The Need for a Clinically Useful Schema of Social Communication

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment

“…ASD diagnosis can occur at any age but most frequently occurs early in childhood. Although there is a lack of a universal screening instruments, public health systems in various countries in Europe such as Spain and Ireland have programs in place to identify young children with ASD (~ 18-30 months) using M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) and similar tools (31). The sensitivity of these screening methods has been questioned as they fail to identify most children with ASD before their parents have already reported delayed development (32).…”

“…These include the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT™), a 20 min observation of young children, established in 2000. The longer and widely researched Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS™) is a 45 min observation conducted by a professional or clinician to diagnose ASD from 12 months to adulthood (31). There also exists screening tools suitable for research, such as the Diagnostic Instrument for Social Communication Disorders (DISCO) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) (31) in the UK.…”

“…Furthermore, under the repetitive and restrictive diagnoses domain, sensationseeking behavior, and hypo-sensory and hyper-sensory responsiveness are now included in DSM-5 in contrast to earlier iterations (1,35). DSM-5 also allows for dual diagnoses of ASD and other comorbidities such as ADHD (28% of ASD individuals have ADHD) or other co-occurring conditions such as psychiatric disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, aggression) or genetic disorders (e.g., fragile X syndrome) (31). As a result, DSM-5 is one of the most reliable diagnostic tools of ASD and is trusted internationally.…”

The Use of Stem Cell Therapy in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a term used to describe a spectrum of complex, heterogenous neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by an early onset and core features in two primary domains: social communication and restricted, repetitive sensory-motor behaviors [1][2][3][4]. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) identifies ASD in terms of five categories: social communication and social interaction, restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests, symptoms present in early development, symptoms causing clinical impairments of function and a lack of better explanation by intellectual disability or global developmental delay.…”

“…Individuals with ASD tend to present currently or by history social reciprocity, nonverbal communication and difficulty developing, maintaining and understanding relationships as well as the possibility of stereotyped repetition of behavior, insistence on sameness, hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity and highly restricted, fixed interests [4]. In addition to the typical symptoms presented, other neurological and immune disorders are commonly presented in individuals with ASD such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety and epilepsy, weakened immune system, immune system dysfunction and neuroinflammation (Table 1) [2,[4][5][6][7][8]10]. Previous research has also indicated the presence of neuroanatomical abnormalities in the majority of individuals with ASD that differentiate them from neurotypical individuals.…”