establishing 4 different themes. The research shows variable ASD and ADHD comorbidity rates depending on the age and origin of the samples, as well as the diagnostic criteria used. When ASD and ADHD comorbidity occurs, the autistic symptomatology and the externalizing and internalizing disorders increase. However, this does not seem to have a relation with a worsening of the parental stress or the quality of family life

Efectividad de la musicoterapia en el trastorno de espectro autista: estudio de revisión / The effectiveness of music therapy in autism spectrum disorder: a literature review

Este trabajo incluye una revisión de la literatura existente sobre intervenciones en musicoterapia en personas con Trastorno de Espectro Autista (TEA) con el objetivo de analizar el grado de efectividad de estas intervenciones. Para llevar a cabo esta revisión, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos pertinentes, y considerando los criterios de inclusión delimitados se incluyeron un total de 18 estudios, cuyos resultados han sido analizados. En 11 de las 18 intervenciones se obtienen mejoras estadísticamente significativas, mientras que en las 7 intervenciones restantes, o bien la mejoría no alcanza la significación estadística, o bien existe algún tipo de limitación en cuanto a la efectividad de la intervención en evaluaciones de seguimiento. Considerando estos resultados se concluye que la musicoterapia puede llegar a convertirse en una práctica prometedora para mejorar la comunicación e interacción social de las personas con TEA. Sin embargo, todavía es necesario un mayor volumen de investigación para aclarar qué tipo de intervenciones y en qué ámbitos del espectro autista en concreto son realmente eficaces estas intervenciones

This work includes a review of the literature on music therapy interventions with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASO) in order to analyse the degree of effectiveness of these interventions. To conduct this review, a literature search of the relevant databases was performed and, with the inclusion criteria defined, a total of 18 studies were analysed. In 11 of the 18 interventions, statistically significant improvements were obtained, while in the remaining 7 interventions, the improvement did not reach statistical significance, or there was a limitation to the intervention effectiveness in follow-up evaluations. Considering these results, we conclude that music therapy may become a promising practice for improving the communication and social interaction of people with ASD. However, a greater volume of research is still needed to clarify the type of interventions and the areas of the autism spectrum disorder in which these interventions are actually effective

El ajuste conductual, emocional y social en hermanos de niños con un trastorno del espectro autista. Una revisión teórica / Behavioural, emotional and social adjustment in siblings of children withautism spectrum disorder. A theoretical review

Las personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) tienen características únicas y hay una falta de conocimiento sobre cómo estas características podrían influir en sus familias y en el ajuste conductual, emocional y social de sus hermanos. El presente estudio tiene el objetivo de centrarse en los hermanos de estas personas con TEA y realizar una revisión teórica relacionada con el ajuste conductual, emocional y social de hermanos de niños con TEA. Un total de 24 artículos han sido incluidos y analizados con el fin de encontrar resultados relevantes que puedan ayudar a entender las necesidades de estos hermanos. El estudio sugiere, en ocasiones, resultados diferentes pero identifica aquellos factores de riesgo que podrían impactar en el núcleo familiar y, principalmente, en los hermanos de niños con TEA

Many individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have unique characteristics and very little is known about how these characteristics may influence the family and the behavioural, social and emotional adjustment of their siblings. The purpose of the current study is to focus on the siblings and to review the literature related to the behavioural, social and emotional adjustment of siblings of individuals with ASD. We have identified and analysed 24 articles to find the relevant results that may help us to understand the needs of these siblings. The findings suggest mixed results or outcomes but they also bring to light a number of risk factors that could have an impact on the entire family and particularly on the siblings of children with ASD

Sensory processing in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Relationship with non-verbal IQ, autism severity and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptomatology.

The main objective of this study was to analyze in a sample of children with ASD the relationship between sensory processing, social participation and praxis impairments and some of the child's characteristics, such as non-verbal IQ, severity of ASD symptoms and the number of ADHD symptoms (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity), both in the home and main-classroom environments. Participants were the parents and teachers of 41 children with ASD from 5 to 8 years old (M=6.09). They completed the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) to evaluate sensory processing, social participation and praxis; the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2) to evaluate autism severity; and a set of items (the DSM-IV-TR criteria) to evaluate the number of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in the child. Non-verbal IQ - measured by the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices Test - did not show a relationship with any of the SPM variables. The SPM variables were significant predictors of autism severity and had similar weights in the two environments. In the case of ADHD symptoms, the SPM variables had a greater weight in the home than in the classroom environment, and they were significant predictors of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity - especially inattention - only in the family context. The moderate association between inattention and auditory processing found in the main-classroom suggests the possible utility of certain measures aimed to simplify any classroom's acoustic environment.