Joëlle Malvy

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Tours · Child Psychiatry

Early identification of children on the autism spectrum is crucial for early intervention with long-term positive effects on symptoms and skills. The need for improved objective autism detection tools is emphasized by the poor diagnostic power in current tools. Here, we aim to evaluate the classification performance of acoustic features of the voic...

Background Faces are crucial social stimuli, eliciting automatic processing associated with increased physiological arousal in observers. The level of arousal can be indexed by pupil diameter (the ‘Event‐Related Pupil Dilation’, ERPD). However, many parameters could influence the arousal evoked by a face and its social saliency (e.g. virtual vs. re...

We evaluated event-based prospective memory (EBPM) in adolescents with Autism, varying the load of the to-be-performed intentions. We included measures of inhibition, working memory and binding. Results showed that increasing the retrospective memory load reduced performance in controls. In Autism, adolescents were impaired in the low load conditio...

Cognitive studies generally report impaired autobiographical memory in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but mostly using verbal paradigms. In the present study, we therefore investigated the properties of both past and future autobiographical productions using visual cues in 16 boys with ASD and 16 typically developing (TD) particip...

Extreme prematurity is known as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the association between prematurity and ASD, for children born moderately and late preterm (MLPT) and those born early term (ET), is less established. This retrospective study aimed to characterize the phenotypic characteristics (i.e. behavioral profile and c...

Résumé Les troubles sensori-psychomoteurs font partie des signes cliniques nécessaires au diagnostic de trouble du spectre de l’autisme. Ils viennent impacter très précocement les fonctions perceptives et cognitives qui permettent la mise en place d’une communication sociale harmonieuse. Le manque d’outil clinique dans ce domaine a nécessité la cré...

Atypical visual exploration of both social and nonsocial scenes is often reported in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with less precise and longer saccades, potentially reflecting difficulties in oculomotor control. To assess a subset of oculomotor functions in ASD, 20 children with ASD and 21 age‐matched typically developing (TD) children (2.6–11.5...

This retrospective study aimed to specify the critical period for atypical brain development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using prenatal and postnatal head growth parameters. The sample consisted of 80 Caucasian, unrelated, idiopathic patients with ASD born after 1995. Fetal ultrasound parameters (head circumference [HC], abdo...

This study investigates formal language abilities in French-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We report on the usefulness of the LITMUS-Sentence-Repetition-French task in distinguishing children with impaired language (ASD-LI) from children with normal language (ASD-LN). We examined complexity of syntactic computation, to deter...

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by atypical behaviors in social environments and in reaction to changing events. While this dyad of symptoms is at the core of the pathology along with atypical sensory behaviors, most studies have investigated only one dimension. A focus on the sameness dimension has shown that intoleran...

Background and aims Impaired production of third person accusative pronominal clitics is a signature of language impairment in French-speaking children. It has been found to be a prominent and persistent difficulty in children and adolescents with specific language impairment. Previous studies have reported that many children with autism spectrum d...

Engagement with stakeholders is an essential part of the research process. This is particularly the case for early autism research with infant cohorts and their families, where a range of ethical issues are pertinent. Here, we report on a large survey of parents who have a child on the autism spectrum (n = 1040) which specifically probed attitudes...

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cover a large variety of clinical profiles which share two main dimensions: social and communication impairment and repetitive behaviors or restricted interests, which are present during childhood. There is now no doubt that genetic factors are a major component in the etiology of autism but precise physiop...

The affiliations for the second, third, and fourth authors were incorrect or incomplete, the corrected title page for which is provided herein. We regret these errors and any problems they may have caused.

The nature of structural language difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was explored in a comparative study with specific language impairment (SLI) through investigation of the frequently reported ASD weakness in receptive skills relative to expressive skills. Twenty French-speaking children with ASD aged 6 to 12 were compare...

Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a relative indifference to the human voice. Accordingly, and contrarily to their typically developed peers, adults with autism do not show a preferential response to voices in the superior temporal sulcus; this lack of voice-specific response was previously linked to atypical processin...

It is well known that most children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties with at least some aspects of language. Problems with language are among the first causes for concern in parents of children with ASD. In some children, language may be severely affected, either entirely absent or consisting of only a few words or phrases (Lor...

The visual exploration behavior and pupillary reactivity in response to social stimuli have been characterized in two groups: Typical children, and children with autism. The fixation time was lower in patients. However, pupillary reactivity to the movement and emotions was the same for all subjects. Pupillometry results allowed to suggest a dysfunc...

Investigation into the earliest signs of autism in infants has become a significant sub-field of autism research. This work invokes specific ethical concerns such as use of ‘at-risk’ language, communicating study findings to parents and the future perspective of enrolled infants when they reach adulthood. This study aimed to ground this research fi...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with no clinical biomarker. Aims of this study were to characterize a metabolic signature of ASD, and to evaluate multi-platform analytical methodologies in order to develop predictive tools for diagnosis and disease follow up. Urines were analyzed using: 1H- and 1 H-13C-NMR-based appr...

Many genes are now thought to confer susceptibility to autism. Despite the fact that this neuropsychiatric disease appears to be related to several different causes, common cellular and molecular pathways have emerged and point to synaptic dysfunction or cellular growth. Several studies have indicated the importance of the ubiquitin pathway in syna...

Objectifs L’étude de la mémoire autobiographique dans l’autisme a été principalement réalisée chez l’adulte [1] et plus rarement chez l’enfant, révélant principalement des déficits en mémoire épisodique [2]. Il n’existe qu’une étude chez l’adolescent [3] cherchant à caractériser les souvenirs épisodiques, incluant notamment leurs propriétés sensori...

Abstract The aromatic compound p-cresol (4-methylphenol) has been found elevated in the urines of Italian autistic children up to 8 years of age. The present study aims at replicating these initial findings in an ethnically distinct sample and at extending them by measuring also the three components of urinary p-cresol, namely p-cresylsulfate, p-cr...

Exchange and development therapy (EDT) is based on a neurofunctional and developmental conception of autism. It aims to rehabilitate, through structured sequences of “social play”, functions subtended by the brain systems of social communication: attention to others, intention, imitation, etc. The neurophysiological basic principles developed invol...

Background: Based on the experience and practice of a multidisciplinary team we have developed an early intervention program including Exchange and Developmental Therapy. This program aimed to develop psychophysiological functions required to improve communication abilities. This study reports the psychological and behavioural outcomes of a group o...

Background: Based on the neurodevelopemental theory of autism, the exchange and development therapy (EDT) is applied in very young children, when the neural plasticity is greater. The EDT consists in the early and harmonious re-education of the basic neurophysiologic functions; the development of which leads to the development of more complex fun...

Posant la question du territoire, comme espace de projet, l’etude presentee souligne le decalage entre l’urbain (realite factuelle) et l’urbanite (objectif a atteindre) ; elle developpe l’» attitude de projet » selon une argumentation en trois points. D’une part, les conditions changent lorsque l’on passe de la condition classique de projet archite...

Introduction: Estimates of the prevalence of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are discordant and are moving towards an apparent increase in rates. Literature review: The studies carried out since 1966 illustrate the variability of the protocols used and explanatory hypotheses put forward. These investigations are difficult, spa...

L’obésité de l’enfant est une cible privilégiée de la politique de santé publique. On connaît les risques de faible estime de soi et consécutivement, la prévalence accrue des comorbidités psychiatriques. La précocité de nouvelles prises en charge nous conduit à évaluer les interactions entre la vulnérabilité à cet age et l’issue du « traitement »,...

This study improves the knowledge of early autistic symptomatology and research concerning (i) the significant differences in the behaviors of children with autistic disorder (AD) and children with a developmental delay (DD), and (ii) the influence of the cognitive delay on symptomatology. Two groups of 20 young children (7-42 months) were compared...

The present study investigated the influence of developmental level on interaction and imitation in infants and young children with autism on the basis of family videos and filmed consultation. The sample comprised 18 children with autism divided into groups according to their developmental quotient (DQ>50 and DQ<50). A quantitative evaluation was...

In order to complement findings in the field of early autism and in the context of our studies on the quantitative neurobiological evaluation of patients with autism, we studied a large population of infants later diagnosed as having autistic disorder, using multivariate descriptive statistical methods. The population included 74 infants between si...

Unlabelled: The activity of child consultation-liaison psychiatry within the hospital can be defined as: the clinical, therapeutic and preventive care given by the staff members of the children psychiatric department, and their studies on pedagogy and research, in the other departments of the children hospital. Material and methods: Our study fo...

The activity of child consultation–liaison psychiatry within the hospital can be defined as: the clinical, therapeutic and preventive care given by the staff members of the children psychiatric department, and their studies on pedagogy and research, in the other departments of the children hospital.Material and methods. – Our study focused on the c...

Known since the first descriptions in 1943, diseases related to autism and associated disorders have incited a growing body of work. Both theoretical interrogations (what is the pathogenic role of autism?) and practical measures (management, screening) are implied. Nevertheless the frequency of autism-related disease has varied from 10 to 37% depen...

In order to assess particular disorders of psychological development and functioning in children with developmental disorders, we have developed a new tool, the Behaviour Function Inventory (BFI), based on 11 neurophysiological functions, disorders of which are considered to contribute to the core autistic syndrome. This article reports the reliabi...

OBJECTIVE: Known since the first descriptions in 1943, diseases related to autism and associated disorders have incited a growing body of work. Both theoretical interrogations (what is the pathogenic role of autism?) and practical measures (management, screening) are implied. Nevertheless the frequency of autism-related disease has varied from 10 t...

Since the initial individualization of infantile autism by Kanner, subsequent work has attempted to define the age at which disorders appear, their symptomatology and their specificity. Initially, retrospective studies based on questionnaires and interviews with parents were conducted in order to determine the age of at which the first signs appear...

Since the initial individualization of infantile autism by Kanner, subsequent work has attempted to define the age at which disorders appear, their symptomatology and their specificity. Initially, retrospective studies based on questionnaires and interviews with parents were conducted in order to determine the age of at which the first signs appear...

Many authors have described a deficit of imitation of gestures and of symbolic and affective tasks in infants and young children with autism. This deficit is paradoxically associated with echolalia (atypical verbal imitation) and echopraxia (atypical gesture imitation) which in themselves appear to be excessive imitation. We have developed a brief...

Infantile autism is now considered as a developmental disorder with onset before three years of age. The review of the literature of the past ten years enabled to define the signs in infants under one year later diagnosed as autistic, on the basis of family interviews and screening of home videos; and also the age and patterns of onset. The impairm...

This study was conducted to investigate both abilities development in autistic children, which progress during first years of life, joint attention and theory of mind. Various works found that autistic children exhibited dysfunctionings in both this abilities. The objective of this research was to show evidence of that joint attention disorder in a...

Clinicians and researchers have observed a degree of heterogeneity within the autistic syndrome which suggests different pathophysiological mechanisms. Greater understanding of this heterogeneity was sought by studying more homogeneous subpopulations according to developmental age (DA) within a large population of children with autism. The sample c...

A study has been conducted to develop a multi-dimensional questionnaire of assessment of the sexuality at adolescence. The first step consisted in creating a big number of items exploring very extensively different aspects of sexuality at adolescence, tested in a sample o f 107 French teenagers attending third classes of a general and technique tea...

The notion of emergency has evolved with the extension of child psychiatric indications and the early interventions aimed to prevent complications. << Classical >> emergencies with acute manifestations in the forefront are therefore relatively scarce, still, adapted answers must be brought when necessary. On the other hand, other demands perceived...

Tuberous sclerosis is often associated with developmental and behavioural disorders including typical or partial autistic syndrome. However, it may be difficult to recognize tuberous sclerosis behind an infantile autism during the early stages of the disease. Therefore, tuberous sclerosis must be regularly looked for on the basis of its major and m...

In order to take into account the heterogeneity of populations and to establish the relationships between clinical and biological data which are necessary for physiopathological analysis, 15 years ago, the child psychiatry unit in Tours developed a quantified grouping system based on four developmental assessment parameters. This previously publish...

Tuberous sclerosis is often associated with developmental and behavioural disorders including typical or partial autistic syndrome. However, it may be difficult to recognize tuberous sclerosis behind an infantile autism during the early stages of the disease. Therefore, tuberous sclerosis must be regularly looked for on the basis of its major and m...

Natural history of infantile autism goes from its first description to current classifications. Most authors agree upon the perfect character of Kanner's description in 1943. But its situation in the nosography has much developed. The parution of 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM IV) bring us to analyse this...

The IBSE scale (Infant Behavioral Summarized Evaluation) permits the study of infants and young children with suspected autism. Multiple statistical methods have permitted w describe the behavioural profiles of 6- year-old autistic children, showing auditive perception and imitation disorders. We have put forward the hypothesis of the existence of...

In order to improve the knowledge of autism early symptomatology, through both the demonstration of the existence of signs permitting to distinguish autistic children from retarded ones as early as possible after birth, and the study of the development effects on the first symptoms of autism, groups of young autistic, retarded or polyhandicapped ch...

The Revised Behaviour Summarized Evaluation Scale (BSE-R) was developed for the objective evaluation of autistic behaviours in order to facilitate the recording of the evolution of developmentally disabled children. Among its 29 items, 13 items that precisely describe the degree of autistic behaviours were extracted by Principal Component Analysis....

The Revised Behaviour Summarized Evaluation Scale (BSE-R) was developed for the objective evaluation of autistic behaviours in order to facilitate the recording of the evolution of developmentally disabled children. Among its 29 items, 13 items that precisely describe the degree of autistic behaviours were extracted by Principal Component Analysis....

We present the preliminary steps in the implementation of a bioclinical database in childhood autism which now gathers not only traditional clinical data, but also biochemical and electrophysiological data. At present, this database allows the follow-up of children and clinical research such as therapeutic trials. However, the aim of this multidime...