A study compared 19 children with autism and 14 children with mental retardation (ages 2-11), on sustained interactions and responses to social bids. Children with autism produced fewer positive responses and more "no responses" than children with mental retardation. Both groups were more likely to make positive responses to adults. (Contains…

A study involving 187 children from second- and third-grade inclusive classrooms, 12 with autism, and 12 general education teachers, found included students with autism formed multidimensional relationships with their general education teachers. These relationships were associated with student's display of behavior problems and level of inclusion…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a residential program, based on the TEACCH model, in improving the program quality and adaptation of 32 adolescents and adults with autism and severe disabilities. Participants experienced an increase in structure and individualized programming in several areas, and the families were significantly more…

Behavioral adjustment was explored in 78 siblings of children with autism in applied behavior analysis programs. There were no reported increases in behavioral adjustment problems. Siblings in families with children with less severe autism had fewer adjustment problems when more formal social support was also available to the family. (Contains…

A study examined rates of labor induction using pitocin in 41 boys with autism and 25 matched controls with either typical development or mental retardation. There were no differences in pitocin induction rates as a function of either diagnostic group (autism vs. control) or IQ level (average vs. subaverage range). (Contains references.)…

A study examined the frequency and cognitive correlates of enlarged head circumference in 63 children with autism (ages 4-14). Macrocephaly occurred at a significantly higher frequency. Children with discrepantly high nonverbal abilities had a mean standardized head circumference that was more than 1 standard deviation greater than the reference…

This article reviews 32 epidemiological studies of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) published between 1966-2001. The design and sample characteristics of the surveys are described. Surveys have suggested that the rate for all forms of PDDs are around 30/10,000, but more recent surveys suggest it might be as high as 60/10,000. (Contains…

Family systems theory was employed to study sibling relationships in 50 families with a child (ages 4-12) with autism. Typically developing siblings expressed satisfaction with their sibling relationships. Parents were somewhat less positive about the sibling relationships. Stress in the marital relationship was associated with compromised sibling…

This article outlines the elements that were included in a study that measured the cost of providing informal care to children (ages 4-10) with autism. The application of the instrument in a study of 15 families offers tentative evidence on the parental economic burden and the costs of informal care. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Autonomic response to mental tasks requiring sustained attention were examined in 20 adolescents with autism and 20 controls. Cardiac autonomic function (CAF) was evaluated based on heart rate variability. While controls showed a significant decrease in the parasympathetic function during mental tasks, subjects showed no significant change in CAF.…

A study compared the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised in 61 children (ages 4-16) with autism. Correlations between the test scores for DSM-IV criterion sets were on the order of 0.7. SRS scores were unrelated to I.Q. and exhibited inter-rater reliability on the order of 0.8. (Contains references.)…

The Autism Behavior Checklist measured autistic symptoms in 15 girls (ages 11-16) with Rett Syndrome (RS) and 14 with severe mental retardation. Girls with RS scored higher on the Sensory and Relating subscales. There were no differences on the Body and Object Use, Language, and Social and Self-Help subscales. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

The plasma amino acid profiles of 10 children with autism on gluten and casein restricted diets and 26 on unrestricted diets were reviewed. There was a trend for the children on restricted diets to have an increased prevalence of essential amino acid deficiencies and lower plasma levels of essential acids. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A longitudinal study investigated developmental change in theory of mind among 57 children (ages 4-14) with autism. Theory of mind tests were administered on an initial visit and one year later. Data indicated significant developmental improvement in theory of mind ability, which was primarily related to the children's language ability. (Contains…

This study compared 34 adults who had shown early delays in language (high functioning autism) with 42 similar individuals with no such delays (Asperger Syndrome). No significant differences were found between groups on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), their social outcome ratings or ADI-R scores based on current functioning, or on…