Emotion dysregulation is common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the relationship between emotion dysregulation and resting heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of the autonomic nervous system, in ASD adolescents. Resting HRV data were collected from ASD (n = 23) and typically developing (TD) adolescents…

Mothers and fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ in their perception of their interpersonal resources and risk factors. Fathers (114) and mothers (507) of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study. Fathers (vs. mothers) reported lower interpersonal resources (interpersonal emotion regulation and perceived support…

Studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic children's psychosocial outcomes have shown mixed results. In the current study we aimed to gain a better insight into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing psychosocial outcomes collected pre-pandemic with data collected during the pandemic. We used the Strengths and…

Current understandings of the sexuality of autistic females have been predominantly drawn from qualitative studies. This study aimed to quantitatively examine the sexual functioning of autistic females (N = 135), by comparing these to the sexual interest, behaviours, and experiences to 96 autistic males and 161 typically developing females.…

Rumination and low self-esteem are associated with suicidality, and with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, rumination and self-esteem in relation to suicidality in adults with ASD have not been examined. This cross-sectional study (n = 75; 46 males and 29 females) investigates the relation of rumination and self-esteem to the…

Previous research has demonstrated irrational asymmetry in belief updating: people tend to take into account good news and neglect bad news. Contradicting formal learning principles, belief updates were on average larger after better-than-expected information than after worse-than-expected information. In the present study, typically developing…

Aggressive behaviors in those with intellectual disability (ID) and autism (ASD) have been linked to a variety of factors including ID level, age, sex, psychiatric disorders, and medical conditions but these factors have not been studied, in large samples, in terms of how they affect the stimuli that trigger aggression. In this survey of 2243…

This study examined gender differences in the relationship between dispositional optimism, coping, and depressive symptoms of Hispanic mothers (n = 46) and fathers (n = 43) of children with autism spectrum disorder. Coping was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between optimism and depressive symptoms. The results revealed that mothers…

The higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in males, relative to that seen in females, is a well-replicated phenomenon. A growing body of research has suggested that there may be gender differences in core ASD deficits and patterns of psychiatric comorbidity among adolescents and adults with ASD. The present study sought to determine…

This study compared sibling adjustment and relationships in siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD-Sibs; n = 69) and siblings of children with typical development (TD-Sibs; n = 93). ASD-Sibs and TD-Sibs demonstrated similar emotional/behavioral adjustment. Older male ASD-Sibs were at increased risk for difficulties. Sibling…

This study examined the sexual functioning of single adults (61 men, 68 women) with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome living in the community with and without prior relationship experience. Participants completed an on-line questionnaire assessing autism symptoms, psychological functioning, and various aspects of sexual functioning. In…

Resolution with the diagnosis of one's child involves coming to terms with and accepting the diagnosis and its implications. Parental resolution with the diagnosis was examined among 61 mothers and 60 fathers of 61 children with autism spectrum disorders aged 2-17 years. We investigated resolution rates and subtypes, and associations between…

Adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) can recognise simple emotions and pass basic theory of mind tasks, but have difficulties recognising more complex emotions and mental states. This study describes a new battery of tasks, testing recognition of 20 complex emotions and mental states from faces and voices. The battery was given to males and females…

Objective: This study describes and compares the severity of DSM-IV symptoms in preschool children with diagnosed pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), clinic controls, and two community-based samples. Method: Parents (/and teachers) completed the early child inventory-4 (ECI-4), a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale for four samples: PDD (n =…