Introduction: All methods, based on delivery of weak electric current trough the patient cranium for therapy use have the name Transcranial Electrotherapy Stimulation /TES/. Tonic application of direct current (DC) to the brain (tDCS) is well-known, non-invasive and safe method to modulate the activity of the central nervous system (CNS), and has got more and more clinical use in the last years.
Aim: The goal of this study is to analyse how tDCS can help in speech production and communicative abilities in non-verbal children in the autistic spectrum and how to enhance the wish to communicate.
Materials and Methods: This study included children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We had 7 children at an age between 4 to 16. The group was very heterogeneous in respect of biological and neuro-psychological development, intellectual and language maturity. All children were low-functioning, without co-morbidity and nonverbal (absence of any words). To assess the effectiveness of the stimulation we used test battery to monitor the child development - Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC by Judith K. Voress and Taddy Maddox).
Results: At the end of the study, we have positive results concerning the speech development, communication skills and the cognitive abilities. In the speech development, we had a 9.8% increase. The cognitive improvement was about 12.5% and that of communication willingness - 11.4%.
Conclusion: tDES has a complex influence over the neuro-psychological development in children with autism. The positive tendencies regarding speech development, cognitive development, and socio-emotional development give us ground for further research.
Илюхина В.А. Транскраниальные микрополяризации в комплексном лечении темповой задержки речевого и общего психомоторного развития у детей старшего дошкольного возраста / Илюхина В.А. и др. // Журнал неврологии и психиатрии имениС.С. Корсакова. – 2004. – № 11. – C. 34–41.
Кожушко Надежда Юрьевна, Механизмы нарушений развития высших психических функций и речи у детей и возможности их коррекции - Автореферат диссертация на соискание ученой степени доктора биологических наук Санкт-Петербург, 2009
Accornero N, Capozza M, Pieroni L, Davi L, Mecarelli O. EEG frequency changes in subjects during prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation. J Neurophysiology 2014;112:1367-75
Coffman BA, Clark VP, Parasuraman R. Battery powered thought: enhancement of attention, learning, and memory in healthy persons using transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroimage. 2014;85:895-908
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Real Time on Human Prefrontal and Striatal Metabolites” by Antoine Hone-Blanchet, Richard A. Edden, and Shirley Fecteau in Science Advances. Published online September 15 2016 doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.11.008)
Feldt Muldoon S et al. Stimulation-Based Control of Dynamic Brain Networks. PLoS Computational Biology, Published September 9 2016. doi: 102.
Herjanic M. Moss-Herjanic B. Clinical report on a new therapeutic technique: polarization. Can Psychiatr Assoc J. 1967;12:423-4.1371/ journal.pcbi. 1005076
Kellaway P. The part played by electric fish in the early history of bioelectricity and alectrotherapy. Bull Hist Med 1946;20:112-37
Language Restoration in Children with Autism: Autism Research Conference, Chicago, IL, 2011.
Plewnia C, Zwissler B, Langst I, Maurer B, Giel K. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on executive functions: influence of COMPT Val/Metpolymorphism. Cortex. 2013;49(7):1801-711. DAYC, http://www4.parinc.com/ Products/
Product.aspx?ProductID=DAYC-2
