Martina Franchini1,2,3, Daniela Zöller1,4, Edouard Gentaz2, Bronwyn Glaser1, Hilary Wood de Wilde1, Nada Kojovic1, Stephan Eliez1,5, Marie Schaer1. 1. Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, University of Geneva. 2. Laboratory of Sensorimotor, Affective, and Social Development, Psychology and educational sciences, University of Geneva. 3. Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre. 4. Medical Image Processing Lab, Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL. 5. Department of Medical Genetics, Geneva University Medical School.
Abstract
Background: In preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom, severity has a negative impact on the development of adaptive functioning, with critical consequences on the quality of life of those children. Developmental features such as reduced social interest or the presence of behavioral problems can further impede daily life learning experiences. Objectives: The first aim of this study is to confirm the negative impact of high symptom severity on adaptive functioning trajectories in preschoolers with ASD. The second objective intends to explore whether reduced social interest and severe behavioral problems negatively affect developmental trajectories of adaptive functioning in young children with ASD. Methods: In total, 68 children with ASD and 48 age and gender-matched children with typical development (TD) between 1.6 and 6 years were included in our study, and longitudinal data on adaptive functioning were collected (mean length of the longitudinal data collection was 1.4 years ± 0.6). Baseline measures of symptom severity, social interest, and behavioral problems were also obtained. Results: We confirmed that children with ASD show parallel developmental trajectories but a significantly lower performance of adaptive functioning compared with children with TD. Furthermore, analyses within ASD children demonstrated that those with higher symptom severity, reduced social interest, and higher scores of behavioral problems exhibited especially lower or faster declining trajectories of adaptive functioning. Conclusions: These findings bolster the idea that social interest and behavioral problems are crucial for the early adaptive functioning development of children with autism. The current study has clinical implications in pointing out early intervention targets in children with ASD.
Background: In preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom, severity has a negative impact on the development of adaptive functioning, with critical consequences on the quality of life of those children. Developmental features such as reduced social interest or the presence of behavioral problems can further impede daily life learning experiences. Objectives: The first aim of this study is to confirm the negative impact of high symptom severity on adaptive functioning trajectories in preschoolers with ASD. The second objective intends to explore whether reduced social interest and severe behavioral problems negatively affect developmental trajectories of adaptive functioning in young children with ASD. Methods: In total, 68 children with ASD and 48 age and gender-matched children with typical development (TD) between 1.6 and 6 years were included in our study, and longitudinal data on adaptive functioning were collected (mean length of the longitudinal data collection was 1.4 years ± 0.6). Baseline measures of symptom severity, social interest, and behavioral problems were also obtained. Results: We confirmed that children with ASD show parallel developmental trajectories but a significantly lower performance of adaptive functioning compared with children with TD. Furthermore, analyses within ASDchildren demonstrated that those with higher symptom severity, reduced social interest, and higher scores of behavioral problems exhibited especially lower or faster declining trajectories of adaptive functioning. Conclusions: These findings bolster the idea that social interest and behavioral problems are crucial for the early adaptive functioning development of children with autism. The current study has clinical implications in pointing out early intervention targets in children with ASD.
Authors: Michel Godel; François Robain; Nada Kojovic; Martina Franchini; Hilary Wood de Wilde; Marie Schaer Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-06-22 Impact factor: 5.435
Authors: Paolo Alfieri; Francesco Scibelli; Federica Alice Maria Montanaro; Maria Cristina Digilio; Lucilla Ravà; Giovanni Valeri; Stefano Vicari Journal: Genes (Basel) Date: 2022-07-16 Impact factor: 4.141