2024
Clinician-caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children.
Azu M, Han G, Wolf J, Naples A, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Bernier R, Jeste S, Dziura J, Webb S, Sugar C, Shic F, McPartland J. Clinician-caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children. Autism 2024, 13623613241279999. PMID: 39344965, DOI: 10.1177/13623613241279999.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism-related behaviorsAutism featuresClinician ratingsParent ratingsInformant discrepanciesCaregiver ratingsCaregiver reportsAutism diagnosisAutistic childrenChild sexAutismCaregiver perceptionsIntervention useClinicians' perceptionsAssociated with sexCaregiversChildrenDiagnosis ageCliniciansOlder ageInterventionPerceptionGirlsSexAgeSpatiotemporal Eye Movement Dynamics Reveal Altered Face Prioritization in Early Visual Processing Among Autistic Children
Griffin J, Naples A, Bernier R, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Dziura J, Faja S, Jeste S, Kleinhans N, Sugar C, Webb S, Shic F, McPartland J, Trials A. Spatiotemporal Eye Movement Dynamics Reveal Altered Face Prioritization in Early Visual Processing Among Autistic Children. Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience And Neuroimaging 2024 PMID: 39237004, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.08.017.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchReduced social attentionEye movement patternsSocial attentionVisual processingLongitudinal time pointsClinical features of autismContext of social perceptionAutism symptom severityFeatures of autismEarly visual processingWell-characterized sampleFace regionSymptom severityNeurotypical childrenAdaptive functioningExploratory patternsSocial difficultiesSocial perceptionAutismAutistic ChildrenFace informationTime pointsAssociated with clinical featuresFace recognitionDecreased likelihoodFamilial Recurrence of Autism: Updates From the Baby Siblings Research Consortium.
Ozonoff S, Young G, Bradshaw J, Charman T, Chawarska K, Iverson J, Klaiman C, Landa R, McDonald N, Messinger D, Schmidt R, Wilkinson C, Zwaigenbaum L. Familial Recurrence of Autism: Updates From the Baby Siblings Research Consortium. Pediatrics 2024, 154 PMID: 39011552, PMCID: PMC11291960, DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-065297.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRecurrence rateFamilial recurrence rateDatabase of infantsMale infant sexPredictors of recurrenceAssociated with recurrencePopulation-based studyMultiple affected siblingsProspective studyInfant sexHierarchical generalized linear modelsDiagnostic evaluationFamilial recurrenceAutism spectrum disorderRecurrenceResearch ConsortiumFemale probandsMultinational databaseMale probandsMaternal educationProbandsFemale siblingsProband sexLikelihood ratioCalculate likelihood ratiosDevelopmental trajectories of the default mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks from the third trimester through the newborn period
Scheinost D, Chang J, Brennan-Wydra E, Lacadie C, Constable R, Chawarska K, Ment L. Developmental trajectories of the default mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks from the third trimester through the newborn period. Imaging Neuroscience 2024, 2: 1-16. DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00201.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFronto-parietalDevelopmental trajectoriesImpact of maternal mental healthResting-state functional MRIWeeks postmenstrual ageInter-network connectivityIntra-network connectivityMaternal stress levelsMaternal mental healthPostmenstrual ageSalience networkFunctional MRINeurobehavioral disordersNeurodevelopmental disordersDMNMental healthThird trimesterConnectivity measuresSalienceConnectivity valuesFamily history of psychiatric conditions and development of siblings of children with autism
Bellia G, Chang J, Liew Z, Vernetti A, Macari S, Powell K, Chawarska K. Family history of psychiatric conditions and development of siblings of children with autism. Autism Research 2024, 17: 1665-1676. PMID: 38896553, PMCID: PMC11341253, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3175.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSiblings of childrenNeuropsychiatric disordersFamilies of childrenFamily history of schizophreniaYounger siblings of childrenHistory of psychiatric conditionsHistory of schizophreniaYounger siblingsAssess autism symptomsNonverbal IQAutism symptomsBipolar disorderIntellectual disabilityPsychiatric conditionsSubclinical symptomsAdaptive skillsSocial affectAdaptive functioningAutismFamily historyParent interviewsFamily factorsMultiple regression analysisDevelopmental outcomesDisordersParsing evoked and induced gamma response differences in Autism: A visual evoked potential study
Dickinson A, Ryan D, McNaughton G, Levin A, Naples A, Borland H, Bernier R, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Dziura J, Faja S, Kleinhans N, Sugar C, Senturk D, Shic F, Webb S, McPartland J, Jeste S, Trials F. Parsing evoked and induced gamma response differences in Autism: A visual evoked potential study. Clinical Neurophysiology 2024, 165: 55-63. PMID: 38959536, DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.05.015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchVisual evoked potentialsMeasurement of visual evoked potentialsGamma powerVisual evoked potential studiesABC-CTGamma responseAutism Biomarkers ConsortiumAbsence of significant group differencesChildren aged 6Group differencesNon-phase-lockedEvoked potentialsVEP componentsVEP dataAged 6Biomarkers ConsortiumNeural circuit dynamicsGamma activitySignificant group differencesIndividual markersTargeted approachWavelet-based time-frequency analysisInduced responsesChildrenInduced gammaEarly executive functioning predicts externalizing problems in neurodiverse preschoolers
All K, Chawarska K, Macari S. Early executive functioning predicts externalizing problems in neurodiverse preschoolers. Autism Research 2024, 17: 1053-1065. PMID: 38476104, PMCID: PMC11251695, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchExecutive functionExternalizing problemsAutism spectrum disorderAutism symptomsDevelopment of externalizing problemsSocial functioningEffect of executive functionSeverity of autism symptomsNeurodevelopmental disordersPredictors of externalizing behaviorExecutive function impairmentEarly executive functionEarly preschool yearsIncreased externalizing problemsEarly preventive interventionsPeer rejectionExternalizing behaviorsIncreased anxietySpectrum disorderPreschool yearsParenting stressIdentification of vulnerable childrenAutismFunctional impairmentTemperament
2023
Evaluation of clinical assessments of social abilities for use in autism clinical trials by the autism biomarkers consortium for clinical trials
Faja S, Sabatos‐DeVito M, Sridhar A, Kuhn J, Nikolaeva J, Sugar C, Webb S, Bernier R, Sikich L, Hellemann G, Senturk D, Naples A, Shic F, Levin A, Seow H, Dziura J, Jeste S, Chawarska K, Nelson C, Dawson G, McPartland J, Trials A. Evaluation of clinical assessments of social abilities for use in autism clinical trials by the autism biomarkers consortium for clinical trials. Autism Research 2023, 16: 981-996. PMID: 36929131, PMCID: PMC10192100, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2905.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
A generalizable connectome-based marker of in-scan sustained attention in neurodiverse youth
Horien C, Greene A, Shen X, Fortes D, Brennan-Wydra E, Banarjee C, Foster R, Donthireddy V, Butler M, Powell K, Vernetti A, Mandino F, O'Connor D, Lake E, McPartland J, Volkmar F, Chun M, Chawarska K, Rosenberg M, Scheinost D, Constable R. A generalizable connectome-based marker of in-scan sustained attention in neurodiverse youth. Cerebral Cortex 2022, 33: 6320-6334. PMID: 36573438, PMCID: PMC10183743, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac506.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAttention taskAttentional stateConnectome-based predictive modelingNeurodiverse conditionsSustained attention taskAttention network modelSample of youthNeurotypical participantsSustained attentionBrain correlatesNeurobiological correlatesAttention networkIndividual participantsSeparate samplesYouthParticipantsHead motionTaskCorrelatesAttentionAutismConfoundsNetwork modelGeneralizesHealthcare settingsHypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates
Scheinost D, Chang J, Lacadie C, Brennan-Wydra E, Foster R, Boxberger A, Macari S, Vernetti A, Constable RT, Ment LR, Chawarska K. Hypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 16230. PMID: 36171268, PMCID: PMC9517994, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20617-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFirst Year InventoryAnterior insulaFunctional connectivityMaternal mental health factorsLeft anterior insulaState functional connectivityMental health factorsSubsample of participantsPostmenstrual ageSalience networkFamily historySocial domainsNeural circuitryAutismSocial behaviorBrain imagingHigher likelihoodInsulaSocial developmentHypoconnectivityExploratory analysisThird trimesterFuture onsetHealth factorsRisk scoreConcomitant medication use in children with autism spectrum disorder: Data from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials
Shurtz L, Schwartz C, DiStefano C, McPartland JC, Levin AR, Dawson G, Kleinhans NM, Faja S, Webb SJ, Shic F, Naples AJ, Seow H, Bernier RA, Chawarska K, Sugar CA, Dziura J, Senturk D, Santhosh M, Jeste SS. Concomitant medication use in children with autism spectrum disorder: Data from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials. Autism 2022, 27: 952-966. PMID: 36086805, PMCID: PMC9995606, DOI: 10.1177/13623613221121425.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsConcomitant psychotropic medicationsPsychotropic medicationsClinical trialsMedication useSchool-aged childrenClinical representativenessSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitorsConcomitant medication useVariety of medicationsAutism spectrum disorderSerotonin reuptake inhibitorsPsychotropic medication useNew treatment optionsGreater overall impairmentCentral nervous systemSpectrum disorderMedication classesReuptake inhibitorsAlpha agonistsTreatment optionsClinical endpointsInclusion criteriaStudy populationMedicationsNervous systemThe Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials: Initial Evaluation of a Battery of Candidate EEG Biomarkers
Webb SJ, Naples AJ, Levin AR, Hellemann G, Borland H, Benton J, Carlos C, McAllister T, Santhosh M, Seow H, Atyabi A, Bernier R, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Dziura J, Faja S, Jeste S, Murias M, Nelson CA, Sabatos-DeVito M, Senturk D, Shic F, Sugar CA, McPartland JC. The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials: Initial Evaluation of a Battery of Candidate EEG Biomarkers. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2022, 180: 41-49. PMID: 36000217, PMCID: PMC10027395, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21050485.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBiological motion perceptionAutism spectrum disorderResting-state activityMotion perceptionEEG biomarkersGroup discriminationPsychometric propertiesBasic psychometric propertiesASD groupASD diagnosisNeural responsesSpectrum disorderAlpha powerN170Naturalistic studyPerceptionMixed resultsTask latencyVEP amplitudeContext of useLimited attentionInconsistent resultsAcquisition rateDiscriminationBatteriesEarly predictors of language skills at 3 years of age vary based on diagnostic outcome: A baby siblings research consortium study
Pecukonis M, Young GS, Brian J, Charman T, Chawarska K, Elsabbagh M, Iverson JM, Jeste S, Landa R, Messinger DS, Schwichtenberg AJ, Webb SJ, Zwaigenbaum L, Tager‐Flusberg H. Early predictors of language skills at 3 years of age vary based on diagnostic outcome: A baby siblings research consortium study. Autism Research 2022, 15: 1324-1335. PMID: 35652157, PMCID: PMC9253079, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2760.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderLow familial riskLanguage skillsASD groupElevated familial riskGesture's abilityLanguage developmentSpectrum disorderMaternal education levelIntervention servicesFamilial riskAutism spectrumLR infantsEarly predictorDiagnostic outcomesSkillsPresent studyPredictor variablesEducation levelPredictorsDisordersYears of ageInfantsAbilityOutcomesIdentifying Age Based Maturation in the ERP Response to Faces in Children With Autism: Implications for Developing Biomarkers for Use in Clinical Trials
Webb SJ, Emerman I, Sugar C, Senturk D, Naples AJ, Faja S, Benton J, Borland H, Carlos C, Levin AR, McAllister T, Santhosh M, Bernier RA, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Dziura J, Jeste S, Kleinhans N, Murias M, Sabatos-DeVito M, Shic F, McPartland JC, Trials T. Identifying Age Based Maturation in the ERP Response to Faces in Children With Autism: Implications for Developing Biomarkers for Use in Clinical Trials. Frontiers In Psychiatry 2022, 13: 841236. PMID: 35615454, PMCID: PMC9126041, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.841236.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderEvent-related potentialsUpright facesTypical developmentASD participantsASD groupProcessing of facesNon-verbal IQERP component latenciesVisual processing systemFace memoryFace processingERP responsesTD childrenAutism spectrumSocial skillsTD groupInversion effectSlower latenciesSpectrum disorderSpecificity effectsAge-related changesNeurodevelopmental conditionsNeural biomarkersComponent latenciesFunctional Connectome–Based Predictive Modeling in Autism
Horien C, Floris DL, Greene AS, Noble S, Rolison M, Tejavibulya L, O'Connor D, McPartland JC, Scheinost D, Chawarska K, Lake EMR, Constable RT. Functional Connectome–Based Predictive Modeling in Autism. Biological Psychiatry 2022, 92: 626-642. PMID: 35690495, PMCID: PMC10948028, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.04.008.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsElevated symptoms of executive dysfunction predict lower adaptive functioning in 3‐year‐olds with autism spectrum disorder
Powell K, Macari S, Brennan‐Wydra E, Feiner H, Butler M, Fortes D, Boxberger A, Torres‐Viso M, Morgan C, Lyons M, Chawarska K. Elevated symptoms of executive dysfunction predict lower adaptive functioning in 3‐year‐olds with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research 2022, 15: 1336-1347. PMID: 35388596, PMCID: PMC9253075, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2715.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderDaily living skillsExecutive functioningEF deficitsAdaptive functioningSpectrum disorderLiving skillsExecutive functioning (EF) deficitsAutism severity scoresLower adaptive functioningCognitive flexibilityAtypical developmentDevelopmental presentationExecutive dysfunctionAdaptive skillsNonverbal functioningVABS-IIElevated symptomsAge threeToddlersLong-term detrimental impactDevelopmental quotientFunctioningChronological ageSymptom severityPatterns of intervention utilization among school-aged children on the autism spectrum: Findings from a multi-site research consortium
Sridhar A, Kuhn J, Faja S, Sabatos-DeVito M, Nikolaeva JI, Dawson G, Nelson CA, Webb SJ, Bernier R, Jeste S, Chawarska K, Sugar CA, Shic F, Naples A, Dziura J, McPartland JC, Consortium T. Patterns of intervention utilization among school-aged children on the autism spectrum: Findings from a multi-site research consortium. Research In Autism Spectrum Disorders 2022, 94: 101950. PMID: 35444715, PMCID: PMC9015686, DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.101950.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrumSchool-aged childrenSymptom levelsCognitive abilitiesClinical trialsLower cognitive abilityHours of interventionHigher parental education levelPart of standardIntervention hoursVariety of interventionsAmount of interventionConcurrent treatmentService utilizationParental education levelIntervention utilizationEmpirical supportMulti-site studyParent educationIntervention servicesMost childrenFuture researchInterventionChildrenResearch ConsortiumAttention to audiovisual speech does not facilitate language acquisition in infants with familial history of autism
Chawarska K, Lewkowicz D, Feiner H, Macari S, Vernetti A. Attention to audiovisual speech does not facilitate language acquisition in infants with familial history of autism. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2022, 63: 1466-1476. PMID: 35244219, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13595.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsExpressive language scoresLanguage outcomesAudiovisual cuesSpeaker's faceLanguage scoresLanguage acquisitionLanguage delayBetter language outcomesSiblings of childrenFamilial riskLow familial riskPoor language outcomesLow-risk infantsAudiovisual speechIntact attentionSpeech cuesHigh familial riskPromising endophenotypeASD diagnosisSpeech processingCuesHigh-risk infantsAutismASDFace
2021
Functional Connectivity for the Language Network in the Developing Brain: 30 Weeks of Gestation to 30 Months of Age
Scheinost D, Chang J, Lacadie C, Brennan-Wydra E, Constable RT, Chawarska K, Ment LR. Functional Connectivity for the Language Network in the Developing Brain: 30 Weeks of Gestation to 30 Months of Age. Cerebral Cortex 2021, 32: 3289-3301. PMID: 34875024, PMCID: PMC9340393, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab415.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWeeks of gestationFirst postnatal monthMonths of agePostnatal monthFunctional connectivityWernicke's areaWeeks postmenstrual ageLanguage networkResting-state fMRI dataPostmenstrual ageFetal onsetInterhemispheric connectionsIntrahemispheric connectionsPrimary analysisOlder infantsNeurobehavioral disordersSecondary analysisGestationCross-sectional dataMonthsBrocaUnique participantsWeeksSignificant increaseFunctional connectionsWhat are we optimizing for in autism screening? Examination of algorithmic changes in the M‐CHAT
Schjølberg S, Shic F, Volkmar FR, Nordahl‐Hansen A, Stenberg N, Torske T, Larsen K, Riley K, Sukhodolsky DG, Leckman JF, Chawarska K, Øien RA. What are we optimizing for in autism screening? Examination of algorithmic changes in the M‐CHAT. Autism Research 2021, 15: 296-304. PMID: 34837355, PMCID: PMC8821132, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2643.Peer-Reviewed Original Research