Article archive / February 1, 2016
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 10.
Johnny L. Matson, Editor Springer, 2016 Autism and Child Psychopathology Series Series Editor: Johnny L. Matson
In the second text, Comorbid Conditions Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Matson brings together experts to present the intersection between Autism Spectrum Disorders and the numerous conditions that can contribute to the complexity of the clinical picture for these youngsters. The authors note that problems occur in conjunction with Autism serve to obscure and complicate diagnosis. The danger is that clinicians can miss appropriate treatments and engage in inappropriate ones, Matson explains.
Contributors include Paige Cervantes and Jina Jang from Louisiana State University.
In Part I and introductory chapters, authors point out that it is important for clinicians to understand the scope and range of comorbidity in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), because of co-occurring disorders exacerbate symptoms of ASD.
Sleep problems co-occur at 66 percent, epilepsy at 7 to 30 percent, gastro intestinal problems range from 9 to 84 percent, the authors point out. ADD/ADHD occurs at rates of 30 to 80 percent, anxiety disorders from 25 to 50 percent, and depression from 1 to 52 percent, note the authors.
The field is experiencing rapid and continual changes due to the dramatic increase in the prevalence of autism over the last years, write the authors. The changes include major advances in diagnostic concepts and classification, fueled by new findings but also because of the “marked heterogeneity in clinical presentation of autism.”
These changes are seen in the severity, type, and number of “core impairments” and also co-occurring conditions.
Part II is “Assessment,” covers “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Psychological,” and “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Medical.”
Authors cover disruptive behavior disorders, which include ADHD, conduct disorders, anxiety disorders which then include reviews for social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and review depression, tic disorders, psychosis, eating and sleep problems, learning disabilities and dysgraphia.
In the chapter on medical conditions, Cervantes and Jang note that appropriate assessment is imperative for these issues, but also often challenging. They cover the available approaches to gastrointestinal issues, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability.
A final chapter in this section provides, “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Motor Movement and Activity.”
Part III of the text is “Psychological Disorders.” Seven comprehensive chapters lay out for the reader the fundamental issues in the current scientific questions for “Challenging Behaviors,” “Psychopathology,” and “Feeding Disorders.”
In “Challenging Behaviors,” the authors review problems with aggression, self-injurious behavior, stereotypy and elopement. The authors explain risk factors and when these behaviors are likely to emerge, and review assessment procedures and behavioral interventions.
Psychopathology topics include sections on anxiety disorders and mood disorders. The text also includes a chapter on Feeding Disorders where authors explain the complex skill development involved in feeding. Disorders of avoidance/restrictive food intake, pica, rumination, food refusual, feeding skills problems, and obesity are covered.
Also included are “Sleep Disorders,” “Epilepsy,” and “Gastrointestinal Disorders.”
Authors review the normal sleep patterns and development and the multiple and overlapping factors affecting sleep and interventions.
Authors look at the occurrence of epilepsy and epileptiform abnormalities co-occurring with autism, reviewing the current research and treatment information.
In Gastrointestinal Disorders, the authors note that this is a relatively new area of study and write that the GI symptoms are seen as being part of ASD, instead of being recognized as a separate comorbid condition.
They site prevalence of 9 percent to 91 percent and variability in frequency, duration, severity and type of problem, all contributing to a confused picture. The authors review 2013 and 2014 studies, the Mouse Model Studies by Hsiao, which implicate the immune system and microbiota. Authors also reviewed Campbell’s 2009 work on genetic and environmental risk factors, and the role of microbiota in social behavior.
The section concludes with “Intellectual Disability.”
A final chapter in Part IV, “Motor Movement and Activity,” and describes “Developmental Coordination Disorder.”
Dr. Johnny Matson was recently named a member of the research team supported by the Organization of Autism Research, who will study predictors of adult outcomes of those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The team will study “Comorbidities in ASD: Developmental Trajectories and Predictors of Adult Outcomes.”
In 2014, Dr. Matson was named as one of the “Most Influential Scientific Minds of Our Time.” The honor comes from Thomson Reuters, who use their Web of Science platform, a search and discovery environment for the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, along with InCites, a web-based scientific evaluation and benchmarking platform, to identify the most highly cited researchers in the world. Thomson Reuters is a multinational corporation serving clients in the scientific information industry.
Matson falls into the group of researchers who published the greatest number of highly cited papers in one of the major fields of scientific endeavor, during the years from 2002 to 2012.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.