Parents of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as Co-therapists: The Therapists’ View

Studies on the evaluation by therapists of parental behavior towards their children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder(ASD)and towards the therapists of their children are scarce.They are necessary,however,for enabling parents to become co-therapists.The present study’s purpose was the evaluation by therapists of the behavior of parents towards their children,of their relationship to therapists,and therapy outcome.The sample consisted of 178 parents of 89 children(72 boys)with ASD,who underwent intensive early intervention at a day centre for developmental disabilities.The professional team completed a questionnaire,separately for the mother and father,evaluating the parental attitude towards their children and towards the therapists.The behavior of parents was less satisfactory than expected.The fathers had difficulties in understanding their child’s problems,and had unrealistic expectations;mothers’behavior towards their children and therapists was better than the fathers’.Mothers had difficulty mostly in the management of the child’s behavior,and did not do well with feeding.It might be difficult for every parent to become co-therapist.Understanding the child’s difficulties by the mother,adequate handling of feeding and homework,were statistically significant in the good outcome of therapy.

Sex-biased single-cell genetic landscape in mice with autism spectrum disorder

Autistic spectrum disorder(ASD)is a male-biased,heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 1%e2%of the population.Prenatal exposure to valproic acid(VPA)is a recognized risk factor for ASD,but the cellular and molecular basis of VPA-induced ASD at the single-cell resolution is unclear.Here,we aim to compare the cellular and molecular differences in the hippocampus between male and female prenatal mice with ASD at the single-cell transcriptomic level.The transcriptomes of more than 45,000 cells are assigned to 12 major cell types,including neurons,glial cells,vascular cells,and immune cells.Cell type-specific genes with altered expression after prenatal VPA exposure are analyzed,and the largest number of differentially expressed genes(DEGs)are found in neurons,choroid plexus epithelial cells,and microglia.In microglia,several pathways related to inflammation are found in both males and females,including the tumor necrosis factor(TNF),nuclear factor kappa B(NF-kB),toll-like receptor(TLR),and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathways,which are important for the induction of autistic-like behavior.Additionally,we note that several X-linked genes,including Bex1,Bex3,and Gria3,were among the male-specific DEGs of neurons.This pioneering study describes the landscape of the transcriptome in the hippocampus of autistic mice.The elucidation of sexual differences could provide innovative strategies for the prevention and treatment of ASD.