Living a tormented life: Caregivers' experiences of caring for a child with autism in Northeastern Thailand

Caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be a demanding challenge to caregivers. The aim of this study was to learn what caring for children with ASD means to caregivers who live in rural Thailand. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to analyze narrative data from interviews of five caregivers. Three themes emerged: (a) being sensitive to the word autism, (b) being trapped in a tunnel of distress, and (c) being the universe for the child. Healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to the caregivers' cultural customs in order to meet their expectations in a respectful way.     

Autism spectrum disorder and vitamin D status: A cross-sectional study of children in a developing country in Southeast Asia

BackgroundDetermine the prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D deficiency (<35 nmol/L) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); and explore the association between vitamin D deficiency with ASD severity and behavioural symptoms.MethodCross-sectional study of children with ASD at a tertiary hospital. Children with vitamin D deficiency (<35.0 nmol/L) were treated (1200IU cholecalciferol, daily for 3 months). ASD severity was determined via the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, 2nd Edition (CARS-2); and behavioural symptoms via the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist, 2nd Edition (ABC-2). Scores were compared between the vitamin D deficient and non-deficient groups.ResultsThere were 103 participants (85.4 % male). Mean age: 6.2 years (SD = 2.4), 19 % were vitamin D deficient and 42 % were insufficient. Mean vitamin D concentration was 45.8 nmol/L (SD = 13.5). Female gender was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (OR 5.05, 95 % CI: 1.56, 16.31, p = 0.007). Post-vitamin D treatment, there was a significant reduction in CARS-2 scores (p < 0.05), but not ABC-2 scores.ConclusionsNearly two-thirds (61 %) of Malaysian children with ASD have vitamin D deficiency (19 %) and insufficiency (42 %). Vitamin D treatment among vitamin D deficient children with ASD resulted in improvement in ASD symptom severity but not behavioural symptoms.     

The intervention priorities of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Iran

When designing and implementing evidence-based programs for children with an autism spectrum disorder, the intervention priorities of parents are important criteria. Although studies in developed countries have explored parents’ intervention priorities, there is a paucity of this kind of research in developing countries. This research explores the intervention priorities of 207 Iranian parents for their children with autism in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Participants with children between 2 to 21 years of age were asked to rate their intervention priorities from among 10 main categories. In addition, correlations between children’s difficulties and parental intervention priorities were examined.The results indicate that building social communication skills was the highest intervention priority for parents of Iranian children with autism, a contrast to typical current service provision in Iran. The results also substantiated that presence of social communication difficulties and challenging behaviors in children are typically correlated with parents' intervention priorities.     

The Use of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III with Clinical Populations: A Preliminary Exploration

ABSTRACT

In response to concerns that the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (BSIDIII) underestimate delay in clinical populations, this study explores developmental quotient scores as an alternative to composite scores for these children. One hundred and twenty-two children aged ≤42 months, referred for diagnosis of developmental disability from January 2007 to May 2010, were assessed, and their composite and developmental quotient scores on each scale were compared. Composite scores identified only 22% (cognitive), 27% (motor), and 47.5% (language) of children as having a developmental disability. Developmental quotient scores were significantly lower than composite scores, giving rates of developmental disability of 56.6% (cognitive), 48.4% (motor), and 74.6% (language) and more closely matching both clinical impressions of delay and the proportions of those children who were also delayed on standardized tests of adaptive function.     

基于数据挖掘的吕英教授治疗自闭症语言障碍的用药规律分析＊

目的 基于中医传承辅助平台软件（TCMISS，V2.5）对吕英教授治疗自闭症语言障碍的处方进行数据挖掘，探索其病因病机及组方规律。方法 收集吕英教授治疗自闭症语言障碍的医案，将其方药信息录入TCMISS，借助该平台集成的关联规则、改进互信息法、复杂系统熵聚类法、无监督熵层次聚类法等分析方法探索吕英教授治疗自闭症语言障碍的药物组方规律。结果 共筛选出120个医案，包含处方共120首，涉及中药89味，其中使用频次前6味中药为桂枝、鸡蛋花、白术、泽泻、石膏、桔梗，药性以寒、温为主，药味以甘、苦居多，归经多属肺、脾、肝经。通过关联规则分析所得的用药模式中，使用频次最高的为桂枝与鸡蛋花、桂枝与泽泻、白术与桂枝，进一步分析得到的核心药物为泽泻、桂枝、白术，为五苓散的药物组成，并基于复杂熵聚类方法演化出6首新处方。结论 吕英教授治疗自闭症语言障碍以阳明“气血津”不足和三焦气化功能失常为主要病机线路，清解阳明伏火、加强阳明本体液津血的生化化生及恢复三焦气化功能正常为主要治法，其核心代表方剂为木防己汤和五苓散。