We have previously argued from a theoretical basis that the standard practice of regression of the Global Signal from the fMRI time series in functional connectivity studies is ill advised, particularly when comparing groups of participants. Here, we demonstrate in resting-state data from participants with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and matched controls that these concerns are also well founde...

The authors tested susceptibility to contagious yawning in 120 children, 1-6 years, to identify the time course of its emergence during development. Results indicated a substantial increase in the frequency of contagious yawning at 4 years. In a second study, the authors examined contagious yawning in 28 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), 6-15 years. Children with ASD showed diminis...

In 2001, the Autism Spectrum Disorders— Canadian-American Research Consortium (ASD-CARC) launched a program of research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As part of that undertaking, and in response to concerns about the growing proportion of children diagnosed with information (see Table 1) on children with ASD in British Columbia, Calgary (Alberta), Manitoba, southeastern Ontario,† Prince E...

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are often characterized by deficits in social communication skills. While evidence suggests that intensive individualized interventions can improve aspects of core deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder, at present numerous potent barriers exist related to accessing and implementing such interventions. Researchers are increasingly employing technology to dev...

The Auditory Behavior Questionnaire (ABQ) evaluates abnormal behavioral responses to auditory stimulation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study reports preliminary reliability, construct validity and standardization of the ABQ. Parents of children with ASD aged 7-21 years (n = 165) completed the ABQ on-line. Cronbach's alpha was 0.94 indicating strong internal consistency....

While knowledge about symptom presentation of adults with mild ASD, including comorbid psychopathology, is limited, referral of adults with suspected mild PDD is increasing. We report on pilot research investigating whether patients diagnosed with mild ASD (n=15) and patients who were not diagnosed with ASD (n=21) differed in terms of (a) AQ scores and (b) Axis I and II disorders, assessed by t...

Successful integration of various simultaneously perceived perceptual signals is crucial for social behavior. Recent findings indicate that this multisensory integration (MSI) can be modulated by attention. Theories of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) suggest that MSI is affected in this population while it remains unclear to what extent this is related to impairments in attentional capacity. I...

The recent development in the measurements of spontaneous mental state understanding, employing eye-movements instead of verbal responses, has opened new opportunities for understanding the developmental origin of “mind-reading” impairments frequently described in ASD. Our main aim was to characterize the relationship between mental state understanding and the broader autism phenotype, early in...

OBJECTIVE This study examined the direct and indirect outcomes of a social skills group intervention for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders and their parents. METHOD Thirty-five children and their parents participated in the program evaluation. Children and parents completed measures of child social skills and problem behaviors. Children reported on their self-concept, a...

BACKGROUND To examine longitudinal associations between diagnosis, joint attention, play and imitation abilities and language outcome in infants with autism and pervasive developmental disorder. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Experimental measures of joint attention, play and imitation were conducted with a sample of infants with autism spectrum disorder at age 20 months. Language outcome was assesse...