OBJECTIVE: Studies show partial improvements in some core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in time. However, the predictive factors (e.g. pretreatment IQ, comorbid psychiatric disorders, adaptive, and language skills, etc.) for a better the outcome was not studied with machine learning methods. We aimed to examine the predictors of outcome with machine learning methods, which are novel computational methods including statistical estimation, information theories and mathematical learning automatically discovering useful patterns in large amounts of data. METHOD: The study the group comprised 433 children (mean age: 72.3 ± 45.9 months) with ASD diagnosis. The ASD symptoms were assessed by the Autism Behavior Checklist, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Clinical Global Impression scales at baseline (T0) and 12th (T1), 24th (T2), and 36th (T3) months. We tested the performance of for machine learning algorithms (Naive Bayes, Generalized Linear Model, Logistic Regression, Decision Tree) on our data, including the 254 items in the baseline forms. Patients with ≤2 CGI points in ASD symptoms at in 36 months were accepted as the group who has "better outcome" as the prediction class. RESULTS: The significant proportion of the cases showed significant improvement in ASD symptoms (39.7% in T1, 60.7% in T2; 77.8% in T3). Our machine learning model in T3 showed that diagnosis group affected the prognosis. In the autism group, older father and mother age; in PDD-NOS group, MR comorbidity, less birth weight and older age at diagnosis have a worse outcome. In Asperger's Disorder age at diagnosis, age at first evaluation and developmental cornerstones has affected prognosis. CONCLUSION: In accordance with other studies we found early age diagnosis, early start rehabilitation, the severity of ASD symptoms at baseline assessment predicted outcome. Also, we found comorbid psychiatric diagnoses are affecting the outcome of ASD symptoms in clinical observation. The machine learning models reveal several others are more significant (e.g. parental age, birth weight, sociodemographic variables, etc.) in terms of prognostic information and also planning treatment of children with ASD.

Objective One of the areas of social cognition is Theory of Mind (ToM) is defined as the capacity to interpret, infer and explain mental states underlying the behavior of others. When social cognition studies on neurodevelopmental disorders are examined, it can be seen that this skill has not been studied sufficiently in children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Methods In this study, social cognition skills in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), SLD or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) evaluated before puberty and compared with controls. To evaluate the ToM skills, the first and secondorder false belief tasks, the Hinting Task, the Faux Pas Test and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task were used. Results We found that children with neurodevelopmental disorders as ADHD, ASD, and SLD had ToM deficits independent of intelligence and language development. There was a significant correlation between social cognition deficits and problems experienced in many areas such as social communication and interaction, attention, behavior, and learning. Conclusion Social cognition is an important area of impairment in SLD and there is a strong relationship between clinical symptoms and impaired functionality.

Amaç: Nörogelişimsel bozuklukların patogenezinde doğum öncesi ve erken yaşam dönemi maruziyetlerini içeren epigenetik değişiklikler, kalıtsal genler kadar ilgi çekici olmaya başlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada puberte öncesi dönemde dikkat eksikliği hiperaktivite bozukluğu (DEHB), otizm spektrum bozukluğu (OSB) ve özgül öğrenme bozukluğu (ÖÖB) tanılı çocuklar için olası çevresel ve gelişimsel risk faktörlerinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Yöntemler: Çalışmaya 7-12 yaş aralığında 98 çocuk (24 DEHB, 24 ÖÖB, 26 OSB, 24 kontrol) alınmıştır. Tanısal değerlendirmede Amerikan Psikiyatri Birliği Ruhsal Bozuklukların Tanısal ve Sayımsal El Kitabına dayalı görüşme, Okul Çağı Çocukları için Duygulanım Bozuklukları ve Şizofreni Görüşme Çizelgesi-şimdi versiyonu kullanılmıştır. Klinik değerlendirmede ebeveynler tarafından sosyo-demografik veri formu doldurulmuştur ve bilişsel değerlendirmede Wechsler Çocuklar İçin Zeka ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışmamızda düşük ebeveyn eğitim düzeyi, ebeveyn işsizliği, düşük gelirli aile ve birinci derece akrabalarda psikiyatrik hastalık öyküsü ÖÖB riski ile, prematürite öyküsü ve erken dönem kendini düzenleme güçlükleri OSB riski ile, allerji öyküsü DEHB riski ile ilişkili bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada nörogelişimsel bozukluklarda olası rol oynayan pek çok farklı risk faktörü bulunması ileri epigenetik çalışmalara ihtiyaç olduğunu göstermektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Öğrenme bozukluğu, otizm spektrum bozukluğu, dikkat eksikliği hiperaktivite bozukluğu, gelişimsel özellikler, risk faktörleri Introduction: Epigenetic changes in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, including prenatal and early life exposures, are becoming as appealing as hereditary genes. This study aimed to investigate possible pre-pubertal environmental and developmental risk factors for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Methods: The study included 98 children (24 ADHD, 24 SLD, 26 ASD, 20 controls) aged 7-12 years. The diagnostic evaluation was based on the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Childrenpresent version. Parents completed socio-demographic data form for clinical evaluation, and The Wechsler Children's Intelligence scale was used to assess cognitive skills. Results: In our study, low parental education level, parental unemployment, low-income, and history of psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives were associated with SLD risk, prematurity, and early self-regulation difficulties were associated with ASD risk, and history of allergy was associated with ADHD risk. Conclusion: In this study, the presence of many different risk factors that play a possible role in neurodevelopmental disorders suggests that further epigenetic studies are needed.

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Infectious disease outbreaks not only affect the physical health of patients but also affect the psychological health and well-being of the uninfected population. High rates of psychiatric symptoms and stress are observed in the general population in COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare workers (HCWs) reported higher-risk perception and anxiety level. We aimed to evaluate the anxiety levels of HCWs and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Materials and Methods: A total of 121 HCWs and 121 HCWs' children aged 8-17 were included from 23 different cities to assess the anxiety level of them during the COVID-19 pandemic by using an online questionnaire. The Beck Anxiety Inventory and the parent Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) were applied to all the HCWs. The child SCARED which has a selfreport scale for children of the HCWs had completed. COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire was applied to determine stress levels and lifestyle changes. Results: All of the HCWs had mild to severe anxiety, about 17% reported moderate and 27% reported severe anxiety severity. 40 (33.06%) children were over cutoff for total score in both SCARED the parents and the child version. Children anxiety showed a positive correlation with Beck Anxiety Inventory and COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire (<0.001). Conclusion: The current study found that HCWs and their children experienced a high level of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was detected that a positive correlation between HCWs and their children's anxiety.