• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.93-111
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• 2023

The authors investigated the artistic characteristics of autistic savant artists, hypotheses on the proximate and ultimate causes of their emergence, recent psychological and other studies about them, and psychological and neuroaesthetic studies about non-savant autistic individuals. The artistic features of autistic savant artists were significantly similar to those of outsider artists. Furthermore, the authors investigated the explanatory power of the paradoxical functional facilitation theory, the superior visual perception hypothesis, the "Hmmmmm" hypothesis, and the Neanderthal theory of autism regarding the emergence of autistic savant artists. In addition, we investigated whether an increase in savant characteristics was related to a decrease in the ability for social communication. The authors suggested that in studies on the aesthetic experience of non-savant autistic individuals, their aesthetic experience ability is never lower than that of neurotypical individuals and that some non-savant autistic individuals may potentially have artistic talent. Finally, the authors reviewed the effectiveness of the "autism savant spectrum syndromic disorder" proposed by some researchers. More scientific and systematic studies on autistic savant artists from a multidisciplinary perspective are warranted.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.122-128
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• 2009

Objectives : Autism is a well-known psychiatric disorder that is presumed to have a neural basis. To investigate the underlying neurofunctional abnormalities of autism, the authors performed single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) on children with autism. Methods : Fifty-five children with untreated autism (47 boys and 8 girls, mean age=$50.6{\pm}20.28$ months) were selected from among the patients visiting the child and adolescent psychiatric clinic of Seoul National University Hospital. Psychiatrists had diagnosed the participants according to the DSM-IV criteria for autistic disorder and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) criteria for a diagnosis of autism. All participants were examined using 99mTC-HMPAO Brain SPECT. Using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis, we compared the participants' SPECT images to standardized SPECT images of normal children, which had been retrospectively selected by the authors, on a voxel by voxel basis. Voxels with a p-value less than .001 were considered to be significantly different. Results : The autistic group showed significant hypoperfusion in the right medial frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and left precuneus gyrus. In addition, they showed no significant hyperperfusion areas when compared to the control group. Conclusion : The findings of hypoperfusion in the medial-frontal lobe and precuneus are accord with hemodynamic abnormalities that have been already reported. Therefore, these findings are compatible with the recently suggested "theory of mind" hypothesis and the disturbances in attention shifting that have been observed in autistic children.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제22권1호
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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.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.79-90
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• 2006

Social deficits are the most critical and core deficits of the children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder(ASD) and they are qualitatively as well as qualitatively different from typically developing children. It is proposed that the attachment between the mother and the autistic child should be promoted foremost and early as possible, to improve social deficits, just like early social developments in normal children depend largely on interactions between the mother and the child who are attached to each other we have developed an interventional program, 'Attachment Promotion Therapy', largely based on the attachment theory. The Attachment promotion Therapy mandates the participation of both the mother and the autistic child, and consists of mutually enjoying play activities, close physical contacts and parental training on intense mother-child interactions, focusing on improving maternal sensitivity, responsiveness, and nurturing behaviors during their interactions. The program was found to be effective in improving attachment behaviors, attachment security and acquiring joint attention skills. Attachment Promotion Therapy is therefore proposed here as the important earliest intervention method for children with ASD and could become the base for many other educational and therapeutic interventions.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.62-62
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• 2023

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.46-53
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• 1993

본 연구는 $1990 1 1{\sim}1992 12 31$ 기간 중 서울대학 어린이 병원 소아정신과와 중앙 대학부속 용산병원 소아청소년 크리닉을 방문한 자폐아동 중에서 1986년 및 1988년에 출생한 환자를 대상으로 하여 출생계절 및 출생순위, 자폐아 출산 당시의 산모 연령에 어떤 특이점이 있는지를 알아보기 위해 일반 인구집단의 출생자료와 비교하여 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 1) 자폐아군은 총 357명이었으며 이중 남아가 319명 (89.4%), 여아가 38명(10.4%)으로 남녀 성비는 8.4:1이었다.2) 자폐아군의 월별분포나 계절별분포에 있어 대조군과 차이가 없었다. 3) Slater 및 Greenwood-Yule 방법에 의한 자폐아군의 출생순위를 대조군과 비교 분석한 결과 통계적으로 유의한 차이는 없었다.4) 자폐아군은 일반 대조군에 비해 출생 당시의 산모의 연령이 통계적으로 의미있게 높았다(p<01) 5) 출산의 위험도가 높은 임신은 일반 대조군에 비해 자폐아군에서 통계적으로 의미있게 많았다(p<01)

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.153-159
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• 2005

본 고에서는 지금까지 자폐 장애 및 PDD에서 행해졌던 신경발달학적 병리 소견들에 대하여 살펴보고자 하였다. 자폐 장애에서 전형적으로 관찰되는 신경병리학적 소견들은 소뇌에서의 Purkinje 세포 수의 감소, 변연계에서의 증가된 세포 밀도 및 축소된 신경원 크기, 피질의 이형성 및 이동 장애 등이라고 할 수 있겠다. 그러나, 일부 문헌들은 일관되고 일치된 결과를 보인 반면, 대부분의 연구결과들이 아직까지는 불확실한 상태로 남아있다. 이것은 매우 적은 대상군과 자폐 장애의 이질성(heterogeneity), 기타 공존 질환 통제의 어려움, 연구 디자인의 비정교성에 기인한 통계량의 부족과 관련이 있다. 따라서 향후 좀더 정교한 디자인에 의하여 자폐 환자 대상군을 많이 확보하여 다양한 혼란 변인들을 통제한 후 신경발달학적 소견들을 연구한다면 자폐 장애의 원인론을 확립하는데 많은 공헌을 할것으로 기대된다.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.164-169
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• 2013

Objectives : We assessed the availability of Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) for the evaluation of the pharmacological effect in autistic disorder. Methods : A retrospective review of the medical records of 27 children with autistic disorder, who visited the department of child and adolescent psychiatry of Kyungpook National University Hospital, from October 2011 to February 2013, was conducted. After treatment with risperidone, changes in the severity and improvement of symptoms were measured using ABC at the baseline, 2nd visit and 3rd visit, respectively. Results : The mean daily dose of risperidone increased from $0.66{\pm}0.27mg$ (baseline, initial dose) to $1.02{\pm}0.50mg$, 2nd visit, and $1.19{\pm}0.50mg$, 3rd visit. According to ABC, irritability, lethargy, hyperactivity, and inappropriate speech subscale scores decreased significantly from the baseline to 2nd visit. Irritability and Hyperactivity subscale scores decreased significantly from the 2nd to 3rd visit. All subscales and total scores of ABC decreased significantly from the baseline to 3rd visit. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that ABC can be used as an efficient tool to measure the symptoms of autistic disorder and to evaluate the medication effect on continuous treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.39-41
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• 1993

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.148-153
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• 1998

본 연구는 자폐장애아를 둔 어머니에서의 우울증의 빈도와 그 정도를 알아보고, 이와 그들 자녀의 자폐정도가 상관관계가 있는지 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위하여 소아정신과를 전공하는 정신과전문의 두 명 이 DSM-IV 진단기준에 의하여 자폐장애로 진단한 아동 45명과 그들의 어머니를 대상으로 하였다. 아동은 한국판 소아기 자폐증평가척도를 통하여 자폐증상의 정도를 측정하였으며, 자폐장애아동의 어머니는 한국판 Beck 우울척도를 측정하여 우울증의 정도를 알아 보았다. 이의 정상대조군으로는 나이와 학력을 맞춘 74명 의 정상 어머니들을 대상으로 비교하였다. 1) 한국판 우울척도(K-BDI)의 총점상 자폐장애아동 어머니군은 정상대조군에 비하여 통계적으로 유의하게 높은 점수를 보였고(p=.00), 이는 잠재성 우울증(K-BDI STEN점수 17-19)의 범위에 속하였다. 또 자폐장애아동 어머니 전체 45명중 26.7%인 12명은 우울증(K-BDI STEN점수상 20-23)의 범위에 속하였다. 2) 자폐장애아동 어머니의 한국판 우울척도 총점및 각 요인들과 자폐아동의 한국판 소아기 자폐증평가척도(CARS)의 총점간의 상관관계는 보이지 않았다. 이상과 같은 결과를 고려할때 자폐장애아동의 치료시 어머니의 지지적 정신치료가 자폐아동의 진료와 더불어 반드시 동반되어야 함을 시사한다 하겠다.