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…

Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) commonly live in specialised residential settings. Data collected from these adults are often nested. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of this data structure. Method: Referent caregivers completed the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behaviour for each of the 571 adults with ID who…

Background: The present study aimed at investigating mother-child dyadic co-regulation patterns in dyads with children with intellectual disability (ID). Method: 24 children paired for developmental age and vocabulary size (8 with chromosome 14 aberrations, 8 with Down syndrome, and 8 with typical development) and their mothers participated in the…

Background: Although parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit high levels of parenting stress, minimal research has examined the type of stress they experience. Understanding parenting stress is critical as the effects are not limited to the parent. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of conceptualising…

Background: This systematic review aimed to identify the factors related to psychosocial outcomes for adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). A further aim was to appraise the research methodology and provide recommendations for future research. Method: Systematic review methodology was used to comprehensively search for…

Background: Social support has been described as a vital resource for families with children with disability. Although the benefits of social support have been described, little is known about the utilisation patterns in families of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: In a community sample of 78 American families with…

Background: There is limited research documenting the health and/or psychological services accessed by adults with rare genetic syndromes who engage in challenging behaviour. The study documented service receipt and associations with person characteristics. Method: Thirty-two parents of adults with rare genetic syndromes completed an adapted…

Background: Mothers of children with autism experience high levels of stress. However, little is known about whether maternal stressors differ across children of different ages. Method: This study investigated stressors in mothers of 29 pre-school-aged and 27 school-aged children with autism. Correlation and regression analyses were used to…

Background: Understanding adaptive behaviour variability in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have important implications for early intervention. The purpose of this study was to explore whether autism symptom severity and caregiver depression affected adaptive behaviour in young children with ASD. Method: Data were collected from…

Background: Researchers investigating the impact of parenting children with disabilities suggest that regardless of the specific diagnosis, parents experience increased levels of stress. However, particular disabilities may be associated with distinct stressors and strains. Method: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and…

Background: Play is critical for the development of young children and is an important part of their daily routine. However, children with autism often exhibit deficits in play skills and engage in stereotypic behaviour. We reviewed studies to identify effective instructional strategies for teaching play skills to young children with autism.…

Background: There is a need for a more accurate characterisation of higher level restricted and repetitive behaviour (RRB) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including why it might be considered problematic and events associated with its occurrence. Method: We selected one form of higher level RRB--arranging and ordering--that was rated as severe…

Background: It is well recognised that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience clinically significant levels of stress and depression. This study examined which ASD characteristic best predicted parental distress. Method: Parents of 109 children aged between 4 and 12 (M age = 7.89, SD = 2.43) completed self-report…

Background: Sensory integration (SI) therapy is an intervention widely used with children with disability despite the lack of evidence regarding its efficacy. Method: A questionnaire was distributed to early intervention teachers in Malaysia and Singapore. Information was sought on how early intervention teachers learned about SI therapy, the…

Background: Positive behaviour support emphasises the impact of contextual variables to enhance participation, choice, and quality of life. This study evaluates a sequence for implementing changes to key contextual variables for 4 individuals. Interventions were maintained and data collection continued over a 3-year period. Method: Functional…