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Distinctive prosodic features of people with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.

ABSTRACT: In this systematic review, we analyzed and evaluated the findings of studies on prosodic features of vocal productions of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in order to recognize the statistically significant, most confirmed and reliable prosodic differences distinguishing people with ASD from typically developing individuals. Using suitable keywords, three major databases including Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus, were searched. The results for prosodic features such as mean pitch, pitch range and variability, speech rate, intensity and voice duration were extracted from eligible studies. The pooled standard mean difference between ASD and control groups was extracted or calculated. Using I² statistic and Cochrane Q-test, between-study heterogeneity was evaluated. Furthermore, publication bias was assessed using funnel plot and its significance was evaluated using Egger's and Begg's tests. Thirty-nine eligible studies were retrieved (including 910 and 850 participants for ASD and control groups, respectively). This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that ASD group members had a significantly larger mean pitch (SMD = - 0.4, 95% CI [- 0.70, - 0.10]), larger pitch range (SMD = - 0.78, 95% CI [- 1.34, - 0.21]), longer voice duration (SMD = - 0.43, 95% CI [- 0.72, - 0.15]), and larger pitch variability (SMD = - 0.46, 95% CI [- 0.84, - 0.08]), compared with typically developing control group. However, no significant differences in pitch standard deviation, voice intensity and speech rate were found between groups. Chronological age of participants and voice elicitation tasks were two sources of between-study heterogeneity. Furthermore, no publication bias was observed during analyses (p > 0.05). Mean pitch, pitch range, pitch variability and voice duration were recognized as the prosodic features reliably distinguishing people with ASD from TD individuals.

SUBMITTER: Asghari SZ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8630064 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundExposure to ambient air pollution is widespread and may be detrimental to human brain development and a potential risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We conducted a systematic review of the human evidence on the relationship between ASD and exposure to all airborne pollutants, including particulate matter air pollutants and others (e.g. pesticides and metals).ObjectiveTo answer the question: "is developmental exposure to air pollution associated with ASD?"MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of the literature, identified relevant studies using inclusion/exclusion criteria pre-specified in our protocol (registered in PROSPERO, CRD # 42015017890), evaluated the potential risk of bias for each included study and identified an appropriate subset of studies to combine in a meta-analysis. We then rated the overall quality and strength of the evidence collectively across all air pollutants.ResultsOf 1,158 total references identified, 23 human studies met our inclusion criteria (17 case-control, 4 ecological, 2 cohort). Risk of bias was generally low across studies for most domains; study limitations were related to potential confounding and accuracy of exposure assessment methods. We rated the quality of the body of evidence across all air pollutants as "moderate." From our meta-analysis, we found statistically significant summary odds ratios (ORs) of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.08) per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 exposure (n = 6 studies) and 2.32 (95% CI: 2.15, 2.51) per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure (n = 3 studies). For pollutants not included in a meta-analysis, we collectively evaluated evidence from each study in rating the strength and quality of overall evidence considering factors such as inconsistency, imprecision, and evidence of dose-response. All included studies generally showed increased risk of ASD with increasing exposure to air pollution, although not consistently across all chemical components.ConclusionAfter considering strengths and limitations of the body of research, we concluded that there is "limited evidence of toxicity" for the association between early life exposure to air pollution as a whole and diagnosis of ASD. The strongest evidence was between prenatal exposure to particulate matter and ASD. However, the small number of studies in the meta-analysis and unexplained statistical heterogeneity across the individual study estimates means that the effect could be larger or smaller (including not significant) than these studies estimate. Our research supports the need for health protective public policy to reduce exposures to harmful airborne contaminants among pregnant women and children and suggests opportunities for optimizing future research.

Project description:ImportanceSchizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) both feature social cognitive deficits; however, these disorders historically have been examined separately using a range of tests and subdomain focus and at different time points in the life span. Moving beyond diagnostic categories and characterizing social cognitive deficits can enhance understanding of shared pathways across these disorders.ObjectiveTo investigate how deficits in social cognitive domains diverge or overlap between SSDs and ASD based on the extant literature.Data sourcesLiterature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science from database inception until July 26, 2020.Study selectionOriginal research articles were selected that reported performance-based measures of social cognition in both SSDs and ASD samples. Selected articles also had to be published in English and use International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, DSM-IV, or more recent diagnostic criteria.Data extraction and synthesisThis systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guidelines, including data extraction and quality assessment using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.Main outcomes and measuresEffect sizes were calculated as Hedges g (SSDs vs ASD). The primary outcomes were performance on emotion processing tasks, theory of mind (ToM) tasks, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) in SSDs compared with ASD. Meta-regressions were performed for age difference, publication year, quality assessment scores, and antipsychotic medication use.ResultsOf the 4175 screened articles, 36 studies directly comparing social cognitive performance in individuals with SSDs vs ASD were included in the qualitative analysis (n = 1212 for SSDs groups and n = 1109 for ASD groups), and 33 studies were included in the quantitative analyses (n = 1113 for SSDs groups and n = 1015 for ASD groups). Most study participants were male (number of studies [k] = 36, 72% [878 of 1212] in SSDs groups and 82% [907 of 1109] in ASD groups), and age (k = 35) was older in SSDs groups (mean [SD], 28.4 [9.5] years) than in ASD groups (mean [SD], 23.3 [7.6] years). Included studies highlighted the prevalence of small, male-predominant samples and a paucity of cross-disorder clinical measures. The meta-analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between SSDs and ASD on emotion processing measures (k = 15; g = 0.12 [95% CI, -0.07 to 0.30]; P = .21; I2 = 51.0%; 1 outlier excluded), ToM measures (k = 17; g = -0.01 [95% CI, -0.21 to 0.19]; P = .92; I2 = 56.5%; 1 outlier excluded), or the RMET (k = 13; g = 0.25 [95% CI, -0.04 to 0.53]; P = .10; I2 = 75.3%). However, SSDs vs ASD performance differences between studies were statistically significantly heterogeneous, which was only minimally explained by potential moderators.Conclusions and relevanceIn this analysis, similar levels of social cognitive impairment were present, on average, in individuals with SSDs and ASD. Cross-disorder studies of social cognition, including larger samples, consensus batteries, and consistent reporting of measures, as well as data across multiple levels of analysis, are needed to help identify subgroups within and across disorders that may be more homogeneous in etiology and treatment response.

Project description:An ever-growing literature has aimed to determine how individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from their typically developing (TD) peers on measures of multisensory integration (MSI) and to ascertain the degree to which differences in MSI are associated with the broad range of symptoms associated with ASD. Findings, however, have been highly variable across the studies carried out to date. The present work systematically reviews and quantitatively synthesizes the large literature on audiovisual MSI in individuals with ASD to evaluate the cumulative evidence for (a) group differences between individuals with ASD and TD peers, (b) correlations between MSI and autism symptoms in individuals with ASD and (c) study level factors that may moderate findings (i.e., explain differential effects) observed across studies. To identify eligible studies, a comprehensive search strategy was employed using the ProQuest search engine, PubMed database, forwards and backwards citation searches, direct author contact, and hand-searching of select conference proceedings. A significant between-group difference in MSI was evident in the literature, with individuals with ASD demonstrating worse audiovisual integration on average across studies compared to TD controls. This effect was moderated by mean participant age, such that between-group differences were more pronounced in younger samples. The mean correlation between MSI and autism and related symptomatology was also significant, indicating that increased audiovisual integration in individuals with ASD is associated with better language/communication abilities and/or reduced autism symptom severity in the extant literature. This effect was moderated by whether the stimuli were linguistic versus non-linguistic in nature, such that correlation magnitudes tended to be significantly greater when linguistic stimuli were utilized in the measure of MSI. Limitations and future directions for primary and meta-analytic research are discussed.

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Distinctive prosodic features of people with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.

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