Sibel Kazak Berument

A Family Genetic Study of Autism Associated with Profound Mental Retardation

We sought to determine if the family loading for either the broader autism phenotype or for cognitive impairment differed according to whether or not autism was accompanied by severe mental retardation. The sample comprised 47 probands with autism meeting ICD-10 criteria, as assessed by the Autism Diagnostic Interview and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Family history interview and findings were compared with those for the higher IQ autism and Down syndrome samples in the Bolton et al. (1994) study. The familial loading for autism and for the broader phenotype was closely comparable to that in the study of higher IQ autism, and different from that for Down syndrome. The family loading for scholastic achievement difficulties was slightly, but significantly, higher when autism was accompanied by severe retardation.

Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire in a sample of Turkish children

Special Issue: Abstracts of the XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Monday 21st July 2008.The reliance on IT-mediated communication involvesinterpersonal exchanges without face-to-facecontact. However, this does not preclude emotionalexchange. Have we not all at some point engaged in e-mail exchange where facts, fantasies and contagion caused us to get caught in spiralingexchanges of increasingly emotional and decreasingly rational e-mail? The purpose here is to explore e-mail conversations perceived as going awry, in terms of negative emotional escalation. Backtracking e-mail conversations using discourse analysis and interviews, factors leading to an ‘‘emotional tipping point’’ and beyond were identified. Concludingly, psychological and managerial aspects on how then to avoid emotional escalation are derived.