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Although autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are among the most heritable of all neuropsychiatric syndromes, most affected children are born to unaffected parents. Recently, we reported an average increase of 3-5% over general population risk of ASD among offspring of adults who have first-degree relatives with ASD in a large epidemiologic family sample.
Birth order effects have been linked to variability in intelligence, educational attainment and sexual orientation. First- and later-born children have been linked to an increased likelihood of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, with a smaller body of evidence implicating decreases in cognitive functioning with increased birth order.
The clinical process for being evaluated for an autism diagnosis is often time consuming and stressful for individuals and their caregivers. While experience of and satisfaction with the diagnostic process has been reviewed in the literature, few studies have directly investigated the viewpoints of individuals diagnosed with autism and caregivers of autistic individuals about what is important in the autism diagnostic process.
Delays within the motor domain are often overlooked as an early surveillance marker for autism. The present study evaluated motor difficulties and its potential as an early predictive marker for later autism likelihood in a cohort of infants showing early behavioral signs of autism aged 9-14 months. The motor domain was evaluated using the motor subscales of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning at baseline, and at a 6-month follow-up.
A study by The Kids Research Institute Australia has found children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have significantly worse school outcomes.
New research from The Kids Research Institute Australia has revealed a significant link between kids with severe ADHD and higher rates of early childhood hospital admissions.
Harmonizing the scores obtained by different instruments that measure the same construct enable researchers to combine them in one analysis. An important step in harmonization is checking whether there is measurement invariance across populations.
Parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often make disclosure decisions about their child's ADHD on their behalf. While disclosure can facilitate access to support, it risks stigma. Despite ADHD being one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions, little is known about parent's experiences in relating information about their child's ADHD diagnosis or medication use, to others.
Dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission has been implicated in the underlying pathogenesis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPH), which is used as a first line treatment for ADHD, has been shown to have both acute and chronic effects on prefrontal cortex glutamatergic afferents. Animal studies have also identified an effect of MPH and glutamate in prefrontal areas. Despite this there are ongoing questions as to the extent and direction of this effect, as well as its impact on other neurobiological processes.
Iron deficiency may play a role in the pathophysiology of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Due to its preponderant function in monoamine catecholamine and myelin synthesis, brain iron concentration may be of primary interest in the investigation of iron dysregulation in ADHD.
The number of words children produce (expressive vocabulary) and understand (receptive vocabulary) changes rapidly during early development, partially due to genetic factors. Here, we performed a meta-genome-wide association study of vocabulary acquisition and investigated polygenic overlap with literacy, cognition, developmental phenotypes, and neurodevelopmental conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Sibling profiles, including sibling status (only-child or sibling) and sibling characteristics (sibling size, birth order, and sex), can impact on lived experiences and social interactions, and operate as protective or risk factors for a wide range of health and well-being indicators and outcomes. Using population-based data linkage to disability-specific databases, sibling profiles were compared between families of children with and without neurodevelopmental conditions.
Approximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Hyperkinetic Disorder (HD) is linked to increased risks of morbidity, comorbidity and mortality, with higher prevalence in clinical populations. The differential prevalence of ADHD/HD across adult and pediatric clinical populations, influenced by factors such as time trends, sex, age, geographic regions, and comorbidities, has not been systematically assessed.