• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined the changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms in the parents of Korean adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) after participating in the Korean version of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills for Young Adults (PEERS^® -YA-K). Methods: Forty-six parents were enrolled (mean age 54.7 years; 22 fathers and 24 mothers), of whom 27 participated in the PEERS^® - YA-K as social coaches. Participants completed self-report scales, including the Test of Young Adult Social Skills Knowledge (TYASSK), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Symptom Check-List-90-R (SCL-90-R). The scales were administered three times: before and after the 16-week program and 4 months after the program ended. Differences between participant variables at pretreatment, post-treatment, and follow-up were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests. Results: Participants showed a significant improvement in their social skills knowledge (TYASSK) (p<0.01). There was a significant improvement in the BAI and BDI scores of parents with severe depressive and anxiety symptoms at the baseline (p<0.05). Paternal paranoia and maternal hostility results also significantly improved on the SCL-90-R. Conclusion: This study suggests that PEERS^® -YA-K can reduce parental anxiety and depressive symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first to compare the degree of depression and anxiety after PEERS^® -YA-K in parents of adults with ASD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.154-160
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) using methylphenidate (MPH). Methods : Retrospective review of the charts of 79 children and adolescents with ASDs, who visited the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Seoul National Hospital, from July 2010 to July 2011, was conducted. Changes in illness severity and improvement were measured using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of illness (CGI-S) and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scales. Results : We found that MPH was prescribed in 23 (29.1%) children and adolescents. Of the 23 patients on MPH, 4 patients (17.4%) were on MPH monotherapy and 18 patients (78.3%) were using risperidone concomitantly. MPH was prescribed primarily for symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity in ASDs patients. The mean dosage of MPH was $26.2{\pm}11.1$mg/day and mean duration of treatment was $31.9{\pm}28.7$ months. Mean CGI-S score improved significantly from baseline to endpoint (from $5.4{\pm}0.6$ to $4.1{\pm}0.9$ ; p<.01). MPH was reported to be effective in 17 patients (17/23, 73.9%), and 10 patients (10/23, 43.5%) reported side effects. Side effects included decreased appetite (4/23, 17.4%), tic (2/23, 8.6%), sleep disturbances (2/23, 8.6%), headache (1/23, 4.3%) and irritability (1/23, 4.3%). Conclusion : The results of this study demonstrate that MPH may be used effectively and safely in children and adolescents with ASDs with hyperactivity and impulsivity. Future controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.241-245
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• 2011

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic multisystem disorder that results from mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, and is associated with hamartomas in several organs, including subependymal giant cell tumors. The neurological manifestations of TSC are particularly challenging and include infantile spasms, intractable epilepsy, cognitive disabilities, and autism. The TSC1- and TSC2-encoded proteins modulate cell function via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascade, and are key factors in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. The mTOR pathway provides an intersection for an intricate network of protein cascades that respond to cellular nutrition, energy levels, and growth factor stimulation. In the brain, TSC1 and TSC2 have been implicated in cell body size, dendritic arborization, axonal outgrowth and targeting, neuronal migration, cortical lamination, and spine formation. The mTOR pathway represents a logical candidate for drug targeting, because mTOR regulates multiple cellular functions that may contribute to epileptogenesis, including protein synthesis, cell growth and proliferation, and synaptic plasticity. Antagonism of the mTOR pathway with rapamycin and related compounds may provide new therapeutic options for TSC patients.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2015

Phenomenology has been developed by philosophers like Kant and Husserl since the late 18th century. Jaspers, a German psychiatrist, adopted it into psychopathology studies and accumulated data by closely observing and recording the patients' symptoms and signs. Among descriptions done even before the psychopathology or diagnostic criteria of disorders in the field of child psychiatry was established, we can find exact and valuable descriptions matching the autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The diagnostic criteria of modern childhood psychiatric disorders were established based on these grounds. Phenomenological/descriptive methods in various psychiatric fields lead to medical study methods for social phenomenon such as oiettolie, hikikomori, and internet game addiction. Since Romanian orphans were adopted to the western world, descriptive studies along with neurobiological studies on the influence of stimulus deprivation on emotional and physical development are being conducted. While phenomenology, which was adopted by Jaspers to verify psychopathology, was developed mainly by observation and description, recent studies are explaining such descriptive phenomena even at the synapse level due to advances in neurobiology. Although phenomenological/descriptive psychiatry, describing precise and detailed experiences of patients, is less applied nowadays among modern study methods, we must remember that such descriptions may lead to biological studies and provide evidence to improve the accuracy of choosing and applying treatment methods.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.58-61
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• 2015

The people with disabilities living in residential facilities have more difficulty in caring oral hygiene than those living at home. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the recent 2014 dental treatment records of free mobile dental clinic service for disabled people in Korea. 203 disabled living in residential facilities participated in mobile dental clinic. Patients classified according to types of disability. Mental retardation were 75.3%, mental disorder were 6.0%, crippled disorder were 7.4%, brain disorder were 6.5%, visual disorder were1.4%, auditory and speech disorder were 2.3% and autism disorder were 0.9%. Performed treatments were 99 scaling and curettage, 88 fluoride varnish and TBI, 4 extraction, 1 endodontic treatment, 16 caries control (resin filling, GI filling), 1 denture repair and 8 refuse the treatment. Free mobile dental clinic can not provide complex dental treatment. So, the organization should systemize advanced dental treatment and regular preventive programs. Furthermore, we need to have a more concerns about the people with disabilities living in residential facilities and constantly participate on a dental voluntary work.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2007

The objective of this review is to establish practice parameters for pharmacological treatment of children and adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders. We performed a detailed review of the literature, including a wide range of controlled clinical trials, open trials, case reports, and side-effect profiles of related drugs. Few medications have a treatment indication for pervasive developmental disorders, and few studies with well-controlled methodology are available for evaluating treatment results. Pharmacological treatments focus on associated target symptoms because symptom reduction may improve educational and social ability and enhance quality of life. Well-controlled trials have been conducted for some SSRI(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants, risperidone, and methylphenidate, and showed reduction of some target symptoms. Since the medications are not specific to autism and do not treat core symptoms of the disorder, their potential side effects should be carefully considered. Family education is necessary to give proper information on target symptoms, limitation of drug treatments, and risks.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.205-213
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• 2017

Background: This study retrospectively investigated outcomes following dental implantation in patients with special needs who required general anesthesia to enable treatment. Method: Patients underwent implant treatment under general anesthesia at the Clinic for the Disabled in Seoul National University Dental Hospital between January 2004 and June 2017. The study analyzed medical records and radiographs. Implant survival rates were calculated by applying criteria for success or failure. Results: Of 19 patients in the study, 8 were males and 11 were females, with a mean age of 32.9 years. The patients included 11 with mental retardation, 3 with autism, 2 with cerebral palsy, 2 with schizophrenia, and 1 with a brain disorder; 2 patients also had seizure disorders. All were incapable of oral self-care due to serious cognitive impairment and could not cooperate with normal dental treatment. A total of 27 rounds of general anesthesia and 1 round of intravenous sedation were performed for implant surgery. Implant placement was performed in 3 patients whose prosthesis records could not be found, while 3 other patients had less than 1 year of follow-up after prosthetic treatment. When the criteria for implant success or failure were applied in 13 remaining patients, 3 implant failures occurred in 59 total treatments. The cumulative survival rate of implants over an average of 43.3 months (15-116 months) was 94.9%. Conclusion: For patients with severe cognitive impairment who are incapable of oral self-care, implant treatment under general anesthesia showed a favorable prognosis.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.133-142
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• 2009

Objectives The study was designed to report the clinical effects of scalp acupuncture on autistic children. Methods These patients were treated by scalp acupuncture. We observed the improvement of his disease through K-CARS and E-CLAC tests. Results By using scalp acupuncture, we could make a considerable improvement of autistic score(K-CARS). Conclusions The above results suggest that scalp acupuncture can be an effective treatment for autistic children.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.99-103
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• 2021

The purpose of this review is to examine the clinical use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Many studies have been conducted using objective evaluation tools for psychiatric evaluation, such as predicting psychiatric symptoms and treatment responses. Compared to other tools, fNIRS has the advantage of being a noninvasive, inexpensive, and portable method and can be used with patients in the awake state. This study mainly focused on its use in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. We hope that research involving fNIRS will be actively conducted in various diseases in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.39-53
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to systematically review dysphagia rehabilitation treatment for children with feeding disorders. Methods : The articles evaluated in this study were collected from the PubMed, Medline Complete, and CINAHL databases and subsequently reviewed using the PRISMA flow chart and PICOS approach. A total of 13 papers were analyzed for study quality, disease groups, evaluation tools, interventions, and post-intervention effects. Results : Of the reviewed papers, six (46.15%) related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and seven (53.85%) to cerebral palsy (CP) with age ranges of between 2 and 8 years for the ASD studies and between 12 months and 18 years for CP. In evaluating the types of feeding disorder involved, the ASD group exhibited predominantly behavioral conditions while the CP subjects had a larger number of functional oral and swallowing issues. In terms of interventions, behavior modifications were used most frequently with ASD while oral-sensory motor, texture modifications, and electrical stimulation were applied at the same frequency with children with CP. All interventions were found to be effective. Conclusion : In this study, research into children with feeding disorders was reviewed according to condition, evaluation tool, and method of intervention. It is expected that this review can be used as basic data for developing a protocol that will allow clinicians to efficiently apply condition-specific interventions for eating disorders without resorting to trial and error.