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J W Bodfish

Publications and source records attributed to J W Bodfish.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The early development of stereotypy and self-injury: a review of research methods.

BACKGROUND: The origin and developmental course of stereotypic and self-injurious behaviour among individuals with developmental disabilities such as intellectual disability (ID) or pervasive development disorders such as autism is not well understood. METHOD: Twelve studies designed to document the prevalence, nature, or development of stereotypic and/or self-injurious behaviour in children under 5 years of age and identified as at risk for developmental delay or disability were reviewed. Comparisons were made with similar studies with typically developing children. RESULTS: It appears that the onset of naturally occurring rhythmic motor stereotypies is delayed in young at-risk children, but that the sequencing may be similar. A very small database, differences in samples, measures, and designs limited the degree to which comparisons could be made across studies. CONCLUSION: Future work is needed based on appropriately designed prospective comparison studies and uniform quantitative measures to provide an empirical basis for new knowledge about the early development of one of the most serious behaviour disorders afflicting children with ID and related problems of development.

Autistic Disorder↗

Self-injurious behavior: gene-brain-behavior relationships.

This paper summarizes a conference held at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on December 6-7, 1999, on self-injurious behavior [SIB] in developmental disabilities. Twenty-six of the top researchers in the U.S. from this field representing 13 different disciplines discussed environmental mechanisms, epidemiology, behavioral and pharmacological intervention strategies, neurochemical substrates, genetic syndromes in which SIB is a prominent behavioral phenotype, neurobiological and neurodevelopmental factors affecting SIB in humans as well as a variety of animal models of SIB. Findings over the last decade, especially new discoveries since 1995, were emphasized. SIB is a rapidly growing area of scientific interest to both basic and applied researchers. In many respects it is a model for the study of gene-brain-behavior relationships in developmental disabilities.

Animals↗

The changing effector pattern of tardive dyskinesia during the course of neuroleptic withdrawal.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a movement disorder that can be expressed at various body effector points, including the face, neck, arms, fingers, legs, and torso. In this prospective longitudinal study researchers examined whether the effector pattern of TD changed during the course of neuroleptic medication withdrawal in adults with mental retardation. Results indicated that the effector pattern of TD changed over the course of neuroleptic withdrawal. Peak dyskinesia was associated with the involvement of more body areas relative to baseline. Although dyskinesia decreased at follow-up and fewer body areas showed signs of dyskinesia, there were still differences in the effector pattern of dyskinesia relative to baseline at periods of 1 to 2 years following neuroleptic withdrawal. These findings suggest that TD is a dynamic disorder associated with changes in both severity and effector pattern over time.

Adolescent↗

Sequential analysis of the effects of naltrexone on the environmental mediation of self-injurious behavior.

Accumulated evidence shows that biology and the environment can mediate self-injurious behavior (SIB) in persons with mental retardation. Whether pharmacological treatment alters the environmental mediation of self-injury is unclear. Opioid antagonist effects on sequential dependencies for self-injury were studied in the context of experimental single-subject double-blind placebo-controlled designs. Direct observational data were collected for 4 adult subjects in real time on daily rate of SIB and staff interactions. Clinically significant reductions (i.e., > or = 33%) in SIB rate were observed for 3 of the 4 subjects. For all subjects, the magnitude of the sequential dependency between staff behavior and self-injury was significantly greater during treatment with naltrexone than during treatment with a placebo. Results are discussed in relation to behavioral mechanisms of action regulating medication effects for self-injury.

Adult↗

Stereotypy and motor control: differences in the postural stability dynamics of persons with stereotyped and dyskinetic movement disorders.

We examined whether dynamic measures of postural stability differentiated persons with stereotyped movement disorder from persons with dyskinetic movement disorder. Participants from three groups (stereotypy, dyskinesia, control) were given a goal-oriented postural stability task, and performance was measured using a force platform and computerized posturographic techniques. The results showed that both movement disorder groups differed from the control group in the posture task. Further, the stereotypy and dyskinesia groups demonstrated markedly different postural movement profiles. The postural motion of the stereotypy group was characterized by greater amplitude and variability but lower complexity than the dyskinesia group. These results provide support for a motor control model of stereotypy.

Adult↗

Preliminary study of altered skin temperature at body sites associated with self-injurious behavior in adults who have developmental disabilities.

In this study, the sensory status of 4 nonverbal adults with mental retardation and severe self-injury was examined using skin temperature measures prior to opiate antagonist treatment. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, experimental ABAB designs were used to evaluate the effects of naltrexone hydrochloride (1.5 mg/kg/day). For each participant, the body site targeted most frequently for self-injury was associated with altered skin temperature and reduced by naltrexone. In all cases, neither infrequent self-injury body sites nor non-self-injury body sites were associated with altered skin temperature. Further controlled studies are warranted to examine the value of assessing pain status and skin temperature in nonverbal patients with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities who present with tissue-damaging SIB.

Adult↗

Varieties of repetitive behavior in autism: comparisons to mental retardation.

Systematic study of abnormal repetitive behaviors in autism has been lacking despite the diagnostic significance of such behavior. The occurrence of specific topographies of repetitive behaviors as well as their severity was assessed in individuals with mental retardation with and without autism. The occurrence of each behavior category, except dyskinesias, was higher in the autism group and autistic subjects exhibited a significantly greater number of topographies of stereotypy and compulsions. Both groups had significant patterns of repetitive behavior co-occurrence. Autistic subjects had significantly greater severity ratings for compulsions, stereotypy, and self-injury. Repetitive behavior severity also predicted severity of autism. Although abnormal repetition is not specific to autism, an elevated pattern of occurrence and severity appears to characterize the disorder.

Adult↗

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in adults with mental retardation.

The medical records of residents of a facility for persons with mental retardation from January 1, 1978, through December 31, 1997, were analyzed to identify incidence of sudden unexpected death for groups of 180 individuals with and 125 without comorbid epilepsy. Eighty deaths were identified, with 55 occurring in the epilepsy group and 25 in the nonepilepsy group. The rate of sudden unexpected death was 1.3 deaths per 1,000 patient years in the nonepilepsy group and 3.6 deaths per 1,000 patient years in the epilepsy group. The risk factors for sudden unexpected death in the epilepsy group were nonambulatory status and poorly controlled seizure disorder (increased seizure rate and increased number of antiepileptic drugs).

Adult↗

Dynamics of lip dyskinesia associated with neuroleptic withdrawal.

The lip movements associated with dyskinesia in adults with mental retardation were investigated through a dynamic analysis at medication baseline, at the points of the highest level of withdrawal dyskinesia as indexed by the DISCUS rating scale, and at the lowest level of dyskinesia following complete withdrawal of the medication. Results showed that the changes in the amount of lip oscillations following medication reduction and eventual withdrawal were strongly linked to changes in the structural complexity of the dynamics of lip motions. These findings provide evidence that neuroleptic medication reduces the df of the dynamics of the movement output and that this change is inversely related to the level of tardive dyskinetic motion observed in the clinical setting.

Adolescent↗

Lack of benefit of a single dose of synthetic human secretin in the treatment of autism and pervasive developmental disorder.

BACKGROUND: Secretin is a peptide hormone that stimulates pancreatic secretion. After recent publicity about a child with autism whose condition markedly improved after a single dose of secretin, thousands of children with autistic disorders may have received secretin injections. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a single intravenous dose of synthetic human secretin in 60 children (age, 3 to 14 years) with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. The children were randomly assigned to treatment with an intravenous infusion of synthetic human secretin (0.4 microg per kilogram of body weight) or saline placebo. We used standardized behavioral measures of the primary and secondary features of autism, including the Autism Behavior Checklist, to assess the degree of impairment at base line and over the course of a four-week period after treatment. RESULTS: Of the 60 children, 4 could not be evaluated - 2 received secretin outside the study, and 2 did not return for follow-up. Thus, 56 children (28 in each group) completed the study. As compared with placebo, secretin treatment was not associated with significant improvements in any of the outcome measures. Among the children in the secretin group, the mean total score on the Autism Behavior Checklist at base line was 59.0 (range of possible values, 0 to 158, with a larger value corresponding to greater impairment), and among those in the placebo group it was 63.2. The mean decreases in scores over the four-week period were 8.9 in the secretin group and 17.8 in the placebo group (mean difference, -8.9; 95 percent confidence interval, -19.4 to 1.6; P=0.11). None of the children had treatment-limiting adverse effects. After they were told the results, 69 percent of the parents of the children in this study said they remained interested in secretin as a treatment for their children. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of synthetic human secretin is not an effective treatment for autism or pervasive developmental disorder.

Adolescent↗

Variability of stereotypic body-rocking in adults with mental retardation.

The variability of stereotypic body-rocking motions of adults with severe and profound mental retardation not on medication was examined through a kinematic analysis. A matched nonretarded group of adults was also examined in the production of preferred rates of body-rocking. The inter- and intra-individual variability of the body-rocking motions was, on average, higher for the individuals with mental retardation, although a few participants showed as low a variability as the least variable participants in the nonretarded group. These findings provide further evidence that the kinematic variability of stereotypies is not lower than that displayed by others engaged in similar movement activities and support the proposition that low variability of discrete kinematic variables may not be a defining feature of stereotypy.

Adult↗

Akathisia in adults with mental retardation: development of the Akathisia Ratings of Movement Scale (ARMS).

We developed an akathisia rating scale for use with persons who have mental retardation and screened for the occurrence of akathisia in three samples: 66 adults receiving maintenance neuroleptic treatment, 20 adults not receiving neuroleptics, and 8 adults undergoing neuroleptic dose reduction. The scale had an acceptable level of interrater reliability and validly measured group differences related to neuroleptic treatment status. Using an empirically derived cut-off-score, we estimated the prevalence rate for akathisia to be 5% in neuroleptic-free subjects, 17% in neuroleptic-maintenance subjects, and 25% in neuroleptic-reduction subjects. Akathisia, dyskinesia, and stereotypy manifested as qualitatively different movement topograhies. The occurrence of dyskinesia stereotyped movement disorder was associated significantly with an increased occurrence of akathisia.

Adolescent↗

Tourette syndrome associated with mental retardation: a single-subject treatment study with haloperidol.

A Tic Checklist and direct observation tic measurement procedure were developed for the assessment of Tourette syndrome in individuals with mental retardation. Using a single-subject reversal design, we applied this assessment method to the evaluation of haloperidol treatment for a subject with Tourette syndrome and severe mental retardation. Relative to baseline, haloperidol 10 mg/day produced decreases of 66% in simple motor tics, 46% in complex motor tics, 45% in simple vocal tics, and 50% in complex vocal tics. Improvement was also seen in careprovider ratings of tic severity, hyperactivity, and compulsive behaviors.

Adult↗

Growth differences associated with compulsive and stereotyped behavior disorders in adults with mental retardation.

We have recently observed that compulsive behaviors in mentally retarded patients appear to be quite prevalent, can be reliably assessed, and have a high rate of co-occurrence with stereotyped and self-injurious behaviors in this population. As abnormal growth rate has been observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, we examined physical stature in adults with mental retardation who display repetitive movement disorders. Identification of cases with stereotypic movement disorder, and cases with compulsive behaviors was done using a symptom checklist and direct observation. Subjects with repetitive movement disorders were smaller in stature than control subjects, with gender differences observed across repetitive behavior disorders. Specifically, female subjects with compulsive behavior disorder, but not stereotypic movement disorder, were significantly shorter and weighted significantly less than same sex-matched controls. Conversely, male subjects with stereotypic movement disorder, but not compulsive disorder, were significantly shorter and weighed significantly less than same sex controls. These findings may point to a neuroendocrine abnormality associated with repetitive movement disorders.

Adolescent↗

Clomipramine treatment for self-injurious behavior of individuals with mental retardation: a double-blind comparison with placebo.

The efficacy of the serotonin (5-HT) uptake inhibitor clomipramine in the treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) was tested in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. Six of the 8 subjects who completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial exhibited a clinically significant improvement (50% or greater reduction from placebo) in the frequency of SIB. Clomipramine treatment was also associated with improvement in SIB intensity, frequency of stereotypy and compulsions, teacher ratings of stereotypy and social withdrawal, and frequency of staff intervention required for problem behaviors. Adverse effects (seizure and tachycardia/agitation) occurred in 2 of the 8 subjects. These results represent the first controlled trial of a 5-HT uptake inhibitor in the treatment of SIB in mental retardation.

Adult↗

Self-restraint and self-injury: occurrence and motivational significance.

The occurrence of self-restraint was examined in a sample of 99 adults with severe or profound mental retardation who exhibited self-injury. Results showed that 46% of the sample exhibited self-restraint. A significantly higher occurrence of compulsive behaviors was found for subjects who engaged in self-injury and self-restraint when compared to self-injury subjects without self-restraint. To determine the motivational significance of self-restraint, we assessed the response to brief interruption of this behavior. Subjects who engaged in self-restraint responded more negatively to response interruption than did control subjects. These preliminary findings support the hypothesis that self-injury may be related to a compulsive behavior disorder in some individuals who self-restrain.

Adolescent↗