<i>Background</i>. Postural instability is a prevalent issue among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that affects the development of their perceptual-motor skills and social functioning. Visual and somatosensory processing deficits, hypotonia, basal ganglia dysfunction, and anxiety are some of the concurrent disorders in individuals with ASD. Nevertheless, a definite management protocol for postural instability in ASD has not been introduced yet. Hence, we aim to shed light on the available intervention strategies for postural instability in individuals with ASD. <i>Methods</i>. Even though several studies have been conducted on the effects of various interventions for balance control in individuals with ASD, no study has compared their efficacy, limitations, and clinical implications. <i>Results</i>. This review discusses diverse proposed interventions contributing to ASD postural instability, including martial arts, water-based interventions, animal-assisted therapies, trampoline, balance training, vestibular therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, sports, play, and active recreation for kids (SPARK), and square-stepping exercise (SSE). <i>Conclusion</i>. Enhancing motor skills, cerebellum function, and sensory input integration were some of the main mechanisms of these interventions to improve balance control in ASD. Some interventions, such as water-based exercises and video games, were enjoyable for children with ASD and could raise their treatment adherence. In most studies, small sample sizes and the lack of a control group represented their major limitations. Therefore, future well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to assess the effects of available interventions on postural control in ASD.

Rabeeh Hariri

Amin Nakhostin-Ansari

Fatemeh Mohammadi

Amir Hossein Memari

Iman Menbari Oskouie

Afarin Haghparast

An Overview of the Available Intervention Strategies for Postural Balance Control in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) not only have communication and social difficulties, but also exhibit poor balance and motor control ability, which frequently affect daily activities. Effective balance and motor control rely on the integration of somatosensory, visual, and vestibular inputs. Although reports of balance dysfunction in ASD have been documented, comprehensive studies of balance and vestibular function in children with ASD are scarce. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 36 pediatric patients diagnosed with ASD who underwent balance/vestibular laboratory testing in our speciality clinic. Results from sensory organization test (SOT) or modified clinical test for sensory integration of balance (mCTSIB) found that out of 15 patients, 80&#x0025; had abnormal findings. Of the children who successfully completed each vestibular test, abnormal responses were observed in 12 (80&#x0025;) sensory organization tests, 5 (24&#x0025;) vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP), 22 (66&#x0025;) videonystagmography (VNG), and 11 (32&#x0025;) sinusoidal rotary chair tests. These results indicate that balance and vestibular testing may be of diagnostic value for clinicians and providers as an aid in early detection, intervention, and the development of appropriate management and therapies for this patient population. Increased awareness of this topic is warranted to promote better clinical management of this special group of patients and improve their quality of life.

Linda M. Oster

Guangwei Zhou

Balance and Vestibular Deficits in Pediatric Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Underappreciated Clinical Aspect

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between parenting stress and autistic symptom severity in the U.S. and Japan. Fifty-two U.S. and 51 Japanese mothers of children aged 2&#x2013;12 with autism completed measures of parenting stress and child characteristics, including the parenting stress index (PSI), the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), and social responsiveness scale-2 (SRS-2). There was a nonlinear relationship between the child&#x27;s autistic symptom severity and parenting stress in both countries. We also found some cultural differences: in the parent domain, the relationships between children&#x2019;s SCQ scores and PSI scores differed significantly between the U.S. and Japan. Our findings suggest that autistic severity symptom scores may reflect cross-cultural differences in parenting beliefs, views toward autism, and response styles for evaluating children&#x2019;s behavior. The findings also suggest that parents need support regardless of the child&#x2019;s autism severity, including those with mild to moderate symptoms. Expanding on this line of research and understanding cultural influences on parenting stress may help service providers and agencies offer more culturally sensitive services, parent-education courses, and intervention programs.

Noriko Porter

Katherine A. Loveland

Sepideh Saroukhani

Yana Posey

Kana Morimoto

Mohammad H. Rahbar

Severity of Child Autistic Symptoms and Parenting Stress in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Japan and USA: Cross-Cultural Differences

<i>Objective</i>. This study aimed at examining the effectiveness of treating children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who present with irritability, aggression, and disruptive behavior at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, with risperidone, and to note any sex-based differences among this cohort. <i>Method</i>. This was a retrospective study conducted at the Department of Behavioral Medicine at SQUH over two years from January 2017 to December 2018. This study included all children aged 3 to 18 years attending the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) outpatient clinic with a diagnosis of ASD, based on the DSM-5 criteria, and comorbid disruptive behavior, who had been prescribed risperidone. <i>Result</i>. This study identified 95 ASD patients (72 males). Male patients’ BMI score after 12 months of risperidone treatment showed an increase by 0.62 (1.57 SD; <span class="inline_break"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="19.289pt" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" id="M1" height="8.8423pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 19.289 8.8423"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-81" d="M600 480C600 590 528 650 384 650H143L137 622C222 614 225 607 210 531L130 127C113 41 106 36 23 28L17 0H294L300 28C204 36 195 42 212 127L243 284L314 263C327 263 339 263 352 264C465 271 600 337 600 480ZM508 481C508 351 402 304 329 304C289 304 265 311 250 317L295 559C302 594 310 606 323 611C335 616 350 619 367 619C455 619 508 573 508 481Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.658,0)"><path id="g117-34" d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z"/></g></svg><span class="irelop"/><span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="28.182pt" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" height="8.8423pt" version="1.1" viewBox="22.8711838 -8.6359 28.182 8.8423"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.921,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.161,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.125,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.365,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,44.605,0)"><path id="g113-50" d="M384 0V27C293 34 287 42 287 114V635C232 613 172 594 109 583V559L157 557C201 555 205 550 205 499V114C205 42 199 34 109 27V0H384Z"/></g></svg>);</span></span> however, there was no significant change among female patients. Somnolence was noted in 69.6% of female patients as compared to 34.7% of males (<span class="inline_break"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="19.289pt" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" id="M2" height="8.8423pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 19.289 8.8423"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-81"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.658,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/></g></svg><span class="irelop"/><span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="28.182pt" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" height="8.8423pt" version="1.1" viewBox="22.8711838 -8.6359 28.182 8.8423"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.921,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.161,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.125,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.365,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,44.605,0)"><path id="g113-52" d="M285 378C315 398 338 416 353 432C373 451 384 474 384 503C384 579 325 635 236 635H235C182 635 136 610 108 579L65 516L85 496C110 533 150 575 205 575C258 575 300 543 300 481C300 407 232 369 141 339L147 310C163 315 188 321 211 321C268 321 338 284 338 192C338 94 288 40 217 40C160 40 119 68 93 91C85 98 77 97 69 91C60 84 47 71 46 58C44 46 48 35 62 22C75 10 116 -12 162 -12C234 -12 424 62 424 224C424 297 373 359 285 376V378Z"/></g></svg>).</span></span> Among those with a family history of ASD, 5 out of 17 patients had treatment success (29.4%), whereas 70 out of 78 patients (90.0%) who did not have a similar history had successful treatment. <i>Conclusion</i>. In conclusion, low-dose risperidone monotherapy is effective and well tolerated among some children with ASD who present with disruptive behavior in a naturalistic clinical setting. However, we found that some of the side effects, such as weight gain and somnolence, were concerning.

Salim Al-Huseini

Ali Al-Barhoumi

Miad Al-Balushi

Amira Al-Hosni

Tamadhir Al-Mahrouqi

Balqees Al-Mahrizi

Sanjay Jaju

Hassan Mirza

Effectiveness and Adverse Effects of Risperidone in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Naturalistic Clinical Setting at a University Hospital in Oman

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<p><em>Autism Research and Treatment </em>publishes original research articles and&nbsp;review articles&nbsp;related to all aspects of autism.</p>


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<p><em>Autism Research and Treatment</em> maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.</p>


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Autism Research and Treatment - Table of contents 2022

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Autism Research and Treatment publishes original research articles and review articles related to all aspects of autism.

Autism Research and Treatment