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Autism Spectrum Disorder - current concepts

Administrator: Sheffali Gulati

Early intervention in autism spectrum disorder: Early is how early and Focus  on interdisciplinary management of behavior in Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders
Sheffali Gulati

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are symptomatic by as early as 2 years of age. They can be reliably diagnosed early by assessing the scores on standardized measures. Research shows that early diagnosis of and interventions for autism are more likely to have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills. Early intervention programs including behavioral intervention, developmental intervention and cognitive and behavioral intervention have shown better outcomes in younger children as compared to older children. Greater gain hasn’t been observed in children initiated at 3 years as compared to older age.  These studies generally compare children who are older than 4 or 5 years with those who are younger than 4 or 5 years. One study comparing children younger than 3 years with those older than 3 years did not find age differences in improvement, which may suggest that 4 years of age is young enough to lead to significant gains. A potentially complicating factor is that children tend to make intelligence quotient (IQ) gains regardless of intervention at the younger ages.

Advances in genetics of Autism in African populations: Evolving concepts
Kirsten Donald

Empowered by genomic technologies and large data sharing efforts, human genetic studies are making rapid progress in identifying risk genes for ASD including across previously understudied geographies and populations. Despite the large clinical and genetic heterogeneity underlying ASD, genotype–phenotype correlations are starting to be identified by clustering patients based on their genetic background, a so-called genotype-first approach. The integration of genetics with clinical phenotypes in studies will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in ASD across diverse populations and ultimately inform clinical care. Genome sequences from one of the first research cohorts of African children with autism and their families have revealed more than 4 million novel genetic variants, some of which occur in genes not previously linked to the condition. The combination of public and private interest in supporting research efforts, highly effective advocacy groups, the rapid evolution of genomic tools and methodologies, and a long-term investment in developing large DNA collections has already resulted in key findings and promises a flurry of important discoveries over the next several years.
 

Epidemiology of Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Charles RJC Newton

Heightened interest in behavior in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents an unprecedented opportunity for impactful, interdisciplinary work between neuroscientists and clinical practitioners. Neuroscientists and clinical practitioners are faced with significant practical barriers to transcending disciplinary silos. These barriers include divergent goals, values, and approaches that shape each discipline, as well as different lexical conventions. Clinical practitioners and neuroscientists should expand cross-disciplinary dialogue and capitalize on the complementary strengths of each field to unveil the links between neural and behavioral manifestations persons with ASD. Joining forces to face these challenges in a truly interdisciplinary way will lead to more clinically informed neuroscientific investigation of behavioral issues, and better translation of those findings to clinical practice. Such interdisciplinary undertakings will ultimately converge to improve assessment and interventions for persons with ASD

 

Talk title- Autism Spectrum Disorders & other neuro-developmental disabilities in low resource contexts: Technological advancements in African setting
Petrus  De Vries

The lack of awareness of autism spectrum disorder is not only apparent in the general population in Africa, but also among the medical community. Low resource communities  also face significant challenges regarding the adequate availability of diagnostic-, treatment-, and support-services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, a variety of factors, including geographic distance between families and service providers, low reliance on health care professionals, and cultural characteristics, contribute to the diminished availability and utilization of services. Together, these factors lead to risks for delayed ASD screening and diagnosis, yielding lower educational and functional outcomes. Specific diagnosis and treatment barriers affect individuals with ASD and their families in low resource settings. Telehealth feasibility and efficacy research suggests that telecommunication services may offer an inroad for addressing the specific service barriers faced by low resource communities.