Author
Michael Rutter
Other affiliations: VCU Medical Center, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Dalhousie University ...read more
Bio: Michael Rutter is an academic researcher from King's College London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Autism & Conduct disorder. The author has an hindex of 188, co-authored 676 publications receiving 151592 citations. Previous affiliations of Michael Rutter include VCU Medical Center & Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.
Topics: Autism, Conduct disorder, Population, Poison control, Twin study
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: The claims that the so-called ‘epidemic’ of autism was due to either the measles–mumps–rubella vaccine or mercury-containing preservative thimerosal that used to be present in many vaccines are not supported by the evidence.
Abstract: King and Bearman sought to determine whether the increased prevalence of an autism diagnosis in California was due to diagnostic substitution of autism in place of mental retardation (MR). They make good use of systematic administrative data from the California Department of Developmental Services between 1992 and 2005 for this purpose, with the conclusion that changes in diagnostic practices accounted for a quarter of the observed increase in diagnosed autism over this time period. They discuss this finding as reflecting diagnostic substitution or accretion, but it is clear that there was almost no substitution. Thus, in 95% of the cases the change was from ‘pure’ MR to MR plus autism. Figure 3 in King & Bearman indicates a substantial increase in MR between 1992 and 2005, although the proportional increase for autism was greater. Most of the rise applied to ‘pure’ autism, about a quarter to ‘pure’ MR being changed to MR and autism, and very little to MR being replaced by autism. In other words, the main change in diagnostic practice concerned an increased willingness to note co-morbidity. Given that the increase in ‘pure’ autism between 1992 and 2005 was huge (from 4446 to 28 046 cases)—a much greater rise than for co-morbidity (3210–10 410), it is dubious whether the latter increase does much to help in resolving the key basic issue of whether there has been a true increase over time in the incidence of autism. That is particularly so when the available evidence suggests that the main rise has not predominantly involved autism associated with intellectual disability; rather, it seems to have particularly involved autism in individuals with non-verbal IQ in the normal range. King and Bearman quite properly pointed out that they could not examine that suggestion in their dataset. Nevertheless, the consequence is that their main focus was off-target with respect to the observed rise. Almost all reviews have concluded that a substantial part of the rise in the rate of diagnosed autism has been due to a combination of better ascertainment and a broadening of the diagnostic concept, but has there been, in addition, a true rise in incidence? In my view, we simply do not know. The rise has been seen in Europe, the USA and Japan, but there is a geographic variability in whether the main rise began in the 1970s and 80s, or rather in the 1990s. The claims that the so-called ‘epidemic’ of autism was due to either the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine or mercury-containing preservative thimerosal that used to be present in many vaccines are not supported by the evidence. Most crucially, in Japan, where MMR was discontinued at a time when it remained in wide use in other countries, the removal of MMR was not followed by any fall in the rate of autism, or even by a reduction in the rate of rise. Similarly, the discontinuation of use of thimerosal in Scandanavia was not followed by any change in the rising rate of autism. Nevertheless, these findings do not rule out a risk effect from other prenatal or postnatal toxins or other hazards. Large-scale prospective epidemiological/longitudinal studies with good biological measures and good diagnostic procedures are needed to test that possibility. The ongoing MoBa study of mothers and babies in Norway constitutes one good example of what is needed in that connection. It should be added that the factor responsible for a real rise in autism (if that truly has occurred) need not necessarily be a specific environmental hazard. The trigger could be a rising age of parenthood, given the evidence that high paternal age is associated with an increased rate of autism in the offspring. How might that operate? One possibility is that it increases the rate of developmental perturbations such as copy number variation (i.e. submicroscopic substitutions or deletion) or minor congenital anomalies or chromosomal anomalies, all of which have been found to be more common in autism. Whilst there is value in considering the role of changing concepts and better ascertainment in the observed rise in the rate of diagnosed autism, and there is still uncertainty on whether or not there has been a true rise in incidence, the greater the need is for hypothesis-testing focused research on possible causal mechanisms that could lead to changes in incidence. MRC SGDP Centre, PO 80, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK. E-mail: camilla.azis@kcl.ac.uk Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association
18 citations
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TL;DR: Overall, Yule's identification of the key features of specific reading retardation have been confirmed by subsequent research, but the concept of general reading backwardness as a diagnosis has proved less meaningful.
Abstract: William Yule's many contributions to the field of reading disabilities over the last 40 years are reviewed and set in the context of recent research evidence. The value of regression methods in the measurement of reading performance remains valid, but spelling, as well as reading, difficulties need to be assessed in relation to the diagnosis of dyslexia. Although categorical approaches to diagnosis are needed for some purposes, it is likely that the genetic liability to dyslexia is dimensional. Overall, Yule's identification of the key features of specific reading retardation have been confirmed by subsequent research, but the concept of general reading backwardness as a diagnosis has proved less meaningful. The identification of the high rate of comorbidity between reading disability and emotional/behavioural disturbance, highlighted by Yule 35 years ago, has been amply confirmed but the causal mechanisms remain ill-understood.
18 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the influence of social circumstances on psychological functioning is selectively reviewed with respect to five different types of possible effect deriving from: the impact of social connotation or meaning of risk/protective factors; social comparison effects; compositional effects derived from the make-up of a social group; a social contextual effect reflecting the ethos of a broader social environment; and social group characteristics effect stemming from the behaviour/values of a peer group.
Abstract: Concepts, findings and methodological considerations regarding the influence of social circumstances on psychological functioning are selectively reviewed with respect to five different types of possible effect deriving from: the impact of social connotation or meaning of risk/protective factors; social comparison effects; compositional effects deriving from the make-up of a social group; a social contextual effect reflecting the ethos of a broader social environment; and a social group characteristics effect stemming from the behaviour/values of a peer group.
18 citations
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TL;DR: The measures do carry an important degree of validity; whether they can differentiate the BAP from other social disorders should be tested.
Abstract: To identify the broader autism phenotype (BAP), the Family History Interview subject and informant versions and an observational tool (Impression of Interviewee), were developed. This study investigated whether the instruments differentiated between parents of children with autism, and parents of children with Down syndrome (DS). The BAP scores of parents of 28 multiplex autism families were compared with parents from, 32 DS families. The BAP measures provided good group differentiation but when considered together, the subject interview did not improve group differentiation. The differentiation was better for fathers than mothers. The measures do carry an important degree of validity; whether they can differentiate the BAP from other social disorders should be tested.
17 citations
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17 citations
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TL;DR: Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation, and people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds.
Abstract: A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.
17,492 citations
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TL;DR: Preliminary findings suggest that the SDQ functions as well as the Rutter questionnaires while offering the following additional advantages: a focus on strengths as as difficulties; better coverage of inattention, peer relationships, and prosocial behaviour; a shorter format; and a single form suitable for both parents and teachers, perhaps thereby increasing parent-teacher correlations.
Abstract: A novel behavioural screening questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), was administered along with Rutter questionnaires to parents and teachers of 403 children drawn from dental and psychiatric clinics. Scores derived from the SDQ and Rutter questionnaires were highly correlated; parent-teacher correlations for the two sets of measures were comparable or favoured the SDQ. The two sets of measures did not differ in their ability to discriminate between psychiatric and dental clinic attenders. These preliminary findings suggest that the SDQ functions as well as the Rutter questionnaires while offering the following additional advantages: a focus on strengths as well as difficulties; better coverage of inattention, peer relationships, and prosocial behaviour; a shorter format; and a single form suitable for both parents and teachers, perhaps thereby increasing parent-teacher correlations.
11,877 citations
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TL;DR: Although mental disorders are widespread, serious cases are concentrated among a relatively small proportion of cases with high comorbidity, as shown in the recently completed US National Comorbidities Survey Replication.
Abstract: Background Little is known about the general population prevalence or severity of DSM-IV mental disorders. Objective To estimate 12-month prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of DSM-IV anxiety, mood, impulse control, and substance disorders in the recently completed US National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Design and Setting Nationally representative face-to-face household survey conducted between February 2001 and April 2003 using a fully structured diagnostic interview, the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Participants Nine thousand two hundred eighty-two English-speaking respondents 18 years and older. Main Outcome Measures Twelve-month DSM-IV disorders. Results Twelve-month prevalence estimates were anxiety, 18.1%; mood, 9.5%; impulse control, 8.9%; substance, 3.8%; and any disorder, 26.2%. Of 12-month cases, 22.3% were classified as serious; 37.3%, moderate; and 40.4%, mild. Fifty-five percent carried only a single diagnosis; 22%, 2 diagnoses; and 23%, 3 or more diagnoses. Latent class analysis detected 7 multivariate disorder classes, including 3 highly comorbid classes representing 7% of the population. Conclusion Although mental disorders are widespread, serious cases are concentrated among a relatively small proportion of cases with high comorbidity.
10,951 citations
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TL;DR: For the next few weeks the course is going to be exploring a field that’s actually older than classical population genetics, although the approach it’ll be taking to it involves the use of population genetic machinery.
Abstract: So far in this course we have dealt entirely with the evolution of characters that are controlled by simple Mendelian inheritance at a single locus. There are notes on the course website about gametic disequilibrium and how allele frequencies change at two loci simultaneously, but we didn’t discuss them. In every example we’ve considered we’ve imagined that we could understand something about evolution by examining the evolution of a single gene. That’s the domain of classical population genetics. For the next few weeks we’re going to be exploring a field that’s actually older than classical population genetics, although the approach we’ll be taking to it involves the use of population genetic machinery. If you know a little about the history of evolutionary biology, you may know that after the rediscovery of Mendel’s work in 1900 there was a heated debate between the “biometricians” (e.g., Galton and Pearson) and the “Mendelians” (e.g., de Vries, Correns, Bateson, and Morgan). Biometricians asserted that the really important variation in evolution didn’t follow Mendelian rules. Height, weight, skin color, and similar traits seemed to
9,847 citations
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TL;DR: It is suggested that delinquency conceals 2 distinct categories of individuals, each with a unique natural history and etiology: a small group engages in antisocial behavior of 1 sort or another at every life stage, whereas a larger group is antisocial only during adolescence.
Abstract: This chapter suggests that delinquency conceals two distinct categories of individuals, each with a unique natural history and etiology: A small group engages in antisocial behavior of one sort or another at every life stage, whereas a larger group is antisocial only during adolescence. According to the theory of life-course-persistent antisocial behavior, children's neuropsychological problems interact cumulatively with their criminogenic environments across development, culminating m a pathological personality. According to the theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behavior, a contemporary maturity gap encourages teens to mimic antisocial behavior in ways that are normative and adjustive. There are marked individual differences in the stability of antisocial behavior. The chapter reviews the mysterious relationship between age and antisocial behavior. Some youths who refrain from antisocial behavior may, for some reason, not sense the maturity gap and therefore lack the hypothesized motivation for experimenting with crime.
9,425 citations