characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction, impaired language development, and stereotyped repetitive behaviors. The broader category of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) includes individuals with subsets of these symptoms (Geschwind and Levitt, 2007). The prevalence of autism in the USA has increased since the inception of the diagnosis in the 1980s – to about 1 in every ...

OBJECTIVES To develop a practical, readily applied algorithm for primary health care providers to identify, evaluate, and manage constipation in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). METHODS The Gastroenterology Committee of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN), a multisite consortium of centers dedicated to improving standards of medical care for children with ASDs, gui...

OBJECTIVE To examine the health care expenditures associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in medical care settings. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of health insurance claims data. SETTING Administrative claims database for a national sample of privately insured individuals. PARTICIPANTS Children and adolescents 17 years and younger with a diagnosis of a mental disorder between 200...

OBJECTIVE To examine sleep quality and sleep-wake patterns in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and parents of typically developing (TD) children. METHODS Thirty-five mothers and 22 fathers completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a 7-day sleep diary, and wore an actigraph for 1 week. RESULTS Parents of children with ASDs reported poorer sleep quality compared t...

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 110 children in the United States having an ASD.1 ASDs are typically diagnosed in early childhood, often at or before preschool age. The diagnosis is fundamentally behaviorally based (i.e., there is no specific genetic test or clinical/ laboratory procedure for diagnosis)...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of limited, repetitive and stereotyped interests and behavior. Bowel symptoms are frequently reported in children with ASD and a potential role for gastrointestinal disturbances in ASD has been suggested. This review focuses on the im...

Mol Autism. 2013 Jun 3;4(1):16. Decreased tryptophan metabolism in patients with autism spectrum disorders. Boccuto L, Chen CF, Pittman AR, Skinner CD, McCartney HJ, Jones K, Bochner BR, Stevenson RE, Schwartz CE. Greenwood Genetic Center, 113 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA. BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are relatively common neurodevelopmental conditions whose bi...

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a genomic disorder reported to associate with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in 15-50% of cases; however, others suggest that individuals with 22q11.2DS present psychiatric or behavioral features associated with ASDs, but do not meet full criteria for ASD diagnoses. Such wide variability in findings may arise in part due to methodological differences a...

background: it is believed that environmental and genetic factors may be responsible for autism. methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (mthfr) and its gene polymorphisms have been shown to be implicated as risk factors in autism. objectives: to analyze mthfr c677t polymorphism (rs1801133) in autistic patients. materials and methods: this study was carried out in 2014 and 2015 in northern iran. on...