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“I’m dealing with a health care system that doesn’t get it”: Barriers and facilitators to inclusive healthcare for autistic adults Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Kiley J McLean, Meghan Haas, Jamie Koenig, Megan Horvath, Mariah Vigil, Nicole E Werner, Lauren Bishop
Emerging research points to high rates of major psychiatric disorders and chronic medical conditions among autistic adults. However, the unique healthcare needs of autistic adults are often overlooked, perhaps due to limitations in population-level surveillance and widespread public misconceptions about autism in adulthood. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this prevalence of poor health outcomes
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Demographic and autism characteristics as predictors of age of autism diagnosis of individuals with autism in Paraguay Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Adriana Kaori Terol, Yan Xia, Ronaldo L. Rodas Jara, Hedda Meadan
Autism is a lifelong condition characterized by repetitive and restrictive behaviors and differences in social communication. The reported prevalence of autism has risen exponentially in the past years. Early identification and subsequent early intervention are key to promoting better outcomes for autistic individuals. However, there is a dearth of research focusing on understanding variables that
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The neurodiversity concept was developed collectively: An overdue correction on the origins of neurodiversity theory Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Monique Botha, Robert Chapman, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Steven K Kapp, Abs Stannard Ashley, Nick Walker
We, an international group of autistic scholars of autism and neurodiversity, discuss recent findings on the origins of the concept and theorising of neurodiversity. For some time, the coinage and theorising of the concept of ‘neurodiversity’ has been attributed to Judy Singer. Singer wrote an Honours thesis on the subject in 1998, focused on autistic activists and allies in the autistic community
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How healthcare systems are experienced by autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A meta-ethnography Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Sarah Radev, Megan Freeth, Andrew R Thompson
Autistic adults are at increased risk of both mental and physical health difficulties, and yet can face barriers to accessing healthcare. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to conduct a review of the existing literature regarding autistic adults’ experiences of accessing healthcare. Four databases were systematically searched for qualitative and mixed-method studies reporting on the experiences
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Revisiting the Link: A qualitative analysis of the diverse experiences of gender dysphoria as a subset of pervasive social dysphoria co-occurring with autism in Japan Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Shoko Shimoyama, Toshihiko Endo
While the link between autism and gender dysphoria has received increasing attention, the phenomenon of gender dysphoria co-occurring with autism remains unclear owing to the lack of autistic transgender perspectives. Therefore, we explored the gender dysphoria experiences of 15 Japanese autistic transgender adults, obtaining two key findings. First, their gender dysphoria experiences were diverse;
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Sex differences in autism screening: An examination of the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test–Hebrew version Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Michael Terner, Sandra Israel-Yaacov, Ofer Golan
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterized by altered social communication and repetitive behavior. Typically diagnosed in early childhood, screening and diagnosis at a later age can be challenging, particularly in girls who exhibit a wider range of behaviors and characteristics. This study aimed to examine the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test–Hebrew version in a clinically referred Israeli
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What do parents of nonverbal and minimally verbal autistic children think about genomic autism research? Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-09 Kathryn Asbury, Umar Toseeb, Naomi Barrow
Concerns have been raised about genomic studies of autism. Most recently, the Spectrum 10 K study was paused due to criticism from the autistic community. This situation raised important questions about how the autistic and autism communities perceive genomic research. The Personal Experiences of Autism and Perceptions of DNA-based-research study was established to address this issue. Twenty parents
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Developmental associations between motor and communication outcomes in Fragile X syndrome: Variation in the context of co-occurring autism Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Elizabeth A Will, Kimberly J Hills, Kayla Smith, Samuel McQuillin, Jane E Roberts
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading heritable cause of intellectual disability, has a co-occurrence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) estimated at ~60%. The onset and rates of motor development in FXS are slower relative to neurotypical development, and even more so in the context of co-occurring FXS + ASD. Extant evidence suggests these differences are likely to affect communication, yet this
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Understanding autism diagnosis in primary care: Rates of diagnosis from 2004 to 2019 and child age at diagnosis Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Jessica V Smith, Michelle Menezes, Sophie Brunt, Jessica Pappagianopoulos, Eleonora Sadikova, Micah O Mazurek
The capacity of the workforce lags behind the current demand for timely autism diagnostic assessment. Primary care providers (PCPs) are well-positioned to diagnose autism at earlier ages than providers from other disciplines. Thus, bolstering PCPs’ diagnostic capabilities has been the focus of many recent capacity-building initiatives. Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, this
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Using music to assist language learning in autistic children with minimal verbal language: The MAP feasibility RCT Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Tim I Williams, Tom Loucas, Jacqueline Sin, Mirjana Jeremic, Sina Meyer, Sam Boseley, Sara Fincham-Majumdar, Georgia Aslett, Ruan Renshaw, Fang Liu
Music has been shown to improve social interaction and attention to verbal stimuli in autism. We report a feasibility randomised controlled trial of an online intervention using music-assisted programmes, compared with best-practice treatment (Social Communication Intervention for Pre-schoolers–Intensive) for language learning in preschool autistic children with minimal verbal language. Minimisation
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Short report: Do parents use asynchronous materials in a hybrid coaching via telehealth intervention? Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Anna Wallisch, Lauren M Little, Winnie Dunn, Scott Tomchek
Telehealth is rapidly expanding; however, few studies have investigated hybrid models that include synchronous and asynchronous components. While research recognizes the importance of tailoring interventions to meet individual child needs, we have yet to understand how to tailor interventions to parent characteristics. This study examined how baseline parent characteristics ( n = 25) were related to
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It’s our job to bridge the gap: Perspectives of bilingual autism providers on heritage language care Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Melanie R Martin Loya, Hedda Meadan
Autistic children from heritage-language-speaking homes in the United States are a growing group that would benefit from tailored support that honors their linguistic heritage. Bilingual autistic adults share benefits of their bilingualism abilities and report childhood learning environments as necessary for facilitating language learning or maintenance. Caregivers of young autistic children also report
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The effect of autism phenotype and diagnosis disclosure on students’ desire for social distance from autistic peers Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Indrė Muraškaitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė
Autistic students report feeling lonely, rejected by peers which is associated with poorer well-being and lower academic results. This study aims to evaluate the effect of autism phenotype and diagnosis disclosure on students’ desire for social distance from autistic students and factors related to social distancing. 303 students (72.3% women; mean age = 22.37 years) participated in this study. Each
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The role of autism and alexithymia traits in behavioral and neural indicators of self-concept and self-esteem in adolescence Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Renske van der Cruijsen, Sander Begeer, Eveline A Crone
Self-concept develops during adolescence, but little is known about self-concept in adolescents with autism. This behavioral neuroimaging study investigated (1) self-concept positivity across three domains (academic, physical appearance, and prosocial) and (2) from the perspective of self (direct self-concept) and the perceived perspective of peers (reflected self-concept) in 12- to 16-year-old adolescent
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Expression and co-regulation of negative emotion in 18-month-olds at increased likelihood for autism with diverse developmental outcomes Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Jessie B Northrup, Kaitlyn B Cortez, Carla A Mazefsky, Jana M Iverson
Emotion dysregulation is a common challenge for autistic individuals, yet research examining early emotion regulation processes in autism is lacking. The present study examined negative emotion expression and parent-child co-regulatory processes in 18-month-old younger siblings of autistic children (children with an “elevated likelihood” (EL) of autism) with diverse outcomes: autism, language delay
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Using Q-sort method to explore autistic students’ views of the impacts of their anxiety at school Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Kathryn Ambrose, Kate Simpson, Dawn Adams
Anxiety is a common co-occurring condition for autistic students; however, little is known about how anxiety may affect their social or academic outcomes in an educational setting. Furthermore, the perspectives of students themselves have rarely been included in the literature. Using Q-sort method, 45 autistic participants aged 7 to 17 years identified the outcomes they perceived were most impacted
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Problems with “problem behavior”: A secondary systematic review of intervention research on transition-age autistic youth Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Kristen Bottema-Beutel, Rachael McKinnon, Sarah Mohiuddin, Shannon Crowley LaPoint, So Yoon Kim
In this secondary systematic review of single-case and controlled group design intervention studies conducted with transition-age autistic youth, we examined features of 48 studies with 273 participants that measured at least one “problem behavior” outcome (Prospero registration number: 231764). We searched 11 databases for relevant studies, and the final search date was November 2022. Our primary
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Social media shaping autism perception and identity Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Ingjerd Skafle, Elia Gabarron, Anders Nordahl-Hansen
The aim of this study was to explore how autistic adults experienced using social media to find information about autism, and how they experienced online autistic communities. There is little research on the rationale why autistic people look for information on autism via social media, and on how such information is perceived from an autistic viewpoint. Twelve Norwegian autistic adults (aged 18–49
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The use of psychotropic medications in autistic individuals (21 years and younger) in Western Australia: A preliminary investigation Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Roselyne Bulonza, Kim Watkins, Richard Parsons, Bruce Sunderland, Andrew Whitehouse, Rima Caccetta
There is a significant variability in the prevalence of psychotropic medication use among young autistic persons worldwide and this is under-studied in Australia. Apart from risperidone, approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to manage challenging behaviour, the appropriateness of other psychotropic medications prescribed to young autistic persons warrants scrutiny. This retrospective study
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A qualitative exploration of an autism-specific self-compassion program: The ASPAA Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Chris Edwards, Vicki Gibbs, Abigail M A Love, Lydia Brown, Ru Ying Cai
As mental health concerns coupled with inadequate supports have been described as reaching crisis proportions in autistic people, there is a pressing need for accessible and effective support systems. While self-compassion has shown various benefits in the general population, its application in supporting autistic individuals remains limited. This study investigated the experiences of 39 autistic adults
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Satisfaction with social connectedness is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse first-semester college students Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Erin E McKenney, Jared K Richards, Talena C Day, Steven M Brunwasser, Claudia L Cucchiara, Bella Kofner, Rachel G McDonald, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Jenna Lamm, Erin Kang, Matthew D Lerner, Katherine O Gotham
Social difficulties and mental health are primary behavioral health concerns in autistic young adults, perhaps especially during key life transitions such as entering college. This study evaluated how dissatisfaction with social connectedness may predict and/or maintain depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse, first-semester, undergraduate students ( N = 263; n = 105 with diagnosed or suspected
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Literacy in nonspeaking autistic people Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Vikram K Jaswal, Andrew J Lampi, Kayden M Stockwell
Autistic people who cannot speak risk being underestimated. Their inability to speak, along with other unconventional behaviors and mannerisms, can give rise to limiting assumptions about their capacities, including their capacity to acquire literacy. In this preregistered study, we developed a task to investigate whether autistic adolescents and adults with limited or no phrase speech ( N = 31) have
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The Broad Autism Phenotype–International Test (BAP-IT): A two-domain-based test for the assessment of the broad autism phenotype Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Marta Godoy-Giménez, Ángel García-Pérez, Fernando Cañadas, Angeles F Estévez, Pablo Sayans-Jiménez
The broad autism phenotype is the phenotypic expression of the primary characteristics of autism. However, currently available tests do not agree with the two-domain operationalization of broad autism phenotype or autism, and their internal structure has shown instability across applications. This study presents the Broad Autism Phenotype–International Test, the first such test designed to target a
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The adult experience of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative meta-synthesis Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Ingrid Kiehl, Ruby Pease, Corinna Hackmann
There is a dearth of research into the experience of adult diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and targeted research is needed to understand the needs of these adults. The aim of this coproduced review was to assess existing qualitative data on the lived experience of receiving an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, identify recurring themes, and synthesize them into a visual model representing
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Access to Part C, Early Intervention for children younger than 4 years evaluated for autism spectrum disorder Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Adriana I. Mendez, Emma McQueen, Scott Gillespie, Ami Klin, Cheryl Klaiman, Katherine Pickard
Despite consensus on the importance of early detection and intervention for autistic children, health disparities exist, limiting access to timely services. One specific service type in the United States is Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C Early Intervention programs, which are federally funded interventions for children birth-to-three with developmental delays. This study aimed
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The Gestalt of functioning in autism revisited: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Sven Bölte, Lovisa Alehagen, Melissa H Black, John Hasslinger, Elina Wessman, Karl Lundin Remnélius, Peter B Marschik, Emily D’Arcy, Susanna Crowson, Megan Freeth, Andreas Seidel, Sonya Girdler, Eric Zander
Functioning is a construct capturing how an individual’s engagement in everyday life emerges from the interaction between the individual and their environment. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a biopsychosocial framework of functioning. Previously, the ICF was adapted for use in autism by developing Core Sets, a selection
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Evidence-b(i)ased practice: Selective and inadequate reporting in early childhood autism intervention research Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Micheal Sandbank, Kristen Bottema-Beutel, Ya-Cing Syu, Nicolette Caldwell, Jacob I Feldman, Tiffany Woynaroski
We conducted a multi-pronged investigation of different types of reporting bias in autism early childhood intervention research. First, we investigated the prevalence of reporting failures of completed trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov, and found that only 7% of registered trials were updated with results on the registration platform and only 64% had associated published reports. Next, we investigated
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Occurrence and predictors of lifetime suicidality and suicidal ideation in autistic adults Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 J van Bentum, M Sijbrandij, M Huibers, S Begeer
In the past 40 years, accumulating evidence suggested that autistic individuals are at an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study examined the occurrence of various potential risk factors for lifetime suicidal behavior and suicidal thoughts in the past month in a Dutch cohort (Netherlands Autism Register) of autistic individuals using the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire (SBQ-R)
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Suicide risk in transition-aged autistic youth: The link among executive function, depression, and autistic traits Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Michal L Cook, Brianne Tomaszewski, Elena Lamarche, Karrah Bowman, Claire B Klein, Sara Stahl, Laura G Klinger
Autistic individuals are at significantly higher risk of suicide than non-autistic individuals, with transition-aged youth at potentially the highest risk. While lower executive function (EF) skills have been significantly associated with suicide risk in other clinical samples, the link between EF and suicidality has not yet been examined for autistic individuals. In this study, 183 transition-aged
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‘Who, When, How to Share’: Pilot study of a new disclosure decision-making programme for autistic adults Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Emeline Han, Katrina Scior, Kana Grace, Eric Heath, Simone Dufresne, Laura Crane
In this pilot study, we report on the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of ‘Who, When, How to Share’, a new disclosure decision-making programme for autistic adults. We evaluated this programme using pre-post mixed-methods surveys that included questions about participants’ experiences of the programme and four psychosocial outcome measures. While 32 autistic adults completed the pre-programme
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Feasibility of the Autism Navigator® JumpStart to Coaching in Everyday Activities course in South Africa Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Nola Chambers, Petrus J de Vries, Amy M Wetherby
In low-resource settings, non-profit organisations play an essential role in providing services and support for families with young children with autism. However, resource constraints limit access to quality training in evidence-based interventions. Web-based training may help fill this gap. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of the web-based Autism Navigator® JumpStart
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Do Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions improve family quality of life? A systematic review and meta-analysis Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Amanda Leigh Duncan, Hannah Keene, Collin Shepley
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions have been described as culturally responsive and family-friendly interventions, with research demonstrating improvements in children’s development when receiving these services. Given the child-directed nature of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions and the intervention’s congruence with families’ daily routines, many studies have examined
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Mortality risk among Autistic children and young people: A nationwide birth cohort study Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Hien Vu, Nicholas Bowden, Sheree Gibb, Richard Audas, Joanne Dacombe, Laurie McLay, Andrew Sporle, Hilary Stace, Barry Taylor, Hiran Thabrew, Reremoana Theodore, Jessica Tupou, Philip J Schluter
Autism has been associated with increased mortality risk among adult populations, but little is known about the mortality risk among children and young people (0–24 years). We used a 15-year nationwide birth cohort study using linked health and non-health administrative data to estimate the mortality risk among Autistic children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Time-to-event analysis was used
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School participation of autistic youths: The influence of youth, family and school factors Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Boya Li, David Heyne, Anke Scheeren, Els Blijd-Hoogewys, Carolien Rieffe
Many autistic youths experience restricted school participation. The present study investigated the influences of youth, family and school factors on autistic youths’ school participation. Parents of 200 Dutch autistic youths (age range: 4–16 years, Mage = 12.23 years, SDage = 2.93 years) filled in questionnaires in a national survey for autistic individuals, reporting the school participation, age
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What are the autism research priorities of autistic adults in Scotland? Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Eilidh Cage, Catherine J Crompton, Sarah Dantas, Khiah Strachan, Rachel Birch, Mark Robinson, Stasa Morgan-Appel, Charlie MacKenzie-Nash, Aaron Gallagher, Monique Botha
Studies investigating autistic community research priorities indicate a mismatch between what autism research focuses on and what autistic people want to see researched. Furthermore, there has not been a research priority-setting exercise specifically with autistic people in Scotland, where there are unique cultural, political and social contexts. Using a community-based participatory design, we aimed
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Psychometric exploration of the RAADS-R with autistic adults: Implications for research and clinical practice Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Alexandra Sturm, Sijia Huang, Vanessa Bal, Ben Schwartzman
Several validated adult autism symptom screening tools exist; however, there are concerns about the validity of instruments in adults who self-identify and those who have an autism diagnosis. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the RAADS-R and RAADS-14 across gender, autism diagnosis and autistic identity, and age among a sample of 839 adults. Participants included individuals who reported
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The characterization of feeding challenges in autistic children Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Brittany M St. John, Karla K Ausderau
Feeding challenges are a significant concern for autistic children. Literature has yet to comprehensively characterize feeding challenges for autistic children. Further research is needed to understand predictors of feeding severity and identify opportunities for screening and intervention. The purpose of this study was to characterize the presentation of feeding challenges in autistic children and
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Factors mediating pre-existing autism diagnosis and later suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A follow-up cohort study Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Jung-Chi Chang, Meng-Chuan Lai, Shu-Sen Chang, Susan Shur-Fen Gau
Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, little research delineates the temporal and mechanistic associations between potential risk factors and suicidality in autistic individuals. We assessed 129 autistic and 121 age-matched and sex-assigned-at-birth-matched typically developing (TD) children and youth at baseline
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Examining the associations among knowledge, empowerment, and advocacy among parents of transition-aged youth with autism Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Chak Li, W. Catherine Cheung, Meghan M Burke, Julie Lounds Taylor, Leann S DaWalt
Parents of individuals with autism face many challenges in accessing appropriate services and supports for their offspring. Parents also play vital roles in advocating for their offspring’s rights and needs. Furthermore, despite advocacy programs becoming increasingly common, it remains unclear how to best foster advocacy among parents of individuals with autism. To this end, we examined the associations
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Atypical pattern separation memory and its association with restricted interests and repetitive behaviors in autistic children Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Lang Chen, Jin Liu, Julia Boram Kang, Miriam Rosenberg-Lee, Daniel A Abrams, Vinod Menon
Emerging research suggests that episodic memory challenges are commonly encountered by autistic individuals; however, the specific nature of these memory challenges remains elusive. Here, we address critical gaps in the literature by examining pattern separation memory, the ability to store distinct memories of similar stimuli, and its links to the core autistic trait of repetitive, restricted interests
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Employment profiles of autistic people: An 8-year longitudinal study Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-20 Simon M Bury, Darren Hedley, Mirko Uljarević, Xia Li, Mark A Stokes, Sander Begeer
Autistic adults experience high rates of unemployment, yet research investigating what predicts employment success produces inconsistent results. By utilising longitudinal person-oriented analyses, this study aimed to identify employment trajectories of autistic adults to better understand what may predict stable autistic employment. Participants were 2449 autistic adults (1077 men, 1352 women, 20
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No association between alexithymia and emotion recognition or theory of mind in a sample of adolescents enhanced for autistic traits Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Georgianna Moraitopoulou, Hannah Pickard, Emily Simonoff, Andrew Pickles, Rachael Bedford, Virginia Carter Leno
The alexithymia hypothesis posits that specific aspects of the autistic socio-cognitive profile, namely emotion recognition difficulties, can be explained by the increased prevalence of alexithymia in autistic populations. However, this hypothesis has largely been tested in adults. We tested whether co-occurring alexithymia could account for associations between autistic traits and two key domains
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Short report: Transition to International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision and the prevalence of autism in a cohort of healthcare systems Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Musu M Sesay, Courtney E McCracken, Christine Stewart, Gregory Simon, Robert Penfold, Brian Ahmedani, Rebecca C Rossom, Christine Y Lu, Arne Beck, Karen J Coleman, Yihe Daida, Frances L Lynch, John Zeber, Laurel Copeland, Ashli Owen-Smith
Currently, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (henceforth “autism”) is 1 in 36, an increasing trend from previous estimates. In 2015, the United States adopted a new version (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) of the World Health Organization coding system, a standard for classifying medical conditions. Our goal was to examine how the transition to this new coding system
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Made to feel different: Families perspectives on external responses to autism and the impacts on family well-being and relationships Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Sebastian Trew
This study aimed to investigate the impact of external factors on the experiences and family relationships of autistic adolescents and their families. A qualitative approach was used, with in-depth interviews conducted with 30 participants, including autistic adolescents, siblings and parents from within families with an autistic adolescent family member. The findings suggest that external factors
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Everyday executive function issues from the perspectives of autistic adolescents and their parents: Theoretical and empirical implications Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Lorcan Kenny, Anna Remington, Elizabeth Pellicano
There is a long tradition of research into autistic people’s executive function skills. Yet, despite decades of research on EF in autism, the existing literature remains contradictory and ‘confusing’, with a large – and unresolved – discrepancy between small-to-moderate effect sizes demonstrated on laboratory-based EF tasks and large effect sizes on questionnaire-based everyday EF measures. We sought
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Remembering the future; prospective memory across the autistic adult’s life span Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Annabeth P Groenman, Carolien Torenvliet, Tulsi A Radhoe, Joost A Agelink van Rentergem, Wikke van der Putten, Mareike Altgassen, Hilde M Geurts
Prospective memory helps us to remember to perform tasks in the future. Prospective memory can be either time or event based. The goal of this study was to determine time- and event-based prospective memory in autistic adults across the life span. Autistic ( n = 82) and non-autistic ( n = 111) adults, aged between 30 and 86 years, performed the lab-based Amsterdam Breakfast Task, and several naturalistic
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Diagnosis as a new beginning not an end: A participatory photovoice study on navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 Eilidh Cage, Monique Botha, Lynsey McDevitt, Karis N King, Liz Biscoe, Kirsty Tucker, Amy Pearson
Autistic people diagnosed in adulthood often report that the experience can be life-changing, but there are issues with the diagnostic pathway. Few studies consider the views of people currently seeking diagnosis or contextualise the experience of diagnosis around developing an autistic identity. In this qualitative participatory study, we explored experiences of navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood
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A meta-ethnography of autistic people’s experiences of social camouflaging and its relationship with mental health Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Sarah L Field, Marc O Williams, Catherine R G Jones, John R E Fox
Some autistic people use strategies to hide autistic behaviour and appear more neurotypical. Previous research has linked this ‘social camouflaging’ with mental health difficulties. This review synthesised qualitative research to explore the relationship between camouflaging and mental health. Thirteen studies were systematically identified, appraised and synthesised using meta-ethnography. Four third-order
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First things first: An exploration of the effects of psychoeducation for older autistic adults Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Maartje Lenders, Machteld A Ouwens, Rosalien M H J Wilting, Arjan C Videler
A psychoeducation program that was originally developed by the Dutch Association for Autism was adjusted for older adults to enhance its feasibility and efficacy in later life. In this study, we explored the effects of this adapted psychoeducation program for older autistic adults in a pre-test–post-test 6-month follow-up design. A total of 61 patients (55–78 years) and 44 proxies (a person close to
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Exploring social touch in autistic and non-autistic adults via a self-report body-painting task: The role of sex, social context and body area Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2024-01-05 Manuel Mello, Martina Fusaro, Salvatore Maria Aglioti, Ilaria Minio-Paluello
In the typically developing population, social touch experiences are influenced by several factors, including the biological sex of toucher and receiver, the body area wherein the touch is delivered and the social context in which the tactile exchange occurs. However, it is currently unexplored how social touch experiences of autistic adults are modulated by these factors. We sought to address this
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Mindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-16 Hanna Agius, Anne-Kristina Luoto, Anna Backman, Carina Eriksdotter, Nitya Jayaram-Lindström, Sven Bölte, Tatja Hirvikoski
Autistic adults report high stress and impaired ability to cope with stressors. Mindfulness-based stress reduction targets individual’s own resources to regulate stress responses. An open feasibili...
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Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-11 Andrea L Maughan, Yona Lunsky, Johanna Lake, Jennifer S Mills, Kenneth Fung, Lee Steel, Jonathan A Weiss
Emerging research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may improve mental health for caregivers. Parents of autistic children, adolescents, and adults (N = 54) were randomly assigned ...
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Barriers to healthcare for Australian autistic adults Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-10 Samuel RC Arnold, Georgia Bruce, Janelle Weise, Caroline J Mills, Julian N Trollor, Kristy Coxon
Barriers to healthcare experienced by Australian autistic adults have not been previously explored. We conducted a cross-sectional investigation of barriers to healthcare and associated factors fro...
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Interpreting the results of explicit and applied theory of mind collectively in autistic children: A solution from Rasch analysis Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-10 Shih-Chieh Lee, Chien-Yu Huang, I-Ning Fu, Kuan-Lin Chen
Multidimensional theory of mind assessments should include items assessing both explicit theory of mind (theory of mind knowledge) and applied theory of mind (application of theory of mind knowledg...
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A scoping review of autism research conducted in Central Asia: Knowledge gaps and research priorities Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-10 Rano Zakirova-Engstrand, Gulnoza Yakubova
Very little is known about the status of autism research in Central Asia. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the scope and focus of the peer-reviewed research studies conducted with ...
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The relationships among executive functions, self-regulation, and physical exercise in children with autism spectrum disorder Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-10 Andy CY Tse, Venus HL Liu, Paul H Lee, David I Anderson, Kimberley Dawn Lakes
Physical exercise is widely reported beneficial to executive functions in children with autism spectrum disorder. However, its impact on self-regulation in the population remains unknown. This stud...
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Automated movement tracking of young autistic children during free play is correlated with clinical features associated with autism Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Andrew Yuan, Maura Sabatos-DeVito, Alexandra L Bey, Samantha Major, Kimberly LH Carpenter, Lauren Franz, Jill Howard, Saritha Vermeer, Ryan Simmons, Jesse Troy, Geraldine Dawson
Autistic children’s play provides insights into social, communication, and other skills; however, methods for measuring these observations can be labor-intensive and rely on subjective judgment. Th...
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Effects of prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on social functioning in autism spectrum disorder: A randomized clinical trial Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Yvonne MY Han, Melody MY Chan, Caroline KS Shea, Flora YM Mo, Klaire WK Yiu, Raymond CK Chung, Mei-Chun Cheung, Agnes S Chan
This triple-arm, double-blind, randomized clinical trial investigated the effect of multisession prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on social functioning in individuals with ...
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Studies pertaining to language impairment in school-age autistic individuals underreport participant socio-demographics: A systematic review Autism (IF 6.684) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Teresa Girolamo, Lue Shen, Amalia Monroe-Gulick, Mabel L Rice, Inge-Marie Eigsti
Autism research tends to exclude racially and ethnically minoritized autistic individuals, limiting the quality of the evidence base for characterizing and diagnosing language impairment in raciall...