OBJECTIVE Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with unknown etiology. The etiology of autism is complex, and the underlying pathologic mechanisms are unknown. This study tests the autoimmune mechanisms in the pathogenesis for autism in autistic children in the Riyadh area. METHODS The study took place in the Riyadh area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between September 2003 and April 2004. ...

Autism is a serious psychological disorder with onset in early childhood. Autistic children show minimal emotional attachment, absent or abnormal speech, retarded IQ, ritualistic behaviors, aggression, and self-injury. The prognosis is very poor, and medical therapies have not proven effective. This article reports the results of behavior modification treatment for two groups of similarly const...

This study investigates intonation and timing characteristics of autistic and stuttering children's speech in English. Twelve children ranging from 7 to 14 years of age (four subjects from three groups, autistic, stuttering, control) participated in this study. They were asked to read sentences and then to repeat them after the experimenter. Results show that stuttering subjects differed only s...

Parents of children with autism maybe anxious about the future of their child, along with anxiety, they may experience guilty feelings for having such a child. These issues can cause problems in normal family life procedure of families with autistic children (1). Due to the complex behaviors of these children, parents tend to decrease their communication and avoid from ceremonies and parties an...

The literature surrounding the autistic child's social impairment is reviewed. It is proposed that an impairment in some aspect of autistic children 'a social cognition could account for many of the observed abnormalities in their social behaviour. First, t "lower-level" aspects of social cognition are considered. These are mirrcr self-recognition and perceptual role-taking. The present sample ...

The PLAY Project Home Consultation (PPHC) program trains parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders using the DIR/Floortime model of Stanley Greenspan MD. Sixty-eight children completed the 8-12 month program. Parents were encouraged to deliver 15 hours per week of 1:1 interaction. Pre/post ratings of videotapes by blind raters using the Functional Emotional Assessment Scale (FEAS) sh...

Autism is a severely incapacitating condition that typically appears during the first 3 years of life and is characterized by severe communication and other developmental and educational problems. Children with autism generally demonstrate poor motor skills. Consequently, rehabilitation programs should emphasize fundamental motor skills and patterns of movement, individual games and sports, and...

[Purpose] One of the characteristics of autistic children is social interaction difficulties. Although therapeutic toys can promote social interaction, however its related research remains insufficient. The aim of the present study was to build a set of cooperative play toys that are suitable for autistic children. [Subjects and Methods] This study used an innovative product design and developm...

BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are highly heritable, but the exact etiological mechanisms underlying the condition are still unclear. METHODS Using a multiple rater twin design in a large sample of general population preschool twins, this study aimed to (a) estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to autistic traits, controlling for the possible effects of ra...