Some studies show that the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder could be considered reliable and stable in children aged 18 to 24 months. Nevertheless, the diagnostic stability of early ASD diagnosis has not yet been fully demonstrated. This observational study examines the one-year diagnostic stability of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in a clinical sample of 147 children diagnosed between 18 and 48 months of age. The ADOS-2 scores were used in order to stratify children in three levels of symptom severity: Autism (AD; comparison score 5–7), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; comparison score 3–4), and Sub-Threshold Symptoms; (STS; comparison score 1–2). Results: Overall, the largest part of children and toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder between 18 and 48 months continued to show autistic symptoms at one-year follow-up evaluation. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of children with higher ADOS severity scores exhibited a reduction of symptom severity and, therefore, moved towards a milder severity class one year later. Conversely, the number of subjects of the STS group meaningfully increased. Therefore, at one-year follow-up a statistically significant (χ²(2) = 181.46, p < 0.0001) percentage of subjects (25.2% of the total) who had received a categorical diagnosis of Autistic Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder in baseline no longer met the criteria for a categorical diagnosis. Furthermore, children who no longer met the criteria for autism spectrum disorder continue to show delays in one or more neurodevelopmental areas, possibly related to the emergence of other neurodevelopmental/neuropsychiatric disorders. Overall, the comprehensive results of the study account for a high sensibility but a moderate stability of ASD early diagnosis. Full article

Studies on the structure of intelligence refer to two main theoretical models: the first one considers intelligence as a unitary construct, the second one assumes the involvement of a plurality of factors. Studies using Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) tasks have often highlighted the involvement of different cognitive abilities and brain structures, but in the clinical setting, RCPM measurement continues to be used as a single score. The current study aimed to analyse the RCPM performance following qualitative clustering, in order to provide an interpretation of the intelligence assessment through a factorial criterion. The RCPM have been administered to a large group of typically developing children between 6 and 11 years of age. The sample was divided into twelve age groups, and the performance of each age group was shown. Three qualitative item clusters were identified through a factorial criterion. Data showed that performance on RCPM may arise from different cognitive abilities, starting from basic attentional skills up to the more complex ones that require perceptual or analogical reasoning. The qualitative parameters could provide more effective diagnostic and treatment suggestions than a single total score in the clinical setting, and may be crucial for focusing on strength and weakness in the intellectual functionality evaluation of children. Full article

Background: Over the past decade, the use of digital tools has grown and research evidence suggests that traditional media and new media offer both benefits and health risks for young children. The abilities to understand and use language represent two of the most important competencies developed during the first 3 years of life through the interaction of the child with people, objects, events, and other environmental factors. The main goal of our study is to evaluate the relationship between digital devices use and language abilities in children between 8 and 36 month, also considering the influence of several factors. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study on digital devices use and language abilities in260 children (140 males = 54%) aged between 8 and 36 months (mean = 23.5 ± 7.18 months). All the parents completed a self-report questionnaire investigating the use of digital devices by their children, and a standardized questionnaire for the assessment of language skills (MacArthur-Bates). Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relation between different variables. Subsequent moderation analysis were performed to verify the influence of other factors. Results: We found a statistically significant negative relation between the total daily time of exposure to digital devices and the Actions and Gestures Quotient (ß = −0.397) in children between 8 and 17 months, and between the total daily time of exposure to digital devices and Lexical Quotient (ß = −0.224) in children between 18 and 36 months. Gender, level of education/job of parents, modality of use/content of digital device did not significantly affect the result of the regression analysis. Conclusion: In our study we found that a longer time of exposure to digital devices was related to lower mimic-gestural skills in children from 8–17 months and to lower language skills in children between 18 and 36 months, regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, content, and modality of use. Further studies are needed to confirm and better understand this relation, but parents and pediatricians are advised to limit the use of digital devices by children and encourage the social interaction to support the learning of language and communication skills in this age group. Full article

Background: Some recent studies suggest that children and adolescents with different neurodevelopmental disorders perform worse in emotions recognition through facial expressions (ER) compared with typically developing peers. This impairment is also described in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), compromising their scholastic achievement, social functioning, and quality of life. The purpose of our study is to evaluate ER skills in children and adolescents with SLD compared to a control group without learning disorders, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. Materials and Methods: Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-three children and adolescents aged between 8 and 16 years, diagnosed with SLD, and 32 sex/age-matched controls without learning disorders were recruited. All participants were administered standardized neuropsychological tests, evaluating facial emotion recognition (NEPSY-II), executive functions (EpiTrack Junior), and intelligence profile (WISC-IV). Results: Emotion recognition mean score was significantly lower in the SLD group than in the controls group on the Mann–Whitney U test for unpaired samples (p < 0.001). The SLD group performed significantly lower than the control group in their abilities to identify neutral expressions, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear compared to controls (p < 0.001). ER scores were positively correlated to the executive functions scores. There was no correlation with the Total Intelligence Quotient scores but there is a significant positive correlation with Working Memory Index and Processing Speed Index measured by WISC.IV. Conclusion: Our study showed that children and adolescents with Specific Learning Disorders have facial emotion recognition impairment when compared with a group of peers without learning disorders. ER abilities were independent of their global intelligence but potentially related to executive functions. Full article

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by neurological, psychiatric and medical comorbidities—some conditions co-occur so frequently that comorbidity in autism is the rule rather than the exception. The most common autism co-occurring conditions are intellectual disability, language disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychotic disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and eating disorders. They are well known and studied. Migraine is the most common brain disease in the world, but surprisingly only a few studies investigate the comorbidity between autism and migraine. The aim of this narrative review is to explore the literature reports about the comorbidity between autism and migraine and to investigate the common neurotransmitter, immune, anatomical and genetic abnormalities at the base of these two conditions. Full article

Neonatal seizures are the most common neurological emergency, and neonatal status epilepticus (NSE) remains a controversial entity, with no general consensus about its definition and treatment. Here, we report on three newborns with NSE refractory to first- and second-line antiepileptic drugs successfully treated with intravenous (IV) hydrocortisone. The patients had previously failed therapy with levetiracetam, phenobarbital and midazolam, showing persistent clinical and electrical seizures. Modulation of brain inflammation triggered during prolonged epileptic activity has been thought to potentially explain the beneficial effects of anti-inflammatory treatment. Full article

An Italian family with familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) with the absence of mutations in the known genes associated with this disorder, namely ATP1A2, ATP1A3, CACNA1A, and SCN1A, has recently been reported. Soon afterward, whole exome sequencing allowed the identification of the carrier status of a heterozygous ATP1A4 mutation c.1798 C >T, in four affected members of this family. Here we compare the clinical symptoms of the affected family members with those from the other FHM families linked to mutations in the known genes associated with this disorder. A further two-year follow-up, including clinical response to carbamazepine administered to the proband and the maternal grandmother due to a worsening of the migraine symptoms, is reported. The clinical condition of the proband’s brother, carrying the same mutation and suffering from congenital ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles, isdiscussed as well. Full article