This comparative case study investigated the college experiences of twice-exceptional college students identified as gifted and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (GTASD). Increasing numbers of students with ASD are entering universities (NCES, 2008; Shattuck et al., 2012) making the identification of supports for their academic success…

The percentage of students educationally identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is on the rise and school counselors are called to serve this population. Social stories are recommended in the educational literature to address the social and behavioral challenges of students with ASD, but a need exists to examine social stories within the…

The research on young children with a dual diagnosis of hearing loss and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is meager and scattered. Pockets of research on this population of children suggest that it is difficult to make the diagnosis of ASD in children with hearing loss. A case study design was used to examine the diagnostic process for young…

Autism is a developmental disability that provides special challenges to families, schools, and adult support systems. An additional area that is affected by the symptoms of autism is medicine. The deficits associated with autism in the areas of communication and social skills, as well as the prevalence of challenging behavior can interfere with…

Treatment validity is a frequently neglected topic of screening instruments used to identify autism spectrum disorders. Treatment validity, however, should represent an important aspect of these instruments to link the resulting data to the selection of interventions as well as make decisions about treatment length and intensity. Research…

Rich with clinical insights, this volume reviews the state of the science of identifying and treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in very young children. Leading authorities examine critical research issues and present innovative approaches to assessing social, cognitive, adaptive, communication, and sensory-motor impairments in the first two…

A two-stage protocol for screening for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) was evaluated in a random population of 31,724 children aged 14-15 months. Children were first pre-screened by physicians at well-baby clinics using a 4-item screening instrument. Infants that screened positive were then evaluated during a 1.5-h home visit by a trained…

The objective of this review is to clarify the role of matching in family genetic studies of autism as a way of defining endophenotypes for linkage analysis. The concept of a confounding variable is reviewed and the importance of considering these in family studies of three endophenotypes in autism are considered: cognitive/language impairments,…

Diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders relies on the detection of deficits in social, play, and communication skills relative to the child's mental age. A case example illustrates the multidisciplinary process of making the diagnosis in very young children. Psychiatric evaluation criteria are examined, and a developmental framework for…

An approach to the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders is presented that considers the difficulties in relationships and communication secondary to sensory and motor processing deficits. These difficulties are conceptualized as Multisystem Developmental Disorder (MSDD), and case vignettes illustrate typical patterns of MSDD and…

Children with autism present unique challenges related to communication, behavior, and social skills. Each child with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibits individual characteristics of the disorder. Early identification of autistic spectrum disorder has been shown to improve the child's benefit from educational interventions. There may be…