Background Although 1 in 59 children currently born are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known on how to best manage those patients who require surgical intervention. The purpose of this study is to (1) investigate the best care strategies for surgical patients living with autism spectrum disorder (2) provide recommendations on how to apply those strategies to clinical practice. Methods A literature review was conducted to investigate the best clinical practices for optimizing surgical care for individuals living with autism spectrum disorder. Relevant articles were selected and examined, and individual references from those articles were manually searched using Ovid Medline and Google Scholar. Results The wide spectrum of symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder pose unique challenges for surgical management. Early coordination with the patient and family optimizes the development of an effective care plan. Strategies include identifying triggers for anxiety as well as soothing mechanisms, performing surgery in the morning, completing preoperative paperwork prior to surgery, choosing appropriate analgesia and anxiolytics, and fast resumption of normal routines. Based on these findings a surgical checklist was created to aid in treating the patient with autism spectrum disorder. The checklist provides insight into navigating the surgical experience and emphasizes planning surgical interventions to most effectively fit individual patient needs. Conclusion The surgical treatment of those living with autism spectrum disorder poses unique challenges for the health care team. The widespread adoption of such individualized approaches encompassing pre/intra/post-operative will become more important as these children grow into adults with increased needs for surgical services.

Introduction The present study sought to investigate the measurement invariance of commonly used neuropsychological tests in an ethnically (Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic) and linguistically (Spanish vs. English) diverse sample. Methods Participants were 736 middle-aged and older adults ( M Age = 62.1, SD = 9.1) assessed at baseline. Measurement invariance testing was performed using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results A five-factor model (memory, attention/executive functioning/processing speed, language, visuospatial, and motor) fit the data well (CFI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.047) and the composite reliability of the factors ranged from .76 (visuospatial) to .97 (motor). The five-factor model was found to possess strict measurement invariance for ethnicity and language without a decrement in fit compared to a strong (scalar) invariance model (ΔCFI = .000, ΔRMSEA = .002). Discussion These results indicate that a five-factor model is suitable for estimating cognitive functioning in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites without bias by ethnicity or language.

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More older adults are using cannabis for recreational and/or medical purposes, but most studies examining cognitive function and cannabis use do not include older adults. The current small pilot study sought to compare cognitive function and emotional functioning among adults age 60 and older who were regular, primarily recreational cannabis users ( n = 28) and nonusers ( n = 10). A bimodal distribution was observed among cannabis users such that they had either initiated regular use more recently (“short-term” users; ≤7 years, n = 13) or earlier in life (“long-term” users; ≥19 years, n = 15). Nonusers, short-term, and long-term users were not different in depression, anxiety, or emotion regulation, or alcohol use. Nonusers scored significantly higher than long-term users in executive function. Short-term users scored significantly higher than long-term users in executive function, processing speed, and general cognition. Additionally, greater recent cannabis use frequency was negatively associated with working memory. The current findings suggest that short-term recreational cannabis use does not result in differences in cognitive performance compared to nonusers, which may indicate that short-term use is relatively benign in older adults. However, longer duration of use is associated with poorer processing speed and executive functioning, and more recent cannabis use is associated with poorer working memory, which may impact older adults’ overall cognitive functioning.

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