Samuel Fernandez-Carriba

Factor Analysis of Multiple Measures of Hand Use in Captive Chimpanzees: An Alternative Approach to the Assessment of Handedness in Nonhuman Primates

We tested whether chimpanzee handedness could be characterized as either unidimensional or multidimensional when considered across multiple measures of hand use. We determined for each of 6 different tasks in a sample of 105 captive chimpanzees hand preferences, and subjected the individual hand preference scores to a factor analysis. Five of the 6 tasks loaded on two separate factors that accounted for 54% of the variance. To assess population-level handedness, we calculated handedness indices for the loadings on each factor, for the item loadings across all factors, and for all tasks including ones that did not load on any factor. There is significant population-level right handedness for all 4 indices, which suggests that chimpanzee handedness is multidimensional and not task specific.

The effect of situational factors on hand preferences for feeding in 177 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

This study examined the effect of situational factors on hand use for feeding in a sample of captive chimpanzees. Lateral bias in hand use was tested in biased and unbiased testing circumstances to assess strength and consistency in hand preference. For both unbiased and biased testing conditions, population-level right hand preferences were found for the sample. In the biased condition, subjects were more likely to overcome positional factors in order to feed with their right hand contrasted with the left. Overall, hand use in the biased and unbiased testing conditions was significantly positively correlated. In terms of strength of hand use, juveniles were found to be less lateralized than sub-adults and adults. Moreover, juvenile females were found to be more lateralized than juvenile males. Taken together, the data suggest that chimpanzee hand preferences for feeding are not constrained by situational factors and are relatively consistent in biased and unbiased testing conditions.

Assessment of Autism Across the Lifespan: A Way Forward

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is currently estimated at 1 in 68 individuals in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 63:1–21, 2014)), and recommendations for screening and best practices for diagnostic evaluations have been formulated in scientific, clinical, and institutional venues, if not successfully implemented. As such, this article reviews the best practices in the field for toddler, school-age and adolescent/adult assessments, describes at-risk symptomatology in toddlers, reviews common co-morbidities to be aware of at each time point, discusses cultural issues with regard to diagnoses, and brings forth new research, particularly with regard to earlier screening and diagnosis.

Axis I psychiatric diagnoses in adolescents and young adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome

BACKGROUND 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) associates with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and other psychiatric disorders, but co-occurrence of diagnoses are not well described. METHODS We evaluated the co-occurrence of SSDs, ASDs and other axis I psychiatric diagnoses in 31 adolescents and adults with 22q11DS, assessing ASDs using either stringent Collaborative Program for Excellence in Autism (ASD-CPEA) criteria, or less stringent DSM-IV criteria alone (ASD-DSM-IV). RESULTS Ten (32%) individuals met criteria for an SSD, five (16%) for ASD-CPEA, and five others (16%) for ASD-DSM-IV. Of those with ASD-CPEA, one (20%) met SSD criteria. Of those with ASD-DSM-IV, four (80%) met SSD criteria. Depressive disorders (8 individuals; 26%) and anxiety disorders (7; 23%) sometimes co-occurred with SSDs and ASDs. SSDs, ASDs, and anxiety occurred predominantly among males and depression predominantly among females. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with 22q11DS can manifest SSDs in the presence or absence of ASDs and other axis I diagnoses. The results suggest that standard clinical care should include childhood screening for ASDs, and later periodic screening for all axis I diagnoses.

Judgments of Monkey’s (Macaca mulatta) Facial Expressions by Humans: Does Housing Condition “Affect” Countenance?

The ability to interpret facial expressions of others is one of the more important abilities possessed by humans. However, is it possible for humans to interpret the facial expressions of another species of primate accurately, namely rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)? We investigated this possibility by taking digital photos of four rhesus monkeys, housed either singly or socially, and allowing 31 participants to judge these photographs as representing either a happy, sad, or neutral monkey. Results indicated that the photographs of socially-housed monkeys were more likely to be rated as happy or neutral than were photographs of singly-housed monkeys. We suggest that these results imply important parallels between the perception of human and nonhuman primate facial expressions, as well as introduce a potential new method for assessing nonhuman primate well-being.

Self-Help for Parents of Children with Autism: Mindfulness and Compassion

Whereas the role of the parent as natural therapist for their child with autism has been studied at length, much less attention has been given to understand and support the emotional needs of those we bestow with such a great responsibility. In this chapter, we refer to interventions that provide support for the mental health and overall well-being of these parents as self-help programs. First, we highlight the scarcity of studies addressing self-help in the parent-training literature. Next, we discuss practical and ethical reasons why more attention should be given to this topic. We then provide a detailed account of self-help programs that have been empirically studied, with attention to specific techniques that have shown promising results, such as mindfulness meditation or training in full awareness. Mindfulness and compassion meditation, defined by the cultivation of full awareness of others and self with the desire to alleviate all suffering, will be presented as a potentially successful coping strategy to reduce distress in parents of children with autism as well as a social skill training to reduce isolation and increase social competence. We will conclude with the brief report of a pilot program at the Marcus Autism Center in which we aimed to teach parents mindfulness and compassion meditation which, in turn, may benefit their children with autism.