No abstract

No abstract

To cite this article: Murat Eyuboglu, Burak Baykara & Damla Eyuboglu (2018) Broad autism phenotype: theory of mind and empathy skills in unaffected siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder, Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 28:1, 36-42, ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: Difficulties in social communication is core syptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and it is often present in first-degree relatives in varying degrees. However, these subclinical autistic traits, which are thought to be related to genetic susceptibility factors, may be heterogeneous in family members. This prospective, the aim of this study was to compare unaffected siblings of children with ASD in terms of theory of mind, empathy skills, and broad autism phenotype (BAP). METHODS: Fourty-one children who were diagnosed Autistic Disorder, Asperger Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-not otherwise specified according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition and their unaffected siblings and 43 controls of typically developing children were included. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Children -Present and Lifetime Version was conducted all children with the aim of excluding a psychiatric diagnosis. False-belief tasks and Emotion Recognition Scales were used to evaluate theory of mind and empathy skills. The Social Communication Questionnaire was administered by the clinician in order to evaluate subthreshold autistic symptoms. RESULTS: Unaffected siblings of ASD children exhibited worse performance in theory of mind and emotion recognition tasks. Additionally, these children had more autistic symptoms and there was a correlation with autism symptoms and social cognition tasks. DISCUSSION: In compatible with BAP, the results indicated that the siblings of children with ASD showed a neurocognitive profile associated with ASD at a slight level, and they had more subsyndromal autism symptoms compared with healthy children. The findings also indicated that there was a weakness in skills of empathy and theory of mind ability of siblings of ASD. ARTICLE HISTORY

OBJECTIVE: Although sleep symptoms are not included in the diagnostic criteria of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), these problems are common in children with ADHD. The presence of sleep problems was associated with impairment in functionality and increase in ADHD intensity. The aims of the study were to evaluate sleep problems of children with ADHD who had never received any psychiatric treatment and investigate the effects of these problems in functionality. METHODS: The present study included 83 children who were diagnosed as having ADHD and had never received any psychiatric treatment. The control group consisted of 106 healthy children. Psychiatric diagnostic interview was applied to all children. The parents completed the Conner's Parent Questionnaire to evaluate the intensity of ADHD in the children, the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to evaluate sleep problems, and the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale to evaluate the functionality of the children. RESULTS: The total scores of subscale and scales of CSHQ were significantly higher in the study group. ADHD children slept 1 hour later and sleep quantity was 1.5 hours less than the control group. There was a significant correlation between sleep problems, ADHD severity, and functionality of these children. CONCLUSIONS:The results demonstrated that children with ADHD experienced more sleep problems and slept less than the children in the healthy control group, and functional impairments increased due to these problems. Another important finding is that sleep problems are not related to drug use. Maintaining sleep hygiene or interventions against sleep problems may increase sleep quality and may improve self and family functionality. Therefore, the standardized sleep evaluation must be performed in cooperation with parents in all children with ADHD. ARTICLE HISTORY

OBJECTIVES: Specific learning disorder (SLD) is a very common disorder in childhood, and it is discussed under neurodevelopmental disorders in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). SLD affects children's academic achievement, as well as bringing challenges in their social relationships. The purpose of our study is to compare the empathy and theory of mind (ToM) abilities of children with SLD with those of healthy peers. METHODS: A total of 83 children were included in our study, comprising 40 cases diagnosed with SLD and without comorbidity and 43 healthy controls. The case group's mean age was 9.3 ± 1.5 years and the control group's mean age was 9.3 ± 1.3 years. All children were evaluated using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Schoolage Children -Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), ToM tasks, and emotion recognition scales. RESULTS: Children diagnosed with SLD demonstrated statistically significantly worse performance on the Comprehension Test (CT), Unexpected Outcomes Test (UOT), and Falsebelief Tasks, which evaluated the ToM and empathy abilities. No difference was obtained in intelligence level between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that children with SLD had challenges in the ToM and empathy abilities compared to children with healthy development. In conclusion, developing special education programmes by considering such possible shortcomings in the field of social cognition will positively contribute to the elimination of challenges faced by children in their academic and social lives. ARTICLE HISTORY