The primary aim of this study is to increase the existing knowledge about the pragmatic skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Specifically, the study has two objectives. The first is to provide a profile of characteristics based on The Children's Communication Checklist (CCC-2) pragmatics scales (inappropriate initiation, stereotyped language, use of context, nonverbal communication, and general pragmatics) and narrative task indicators. To this end, children with ASD will be compared to children with typical development (TD), controlling the effects of sex and structural language (speech, syntax, semantics, coherence). The second objective is to analyze whether theory of mind (ToM), verbal working memory, ADHD symptoms, and structural language can predict pragmatic competence in children with ASD without intellectual disability (ID). The results showed worse performance in the group with ASD on the majority of the pragmatic aspects evaluated. In addition, the application of ToM skills and structural language were significant predictors of the pragmatic skills of the children with ASD. These findings reinforce the importance of focusing intervention programs on mentalist abilities through experiences in real social scenarios, along with strengthening structural language components.

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Satisfaction with life of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a study of possible protection and risk factorsIntroduction. Positive psychology has boosted interest about the study of factors of adjustment, among which is included satisfaction with life. Aim.To analyze the relationship between satisfaction with life of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their parents with behavioral risk and protective variables, and to determine the predictive power of these variables.Patients and methods. 56 parents and their children with ADHD filled out questionnaires of satisfaction with life, selfconcept, sense of coherence, success attributes and behavioral rating scales.Results. Behavioral problems have a significant negative relationship with satisfaction with life perceived by parents and by children while the relationships with the self-concept and success attributes have a positive value. The most predictive factors were social problems, oppositional behavior, self-concept, self-awareness and social support. Conclusions.The identification of factors that put at risk or enhance satisfaction with life of people with ADHD will improve the functionality of evaluation and intervention processes.

Communicative skills in Spanish children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Analysis through parents' perceptions and narrative production 1. Introduction Recent studies have highlighted the diagnostic conundrum that clinicians often face when establishing differential diagnoses of verbally fluent school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Grzadzinski, Dick, Lord, & Bishop, 2016). These two neurodevepmental disorders show a high co-occurrence; in fact, there is an overlap in genetic, neurobiological and neuropsychological bases, such as executive functioning or theory of mind skills (Miranda, Baixauli, Colomer y Roselló, 2013). One relevant aspect that can shed light on this complex topic is the analysis of communication. Persistent deficits in social communication are present across the autism spectrum (Schuh, Eigsti, & Mirman, 2016) and, even if they are not included in the core diagnostic criteria, language and pragmatic disturbances may often occur in ADHD (Bellani, Moretti, Perlini, & Brambilla, 2011; Green, Johnson, & Bretherton, 2014). Studies that have compared the communicative competence in ADHD and in ASD (specifically, high functioning autism, without language impairment) have mainly used the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC-2) (Bishop, 2003), designed to assess social-communicative impairments in daily interactions. Research has found similar deficits in both populations on coherence and inappropriate initiations. However, they do not seem to be as severe in ADHD as in ASD, where the impairment is more pronounced in the interpretation of the context, nonverbal communication, and stereotyped language (

Large-scale production of microalgae and their bioactive compounds has steadily increased in response to global demand for natural compounds. Spirulina, in particular, has been used due to its high nutritional value, especially its high protein content. Promising biological functions have been associated with Spirulina extracts, mainly related to its high value added blue pigment, phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is used in several industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, which increases its market value. Due to the worldwide interest and the need to replace synthetic compounds with natural ones, efforts have been made to optimize large-scale production processes and maintain phycocyanin stability, which is a highly unstable protein. The aim of this review is to update the scientific knowledge on phycocyanin applications and to describe the reported production, extraction, and purification methods, including the main physical and chemical parameters that may affect the purity, recovery, and stability of phycocyanin. By implementing different techniques such as complete cell disruption, extraction at temperatures below 45 °C and a pH of 5.5–6.0, purification through ammonium sulfate, and filtration and chromatography, both the purity and stability of phycocyanin have been significantly improved. Moreover, the use of saccharides, crosslinkers, or natural polymers as preservatives has contributed to the increased market value of phycocyanin.