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 autistic people and their families in five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The electronic…

People on the autism spectrum can learn about autism from various sources, likely differing in the information, portrayal, and discussion they offer. The present study investigates where autistic people learn about autism, and whether their information source is associated with their level of autism knowledge, perceptions of stigma, and…

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…

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the knowledge levels of nurses working in Family Health Centers (FHCs) about childhood autism. Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consisted of 361 nurses working in FHCs in the province with the highest child population rate in Turkey. Data were…

The purpose of this study was to explore Early Years (EY) teachers' knowledge and perceptions about autism in Greece. An online questionnaire was completed by 276 respondents with experience in teaching children from 0 to 6 years old. The findings showed that EY teachers in Greece are aware of the main difficulties people with autism are likely to…

Special educators are at the forefront of the Indian special education system in providing tailored instruction and specialized training for students with autism. There are evidence-based strategies that exist to enhance social, communication, cognitive, and mental health skills among students with autism. However, their implementation in the…

Employing a mixed methods approach, this study examined the knowledge and information Ontario physicians have concerning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Physicians are at the front line when it comes to identifying ASD. The Healthcare Professional Questionnaire was filled out by 46 physicians and 16 filled out the Knowledge about Childhood Autism…

A growing literature suggests that there is cross-cultural variation in levels of autism-related stigma, which may partially be explained by differences in cultural orientation or autism-related knowledge between countries. This literature has relied heavily on self-report measures of explicit attitudes towards autism; little research has examined…

Employment interviews can be challenging for autistic people. In addition to standard interview procedures often being inaccessible, features associated with autism (including atypical emotional expression, eye-contact, and gestures) may lead to negative first impressions. Research using vignettes and 'thin slices' of communication indicate that…

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the youth version of the program Parents Taking Action in Bogota, Colombia, using a quasi-experimental design. We hypothesized that parents in the treatment groups would improve in levels of knowledge, empowerment, self-efficacy, and use of strategies related to topics of adolescence and…

Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a major impact on caregivers. We aimed to describe caregivers' perceptions concerning their level of knowledge about ASD and their needs to better adapt education and training programs. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted through a declarative and self-administered survey…

Teachers' negative attitudes towards autistic students remain a major obstacle to their school inclusion. This exploratory study aims to investigate the mediating role of teacher's self-efficacy and knowledge of the relationship between a teacher's status (general education teachers "versus" special education ones) and attitudes towards…

This study examined the validity of the Greek version of the Societal Attitudes Towards Autism (SATA) scale in a Greek community sample (n = 633) and explored how the demographic variables of the sample modulate knowledge and attitudes regarding people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The principal component analysis confirmed the…

Substantial variability exists with regard to autism service provision around the world. Service disparities observed in many low- and middle-income countries may be driven, in part, by limited autism knowledge; however, measurement limitations have made it difficult to quantify autism knowledge across countries. The current study uses the autism…

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system which is widely used to support children with developmental disabilities. In the present study, we surveyed individuals responsible for implementing PECS in special educational settings in the United Kingdom (N=283). We explored knowledge…