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This study follows McLay et al., "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders," (2020) to investigate whether the function-based behavioral sleep interventions received by 41 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produced collateral improvements in ASD severity, internalizing and externalizing symptoms and parent relationship quality, ratings of depression, anxiety and stress, and personal sleep quality. Concomitant with reduced sleep problem severity, improvements were found in children's internalizing and externalizing behavior and ASD symptom severity. Small improvements were also found in maternal sleep quality and parental stress. There was little change in parental relationship quality post-treatment, possibly reflecting high baseline scores. Overall, collateral benefits were generally small but positive, consistent with the limited extant research, and underscore the importance of investigating collateral effects across a range of variables. [For McLay et al.'s article, "Function-Based Behavioral Interventions for Sleep Problems in Children and Adolescents with Autism: Summary of 41 Clinical Cases," see EJ1284101.]

Objective: Previous evidence has established that micronutrient capsules can improve emotion regulation in children. This three-phased randomized open-label waitlist-controlled study investigated the safety of a micronutrient powder absorbed by the oral mucosa and its effects on emotion dysregulation in 5-to-10-year-old children. The primary outcome measures were the Revised Clinician-rated Temper and Irritability Scale (CL-ARI) and the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I). Method: Forty-eight children with moderate-to-severe symptoms of irritability were randomized to an initial treatment group (ITG) or waitlist control group (IWLG) (four-week delayed start), followed by the two groups alternating between taking the micronutrients for four weeks or having a four-week break. For the last three months of the trial, both groups took the micronutrients continuously. Results: Overall adherence rates were high (93%). At the end of RCT phase, there were large group differences (CL-ARI; d = 1.25, p <.001), and 67% in the ITG and 8% in the IWLG were 'much' or 'very much' improved (CGI-I). Further, the ITG displayed a clinically meaningful reduction in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Impulsivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms as measured with the Child Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Questionnaire 26 (SNAP-IV) compared to IWLG. The treatment effect regressed when participants stopped taking the micronutrients and was reinstated when participants were taking the micronutrients. The observed benefits were maintained over a sustained time period. The IWLG reported significantly more headaches (p =.040) and sweating (p =.037) at the end of RCT. By the end of the study, seven participants (14.5%) dropped out non-differentially by group (p =.22). Conclusion: The findings showed that micronutrients absorbed by the oral mucosa are a safe intervention that can effectively improve emotion dysregulation in children. Future double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to support these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder are prevalent and persistent but also treatable. Little is known about how and why parents of such children seek help for sleep disturbance. Via an online survey (n = 244 respondents), we gathered information about parents' attributions about children's sleep problems and beliefs about causes and on sources of information about, and their decisions regarding, help-seeking. Eighty-two percent of parents reported seeking some kind of help for their child's sleep disturbance, and the average parent had tried six different treatment strategies, most commonly medical. Alignment of parents' treatment choices with empirical evidence about treatment efficacy was poor, but belief in effectiveness was closely related to frequency of use of a treatment. In a Principal Components Analysis, parental attributions loaded on two factors: one which suggests the sleep problems are viewed as intrinsic to autism and stable (factor one) and the other as located within the child, stable, and treatment resistant (factor two). These findings have important implications for parental education and clinical practice in the treatment of sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Surf therapy programs have been successfully utilised with vulnerable populations worldwide. This study is the first to examine the effects of a surf therapy program on the psychosocial functioning of young men at high risk of adverse life outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand. A single-group pre-test post-test research design, with repeated measures and replication was used. The Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report's Reliable Change Index and clinical cut-off scores were employed to assess outcomes pertaining to each individual. Effect size measures were used to estimate an overall treatment effect. Modified Brinley plots revealed that 25 out of 27 participants demonstrated reliable improvement in psychosocial functioning, 20 of whom also demonstrated clinically significant improvement. The effect size measures also confirmed a large overall treatment effect. Findings suggest that the Tai Wātea surf therapy program may be a highly effective intervention for reaching, retaining and improving the psychosocial functioning of high-risk young men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic developmental disability that presents with high rates of co-occurring sleep difficulties. Most existing research has focused on the pathophysiology of sleep problems in people with AS, and suggests that sleep problems are the result of genetic and neurobiological factors. However, little is known about the role of the social environment and learning in sleep problems in children with AS. This descriptive study used survey data from 139 parents of children with AS to investigate: 1) the type, topography and severity of children's sleep problems; 2) the collateral child, parent and family impacts of the sleep problems; 3) treatment selection practices and the perceived effectiveness of these treatments; and 4) sources of support and treatment advice received. Parents reported that the majority of children experienced sleep problems, resulting in numerous deleterious effects on child and family functioning. They also reported high levels of concern about these sleep problems, but low levels of perceived support. Study findings highlight the need to establish a disability-specific profile of the type and impact of sleep problems experienced by children with AS, and have further implications for the delivery of clinical services and support provided to parents of children with AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown micronutrient capsules can reduce stress in clinical and nonclinical recipients. However, as individuals can struggle with taking capsules, the objective of this double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of treating stress and well-being using an alternative delivery methodology: a powder that is absorbed via the oral mucosa. Seventy-two mild–severely stressed students, assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21), were randomized to placebo or micronutrients and took one powder pouch per day for 4 weeks. Seven (10%) dropped out with no group differences. Symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, irritability, anger, sleep, diet, and side effects were measured with online questionnaires every 2 weeks. There were no group differences on the primary outcome measures of stress (DASS-21; d = 0.15, p = .525) and self-reported improvement (Modified Clinical Global Impressions–Improvement scale), with 17.1% of the micronutrient and 16.2% of the placebo group identifying themselves as “much” to “very much” improved. However, the micronutrient group experienced statistically significantly greater reduction in irritability (d = 0.54, p = .024) and anger (d = 0.62, p = .011) relative to placebo, measured with the Affective Reactivity Scale and the Abbreviated Profile of Mood States, respectively. No group differences were found on remaining measures, with both groups showing significant improvements. There were significantly more headaches and drowsiness reported in the micronutrient group. Belief in treatment assignment was significantly correlated to self-reported improvement (r = −0.247, p = .049). To conclude, the micronutrients were no better than placebo in reducing stress; nonetheless, the significant benefit on irritability requires further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the high-probability request sequence (high-p) procedure, a requester presents a rapid sequence of requests a child is known to be likely to comply with, followed by a request to perform a response for which there is a low probability of compliance (low-p request). To extend previous research from institutional and research settings to home settings, parents of three developmentally-delayed children who were noncompliant were taught to use the high-p procedure at home using a manual, supplemented by only brief therapist instruction. In addition they were taught to use a fading procedure to enhance the maintenance of any gains in compliance. The manual-based, high-p procedure, implemented in a multiple-baseline across behaviors replicated across children design, increased compliance with at least one targeted low-p response in all children, and two thirds of the targeted responses maintained gains in compliance at follow-up, after fading of the high-p procedure.