Children with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than neurotypical children to experience eating difficulties, such as picky/selective eating, slow eating, and over/under-eating. Recent studies show that eating difficulties can persist into adulthood for autistic individuals. Yet little is known about the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate short-term changes of frailty in adults and identify predictors of frailty and disability changes between baseline and the follow-up. A cohort study was conducted in 85 adults with intellectual disability (ID) in southern Taiwan. Variables of frailty phenotype, Barthel Index, fall, comorbidity, and…

Despite very high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in autistic adults, the key psychosocial drivers of this phenomenon remain unknown. To investigate, we examined how lifetime stressor exposure and severity, which have been found to predict STB in non-autistic populations, related to STB in a multinational dataset of 226 autistic…

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of unknown comorbid mental disorders in individuals with mild/moderate intellectual disability (ID) with/without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to compare the severity of challenging behavior with respect to the comorbidity of ASD and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Methods:…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) usually appears associated with other comorbid psychopathology. For this reason, the present research aimed to study the comorbid conditions in ASD paying more attention to depressive symptoms. The investigation included a sample of 37 adults with ASD and intellectual disability (M = 27.49; SD = 9.2), users of…

Introduction: Prescription stimulants are an effective FDA approved treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) however their safety has come under scrutiny. Multiple studies demonstrate safe use in pediatric populations, but prescriptions are increasing to adults and it is not evident which comorbidities might place people at…

Introduction: Social knowledge is an important aspect of social cognition that pertains to broader knowledge of social concepts and norms. People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience mental health challenges, and it's important to pay special attention to how comorbid conditions can affect their social cognition skills,…

High alexithymic traits and psychiatric comorbidities such as depression and social phobia are frequently observed among adults with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we tested whether alexithymic and/or autistic traits are risk factors for depressive and social phobic symptoms in adults with autism spectrum disorder (n = 122), patients…

Autism spectrum disorder and anxiety are highly comorbid conditions. Understanding the underlying traits of anxiety in autism spectrum disorder is crucial to prevent and treat it efficiently. Hence, this study determined whether social communication difficulties or restricted repetitive behaviors are stronger risk factors for anxiety symptoms in…

In adults with autism spectrum disorder, co-occurring psychiatric conditions are prevalent, and depression is one of the most common co-occurring disorders. This study examined the relationship between depression and cognitive ability, autism symptom severity, and self-reported social impairments in autism spectrum disorder. A total of 33 adults…

Purpose: Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a consequence of stroke that frequently co-occurs with aphasia. Its study is limited by difficulties with its perceptual evaluation and dissociation from co-occurring impairments. This study examined the classification accuracy of several acoustic measures for the differential diagnosis of AOS in a sample of…

Although executive functioning (EF) difficulties are well documented among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about real-world measures of EF among adults with ASD. Therefore, this study examined parent-reported real-world EF problems among 35 adults with ASD without intellectual disability and their…

Samson et al. ("Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders" 41:475-483, 2011) conducted the first empirical investigation examining the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) and its prevalence in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (hfASD). The present research examined gelotophobia in relation to social…

Rates of challenging behaviors were assessed in 175 adults with intellectual disability (ID) or ID and a comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The relationship between ASD diagnosis, race, and challenging behaviors was assessed using the "Autism Spectrum Disorders-Behavior Problems for Adults (ASD-BPA)." Those with ASD and ID were…

Researchers investigated the self-concept profiles of twice-exceptional students in relationship to their cognitive ability and participation in educational services. All subjects (N = 64) had high ability (IQ score at or above the 90th percentile) and were diagnosed with either an autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 53) or specific learning…