The relationship between sensory processing and ASD-like and associated behaviors in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) remains relatively unexplored. Examining this relationship, 51 adults with PWS were administered the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autism Society Japan Rating Scale (PARS), Short Sensory Profile (SSP-J), Food-Related…

The newest edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (5th ed., DSM-5) introduced substantial changes to the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder, including new severity level ratings for social communication and restricted and repetitive behavior domains. The purpose of this study was to evaluate…

Elopement is a common and dangerous concern in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is evidence that behavior analytic treatments can successfully treat elopement, but the research is limited due to small samples and treatment components varying across studies. The current study evaluated the feasibility of studying a manualized intervention for…

Purpose: Parents of children on the autism spectrum enrolled in early intervention often receive coaching to address both social communication and disruptive behavior, which are the two most frequently reported concerns by parents. Intervention techniques for both are often recommended to be implemented across daily routines and require the…

Introduction: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but knowledge is limited regarding identification and treatment of these disorders in individuals with ASD and more severe levels of intellectual disability (ID). The current case study aims to explore and describe the inpatient, psychiatric…

Anxiety often co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder, yet there are few valid and reliable instruments for measuring anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder. This article describes the modification of the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder and systematic psychometric evaluation in a well-characterized…

Irritability and aggression (IA) are highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although clinical correlates of IA in this population have been previously examined, findings from existing studies capturing symptoms as a set of latent variables do not fully explain meaningful associations between the symptoms themselves.…

Elevated parenting stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder is well-documented; however, there is limited information about variability in parenting stress and relationships with parent ratings of child functioning. The aim of this study was to explore profiles of parenting stress among 100 parents of young children with…

Prior studies have demonstrated successful irritability treatment using dopaminergic antagonists in autistic patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effect of dextromethorphan/quinidine (DM/Q) in autistic adults (18-60 years of age). This was a randomized, blinded, crossover, study of 14 patients randomized to DM/Q or a placebo…

Introduction: Diet and dietary interventions have drawn considerable attention in the literature as etiopathogenic factors and therapeutic approaches to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), respectively. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet on the alterations of behavior in children and…

Anxiety is a common and impairing problem in children with autism spectrum disorder, but little is known about it in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. This article reports on the characteristics of anxiety symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder using a parent-completed rating scale. One hundred and eighty children…

Psychiatric disorders in individuals with co-occurring autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are common, but diagnosis presents many challenges. The Psychopathology in Autism checklist (PAC) is among the very few instruments specifically developed for this group of individuals. The psychometric properties of the PAC…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often associated with intellectual disability (ID). ASD-specific group concepts usually focus on people on a high functioning level. The Autism-Competence-Group (AutCom) combines a psycho-educative approach with music and dance/movement interventions in adults with ASD and ID. AutCom includes 16 structured…

Background: Traditional treatment for the behavioural symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need for new, biologically relevant therapies that target both the core and comorbid symptoms that children may experience. This article builds on research previously published by the authors. Method: We…

Psychiatric hospitalization of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is common, but there is little comparative information available on different psychiatric hospital treatment models. Children with ASD ages 4-20 were enrolled upon admission to either a specialized (N = 53) or a general child psychiatric unit (N = 27). Caregivers completed…