• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.43-52
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• 2021

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of 63 patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who received Korean medicine treatment. Methods This study identified and retrospectively reviewed the first visit records and clinical characteristics of all of the patients who visited the Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital and Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital at Gangdong in South Korea with ASD as their chief complaints. The herbal medicines that were prescribed according to the patient's symptoms were analyzed by separating them into categories. Results The data of 83 children with ASD were collected. Among them, the primary medical record charts of 63 patients were reviewed. Additional analysis was performed for 56 patients who were treated with herbal medicine. Through a retrospective chart review, the patients' clinical characteristics and the tendency of the prescribed herbal medicine was identified. Conclusions This study was conducted to provide preliminary data that proposes Korean medicine as a new alternative medical treatment. Our study is meaningful as it used the demographic and clinical records of 63 patients with ASD in Korea who visited an Korean medicine hospital in the last 11 years to identify tendencies and analyzed the prescriptions of two or more Korean medicine pediatricians.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.122-138
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of this study is to widely utilize the clinical practice guideline for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by investigating parents who have children with ASD about their perception in ASD and their thoughts on Korean medicine treatment to treat ASD. Methods We conducted a survey on 'perception of ASD' and 'perception and preference of Korean medicine treatment for ASD' on the parents of 22 children with ASD (age 4-6) who visited department of pediatrics of Korean medicine at Kyunghee University Korean medicine hospital at Gangdong and Kyunghee University Korean medicine hospital. Results Of the parents, 20 (90.91%) said their children had no experience with Korean medicine treatment. Among them, 11 (35.48%) chose 'I didn't know that Korean medicine treats ASD' for the reason (multiple choice). When questioned what the worries are for Korean medicine treatment, 13 (30.95%) chose 'worries about probability of side effects of herbal medicine' as the most worrisome reason (multiple choice). On the question about the necessity of Korean medicine for the treatment of ASD, most chose 'Korean medicine treatments are necessary for children with ASD' (9, 40.91%). Conclusions It is necessary to develop a clinical practice guideline that reflects comprehensive evidence for side effects as well as the effectiveness of Korean medicine for ASD, and is necessary to promote the effectiveness and evidence-based Korean medicine treatment to patients and their caregivers through various distribution tools.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.455-462
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• 2023

During pregnancy, maternal immune activation (MIA) from infection increases the risk of neurodevelopmental diseases, including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. MIA induced by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in animal experiments has led to offspring with abnormal behaviors and brain development. In addition, it has recently been reported that microglia, which reside in the brain and function as immune cells, play an important role in behavioral abnormalities and brain development in MIA-induced offspring. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether microglia-specific inhibition of GPR56, a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, causes behavioral abnormalities in brain development. First, MIA induction did not affect the microglia population, but when examining the expression of microglial GRP56 in MIA-induced fetuses, GPR56 expression was inhibited between embryonic days 14.5 (E14.5) and E18.5 regardless of sex. Furthermore, microglial GPR56-suppressed mice showed abnormal behaviors in the MIA-induced offspring, including sociability deficits, repetitive behavioral patterns, and increased anxiety levels. Although abnormal cortical development such as that in the MIA-induced offspring were not observed in the microglial GPR56-suppressed mice, their brain activity was observed through c-fos staining. These results suggest that microglia-specific GPR56 deficiency may cause abnormal behaviors and could be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis and/or as a therapeutic target of behavioral deficits in MIA offspring.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.27-38
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• 2023

Objective : This study aims to verify the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation Checklist (SPSRC) for children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Methods : The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was calculated using Short Sensory Profile (SSP) to verify concurrent validity. Construct validity was verified by comparing the sensory processing ability and self-regulation ability of the two groups. Cronbach's α was calculated in the case of internal consistency for reliability verification, and the test-retest reliability was verified through the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results : Based on the verification of the concurrent validity, the Korean version of SPSRC and SSP showed a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.01). The construct validity was found to have a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the area and sub-items of the Korean version of SPSRC (p < 0.001). For the internal consistency, Cronbach's α ranged from 0.700 to 0.975. The test-retest reliability showed that the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.937 to 0.997. Conclusion : The Korean version of SPSRC was confirmed to be an evaluation tool with high validity and reliability. It is expected to be used as an evaluation tool for planning treatment goals in clinical trials and as a meaningful basis for future research.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.197-208
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• 2015

Objectives : The purposes of this study were to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) and to determine cut-off scores for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods : A total of 166 subjects with ASD and their 186 unaffected siblings were recruited through child psychiatry clinics of university hospitals. Board certified child psychiatrists screened all probands suspected to have ASD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. To confirm the diagnoses, the Korean versions of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) were administered to all the subjects. All parents completed the K-SCQ and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The non-ASD siblings were evaluated with the same instruments as the probands with ASD. We performed a factor analysis to examine the structure of K-SCQ. For testing the validity of K-SCQ, we compared the difference in Lifetime and Current scores of probands with ASD and their non-ASD siblings using t-test and analysis of covariance. Correlations between the K-SCQ and other measurements of ASD symptomatology, including K-ADI-R totals and domain scores and SRS, were examined. Receiver operation characteristic curve analysis was performed to extract cutoff scores discriminating affection status. Results : Four factors were extracted through factor analysis of K-SCQ ; 1) social relation and play, 2) stereotyped behavior, 3) social behavior, and 4) abnormal language. Cronbach's internal consistency was .95 in K-SCQ Lifetime, and .93 in K-SCQ Current. There were significant differences in total score of K-SCQ, both in Lifetime and Current between the ASD group and non-ASD siblings group (p<.05). K-SCQ scores were significantly correlated with K-ADI-R subdomain scores and SRS total scores (p<.05). The best-estimate cut-off scores of K-SCQ for diagnosis of ASD were 12 for 48 months and over, and 10 for below 47 months. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that the K-SCQ is a reliable and valid instrument for screening autistic symptoms in the Korean population. Lower cut-off scores than the original English version might be considered when using it as a screening instrument of ASD.