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Dr. Antonio Narzisi
IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Calambrone (Pisa), Italy

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Autism Spectrum Disorders
0 Neurodevelopmental Disorders
0 Neurodevelopmental Treatment
0 Neuroscience
0 Psychotherapy

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Autism Spectrum Disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Neuroscience

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Short Biography

Antonio Narzisi is a psychologist and Gestalt psychotherapist, and he has a PhD in Developmental Neuroscience. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and he works at the IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation of Pisa, Italy (https://www.fsm.unipi.it). He has been actively involved in European projects on ASD. His research and clinical interests are in the area of early diagnosis and treatment of ASD. He is the author of many papers published in peer-reviewed journals. He is a Contract Professor at the University of Pisa and a Full Member of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).

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Perspective
Published: 10 July 2021 in Brain Sciences
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In the current paper, we present a view of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which avoids the typical relational issues, instead drawing on philosophy, in particular Husserlian phenomenology. We begin by following the recent etiological perspectives that suggest a natural predisposition of a part of individuals with ASD towards hypersensitivity and the reduced influence of cognitive priors (i.e., event schemas). Following this perspective, these two characteristics should be considered as a sort of phenomenological a priori that, importantly, could predispose people with ASD towards a spiritual experience, not intended in its religious meaning, but as an attribute of consciousness that consists of being aware of and attentive to what is occurring in the present moment. Potential clinical implications are discussed.

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi; Rosy Muccio. A Neuro-Phenomenological Perspective on the Autism Phenotype. Brain Sciences 2021, 11, 914 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi, Rosy Muccio. A Neuro-Phenomenological Perspective on the Autism Phenotype. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11 (7):914.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi; Rosy Muccio. 2021. "A Neuro-Phenomenological Perspective on the Autism Phenotype." Brain Sciences 11, no. 7: 914.

Journal article
Published: 18 June 2021 in Brain Sciences
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Background: When COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic, many countries imposed severe lockdowns that changed families’ routines and negatively impacted on parents’ and children’s mental health. Several studies on families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) revealed that lockdown increased the difficulties faced by individuals with ASD, as well as parental distress. No studies have analyzed the interplay between parental distress, children’s emotional responses, and adaptive behaviors in children with ASD considering the period of the mandatory lockdown. Furthermore, we compared families with children on the spectrum and families with typically developing (TD) children in terms of their distress, children’s emotional responses, and behavioral adaptation. Methods: In this study, 120 parents of children aged 5–10 years (53 with ASD) participated. Results: In the four tested models, children’s positive and negative emotional responses mediated the impact of parental distress on children’s playing activities. In the ASD group, parents reported that their children expressed more positive emotions, but fewer playing activities, than TD children. Families with children on the spectrum reported greater behavioral problems during the lockdown and more parental distress. Conclusions: Our findings inform the interventions designed for parents to reduce distress and to develop coping strategies to better manage the caregiver–child relationship.

ACS Style

Annalisa Levante; Serena Petrocchi; Federica Bianco; Ilaria Castelli; Costanza Colombi; Roberto Keller; Antonio Narzisi; Gabriele Masi; Flavia Lecciso. Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Peers: An Online Survey. Brain Sciences 2021, 11, 808 .

AMA Style

Annalisa Levante, Serena Petrocchi, Federica Bianco, Ilaria Castelli, Costanza Colombi, Roberto Keller, Antonio Narzisi, Gabriele Masi, Flavia Lecciso. Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Peers: An Online Survey. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11 (6):808.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Annalisa Levante; Serena Petrocchi; Federica Bianco; Ilaria Castelli; Costanza Colombi; Roberto Keller; Antonio Narzisi; Gabriele Masi; Flavia Lecciso. 2021. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Peers: An Online Survey." Brain Sciences 11, no. 6: 808.

Editorial
Published: 17 June 2021 in Nutrients
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multicomplex disorder characterized by an umbrella of specific issues in the areas of social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi; Gabriele Masi; Enzo Grossi. Nutrition and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Between False Myths and Real Research-Based Opportunities. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2068 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi, Gabriele Masi, Enzo Grossi. Nutrition and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Between False Myths and Real Research-Based Opportunities. Nutrients. 2021; 13 (6):2068.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi; Gabriele Masi; Enzo Grossi. 2021. "Nutrition and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Between False Myths and Real Research-Based Opportunities." Nutrients 13, no. 6: 2068.

Review
Published: 26 May 2021 in Brain Sciences
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LEGO®-based therapy is a social skills development program aimed at children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science bibliographic databases were searched from their date of inception to August 2020. The review included 19 studies. Studies were classified according to experimental designs (e.g., Randomized Control Trial, Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions and case report and series) and a narrative synthesis of each was provided, along with a critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the available literature on the topic. Although LEGO®-based therapy appears a promising treatment for social interaction in ASD, the findings of LEGO®-based therapy studies should be interpreted and generalized with caution, due to the low quality of the studies and the small sample sizes.

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi; Gianluca Sesso; Stefano Berloffa; Pamela Fantozzi; Rosy Muccio; Elena Valente; Valentina Viglione; Arianna Villafranca; Annarita Milone; Gabriele Masi. Could You Give Me the Blue Brick? LEGO®-Based Therapy as a Social Development Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences 2021, 11, 702 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi, Gianluca Sesso, Stefano Berloffa, Pamela Fantozzi, Rosy Muccio, Elena Valente, Valentina Viglione, Arianna Villafranca, Annarita Milone, Gabriele Masi. Could You Give Me the Blue Brick? LEGO®-Based Therapy as a Social Development Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11 (6):702.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi; Gianluca Sesso; Stefano Berloffa; Pamela Fantozzi; Rosy Muccio; Elena Valente; Valentina Viglione; Arianna Villafranca; Annarita Milone; Gabriele Masi. 2021. "Could You Give Me the Blue Brick? LEGO®-Based Therapy as a Social Development Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review." Brain Sciences 11, no. 6: 702.

Journal article
Published: 11 March 2021 in Sensors
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Observing how children manipulate objects while they are playing can help detect possible autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at an early stage. For this purpose, specialists seek the so-called “red-flags” of motor signature of ASD for more precise diagnostic tests. However, a significant drawback to achieve this is that the observation of object manipulation by the child very often is not naturalistic, as it involves the physical presence of the specialist and is typically performed in hospitals. In this framework, we present a novel Internet of Things support in the form factory of a smart toy that can be used by specialists to perform indirect and non-invasive observations of the children in naturalistic conditions. While they play with the toy, children can be observed in their own environment and without the physical presence of the specialist. We also present the technical validation of the technology and the study protocol for the refinement of the diagnostic practice based on this technology.

ACS Style

Mariasole Bondioli; Stefano Chessa; Antonio Narzisi; Susanna Pelagatti; Michele Zoncheddu. Towards Motor-Based Early Detection of Autism Red Flags: Enabling Technology and Exploratory Study Protocol. Sensors 2021, 21, 1971 .

AMA Style

Mariasole Bondioli, Stefano Chessa, Antonio Narzisi, Susanna Pelagatti, Michele Zoncheddu. Towards Motor-Based Early Detection of Autism Red Flags: Enabling Technology and Exploratory Study Protocol. Sensors. 2021; 21 (6):1971.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mariasole Bondioli; Stefano Chessa; Antonio Narzisi; Susanna Pelagatti; Michele Zoncheddu. 2021. "Towards Motor-Based Early Detection of Autism Red Flags: Enabling Technology and Exploratory Study Protocol." Sensors 21, no. 6: 1971.

Editorial
Published: 07 December 2020 in Brain Sciences
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My personal experience as Guest Editor of the Special Issue (SI) entitled “Advances in Autism Research” began with a nice correspondence with Andrew Meltzoff, from the University of Washington, Seattle (WA, USA), which, in hindsight, I consider as a good omen for the success of this Special Issue: “Dear Antonio…

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi. The Challenging Heterogeneity of Autism: Editorial for Brain Sciences Special Issue “Advances in Autism Research”. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 948 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi. The Challenging Heterogeneity of Autism: Editorial for Brain Sciences Special Issue “Advances in Autism Research”. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (12):948.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi. 2020. "The Challenging Heterogeneity of Autism: Editorial for Brain Sciences Special Issue “Advances in Autism Research”." Brain Sciences 10, no. 12: 948.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2020 in The Humanistic Psychologist
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ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi. Autism spectrum condition and COVID-19: Issues and chances. The Humanistic Psychologist 2020, 48, 378 -381.

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi. Autism spectrum condition and COVID-19: Issues and chances. The Humanistic Psychologist. 2020; 48 (4):378-381.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi. 2020. "Autism spectrum condition and COVID-19: Issues and chances." The Humanistic Psychologist 48, no. 4: 378-381.

Journal article
Published: 26 November 2020 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
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Although childhood-onset psychiatric disorders are often considered as distinct and separate from each other, they frequently co-occur, with partial overlapping symptomatology. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly co-occur with each other and with other mental disorders, particularly disruptive behavior disorders, oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD). Whether these associated comorbidities represent a spectrum of distinct clinical phenotypes is matter of research. The aim of our study was to describe the clinical phenotypes of youths with ADHD with and without ASD and/or ODD/CD, based on neuropsychological and psychopathological variables. One-hundred fifty-one participants with ADHD were prospectively recruited and assigned to four clinical groups, and assessed by means of parent-reported questionnaires, the child behavior checklist and the behavior rating inventory of executive functions. The ADHD alone group presented a greater impairment in metacognitive executive functions, ADHD+ASD patients presented higher internalizing problems and deficits in Shifting tasks, and ADHD+ODD/CD subjects presented emotional-behavioral dysregulation. Moreover, ADHD+ASD+ODD/CD individuals exhibited greater internalizing and externalizing problems, and specific neuropsychological impairments in the domains of emotional regulation. Our study supports the need to implement the evaluation of the psychopathological and neuropsychological functioning profiles, and to characterize specific endophenotypes for a finely customized establishment of treatment strategies.

ACS Style

Gianluca Sesso; Chiara Cristofani; Stefano Berloffa; Paola Cristofani; Pamela Fantozzi; Emanuela Inguaggiato; Antonio Narzisi; Chiara Pfanner; Federica Ricci; Annalisa Tacchi; Elena Valente; Valentina Viglione; Annarita Milone; Gabriele Masi. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Comorbidities Delineate Clinical Phenotypes in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Novel Insights from the Assessment of Psychopathological and Neuropsychological Profiles. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2020, 9, 3839 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Sesso, Chiara Cristofani, Stefano Berloffa, Paola Cristofani, Pamela Fantozzi, Emanuela Inguaggiato, Antonio Narzisi, Chiara Pfanner, Federica Ricci, Annalisa Tacchi, Elena Valente, Valentina Viglione, Annarita Milone, Gabriele Masi. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Comorbidities Delineate Clinical Phenotypes in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Novel Insights from the Assessment of Psychopathological and Neuropsychological Profiles. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9 (12):3839.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Sesso; Chiara Cristofani; Stefano Berloffa; Paola Cristofani; Pamela Fantozzi; Emanuela Inguaggiato; Antonio Narzisi; Chiara Pfanner; Federica Ricci; Annalisa Tacchi; Elena Valente; Valentina Viglione; Annarita Milone; Gabriele Masi. 2020. "Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Comorbidities Delineate Clinical Phenotypes in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Novel Insights from the Assessment of Psychopathological and Neuropsychological Profiles." Journal of Clinical Medicine 9, no. 12: 3839.

Journal article
Published: 17 October 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescents are closely associated to bipolar disorders (BD). Growing evidence also suggests that high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD) are at increased risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors. Although BD and HF-ASD are frequently comorbid, no studies explored suicidality in these individuals. This exploratory study addressed this issue in a clinical group of inpatient adolescents referred to a psychiatric emergency unit. Seventeen adolescents with BD and HF-ASD and severe suicidal ideation or attempts (BD-ASD-S), were compared to 17 adolescents with BD and HF-ASD without suicidal ideation or attempts (BD-ASD-noS), and to 18 adolescents with BD and suicidal ideation or attempts without ASD (BD-noASD-S), using a structured assessment methodology. Individuals with BD-ASD-S had a higher intelligence quotient, more severe clinical impairment, more lethality in suicide attempts, more internalizing symptoms, less impulsiveness, and lower social competence. Severity of ASD traits in individuals and parents did not correlate with suicidal risk. Some dimensions of resilience were protective in terms of repulsion by life and attraction to death. Main limitations are the small sample size, the lack of a control group of typically developing adolescents. However, a better understanding of the specificities of bipolar HF-ASD individuals with suicidality may improve prevention and treatment strategies.

ACS Style

Gabriele Masi; Silvia Scullin; Antonio Narzisi; Pietro Muratori; Marinella Paciello; Deborah Fabiani; Francesca Lenzi; Maria Mucci; Giulia D'acunto. Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Attempts in Referred Adolescents with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Study. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 750 .

AMA Style

Gabriele Masi, Silvia Scullin, Antonio Narzisi, Pietro Muratori, Marinella Paciello, Deborah Fabiani, Francesca Lenzi, Maria Mucci, Giulia D'acunto. Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Attempts in Referred Adolescents with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Study. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (10):750.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gabriele Masi; Silvia Scullin; Antonio Narzisi; Pietro Muratori; Marinella Paciello; Deborah Fabiani; Francesca Lenzi; Maria Mucci; Giulia D'acunto. 2020. "Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Attempts in Referred Adolescents with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Study." Brain Sciences 10, no. 10: 750.

Journal article
Published: 02 August 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Language deficits represent one of the most relevant factors that determine the clinical phenotype of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main aim of the research was to study the grammatical comprehension of children with ASD. A sample of 70 well-diagnosed children (60 boys and 10 girls; aged 4.9–8 years) were prospectively recruited. The results showed that language comprehension is the most impaired language domain in ASD. These findings have important clinical implications, since the persistence of grammatical receptive deficits may have a negative impact on social, adaptive and learning achievements. As for the grammatical profiles, persistent difficulties were found during the school-age years in morphological and syntactic decoding in children with relatively preserved cognitive and expressive language skills. These data and the lack of a statistically significant correlation between the severity of ASD symptoms and language skills are in line with the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) perspective that considers the socio-communication disorder as a nuclear feature of ASD and the language disorder as a specifier of the diagnosis and not as a secondary symptom anymore. The presence of receptive difficulties in school-age ASD children with relatively preserved non-verbal cognitive abilities provides important hints to establish rehabilitative treatments.

ACS Style

Jessica Barsotti; Gloria Mangani; Roberta Nencioli; Lucia Pfanner; Raffaella Tancredi; Angela Cosenza; Gianluca Sesso; Antonio Narzisi; Filippo Muratori; Paola Cipriani; Anna Maria Chilosi. Grammatical Comprehension in Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 510 .

AMA Style

Jessica Barsotti, Gloria Mangani, Roberta Nencioli, Lucia Pfanner, Raffaella Tancredi, Angela Cosenza, Gianluca Sesso, Antonio Narzisi, Filippo Muratori, Paola Cipriani, Anna Maria Chilosi. Grammatical Comprehension in Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (8):510.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jessica Barsotti; Gloria Mangani; Roberta Nencioli; Lucia Pfanner; Raffaella Tancredi; Angela Cosenza; Gianluca Sesso; Antonio Narzisi; Filippo Muratori; Paola Cipriani; Anna Maria Chilosi. 2020. "Grammatical Comprehension in Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Brain Sciences 10, no. 8: 510.

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Executive functions have been previously shown to correlate with empathic attitudes and prosocial behaviors. People with higher levels of executive functions, as a whole, may better regulate their emotions and reduce perceived distress during the empathetic processes. Our goal was to explore the relationship between empathy and executive functioning in a sample of children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder alone or associated with comorbid Disruptive Behavior Disorders and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder. We also aimed to examine the role of empathic dimensions and executive skills in regulating externalizing behaviors. The 151 participants with ADHD were assigned to four groups according to their psychiatric comorbidity (either “pure” or with ASD and/or ODD/CD) and assessed by means of either parent- or self-reported questionnaires, namely the BRIEF−2, the BES, and the IRI. No questionnaire was found to discriminate between the four groups. Affective Empathy was found to positively correlate with Emotional and Behavioral Regulation competences. Furthermore, Aggressiveness and Oppositional Defiant Problems were positively associated with Executive Emotional and Behavioral Regulation competences. On the other hand, Rule-Breaking Behaviors and Conduct Problems were negatively associated with Affective Empathy and with Behavioral skills. Our study provides an additional contribution for a better understanding of the complex relationship between empathic competence and executive functions, showing that executive functioning and empathic attitudes interact with each other to regulate aggressive behaviors. This study further corroborates developmental models of empathy and their clinical implications, for which externalizing behaviors could be attenuated by enhancing executive functioning skills.

ACS Style

Chiara Cristofani; Gianluca Sesso; Paola Cristofani; Pamela Fantozzi; Emanuela Inguaggiato; Pietro Muratori; Antonio Narzisi; Chiara Pfanner; Simone Pisano; Lisa Polidori; Laura Ruglioni; Elena Valente; Gabriele Masi; Annarita Milone. The Role of Executive Functions in the Development of Empathy and Its Association with Externalizing Behaviors in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Other Psychiatric Comorbidities. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 489 .

AMA Style

Chiara Cristofani, Gianluca Sesso, Paola Cristofani, Pamela Fantozzi, Emanuela Inguaggiato, Pietro Muratori, Antonio Narzisi, Chiara Pfanner, Simone Pisano, Lisa Polidori, Laura Ruglioni, Elena Valente, Gabriele Masi, Annarita Milone. The Role of Executive Functions in the Development of Empathy and Its Association with Externalizing Behaviors in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Other Psychiatric Comorbidities. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (8):489.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chiara Cristofani; Gianluca Sesso; Paola Cristofani; Pamela Fantozzi; Emanuela Inguaggiato; Pietro Muratori; Antonio Narzisi; Chiara Pfanner; Simone Pisano; Lisa Polidori; Laura Ruglioni; Elena Valente; Gabriele Masi; Annarita Milone. 2020. "The Role of Executive Functions in the Development of Empathy and Its Association with Externalizing Behaviors in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Other Psychiatric Comorbidities." Brain Sciences 10, no. 8: 489.

Journal article
Published: 12 July 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show worse oral health than their peers. Their access to health services is, at present, inadequate: few high-quality interventions have been designed and implemented to improve their care procedures so far. The purpose of this study is to describe an experience of dental care supported by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), for children with ASD in a public health service. In our study, 59 children (mean age 9.9 years; SD = 5.43) participated in the MyDentist project. It integrates classic dental care techniques with new practices for desensitization and fear control, delivered through an enhanced customized ICT-based intervention aiming at familiarizing the child with ASD with the medical setting and procedures. Two questionnaires were filled out by parents to describe the acceptability of the MyDentist experience for their children. Significant results were shown from T0 (before initiating MyDentist) to T1 (after 6 months of the MyDentist experience) regarding improved oral hygiene and cooperation during dental treatments. Families positively assessed the use of ICT support. In conclusion, the project demonstrated acceptability by parents, suggesting that public health dental care and prevention can be successfully implemented without resorting to costly pharmacological interventions (with potential side effects), taking better care of children’s health.

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi; Mariasole Bondioli; Francesca Pardossi; Lucia Billeci; Maria Claudia Buzzi; Marina Buzzi; Martina Pinzino; Caterina Senette; Valentina Semucci; Alessandro Tonacci; Fabio Uscidda; Benedetta Vagelli; Maria Rita Giuca; Susanna Pelagatti. “Mom Let’s Go to the Dentist!” Preliminary Feasibility of a Tailored Dental Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Italian Public Health Service. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 444 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi, Mariasole Bondioli, Francesca Pardossi, Lucia Billeci, Maria Claudia Buzzi, Marina Buzzi, Martina Pinzino, Caterina Senette, Valentina Semucci, Alessandro Tonacci, Fabio Uscidda, Benedetta Vagelli, Maria Rita Giuca, Susanna Pelagatti. “Mom Let’s Go to the Dentist!” Preliminary Feasibility of a Tailored Dental Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Italian Public Health Service. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (7):444.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi; Mariasole Bondioli; Francesca Pardossi; Lucia Billeci; Maria Claudia Buzzi; Marina Buzzi; Martina Pinzino; Caterina Senette; Valentina Semucci; Alessandro Tonacci; Fabio Uscidda; Benedetta Vagelli; Maria Rita Giuca; Susanna Pelagatti. 2020. "“Mom Let’s Go to the Dentist!” Preliminary Feasibility of a Tailored Dental Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Italian Public Health Service." Brain Sciences 10, no. 7: 444.

Journal article
Published: 23 June 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Background: Tests based on human figure drawings (HFD) have captured the attention of clinicians and psychologists for a long time. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of HFD of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) relative to typically developing (TD) controls. Methods: All children were asked to draw three human figures (man, woman, self-portrait) and were evaluated with a neuropsychological battery. HFD were scored according to the Maturity Scale, and correlative approaches testing maturity against neuropsychological scores were applied. Results: ASDs presented marked deficits in maturity. No significant correlation emerged for both groups between maturity and the theory of mind test. On the contrary, positive and significant correlations between maturity and the affect recognition test (AR) were found, with group-specific patterns. In TD, this result regarded drawings of others, but not self-portraits, while an opposite pattern emerged for ASD, whose sole maturity in self-portraits significantly correlated with the AR scores. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the use of HFD tests with individuals with autism may not be used in clinical practices. However, in basic research, HFDs could be used to highlight dependencies between drawing performance and neuropsychological features, thus possibly providing hints on the functioning of autism.

ACS Style

Pamela Papangelo; Martina Pinzino; Susanna Pelagatti; Maddalena Fabbri-Destro; Antonio Narzisi. Human Figure Drawings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Possible Window on the Inner or the Outer World. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 398 .

AMA Style

Pamela Papangelo, Martina Pinzino, Susanna Pelagatti, Maddalena Fabbri-Destro, Antonio Narzisi. Human Figure Drawings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Possible Window on the Inner or the Outer World. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (6):398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pamela Papangelo; Martina Pinzino; Susanna Pelagatti; Maddalena Fabbri-Destro; Antonio Narzisi. 2020. "Human Figure Drawings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Possible Window on the Inner or the Outer World." Brain Sciences 10, no. 6: 398.

Journal article
Published: 13 June 2020 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
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COVID-19 is still in phase 2. The lockdown has been significantly reduced compared to phase 1. The centers and institutions that deal with the diagnosis and intervention of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require rapid functional adaptation to respond to patients’ needs. The possibility of using technology to activate and manage diagnostic (preliminary diagnosis) and intervention processes should be explored. Two developed telemedicine working models for diagnosis and intervention, including synchronous and asynchronous transmissions, are presented. They are proposals not yet supported by the data. The diagnosis step is composed by two different and consecutives phases: (A) pre-specialistic consultation (PSC) and (B) specialistic assessment. The intervention step implemented well-recognized evidence-based models for preschoolers, school-aged, and older children in an online format. Parents’ support is also included. The described working models have the purpose of carrying out preliminary specialistic answers to the families without aiming to replace preferable in-person assessment. Based on previous research findings, the telemedicine approach is accepted by parents, increases their sense of competence, increases the parent intervention adhesion, and improves the social communication competencies for children with ASD. In conclusion, the presented working models must be considered partial responses to the current emergency status and at the same time as possible integrations into traditional approaches.

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi. Phase 2 and Later of COVID-19 Lockdown: Is it Possible to Perform Remote Diagnosis and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder? An Online-Mediated Approach. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2020, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi. Phase 2 and Later of COVID-19 Lockdown: Is it Possible to Perform Remote Diagnosis and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder? An Online-Mediated Approach. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9 (6):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi. 2020. "Phase 2 and Later of COVID-19 Lockdown: Is it Possible to Perform Remote Diagnosis and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder? An Online-Mediated Approach." Journal of Clinical Medicine 9, no. 6: 1.

Editorial
Published: 01 April 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. COVID-19 has become pandemic

ACS Style

Antonio Narzisi. Handle the Autism Spectrum Condition During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay At Home period: Ten Tips for Helping Parents and Caregivers of Young Children. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 207 .

AMA Style

Antonio Narzisi. Handle the Autism Spectrum Condition During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay At Home period: Ten Tips for Helping Parents and Caregivers of Young Children. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (4):207.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Narzisi. 2020. "Handle the Autism Spectrum Condition During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay At Home period: Ten Tips for Helping Parents and Caregivers of Young Children." Brain Sciences 10, no. 4: 207.

Brief report
Published: 27 November 2019 in Brain Sciences
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Further understanding of the longitudinal changes in visual pattern of toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is needed. We examined twelve 19 to 33-month-old toddlers at their first diagnosis (mean age: 25.1 months) and after six months (mean age: 31.7 months) during two initiating joint attention (IJA) tasks using eye tracking. Results were compared with the performance of age-matched typically developing (TD) toddlers evaluated at a single time-point. Autistic toddlers showed longitudinal changes in the visual sensory processing of the IJA tasks, approaching TD performance with an improvement in the ability to disengage and to explore the global space. Findings suggest the use of eye tracking technology as an objective, non-intrusive, adjunctive tool to measure outcomes in toddlers with ASD.

ACS Style

Filippo Muratori; Lucia Billeci; Sara Calderoni; Maria Boncoddo; Caterina Lattarulo; Valeria Costanzo; Marco Turi; Costanza Colombi; Antonio Narzisi. How Attention to Faces and Objects Changes Over Time in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Preliminary Evidence from An Eye Tracking Study. Brain Sciences 2019, 9, 344 .

AMA Style

Filippo Muratori, Lucia Billeci, Sara Calderoni, Maria Boncoddo, Caterina Lattarulo, Valeria Costanzo, Marco Turi, Costanza Colombi, Antonio Narzisi. How Attention to Faces and Objects Changes Over Time in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Preliminary Evidence from An Eye Tracking Study. Brain Sciences. 2019; 9 (12):344.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Filippo Muratori; Lucia Billeci; Sara Calderoni; Maria Boncoddo; Caterina Lattarulo; Valeria Costanzo; Marco Turi; Costanza Colombi; Antonio Narzisi. 2019. "How Attention to Faces and Objects Changes Over Time in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Preliminary Evidence from An Eye Tracking Study." Brain Sciences 9, no. 12: 344.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2018 in Research in Developmental Disabilities
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Kinematics plays a key role in action prediction, imitation and joint action coordination. Despite people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a failure to use kinematic cues during observation and imitation, there is a paucity of studies exploring the role of this dysfunction during joint actions in children with ASD. To evaluate the interpersonal motor coordination of children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children during a joint action task. Twenty-two participants performed two cooperative tasks. In the first one (Clear End-Point), children were provided with a priori information on movement end-point. In the second one (Unclear End-Point), the end-point was unknown and children had to use kinematic cues to accomplish the shared goal. We found no between-group differences in the first task, even if children with ASD displayed greater reaction time variability. In the second task, they showed less accurate and slower movements than TD children. Moreover, their movement features did not differ between the two tasks, whereas TD children showed reduced reaction time variability and number of errors in the second task. Children with ASD were impaired in joint action coordination when they had to rely only on kinematic information. They were not able to pay more attention to the kinematic cues in absence of a visual goal.

ACS Style

Francesca Fulceri; Alessandro Tonacci; Andrea Lucaferro; Fabio Apicella; Antonio Narzisi; Giulia Vincenti; Filippo Muratori; Annarita Contaldo. Interpersonal motor coordination during joint actions in children with and without autism spectrum disorder: The role of motor information. Research in Developmental Disabilities 2018, 80, 13 -23.

AMA Style

Francesca Fulceri, Alessandro Tonacci, Andrea Lucaferro, Fabio Apicella, Antonio Narzisi, Giulia Vincenti, Filippo Muratori, Annarita Contaldo. Interpersonal motor coordination during joint actions in children with and without autism spectrum disorder: The role of motor information. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2018; 80 ():13-23.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Fulceri; Alessandro Tonacci; Andrea Lucaferro; Fabio Apicella; Antonio Narzisi; Giulia Vincenti; Filippo Muratori; Annarita Contaldo. 2018. "Interpersonal motor coordination during joint actions in children with and without autism spectrum disorder: The role of motor information." Research in Developmental Disabilities 80, no. : 13-23.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Brain Sciences
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Over the last several years there has been an increasing focus on early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), not only from the scientific field but also from professional associations and public health systems all across Europe. Not surprisingly, in order to offer better services and quality of life for both children with ASD and their families, different screening procedures and tools have been developed for early assessment and intervention. However, current evidence is needed for healthcare providers and policy makers to be able to implement specific measures and increase autism awareness in European communities. The general aim of this review is to address the latest and most relevant issues related to early detection and treatments. The specific objectives are (1) analyse the impact, describing advantages and drawbacks, of screening procedures based on standardized tests, surveillance programmes, or other observational measures; and (2) provide a European framework of early intervention programmes and practices and what has been learnt from implementing them in public or private settings. This analysis is then discussed and best practices are suggested to help professionals, health systems and policy makers to improve their local procedures or to develop new proposals for early detection and intervention programmes.

ACS Style

María Magán-Maganto; Álvaro Bejarano-Martín; Clara Fernández-Alvarez; Antonio Narzisi; Patricia García-Primo; Rafal Kawa; Manuel Posada; Ricardo Canal-Bedia. Early Detection and Intervention of ASD: A European Overview. Brain Sciences 2017, 7, 159 .

AMA Style

María Magán-Maganto, Álvaro Bejarano-Martín, Clara Fernández-Alvarez, Antonio Narzisi, Patricia García-Primo, Rafal Kawa, Manuel Posada, Ricardo Canal-Bedia. Early Detection and Intervention of ASD: A European Overview. Brain Sciences. 2017; 7 (12):159.

Chicago/Turabian Style

María Magán-Maganto; Álvaro Bejarano-Martín; Clara Fernández-Alvarez; Antonio Narzisi; Patricia García-Primo; Rafal Kawa; Manuel Posada; Ricardo Canal-Bedia. 2017. "Early Detection and Intervention of ASD: A European Overview." Brain Sciences 7, no. 12: 159.

Erratum
Published: 30 August 2017 in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
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ACS Style

Filippo Muratori; Alessandro Tonacci; Lucia Billeci; Tiziana Catalucci; Roberta Igliozzi; Sara Calderoni; Antonio Narzisi. Erratum to: Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2017, 47, 3252 -3252.

AMA Style

Filippo Muratori, Alessandro Tonacci, Lucia Billeci, Tiziana Catalucci, Roberta Igliozzi, Sara Calderoni, Antonio Narzisi. Erratum to: Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2017; 47 (10):3252-3252.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Filippo Muratori; Alessandro Tonacci; Lucia Billeci; Tiziana Catalucci; Roberta Igliozzi; Sara Calderoni; Antonio Narzisi. 2017. "Erratum to: Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 47, no. 10: 3252-3252.

Original paper
Published: 25 July 2017 in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
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Sensory issues are of great interest in ASD diagnosis. However, their investigation is mainly based on external observation (parent reports), with methodological limitations. Unobtrusive olfactory assessment allows studying autism neurosensoriality. Here, 20 male children with high-functioning ASD and 20 matched controls were administered a complete olfactory test battery, assessing olfactory threshold, identification and discrimination. ASD children show lower sensitivity (p = 0.041), lower identification (p = 0.014), and intact odor discrimination (p = 0.199) than controls. Comparing olfactory and clinical scores, a significant correlation was found in ASD between olfactory threshold and the CBCL social problems (p = 0.011) and aggressive behavior (p = 0.012) sub-scales. The pattern featuring peripheral hyposensitivity, high-order difficulties in odor identification and regular subcortical odor discrimination is discussed in light of hypo-priors hypothesis for autism.

ACS Style

Filippo Muratori; Alessandro Tonacci; Lucia Billeci; Tiziana Catalucci; Roberta Igliozzi; Sara Calderoni; Antonio Narzisi. Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2017, 47, 3243 -3251.

AMA Style

Filippo Muratori, Alessandro Tonacci, Lucia Billeci, Tiziana Catalucci, Roberta Igliozzi, Sara Calderoni, Antonio Narzisi. Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2017; 47 (10):3243-3251.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Filippo Muratori; Alessandro Tonacci; Lucia Billeci; Tiziana Catalucci; Roberta Igliozzi; Sara Calderoni; Antonio Narzisi. 2017. "Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 47, no. 10: 3243-3251.