Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities. The maternal status of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) regulates microglial activity and neuroinflammatory pathways during a child’s brain development. In children with ASD, the metabolism of PUFA is thought to be deficient or abnormal, leading to increased production of proinflammatory cytokines, increased oxidative stress and an imbalance in the formation and action of neurotransmitters. In addition, nutritional deficits in omega-3 PUFA may affect gut microbiota and contribute to ASD by the gut–brain axis. The aim of this study was to review the possible role of neuroinflammation in ASD development and the effect of omega-3 PUFA supplementation in children with ASD. Due to a wide heterogeneity across RCTs, no definitive conclusion about omega-3 PUFA effects in ASD can be drawn. Supplementation with PUFA could be considered as one of the aspects in regulating the biological status of the organism and could provide added value to standard medical and psychological interventions for reducing behavioral deficits.
The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of reading and the orthographic level of handwriting in children with dysgraphic handwriting and children with typical development in the early grades of primary school. The research sample consisted of 94 children in the 3rd and 4th grades of primary school. The Handwriting Dysgraphia Assessment Test was used to assess the level of handwriting dysgraphia, while the analysis of the orhographic level of handwriting involved the assessment of the frequency and type of orthographic errors. The Three-Dimensional Reading Test was used in the second stage of research. Findings show the overall prevalence of handwriting dysgraphia in 13.8% of children, and a greater prevalence in boys (69.1%) relative to girls (30.9%). In the group of children with dysgraphic handwriting, 53.8% were categorized as having "graphomotor dysgraphia", while 46.2% were categorized as having "language dysgraphia". The study results suggest that there are no statistically significant differences between 3rd and 4th grade students in the application of orthographic rules to all writing tasks (t=1,33; df=11; p=0,17). Children with dysgraphic handwriting achieved poorer results on all writing tasks relative to children with typical development. A comparison of results of children with dysgraphic handwriting and children with typical development did not reveal statistically significant differences in reading speed tasks (t=1,10; df=18; p=0,32), number of mistakes (t=0,73; df=21; p=0,46), and reading comprehension (t=0,66; df=14; p=0,51). Increasing awareness of aspects of writing and reading where difficulties may occur, but also of aspects that represent children's developmental strengths, along with an effective assessment of language and cognitive abilities, would significantly improve the quality of the teaching process.
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