• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to systematically review the studies on the effects of social story intervention on the individuals with autism spectrum disorders(ASD) to provide the basis for evidence-based practice. Methods : In order to find out the studies on the effect of social story intervention on individuals with ASD, studies published from 2011 to December 2020 were searched on Google Academic Search. The keywords used were "autism spectrum disorder AND social story". A total of 16,900 studies were searched, and from these, 12 studies were selected based on the application of the selection and exclusion criteria. The included studies comprised of 10 single subject design studies and 2 randomized controlled trials design studies. The included studies were analyzed in accordance to population, intervention, outcome measures and results. Results : As a result of analysing the subjects of the included studies, we found out that pre-school children and adolescents were the most common groups of individuals diagnozsed with ASD. In addition to ASD, the diagnosis of the subjects included intellectual disability, Asperger, and Prader-willi. We found out that there were more interventions that were mixed with other interventions, than just the pure social story interventions. In particular, video modeling was found to be the most frequent intervention. This was followed by photo-based social stories. For outcome measure, autism social skills profile was found to be the most often used standardized assessment. For a non-standardized assessment, social desired behavior was found to be the most frequently evaluated behavior, followed by personal problem behavior. Of all the dependent variables, the dependent variable reported as "effective" was the most, followed by "some effective". Conclusion : This study is organized to help the individuals with ASD, families, researchers, and therapists understand the effects of social story intervention on the individuals with ASD in an easy fashion. Further, therapists can use this study as the basic data for evidence-based practice.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.337-344
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between each phase of the Life Transition Process (LTP) and depressive symptoms among parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, data pertaining to LTP and depressive symptoms were collected from 285 parents of children with ASD (101 fathers and 184 mothers). Participants were recruited through the Autism Society of Korea and a counseling center for families of children with ASD. Results: Using a cut-off point of 5 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, more than half of the parents (53.4%) were deemed depressed; these parents experienced moderate (27.4%) to severe (11.6%) levels of depressive symptoms. A hierarchical multiple regression using the socio-demographic characteristics of children and parents and each phase of the LTP as predictors, found that lower income (${\beta}=-.14$, p=.007) and greater scores for the wandering phase (${\beta}=.59$, p<.001) were significant predictors of greater levels of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: These findings confirm the association between LTP and depressive symptoms for parents of children with ASD, who were found to have a greater risk of depressive symptoms during wandering phase.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.40-55
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide basic information on the development of nutrition education programs to improve the mealtime behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by investigating the mealtime behavior and food preferences of children with ASD through the perception of special education teachers. Surveys were given to 108 special education teachers in special education schools in Korea regarding the demographic characteristics, nutrition education support needs, mealtime behavior, and food preferences of children with ASD. Most of the special education teachers responded that nutrition education in special schools had not been conducted properly and nutrition education for ASD children is necessary. Mealtime behavior analysis classified the behavior into three clusters: cluster 1, 'less problematic mealtime behavior'; cluster 2, 'general feature of autism'; cluster 3, 'difficulty in self-directed diet'. The age, eating habits, and food preferences were different according to each mealtime behavior cluster. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop a nutrition education program based on the characteristics of mealtime behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2023

Objectives: Regression, while not a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has been suggested to be a distinct subtype by previous studies. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the prevalence and clinical differences between those with and without regression in children with ASD. Methods: This study includes data from toddlers and young children aged 2-7 years acquired from other projects at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The presence and characteristics of regression were explored using question items #11-28 from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. Chi-square and independent t-tests were used to compare various clinical measurements such as autistic symptoms, adaptative behavior, intelligence, and perinatal factors. Results: Data from 1438 young children (1020 with ASD) were analyzed. The overall prevalence rate of regression, which was mainly related to language-related skills, was 10.2% in the ASD group, with an onset age of 24 months. Regarding clinical characteristics, patients with ASD and regression experienced ASD symptoms, especially restricted and repetitive interests and behaviors, with greater severity than those without regression. Furthermore, there were significant associations between regression and hypertension/placenta previa. Conclusion: In-depth surveillance and proactive interventions targeted at young children with ASD and regression should focus on autistic symptoms and other areas of functioning.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2007

Objectives: Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental spectrum disorder with a strong genetic component. Previous neurochemical and genetic studies have suggested the possible involvement of the serotonin system in autism. Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase(TDO2) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of tryptophan, which is the precursor of serotonin synthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the TDO2 gene and autism spectrum disorders(ASD) in a Korean population. Methods: The patients were diagnosed with ASD on the basis of the DSM-IV diagnostic classification outlined in the Korean version of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. The present study included the detection of four single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in the TDO2 gene(rs2292536, rs6856558, rs6830072, rs6830800) and the family-based association analysis of the single nucleotide polymorphisms in Korean ASD trios using a transmission disequilibrium test(TDT) and haplotype analysis. The family trios of 136 probands were included in analysis. 87.5% were male and 86.0% were diagnosed with autism. The mean age of the probands was $78.5{\pm}35.8$ months(range: 26-264 months). Results: Two SNPs showed no polymorphism, and there was no significant difference in transmission in the other two SNPs. We also could not find any significant transmission in the haplotype analysis(p>.05). Conclusion: We could not find any significant statistical association between the transmission of SNPs in the TDO2 gene and ASD in a Korean population. This result may not support the possible involvement of the TDO2 gene in the development of ASD, and further exploration might be needed to investigate other plausible SNP sites.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2015

Objectives : In children and adolescents, the prevalence of overweight has increased in the last 20 years. little research is available on the prevalence of obesity in children with autism spectrum disorders(ASD). The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of overweight among a clinical population of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders(ASD). Methods : Retrospective chart review of children ages 3-18 years seen between 2012 and 2015 at a Konyang University hospital psychiatric clinic. Diagnostic, medical, and demographic information was extracted from the charts. Body mass index(BMI) was calculated from measures of height and weight recorded in the child's chart. The Center for Disease Control's BMI growth reference was used to determine an age and gender-specific BMI z-score for the children. Results : In our study, children with ASD compared to non ASD group had significantly higher BMI percentiles (p=0.032). The prevalence of overweight($BMI{\geq}85th$ to 95th percentiles) and obesity($BMI{\geq}95th$ percentiles) was 35% and 19% respectively in children with ASD and without ASD. Conclusions : Despite noted limitations, our data suggest that overweight and obesity in children with ASD are more prevalent than without ASD. Longitudinal and further study is needed to examine the factors associated with obesity in this population.

• Journal of Korean Society of Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

The study has compared normally developed children and children who were diagnosed as autism spectrum in goal management training them to observe the effect. The research was conducted to four normally developed children and four children who were diagnosed as autism spectrum, and all subjects were provided with identical goal management training. The children and the caregivers have selected desired objectives activity, and all three activities were followed by goal management training. Intervention periods were conducted ten times in total, two times a week for five weeks, and eight subjects in the two groups were trained one on one by the researcher. The training time was 40 minutes for every session. The descriptive statistics and frequency analysis were used as the statistical method, and the Mann-Whitney test, the nonparametric statistical analysis, was conducted to compare the difference between the two groups. Goal management training for two groups did not show a statistically significant difference in terms of the performance status of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (p>.05). In the summary of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (2nd) which evaluates the motor skill, there was a statistically significant difference between the autism spectrum disorder group and normal group (p<.05). Additionally, the two groups showed a statistically significant difference in eye-hand coordination sub-test among Developmental Test of Visual Perception (2nd) which evaluates the visual perception performance (p<.05). The research has confirmed the applicability of goal management training to children with autism spectrum compared to the normally developed children, and it has confirmed the effectiveness of the training.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.7-24
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• 2021

Objective : This study examined the characteristics of the literature involving a single-subject research design among positive behavior support intervention studies to improve problem behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders and assess the quality level. Methods : This is a literature study, and the targets of analysis were nine single-subject research papers published between 2011 and 2020. The subject papers were analyzed by dividing them into general characteristics and the qualitative levels according to the content of the research method. Results : Analysis of analyzing the contents of the study showed that the subjects were preschool and elementary school-age children at the same ratio. Furthermore, the study design involved mostly the middle and multiple baseline designs among the behaviors. All papers presented social validity, intervention fidelity, and observer reliability. Problem behaviors included self-injury and aggression behaviors, disturbing behaviors, and seat break-away behaviors, while the most dependent variables were measured through partial interval recording. As a result of confirming the intervention effect, the effect was confirmed in intervention, maintenance, and generalization. All analysis studies showed high-quality levels. Conclusion : This study confirmed the content and qualitative level of the thesis that applied the single-subject research design among positive behavior support intervention studies for problem behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders. Positive behavior support intervention, an evidence-based intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders, was confirmed an effective intervention for autism spectrum disorders.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.581-586
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• 2023

Recently a drama that features a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder has attracted a lot of attention, raising interest in the difficulties faced by people with autism spectrum disorders. If the Autism spectrum gets detected early and proper education and treatment, the prognosis can be improved, so the development of the treatment is urgently needed. Drugs currently used to treat autism spectrum often have side effects, so Digital Therapeutics that have no side effects and can be supplied in large quantities are drawing attention. In this paper, we introduce 'AEmotion', an application and a Digital Therapeutic that provides emotion and facial expression learning for toddlers with an autism spectrum disorder. This system is developed as an application for smartphones to increase interest in training autistic children and to test easily. Using machine learning, this system consists of three main stages: an 'emotion learning' step to learn emotions with facial expression cards, an 'emotion identification' step to check if the user understood emotions and facial expressions properly, and an 'expression training' step to make appropriate facial expressions. Through this system, it is expected that it will help autistic toddlers who have difficulties with social interactions by having problems recognizing facial expressions and emotions.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2011

Pbjective : A significant proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have regression characterized by loss of previously acquired skills. The purpose of this study was to compare demographic, clinical characteristics and autism-related symptomatology of the children who have regression with children who don't have regression. Methods : The subjects with ASD and their unaffected siblings (SIB) were recruited from the Korean Autism Genetic Study Consortium. Typically developing children (TC) were volunteered from community. The subjects were administered the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS) to diagnose or exclude ASD. Regression was defined on the basis of K-ADI-R data. The Korean version of Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (K-VABS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (K-ABC) and Social Responsiveness Scale (K-SRS) were obtained from their parents. Results : Regression occurred in 8.33% (n=14) of children with ASD (n=168). Any SIB (n=166) and TC (n=53) did not experience regression. Regression was associated with lower IQ and lower score of K-VABS. There was no difference in autism symptom severity and K-ABC, K-SRS scores, between children with ASD who experienced regression and who did not. Conclusion : Regression seems to be a distinctive feature of ASD. Regression is associated with cognitive and more general functions, rather than symptoms specific to autism.