Search

This is a project on investigating the second hits hypothesis in the framework of maternal infection during pregnancy and long-term child behaviour effects. We are looking into the effects of multiple prenatal and childhood environmental determinants from a large population-based cohort.

Altered trajectories of brain growth are often reported in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly during the first year of life. However, less is known about prenatal head growth trajectories, and no study has examined the relation with postnatal autistic symptom severity. The current study prospectively examined the association between fetal head growth and the spectrum of autistic symptom severity in two large population-based cohorts, including a sample of individuals with clinically diagnosed ASD. This study included 3,820 children from two longitudinal prenatal cohorts in The Netherlands and Australia, comprising 60 individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD. Latent growth curve models were used to examine the relationship between fetal head circumference measured at three different time points and autistic traits measured in postnatal life using either the Social Responsiveness Scale or the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. While lower initial prenatal HC was weakly associated with increasing autistic traits in the Dutch cohort, this relationship was not observed in the Australian cohort, nor when the two cohorts were analysed together. No differences in prenatal head growth were found between individuals with ASD and controls. This large population-based study identified no consistent association across two cohorts between prenatal head growth and postnatal autistic traits. Our mixed findings suggest that further research in this area is needed. Autism Res 2018, 11: 602–612. © 2018 The Authors Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary: It is not known whether different patterns of postnatal brain growth in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also occurs prenatally. We examined fetal head growth and autistic symptoms in two large groups from The Netherlands and Australia. Lower initial prenatal head circumference was associated with autistic traits in the Dutch, but not the Australian, group. No differences in head growth were found in individuals with ASD and controls when the data was combined. Our mixed findings suggest that more research in this area is needed.

Additional file 3. Results Linear Mixed Model analyses; main effects of time and condition (N = 106).

Additional file 1. Overview of RCTs examining the effectiveness of PEERS® on adolescent behavioral outcomes.

Additional file 2. Attrition analyses outcomes.

The aim of this study was to examine developmental links between disobedience and teacher-child closeness in a sample of boys with psychiatric disorders (i.e., emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)) and special educational needs who are placed in special education. More specifically, this study examined whether developmental links were different between boys with EBD (n = 150) versus boys with ASD (n = 122). Developmental links between disobedience and teacher-child closeness were investigated by incorporating a multi-informant perspective using teacher, child, and peer ratings and analyzed using autoregressive cross-lagged models across three waves within one school year. Results showed that in general, developmental links between teacher-child closeness and disobedience were stronger for boys with EBD than for boys with ASD. Specifically, boys with EBD experiencing less teacher-child closeness showed more disobedience, which in turn negatively affected their relationship development according to teacher ratings. Surprisingly, for boys with ASD, higher levels of disobedience predicted higher levels of teacher-rated teacher-child closeness during the school year. Our results offer more insight into the differential impact of teacher-child closeness on the behavioral problems for children with EBD and ASD.

This study tested effects of a program that offers teachers universal classroom management strategies, on teachers’ burnout symptoms and self-efficacy, and their teaching behaviors. Data were collected from 147 teachers (mean age = 38.4 years, SD = 10.8) in 15 special secondary education schools for students with emotional and behavioral problems, at the start and end of the school year. Schools were randomly assigned to the experimental condition or a care-as-usual condition. Results show that the program impacted beneficially on self-reported levels of emotional exhaustion, and self-efficacy in engaging students and in classroom management, but not on teaching behaviors. Implications of this study for the professional development of teachers in special education and research are discussed.

Teaching children with psychiatric disorders can be a challenging task. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) in children with psychiatric disorders, and their teachers, in special education. Teachers were trained by licensed school consultants to implement positive behavior support strategies to elicit desired behavior in students. A total of 389 children and their 58 teachers at 11 schools for special primary education were included in the study. Using a cluster randomized controlled design, special education schools were assigned to an intervention condition or an education as usual condition. An increase in emotional and behavioral problems was found in the control group, whereas no change was seen in the intervention group, indicating a modest intervention effect. No effects were found on children’s relationships with teachers or peers. The GBG affected teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in engaging students in schoolwork, but no effects were found on teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management or on teachers’ burnout symptoms. Thus, although children with psychiatric disorders and their teachers in special education can benefit from the GBG, given the partial effects and modest effect sizes, a longer duration program complemented with additional elements is recommended.

In mainstream education, positive relationships with teachers and peers have been found to positively influence children’s behavioral development. However, high levels of classroom behavior problems may hinder the formation of such positive relationships. Therefore, findings from mainstream education cannot be generalized to special education. The present study investigated the developmental links between disobedience and positive as well as negative relationships with teachers and peers among boys in restrictive special educational settings. At three assessment waves across one school year, teacher-reports of teacher-child closeness and conflict, and peer-reports of peer acceptance, rejection and disobedience were collected among 340 boys (mean age = 10.1 years, SD = 1.58, range = 5–13) with psychiatric disorders receiving special education. Autoregressive cross-lagged models were fitted to explore the nature of these developmental links. The impact of boys’ age was examined using multiple group analyses. Findings supported the importance of teacher-child conflict, but not closeness, and positive and negative peer relationships for the development of boys’ disobedience, with a stronger effect of negative than positive relationships. However, teacher-child and peer relationships were not longitudinally related and the effect of boys’ age was minimal. This study extends prior research by suggesting that, despite differences in educational setting and severity of behavior problems between children in mainstream and special education, reducing negative classroom interactional patterns is most important in preventing the development of problematic classroom behavior in boys with severe social-emotional and behavioral difficulties.

It remains unclear why individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to respond in an atypical manner in social situations. Investigating autonomic and subjective responses to social vs. nonsocial stimuli may help to reveal underlying mechanisms of these atypical responses. This study examined autonomic responses (skin conductance level and heart rate) and subjective responses to social vs. nonsocial pictures in 37 adolescents with an ASD and 36 typically developing (TD) adolescents. Thirty-six pictures from the International Affective Picture System were presented, divided into six categories based on social content (social vs. nonsocial) and pleasantness (pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant). Both in adolescents with ASD as well as TD adolescents, pictures with a social content resulted in higher skin conductance responses (SCRs) for pleasant and unpleasant pictures than for neutral pictures. No differences in SCRs were found for the three nonsocial picture categories. Unpleasant pictures, both with and without a social content, showed more heart rate deceleration than neutral pictures. Self-reported arousal ratings were influenced by the social and affective content of a picture. No differences were found between individuals with ASD and TD individuals in their autonomic and subjective responses to the picture categories. These results suggest that adolescents with ASD do not show atypical autonomic or subjective responses to pictures with and without a social content. These findings make it less likely that impairments in social information processing in individuals with ASD can be explained by atypical autonomic responses to social stimuli. Autism Res 2014, 7: 17-27. (c) 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

It is unclear if functional-somatic symptoms in adolescents increase the risk for future psychiatric disorders. Therefore, the outcome and continuity of adolescent self-reported functional-somatic symptoms in young adulthood were assessed. Self-reported data on functional-somatic symptoms from an ongoing epidemiological study in children started in 1983 were analyzed. Participants were adolescents aged 11-18 who filled out standardized questionnaires in 1989 and 1991 and who were reassessed in 1997 when they were young adults between ages 19 and 26. Outcome measures were research psychiatric diagnoses and self-reported functional-somatic symptoms in 1997. Functional-somatic symptoms were associated with other measures of psychopathology in adolescents. Adolescents with specific functional-somatic symptoms tended to report the same symptom along with other symptoms at follow-up. Adolescent self-reported functional-somatic symptoms did not increase the risk for future psychiatric disorders. Young adults with functional-somatic complaints were diagnosed more often than controls with depressive disorders and anxiety disorders, but not with antisocial personality disorders and substance use disorders. Adolescent self-reported functional-somatic symptoms were common and enduring but were not predictive for psychiatric disorders in young adulthood. Adolescents and young adults who complain of multiple functional-somatic complaints should be assessed for the presence of a psychiatric disorder particularly depression or anxiety.

The present paper reports on the development and the psychometric properties of a brief observational assessment of home environments for use in large-scale investigations with young infants. We generated observational items conceptually relevant for child development by two methods. First, we adapted the Infant Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (IT-HOME) inventory for use in an exclusively observational context. Second, we added new observational items following a review of relevant literature and consulting professionals. The quality of the instrument was first evaluated in a pilot study (n = 926). In our study sample of 3406 families and their children (median age = 3.1 months, range = 1.66.0), exploratory factor analysis was used to identify latent constructs, Cronbach's alpha was used as a measure of internal consistency, and convergent validity was evaluated against family socio-demographic characteristics. Inter-observer agreement was investigated in a sub-sample of the respondents (n = 124). The results supported good psychometric properties of the instrument based on: (a) exploratory factor analysis yielding three meaningful latent constructs, (b) Cronbach's alphas ranging from a = 0.66 to a = 0.90, (c) inter-observer agreement ranging from r = 0.75 to r = 0.91, and (d) associations between the instrument and socio-demographic characteristics in the expected direction [e.g. Odds Ratio for low income = 15.24, 95% confidence interval (11.60, 20.01)]. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neglect and abuse early in life have been associated with increased and decreased cortisol levels, and also with an altered diurnal cortisol slope. In the present study, we investigated the long-term relationship between early maltreatment - at different levels of severity - and basal cortisol secretion in adults adopted as children. A sample of international adoptees was followed from childhood to adulthood. In childhood, adoptive parents had provided information about neglect and abuse prior to adoption. As adults, adoptees collected saliva samples four times a day. The relationship between early maltreatment and cortisol secretion was examined, primarily with multilevel analyses in 623 adoptees. Morning cortisol levels were lower in adoptees whose adoptive parents had reported severe neglect or abuse than in non-neglected or non-abused participants (respective estimates (standard errors (SEs)) and p-values: -0.33 (0.090), p = 0.0002 and -0.63 (0.20), p = 0.002). Relative to non-neglected adoptees, those who had allegedly experienced severe neglect also had a flatter diurnal slope (estimate (SE) and p-value: 0.028 (0.0088), p = 0.002). In contrast, relative to non-abused participants, adoptees whose reported abuse was moderately severe had high cortisol levels and a steeper cortisol diurnal slope (respective estimates (SEs) and p-values: 0.29 (0.13), p = 0.003 and -0.039 (0.012), p = 0.01). Thus, early neglect and abuse appear to have associations with cortisol levels and the diurnal slope, even when children are raised in another environment after their early maltreatment. Our study suggests that the severity of the early maltreatment may be related to the basal cortisol pattern. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study investigated international adoptees who were taken out of their problematic environments as a consequence of their adoption to determine the effects of early adversities on adult psychiatric disorders, and to study whether these effects emerged de novo after childhood. A total of 1,364 adoptees (63.5% of the baseline sample) were followed. Parents provided information about early adversities prior to adoption, and mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. In adulthood, adoptees completed a standardized interview, generating DSM-IV diagnoses. Children who experienced multiple adversities had an increased risk of having anxiety disorders (OR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.11-4.45), mood disorders (OR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.00-4.86) or substance abuse/dependence (OR = 3.81; 95% CI: 1.62-8.98) in adulthood. Several effects remained significant after correction for mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. Severe early adversities increase the risk of adult psychopathology, even when children are taken out of their problematic environments. Results suggest that psychiatric disorders may arise de novo after childhood due to early experiences.

Objective: This study examined levels of internalizing and externalizing problems over the full spectrum of alcohol consumption in young adults and identified whether social factors account for the associations of alcohol consumption with internalizing and externalizing problems. Method: This study was a cross-sectional random sample study among 2,258 young adult men and women from the general population of southwest Netherlands. Five groups were distinguished: (1) nondrinkers; (2) occasional drinkers (monthly or less); and regular drinkers (two or more times monthly) who were further classified into (3) low-level drinkers (one to two drinks per occasion), (4) higher-level drinkers (three to four drinks per occasion), or (5) excessive drinkers (five or more drinks per occasion). Internalizing problems and externalizing problems, social support, and negative social exchange were measured with standardized questionnaires. Results: U-shaped associations were found between alcohol consumption and various internalizing problems. Low social support accounted for higher rates of internalizing problems in nondrinkers and negative social exchange accounted for higher rates of internalizing problems in excessive drinkers. Also, excessive drinking was associated with various externalizing problems. A J-shaped association was found between alcohol consumption and aggressive behavior, with higher rates for occasional and excessive drinkers compared with low-level drinkers. Negative social exchange partly accounted for associations between alcohol consumption and externalizing problems. Conclusions: Nondrinkers and excessive drinkers differ from low-level drinkers in risk factors for poor mental health, and these factors may contribute to their elevated rates of mental health problems. Interventions that address the experience of negative social exchange may produce both mental health benefits and a reduction of excessive drinking.

A brief overview is given of results of: (a) factor analytic studies with Fear Survey Schedules of relevance to the cross-sample and cross-national constancy of phobic dimensions; (b) reliability analyses with these dimensions. Employing data of somewhat more than 3000 S s from 10 independent clinical and normal samples, a number of analyses with the FSS-III and the FQ showed the dimensions which have been found to underlie these measures ( Arrindell, 1980 ; Marks and Mathews, 1979 ) to be replicable in similar samples and invariant across distinct ones, and to be sufficiently reliable for purposes of research, in some instances even for applied problems. In addition, the FSS-III and FQ dimensions were shown to be invariant across sex. Of the main conclusions which were drawn three were particularly outstanding: (1) the Agoraphobic cluster of fear is not peculiar to samples comprising phobics in which agoraphobic fears occur full-blown in a significant number of S s. Such a factor can be interpreted in data of, for instance, (non)student normals as well provided that suitable techniques of multivariate analysis are employed, thus refuting the claim (cf. Hallam, 1978 ; Hallam and Hafner, 1978 ) that agoraphobia is a phenomenon that has “all or none” characteristics; (2) the use of total fear scores would appear to lead to invalid results; therefore, this general practice should be discarded; (3) small-to moderate-size decreases are likely to occur on phobic measures during relatively short and long non-treatment periods; such changes should be taken into consideration when drawing conclusions from results obtained in studies on pre- and post-therapy measurement. A differential use of the FSS-III and the FQ is stressed.