Autism under the umbrella of ESSENCE

Abstract

This brief article gives a short overview of “comorbidity” in autism. The most common co-occurring disorders will be presented and discussed within the context of ESSENCE (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations), a concept that provides a holistic perspective for neurodevelopmental disorders. The ESSENCE concept also considers the heterogeneous and changing clinical panorama of developmental disorders over time, and also the multifactorial etiologies, including so called behavioral phenotype syndromes. Aspects on behavioral interventions in autism are presented—interventions that need to be adapted and take into account all non-autism associated ESSENCE, including intellectual disability and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The article also focuses on current research on pharmacological intervention based on the hypothesis of imbalance in excitatory/inhibitory transmitter systems in autism and some other ESSENCE.

Cognitive, behavioral and socio-communication skills as predictors of response to Early Start Denver Model: a prospective study in 32 young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…In contrast to moderate responders, who achieved significant gains but still remained in the autism spectrum, strong responders improved to such an extent that after nine months of treatment they no longer met DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD and ADOS-2 criteria for autism/autism spectrum, while achieving a broad-based improvement in most or all developmental domains ( Supplementary Table S2 ). We cannot exclude that later in life some autistic features may again emerge and require updating the clinical diagnosis, nor do we deny that children who leave the autism spectrum still do require to be followed up for the frequent occurrence of other neurodevelopmental issues ( 70 ). Nonetheless, distinguishing three levels of response better fits the clinical reality of autism.…”

Early-Life Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Child Language and Communication Development: A Systematic Review

“…The study by Skogheim et al [59], had an enriched sample (20%) of children with ADHD symptoms at age 3 years according to parental interviews, and excluded a few children with high questionnaire scores on autistic symptoms. However, as only a very small proportion of children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism or ADHD receive a clinical diagnosis at such an early age [79], we assume the impact to be of minor importance for the generalizability of their results.…”