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Author(s): Laura Foran Lewis [sup.1] , Caroline Ward [sup.1] [sup.2] , Noah Jarvis [sup.1] [sup.3] , Eleni Cawley [sup.1] [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.59062.38, 0000 0004 1936 7689, Department of [...], Autistics are more likely than neurotypicals to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and other sexual orientations. Autistics and sexual minorities represent populations at high risk for depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Little is known about the experiences of individuals living at this intersection. In this phenomenology, 67 individuals who identified as autistic sexual minorities participated in online interviews to describe the meaning of their experiences. Six themes emerged, including: self-acceptance is a journey; autistic traits complicate self-identification of sexual orientation; social and sensory stressors affect sexual expression; feeling misunderstood and isolated; challenges finding mutually satisfying relationships; and difficulty recognizing and communicating sexual needs. Autistic sexual minorities experience a "double minority" status that complicates identity formation and increases vulnerability in sexual relationships.

Author(s): Roald A. Øien [sup.1] [sup.2] , Sara M. Vambheim [sup.1] , Logan Hart [sup.1] [sup.2] , Anders Nordahl-Hansen [sup.3] , Craig Erickson [sup.5] , Logan Wink [sup.5] , Martin [...], The autism mental status exam is an eight-item observational assessment that structures the way we observe and document signs and symptoms of ASD. Investigations of test performance indicate strong sensitivity and specificity using gold-standard assessment as reference standard. This study aims to explore potential sex differences in AMSE test performance and observations of 123 children referred for autism assessment. Results indicates more language deficits in females with ASD than in males with ASD and less sensory symptoms in females compared to males with ASD. The AMSE performance is similar in identifying ASD and non-ASD in females compared to males. Less disruptive behaviors in females, might cause a need for a bigger hit to other areas of development to raise concern.

The incidence and risk factors for psychiatric disorders in extremely preterm children are examined by observing babies born less than 26 weeks gestation in the UK and Ireland from March through December 1995. Extremely preterm children are shown to have higher risk for condition such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders at 11 years of age.

A population-based twin sample was used to determine the heritability of autism and the study found that autism screener scores are moderately heritable in 2- to 3-ear-old twin children. Twin similarity was computed through concordance rates and tetrachoric and intraclass correlations.

The prevalence of Autism and other Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) has increased dramatically in recent years. The criterion for a clinical diagnosis of Autism, however, is independent from the special education eligibility requirements for Autism services. While the DSM-IV-TR provides a nationally-accepted definition for Autism and ASD, under federal law, the special education criteria for Autism services can vary from state to state. By analyzing federal, special education child-count data as well as each state's legal code, this study examines and compares eligibility criteria in all 50 states and Washington DC. Our results reveal inter-state variability in Autism eligibility requirements within special education, and this variability can have an impact on prevalence rates. Implications and recommendations for researchers and practitioners in clinical psychology, public health, education, pediatrics, and public policy are discussed. Keywords Autism * ASD * Diagnosis * Special education * Policy DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9268-8

Objectives. We sought to estimate the risk for autism associated with maternal and paternal age across successive birth cohorts. Methods. We linked birth records and autism diagnostic records from the California Department of Developmental Services for children born in California between 1992 and 2000 to calculate the risk associated with maternal and paternal age for each birth cohort as well as for the pooled data. Results. The categorical risks associated with maternal age over 40 years ranged from a high of 1.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.37, 2.47) to a low of 1.27 (95% CI=0.95, 1.69). The risk associated with paternal age ranged from 1.29 (95% CI=1.03, 1.6) to 1.71 (95% CI=1.41, 2.08). Conclusions. Pooling data across multiple birth cohorts inflates the risk associated with paternal age. Analyses that do not suffer from problems produced by pooling across birth cohorts demonstrated that advanced maternal age, rather than paternal age, may pose greater risk. Future research examining parental age as a risk factor must be careful to avoid the paradoxes that can arise from pooling data, particularly during periods of social demographic change. (doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.149021)

Analysis of the data from Center for Disease Control's autism surveillance program found that the median age of identification of children with autism is 5.7 years. Being male, having an IQ of 70 or lower, and having developmental regression are the factors linked to a younger age of identification. There is a need for research, innovation, and improvement in this clinical practice.

Objectives. We sought to examine racial and ethnic disparities in the recognition of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Methods. Within a multisite network, 2568 children aged 8 years were identified as meeting surveillance criteria for ASD through abstraction of evaluation records from multiple sources. Through logistic regression with random effects for site, we estimated the association between race/ethnicity and documented ASD, adjusting for gender, IQ, birthweight, and maternal education. Results. Fifty-eight percent of children had a documented autism spectrum disorder. In adjusted analyses, children who were Black (odds ratio [OR]=0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.64, 0.96), Hispanic (OR=0.76; CI=0.56, 0.99), or of other race/ethnicity (OR=0.65; CI=0.43, 0.97) were less likely than were White children to have a documented ASD. This disparity persisted for Black children, regardless of IQ, and was concentrated for children of other ethnicities when IQ was lower than 70. Conclusions. Significant racial/ethnic dispatrities exist in the recognition of ASD. For some children in some racial/ethnic groups, the presence of intellectual disability may affect professionals' further assessment of developmental delay. Our findings suggest the need for continued professional education related to the heterogeneity of the presentation of ASD. (doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.131243)

A comparison of the oral health of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with those without the condition reveals that people with ASD are 70.5 percent less likely to have a positive caries history than their counterpart. However, more patients with ASD are more uncooperative and require general anesthesia during dental treatment.

Autism is among the most clearly genetically determined of all cognitive-developmental disorders, with males affected more often than females. We have analyzed autism risk in multiplex families from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) and find strong evidence for dominant transmission to male offspring. By incorporating generally accepted rates of autism and sibling recurrence, we find good fit for a simple genetic model in which most families fall into two types: a small minority for whom the risk of autism in male offspring is near 50%, and the vast majority for whom male offspring have a low risk. We propose an explanation that links these two types of families: sporadic autism in the low-risk families is mainly caused by spontaneous mutation with high penetrance in males and relatively poor penetrance in females; and high-risk families are from those offspring, most often females, who carry a new causative mutation but are unaffected and in turn transmit the mutation in dominant fashion to their offspring. human genetics | neurodevelopmental disorders | population genetics

Byline: Julianne S. Collins (1), Richard J. Schroer (1), Jeffrey Bird (1), Ron C. Michaelis (1) Keywords: Neurobehavioral disorders; single nucleotide polymorphism; homeobox genes Abstract: A recent study has suggested that the A218G polymorphism in the homeobox Al (HOXA1) gene may influence susceptibility to autism. We have determined the frequencies of the A and G alleles of the HOXA1 A218G polymorphism in both white and black patients from the South Carolina Autism Project (SCAP) and controls. Marked differences were found in allele frequencies between the races, but no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were seen in either white or black SCAP family members. More direct tests, comparing genotype frequencies between probands and controls and tracking transmission of the A versus G alleles to affected offspring, did not support the contention that allele status for the HOXA1 A218G polymorphism influences one's susceptibility to autism. Author Affiliation: (1) Greenwood Genetic Center, J. C. Self Research Institute, Greenwood, South Carolina Article History: Registration Date: 05/10/2004

Byline: Tammy Pilowsky (1), Nurit Yirmiya (2), Cory Shulman (1), Ronit Dover (1) Keywords: Autism; diagnosis; Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised; Childhood Autism Rating Scale Abstract: Diagnoses for autism based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were examined for 83 individuals with suspected autism. Agreement between systems reached 85.7%. Participants receiving diagnosis of autism based on only one system were significantly younger in age than individuals receiving diagnoses according to both systems. Individuals who did not receive diagnosis of autism on the ADI-R had lower chronological and mental ages and lower CARS scores compared to individuals who received diagnosis of autism based on the ADI-R. Eighteen females and 18 males were matched to examine possible gender differences. No significant findings were revealed, suggesting that the symptoms of autism according to the ADI-R and CARS do not differ between males and females when matched for chronological and mental ages. Author Affiliation: (1) Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 91905 (2) Department of Psychology or School of Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel, 91905 Article History: Registration Date: 29/09/2004

Autism is a self-centered mental state characterized by a condition of mental introversion in which the attention or interest of the autistic patient is focused on the patient's own ego. In addition, autistic patients tend to exclude reality. Infantile autism, a syndrome that occurs in childhood, is associated with symptoms of self-absorption, inaccessibility, aloneness, inability to relate, repetitive play and rage reactions if interrupted, a tendency to make rhythmic movements, and several language disturbances. The medical records of 233 autistic patients were assessed for 36 disease-related factors occurring before, during, and after birth. The results were compared with those of 62 nonautistic siblings and data obtained from similar surveys. The findings did not reveal a prevalent prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal disease-related factor among the autistic children. In addition, there were no differences in the frequency of disease-related factors between single and multiple siblings with autism. However, there was an increased incidence of a viral-type illness during gestation among single siblings with autism. The causes of the brain disorder associated with autism remain undefined. Genetic factors may play a more significant role in the pathology of autism and should be assessed further. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

We challenge the notion that differences in spatial ability are the best or only explanation for observed sex differences in mathematical word problems. We suggest two ideas from the study of autism: sex differences in theory of mind and in central coherence.

'The current social context seems to exert a stronger influence on the debate than the scientific arguments. Although claims about an epidemic of autism and about its putative causes have [...]

26 children with diagnoses of autism and 22 children with diagnoses of childhood schizophrenia or a variant thereof were compared on the variable of winter birth. Analyses showed that autistic children had a higher proportion of winter births than schizophrenic children. These findings are related to other research linking winter birth to negative-syndrome adult schizophrenia.