The Effect of Communication Deficits on Anxiety Symptoms in Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Davis, Thompson E.; Moree, Brittany N.; Dempsey, Timothy; Hess, Julie A.; Jenkins, Whitney S.; Fodstad, Jill C.; Matson, Johnny L.

doi:10.1016/j.beth.2011.05.003

Cited by 43 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Children with ASD may differ in their ability to selfreport symptoms of anxiety due to age, verbal fluency, and cognitive ability. 13 If the child appears to be capable of providing self-report, it is important to assess the child's ability to understand and express emotions (eg, "Do you know what I mean by nervous or scared?" "Tell me a time when you were nervous") and provide developmentally appropriate explanations of these emotional terms when needed.…”

Section: Recommendation 1: Perform a Developmentally Appropriate Multmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders

et al. 2016

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OBJECTIVES: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent co-occurring symptoms in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The assessment and treatment recommendations proposed here are intended to help primary care providers with the assessment and treatment of anxiety in ASD. METHODS: The Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network/Autism Intervention Research on Physical Health Anxiety Workgroup, a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers with expertise in ASD, developed the clinical recommendations. The recommendations were based on available scientific evidence regarding anxiety treatments, both in youth with ASD and typically developing youth, and clinical consensus of the workgroup where data were lacking. RESULTS: Assessment of anxiety requires a systematic approach to evaluating symptoms and potential contributing factors across various developmental levels. Treatment recommendations include psychoeducation, coordination of care, and modified cognitive-behavioral therapy, particularly for children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD. Due to the limited evidence base in ASD, medications for anxiety should be prescribed cautiously with close monitoring of potential benefits and side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment and treatment of clinical anxiety in youth with ASD require a standardized approach to improve outcomes for youth with ASD. Although this approach provides a framework for clinicians, clinical judgment is recommended when making decisions about individual patients.

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Section: Recommendation 1: Perform a Developmentally Appropriate Multmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders

et al. 2016

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“…As already noted, the core symptoms of ASD are: (1) deficits in social emotions and motivations [e.g., 70], (2) communication problems, particularly features of vocal communication [71–72], and (3) a high incidence of motor abnormalities, especially repetitive and restrictive behaviors [73]. These symptoms can be modeled in part in animals using the following behavioral measures, respectively: (1) reduced time spent in social contact; (2) reduced rates of pro-social vocalizations, and (3) more indirectly, disrupted ultrasonic vocalization patterns [74].…”

Section: Selective Breeding For Low and High Emission Of Appetitivmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rats selectively bred for low levels of play-induced 50kHz vocalizations as a model for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A role for NMDA receptors

Burgdorf

Moskal

Brudzyński

et al. 2013

Behavioural Brain Research

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Early childhood autism is characterized by deficits in social approach and play behaviors, socio-emotional relatedness, and communication/speech abnormalities, as well as repetitive behaviors. These core neuropsychological features of autism can be modeled in laboratory rats, and the results may be useful for drug discovery and therapeutic development. We review data that show that rats selectively bred for low rates of play-related pro-social ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) can be used to model social deficit symptoms of autism. Low-line animals engage in less social contact time with conspecifics, show lower rates of play induced pro-social USVs, and show an increased proportion of non-frequency modulated (i.e. monotonous) ultrasonic vocalizations compared to non-selectively bred random-line animals. Gene expression patterns in the low-line animals show significant enrichment in autism-associated genes, and the NMDA receptor family was identified as a significant hub. Treatment of low-line animals with the NMDAR functional glycine site partial agonist, GLYX-13, rescued the deficits in play-induced pro-social 50-kHz USVs and reduced monotonous USVs. Since the NMDA receptor has been implicated in the genesis of autistic symptoms, it is possible that GLYX-13 may be of therapeutic value in the treatment of autism.

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“…The associations between high scores in the 3 jmSRS factors and elevated anxiety is very interesting, as a recent meta-analysis has concluded that almost 40% of children and adolescents with ASD exhibit symptoms of anxiety (4). Both "deficits in social interaction and communication" (49,50) and "restrictive and repetitive behaviors" (51-53) -which are the two major criteria for ASD diagnoses (3)-have been associated with increased levels of anxiety. A recent study that analyzed the association between social responsiveness using the human SRS and anxiety in 150 pre-adolescents and adolescents with ASD, also showed strong correlations between the SRS total score and anxiety, and between the "Social communication" and "Autistic mannerisms" subscales of the SRS and anxiety (54), which is consistent with the associations we report here, in our juvenile macaque population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) to screen for atypical social behaviors in juvenile macaques

Kovacs-Balint

Raper

Michopoulos

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Primates form strong social bonds and depend on social relationships and networks that provide shared resources and protection critical for survival. Social deficits such as those present in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other psychiatric disorders hinder the individual’s functioning in communities. Given that early diagnosis and intervention can improve outcomes and trajectories of ASD, there is a great need for tools to identify early markers for screening/diagnosis, and for translational animal models to uncover biological mechanisms and develop treatments. One of the most widely used screening tools for ASD in children is the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a quantitative measure used to identify individuals with atypical social behaviors. The SRS has been adapted for use in adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) –a species very close to humans in terms of social behavior, brain anatomy/connectivity and development– but has not yet been validated or adapted for a necessary downward extension to younger ages matching those for ASD diagnosis in children. The goal of the present study was to adapt and validate the adult macaque SRS (mSRS) in juvenile macaques with age equivalent to 4-6 yr old human children. Expert primate coders modified the mSRS to adapt it to rate atypical social behaviors in juvenile macaques living in complex social groups at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Construct and face validity of this juvenile mSRS (jmSRS) was determined based on well-established and operationalized measures of social and non-social behaviors in this species using traditional behavioral observations. We found that the jmSRS identifies variability in social responsiveness of juvenile rhesus monkeys and shows strong construct/predictive validity, as well as sensitivity to detect atypical social behaviors in young male and female macaques across social status. Thus, the jmSRS provides a promising tool for translational research on macaque models of children social disorders.

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The Effect of Communication Deficits on Anxiety Symptoms in Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Cited by 43 publications

References 37 publications

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Rats selectively bred for low levels of play-induced 50kHz vocalizations as a model for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A role for NMDA receptors

Validation of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) to screen for atypical social behaviors in juvenile macaques

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