Syndromes and Epistemology I: Autistic spectrum disorders

Fisch, Gene S.

doi:10.1002/ajmg.a.30497

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…CAD could be classified into three different profiles: human-directed, self-centred and confident profiles. The latter being similar to the reported profile in CTD, suggests the developmental trajectory of CAD may show continuity in typical development (Fisch 2005;Wing & Gould 1979). Our results however confirm the existence of behavioural differences between CAD and with typical development.…”

Section:  Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Children with autism encounter an unfamiliar pet

Grandgeorge

Deleau

Lemonnier³

et al. 2012

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Autistic disorders are characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication, strong aversion or non-response to social stimuli. However, these children are often reported to develop strong bonds with companion animals. We hypothesized that children with autism (CAD) would present different behavioural profiles when encountering an unfamiliar animal in a Strange Animal Situation close-to-life test. Twenty seven CAD were compared to 59 children with typical development (CTD). Our results. revealed similarities in the behaviour of both groups of children as well as patterns specific to the CAD (e.g. attracted by humans). Different profiles emerged depending on everyday living conditions. This study constitutes, to our knowledge, the first clear description of how children with autism react when encountering an unfamiliar animal and one of the first direct comparisons between CAD and CTD using a naturalistic but standardized setting.

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Section:  Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Children with autism encounter an unfamiliar pet

Grandgeorge

Deleau

Lemonnier³

et al. 2012

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“…This is one of the main goals of Crawley's research team which is in the process of designing a set of tasks with face validity for the defining features of autism: deficits in appropriate reciprocal social interactions, deficits in social communication, and high levels of ritualistic repetitive behaviors (Crawley 2004). As underlined by Fisch (2005), some studies using factor or cluster analyses suggest also that three dimensions (cognitive abilities, social function and restrictive interest or activities) are necessary in the assessment and conceptualization of autism (Dihoff et al 1993;Szatmari et al 2002).…”

Section: Similarity Of Observable Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Animal models based on diagnostic categories might be problematic considering that definitions of diagnostic categories of mental disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia, evolve over time due to conceptual shifts and technological progress. In addition, diagnostic categories used to establish benchmark criteria may have limited utility or insufficient empirical support (Fisch 2005). The problems created by benchmark criteria could be avoided by adopting a multidimensional approach (Robins and Helzer 1986).…”

Section: Similarity Of Observable Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Models Relevant to Schizophrenia and Autism: Validity and Limitations

et al. 2006

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Development of animal models is a crucial issue in biological psychiatry. Animal models provide the opportunity to decipher the relationships between the nervous system and behavior and they are an obligatory step for drug tests. Mouse models or rat models to a lesser extent could help to test for the implication of a gene using gene targeting or transfecting technologies. One of the main problem for the development of animal models is to define a marker of the psychiatric disorder. Several markers have been suggested for schizophrenia and autism, but for the moment no markers or etiopathogenic mechanisms have been identified for these disorders. We examined here animal models related to schizophrenia and autism and discussed their validity and limitations after first defining these two disorders and considering their similarities and differences. Animal models reviewed in this article test mainly behavioral dimensions or biological mechanisms related to autistic disorder or schizophrenia rather than providing specific categorical models of autism or schizophrenia. Furthermore, most of these studies focus on a behavioral dimension associated with an underlying biological mechanism, which does not correspond to the complexity of mental disorders. It could be useful to develop animal models relevant to schizophrenia or autism to test a behavioral profile associated with a biological profile. A multi-trait approach seems necessary to better understand multidimensional disorders such as schizophrenia and autism and their biological and clinical heterogeneity. Finally, animal models can help us to clarify complex mechanisms and to study relationships between biological and behavioral variables and their interactions with environmental factors. The main interest of animal models is to generate new pertinent hypotheses relevant to humans opening the path to innovative research.

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“…Subsequent studies of singleton and multiplex families [Spiker et al, 1994], and twin studies, revealed higher than expected concordance rates in families, and high concordance rates for autism among MZ twins [Ritvo et al, 1985a; Steffenburg et al, 1989; Bailey et al, 1995; Greenberg et al, 2001; Ronald et al, 2006], but not among dizygotic (DZ) twins [Bailey et al, 1995]. This commentary will expand my first piece on the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) [Fisch, 2005] and will review the recent literature on linkage and attempts at gene identification in autism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%