• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.73-81
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of various treatment modalities including pharmacotherapy, educational-behavioral therapy, and complementary alternative treatment for children with mental retardation (MR) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Korea. Methods : The sample consisted of 50 parents who have children with MR (N=28) or ASD (N=22) : 38 boys, 12 girls ; mean age 14.06 (4.14) years old. A questionnaire was composed of the experienced modality, duration, cost, satisfaction, etc. Results : According to the results, 56.0%, 100.0%, and 36.0% of children with MR or ASD have experienced pharmacological treatment, educational-behavioral therapy and complementary alternative medicine (CAM), respectively. Children who experienced educational-behavioral therapy and CAM experienced 3.52 kinds of education-behavioral therapy and 2.78 kinds of CAM, respectively. Monthly cost of pharmacological treatment was lowest among three modality categories. Regarding treatment satisfaction by parental report, the lowest score was recorded for CAM. Conclusion : Parents who have a child with MR or ASD are trying many treatment modalities and feeling the burden of their treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalences of electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities and epilepsy in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, we intended to identify demographic and clinical correlates of epilepsy in ASD. Methods : A total of 140 children and adolescents (age $7.3{\pm}4.8yrs$, 106 boys) with ASD underwent EEG from January 2010 to December 2013 at Asan Medical Center. Medical records were reviewed for demographic information, clinical characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses and comorbidities, EEG findings and neurological diagnoses. Results : The prevalences of EEG abnormalities and epilepsy in children and adolescents with ASD was 62.1% and 38.6%, respectively. In subjects with seizure-like movements, EEG abnormalities and epilepsy were more frequent than those without seizure-like movements (EEG abnormalities : 92.5% vs. 43.7%, p<.001 ; epilepsy : 90.6% vs. 5.7%, p<.001). ASD subjects who had epilepsy were older (p=.001), had lower full scale intelligence quotient (p<.001) and took more antipsychotics (p=.006) than those who did not. Conclusion : The prevalences of EEG abnormalities and epilepsy in our sample were similar to those from Western countries. Our results suggested a possible association of older age, lower intelligence quotient, and antipsychotics use with epilepsy in ASD. Conduct of further prospective study in a larger sample is needed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2012

Objectives : Urocanase domain containing 1 (UROC1) has never been studied in prior studies on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). UROC1 causes urocanic aciduria, one of the symptoms of which is mental retardation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the UROC1 gene and ASDs in a Korean population. Methods : A total of 258 control and 214 patients with ASD were used as subjects of this study. SNPs selected from UROC1 were genotyped using Illumina Golden-Gate Genotyping assay with VeraCode$^{(R)}$ technology. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS and Plink software. Results : We found no association of the 12 SNPs in the UROC1 gene with ASDs in a Korean population. Conclusion : Our study suggests that the 12 SNPs (11 SNPs and 1 SNP in the intron and 3'UTR region, respectively) in the UROC1 were not associated with ASDs in a Korean population. Further study on the exon region of UROC1 is needed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.187-195
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• 2014

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBI) and autistic symptoms in Korean high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children and to examine the structure of RRBI. Methods : Participants included 147 high functioning ASD subjects and 181 unaffected siblings. ASD subjects were divided into two groups based on the presence of RRBI. The domain scores of the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R), Korean version of Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale and total scores of Korean translated version of Social Responsiveness Scale, Korean version of Social Communication Scale were used for comparison of ASD symptoms between the groups. Eleven items from the RRBI domain of the K-ADI-R were used in principal axis factor analysis (PAF). Results : A statistically lower nonverbal IQ score was observed for ASD with RRBI than for ASD without RRBIs, and more social deficit, communication deficit, and behavioral and emotional problems were observed for ASD with RRBI compared to ASD without RRBI. Using PAF, two distinct factors were identified. 'Resistance to trivial changes in environment', 'Difficulty with minor changes in personal routine & environment', and 'Compulsion/ritual' were included as one factor. Conclusion : Analysis of the data suggests that the presence of RRBI in high functioning ASD is associated with a more severe presentation of autistic disorder. In addition, there appears to be heterogeneity within RRBI in autism except insistence on sameness.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.228-234
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of aggressive behavior problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Children and adolescents with ASD, aged 6-18 years, were included in this study. We divided them into two groups according to the presence or absence of aggressive behavior. They were assessed using three scales, the Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Behavior Problem Inventory, and Social Communication Questionnaire, which were completed by their parents, who conducted a continuous performance test to evaluate their attention function. The statistical analysis was done using the Mann-Whitney U-test between the two groups at a p-value of 0.05. Results: A total of 17 children participated in this study. Ten children (7 boys, $12.4{\pm}4.27years$) were included in the group with aggressive behavior problems and 7 children (6 boys, $13.8{\pm}3.53years$) in the group without aggressive behavior problems. There were no significant differences in the age, gender or intelligence quotient of the two groups. The children with aggressive behavior problems showed a trend of higher T-scores in the attention problems and anxiety/depressed subscale of the CBLC (p<0.1). Conclusion: The results suggest that aggressive behavior problems in children with ASD may be related to their attention problems, anxiety and depression.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to verify the validity and clinical cutoff score of the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5) for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: 44 ASD infants and 100 normal infants participated. T-test, discriminant analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and odds ratio analysis were performed on the data. Results: Discriminant validity was confirmed by mean differences and discriminant analysis on the subscales of Withdrawn, Attention problems, Internalizing problems, Externalizing problems, Total problems, and all Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-oriented scales between the two groups. ROC curve analysis showed that Withdrawn, Attention problems, Internalizing problems, Externalizing problems, Total problems, DSM pervasive developmental problems, DSM attention deficit/hyperactivity problems, and DSM oppositional defiant problems significantly predicted ASD infants compared to normal infants. In addition, the clinical cutoff score criteria adopted in the Korean CBCL 1.5-5 for subscales of Withdrawn, Attention problems, Internalizing problems, Externalizing problems, Total problems, DSM pervasive developmental problems, DSM attention deficit/hyperactivity problems, and DSM oppositional defiant problems were shown to be valid. Conclusion: The subscales of Withdrawn, Attention problems, Internalizing problems, Externalizing problems, Total problems, DSM pervasive developmental problems, DSM attention deficit/hyperactivity problems, and DSM oppositional defiant problems significantly discriminated for the diagnosis of ASD.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of depression and anxiety on treatment response of social skills training in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods : A total of 107 teenagers that participated in the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS$^{(R)}$) between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed using linear regression. Outcome measures used were the Korean version of Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), the Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge-Revised (TASSK-R), and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS). Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Korean version of Child Depression Inventory (CDI), the Korean version of State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). Results : As a result, depressive symptoms measured by CDI (p<0.05) and anxiety symptoms measured by STAIC (p<0.05) had significant influence on score change of social interaction domain of ADOS. It remained significant even after the baseline score was adjusted as covariates (p<0.05). Conclusion : We observed that pre-treatment anxiety and depressive symptoms of teenagers had significant effects on the treatment outcome of PEERS$^{(R)}$, especially in terms of face-to-face social interaction.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to unaffected siblings (SIB) and typically developing children (TC). Methods: Subjects with ASD, their SIB, and TC were recruited. All subjects were assessed using both the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS) and were subsequently identified as affected or unaffected. Prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history was obtained from the primary caregivers and each facet was compared in those with ASD, the SIB, and the TC groups using SPSS ver. 17.0 (p<.05). Results: 70 individuals with ASD (63 males, 87.94${\pm}$37.8months), 53 SIB (27 males, 85.4087.94${\pm}$48.06 months), and 32 TC (19 males, 104.1987.94${\pm}$23.409 months) were analyzed. The ASD group showed significantly higher rates of insufficient vaccination as they aged age ($x^2$=15.54, p=.000). Among the scheduled vaccinations, the DPT vaccination ($x^2$=10.08, p=.006) was insufficient in ASD groups. The ASD group also showed higher rates of sleep disturbances from infancy. Differences in maternal/paternal age at conception, gestational age, and growth parameters at birth were not significantly difference among the three groups. Conclusion: These results do not support the previous controversies regarding the relationship between prenatal/perinatal complications and ASD. However, these results indicate that perinatal and prenatal factors may contribute to the development of ASD.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.27-53
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• 2022

The purpose of this case study was to construct a social context-based musical play program for children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and to examine its applicability in improving the social skills of the children. The participants were a group of three children with high-functioning ASD with an average age of 9 years. The children participated as a group in 40-minute sessions that were implemented twice a week for 8 weeks. The children's social communication behaviors were observed during the sessions and analyzed in terms of sharing and exchanging their ideas and voluntarily interacting with peers and an adult (i.e., the researcher). The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) was completed by the teachers of participants before and after the intervention. For all three participants, the occurrence of behaviors to exchange their ideas with peers and voluntarily interacting with an adult increased following the intervention. However, there were individual differences between the participants in terms of changes in each target behavior depending on their level of language and social skill development. These results suggest that social context-based musical play program may produce positive changes in voluntary communication with peers and play a significant role in expanding the scope of interventions that target the social communication of children with ASD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 2011

Autism and autistic spectrum disorder are chronic neuro-developmental disorders characterized by social and language impairments and stereotyped, repetitive patterns of behavior. The etiology of autism remains unknown; however, a strong genetic component has been detected and environmental factors may also be involved in their etiologies. In the current study, we reviewed evidence for the presence of prenatal and perinatal factors, gastrointestinal factors, food allergies, metabolic and heavy metal factors, and other nutritional factors that may represent risk factors for the development of autism and autistic spectrum disorder.