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Total Records: 243
List of Research Projects
Title
Violent Crime in Asperger Syndrome: The Role of Psychiatric Comorbidity.
Abstract
Although several studies have suggested an association between violent crime and Asperger syndrome (AS), few have examined the underlying reasons. The aim of this review is to determine to what extent psychiatric factors contribute to offending behavior in this population. Online databases were used to identify relevant articles which were then cross-referenced with keyword searches for "violence," "crime," "murder," "assault," "rape," and "sex offenses." Most of the 17 publications which met the inclusion criteria were single case reports. Of the 37 cases described in these publications, 11 cases (29.7%) cases had a definite psychiatric disorder and 20 cases (54%) had a probable psychiatric disorder at the time of committing the crime. These findings underscore the role of psychiatric disorders in the occurrence of violent crime in persons with Asperger syndrome and highlight the need for their early diagnosis and treatment.
Virtual social environment for preschoolers with autism – preliminary data
Abstract
Preliminary results are presented of a feasibility study, still in progress, of a virtual social environment designed to stimulate the social attention of pre-school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The system uses eye-tracking and provides gaze-contingent rewards of clips from preferred videos. Of six children reported on here, most find the experimental setting appealing, and the rewards compelling; they voluntarily engage with it across numerous sessions, and demonstrate learning, with large inter-individual differences in rate of progress. Implications are discussed for the pilot study to follow.
Visuo-Spatial Cognition in Autism and Fragile X Syndrome
Abstract
The overall aims of this PhD are to investigate visuo-spatial cognition in individuals with Autism and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and also to investigate possible relationships between biases in visuo-spatial cognition and executive functioning. So far, comprehensive investigations have been carried out using a standardized battery of tasks which compare the cognitive profile of children with Autism and FXS. This highlighted particular disparities between the two groups. Following on from this, tasks which demand both perceptual and constructional processing at the visuo-spatial level are being developed. These will specifically tap into any processing biases that these two groups display.
What can we learn about autism from autistic persons?
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To date, few studies have focused on the viewpoints of autistic persons themselves despite an increasing number of published autobiographies. The aim of this study is to highlight their personal experiences, and to compare them to scientific and medical knowledge and representations. METHOD: Adopting an anthropological approach, we analyzed 16 autobiographical writings and 5 interviews with autistic persons. We systematically screened this material and explored the writers' sociodemographic characteristics, cognitive skills and interests with a focus on their sensory-perceptual experiences and their representations of autism. RESULTS: The authors' ages (22-67 years), their countries (n = 8) and backgrounds were varied, and most of them were high-functioning individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome. The most striking observations were that all of them pointed out that unusual perceptions and information processing, as well as impairments in emotional regulation, were the core symptoms of autism, whereas the current classifications do not mention them. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that what has been selected as major signs by psychiatric nosography is regarded as manifestations induced by perceptive peculiarities and strong emotional reactions by the autistic persons who expressed themselves. These considerations deserve to be taken into account by professionals to better understand the behavior and needs of autistic persons. We propose to include this point in the reflection on the next psychiatric classifications. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.
What's in a game: the effect of social motivation on interference control in boys with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.
Abstract
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are known to have cognitive control deficits. Some studies suggest that such deficits may be reduced when motivation is increased through tangible reinforcers. Whether these deficits can also be modulated by non-tangible reinforcers has hardly been studied. METHODS: Therefore, the effect of social motivation on the ability to suppress irrelevant information (i.e., interference control) was investigated in 22 ADHD boys, 22 ASD boys, and 33 typically developing (TD) boys. An adapted Eriksen Flanker task was administered under a motivational condition in which the boys were told that they were competing with peers, and under a neutral condition in which standard instructions were given. RESULTS: In comparison with TD boys, boys with ADHD were impaired even when no interference was present, while this was not the case for the ASD boys. All groups benefited from the motivation manipulation, i.e., their performance increased when they thought they were competing with peers. Although the boys with ADHD were still slower than TD boys when motivated, they performed as accurately as TD boys. Children with ASD also improved slightly in accuracy and response speed, but this did not reach significance. CONCLUSION: Children with ADHD are able to exert sufficient cognitive control when they are motivated, which is in line with the current models of ADHD. However, motivation seems to have a general effect on performance and is not solely related to cognitive control abilities. In contrast, this effect was not obtained in children with ASD.
