Recent evidence points to white-matter abnormalities as a key factor in autism physiopathology. Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, we studied white-matter structural properties in a convenience sample of twenty-two subjects with low-functioning autism exposed to long-term augmentative and alternative communication, combined with sessions of cognitive and behavioral therapy. Uncinate fasciculus str...

Altered immune functioning has been demonstrated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study explores the relationship between perceived immune functioning and experiencing ASD traits in healthy young adults. N = 410 students from Utrecht University completed a survey on immune functioning and autistic traits. In addition to a 1-item perceived immune functioning rating...

In autism, severe abnormalities in social behavior coexist with aberrant attention and deficient language. In the attentional domain, attention to people and socially relevant stimuli is impaired the most. Because socially meaningful stimulus events are physically complex, a deficiency in sensory processing of complex stimuli has been suggested to contribute to aberrant attention and language i...

Background: Difficulty with social interaction is universal in autism spectrum disorders and often constitutes the most debilitating feature of these conditions. Impaired social cognition (i.e., perceiving the emotions and intentions of others) makes it difficult to establish friendships and form positive social relationships, and is particularly incapacitating for adults with autism who must n...

There is a high incidence of epileptiform abnormalities in children with autism even in the absence of clinical seizures. These findings are most prominent during sleep recordings. The significance of these abnormalities is unclear. Although studies do not all agree, there may be some association between cognitive function, behavior, and the presence or absence of epileptiform discharges. Small...

Autism may lead to distorted speech production. Studies on clinical populations investigating phonological processes in first (L1) and second (L2) language indicate that a higher number of processes is applied in L2 because L2 is a more difficult linguistic context. We investigated phonological processes in a Polish speaking adolescent with moderate-functioning autism who had intermediate profi...

Background and Objective: The present study investigated executive functions in students with high functioning autism (HFA) and students with educable Down syndrome (DS) with normal healthy students.     Methods: Fifteen boy students with HFA, 15 boy students with educable intellectual disability and 15 normal healthy boy students (aged between¬ 7-15 years) were recruited from educational se...

Eye contact is crucial in achieving social communication. Deviant patterns of eye contact behavior are found in individuals with autism, who suffer from severe social and communicative deficits. This study used a visual oddball paradigm to investigate whether children with high functioning autism have difficulty in detecting mutual gaze under experimental conditions. The results revealed that c...

Oxytocin participates in the development of normal social bonds and aberrations in this neuroendocrine system have been hypothesized to contribute to behavioral abnormalities associated with autism. Salivary oxytocin level estimation is now gaining popularity in autism research. Multiple collection techniques have been tried in both high as well as low functioning children with autism. In this ...

High-functioning children with autism were compared with two control groups on measures of anxiety and social worries. Comparison control groups consisted of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normally developing children. Each group consisted of 15 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years and were matched for age and gender. Children with autism were found to be most anxio...