Khokhlovich, E. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2018

Epidemiological Study of Autism Subgroups Using Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) Score

Here we report the results of the subgroup analyses of an observational cohort of children whose parents completed the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) over the period of several years. A linear mixed effects model was used to evaluate longitudinal changes in ATEC scores within different patient subgroups. All groups decreased their mean ATEC score over time indicating improvement of symptoms, however there were significant differences between the groups. Younger children improved more than the older children. Children with milder ASD improved more than children with more severe ASD in the Communication subscale. There was no difference in improvement between females vs. males. One surprising finding was that children from developed English-speaking countries improved less than children from non-English-speaking countries.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Performance Of Children With Autism In Parent-Administered Cognitive And Language Exercises

There is a broad scientific consensus that early and intensive therapy has the greatest chance of positive impact on an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the availability, quality, and general funding for early intervention programs is often lacking, leaving newly diagnosed children without adequate and sufficient therapy during the most critical early period of their development. Parent-administered iPad-assisted therapy has the potential to reduce the gap between the amount of therapy recommended for children with ASD and the amount they receive. However it is unclear how ASD severity and age influence a childs ability to engage with and learn from computerized cognitive exercises. In this manuscript, we describe data from a tablet-based therapeutic application administered by parents to 1,514 young children with ASD over the course of four to twelve months. We report that older children and children with milder forms of ASD performed better and progressed faster in cognitive and language exercises. However, most children were able to engage with and learn from exercises independent of their age or ASD severity. This data confirm that tablet-based cognitive and language exercises can be successfully administered by parents to children as young as two years of age over the course of many months independent of ASD severity.

clinical trials↗