High-ability youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) historically have been neglected within samples validating ASD screening measures, and consensus for what constitutes high ability has not been established. The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) are two common screening tools for ASD…

This study explored caregivers' perspectives on facilitators and barriers to screening, diagnosis, and identifying and accessing other services for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); and caregivers' suggestions for improving the process. Eight focus groups with 55 caregivers were conducted. Four groups had a mix of White, African…

There are a variety of services and supports in Minnesota for children and youth with autism who are age 0-21. These include services and supports provided by state agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups; however, children from culturally and linguistically diverse groups are, on average, misdiagnosed more often and identified later than White children. Understanding current practices and procedures is important for ensuring the use of evidence-based…

Fully updated to reflect DSM-5 and current assessment tools, procedures and research, this award-winning book provides a practical and scientifically-based approach to identifying, assessing, and treating children and adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in school settings. Integrating current research evidence with theory and…

One of the most respected and widely used autism interventions, Pivotal Response Treatment uses natural learning opportunities to modify key behaviors in children--leading to widespread positive effects on communication, behavior, and social skills. Now the pioneering experts behind PRT have created a comprehensive modern guide to this…

An emerging focus of research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) targets the identification of early-developing ASD endophenotypes using infant siblings of affected children. One potential neural endophenotype is resting frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha asymmetry, a metric of hemispheric organization. Here, we examined the development of…

Earlier autism diagnosis, the importance of early intervention, and development of specific interventions for young children have contributed to the emergence of similar, empirically supported, autism interventions that represent the merging of applied behavioral and developmental sciences. "Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions…

Machine learning has immense potential to enhance diagnostic and intervention research in the behavioral sciences, and may be especially useful in investigations involving the highly prevalent and heterogeneous syndrome of autism spectrum disorder. However, use of machine learning in the absence of clinical domain expertise can be tenuous and lead…

In order to start providing important early intervention services to preschoolers and toddlers with autism, those children first need to be identified. Despite the availability of specialized autism assessment instruments, there is a need for effective screeners at the early childhood level. Three broadband behavior rating scales were evaluated in…

The Developmental Diagnostic Dimensional Interview-short version (3Di-sv) provides a brief standardized parental interview for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study explored its validity, and compatibility with DSM-5 ASD. 3Di-sv classifications showed good sensitivity but low specificity when compared to ADOS-2-confirmed clinical…

This study documents the relation between an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, increases in intervention, and changes in parent-child interaction quality. Information about intervention and observations of interaction were collected before diagnosis and a half year after diagnosis for 79 low-risk toddlers who had screened positive for ASD…

Rating scales are often used as part of the evaluation process to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Rating scales that are modeled after the experiences and understanding of the Caucasian American race may not reflect the unique experiences of individuals from other races or ethnicities. If parent ratings do not uniformly identify the ASD…

A total of 128 adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders were surveyed concerning the process they went through to obtain their diagnosis and the subsequent support they received. Results suggested that routes to diagnosis were quite heterogeneous and overall levels of satisfaction with the diagnostic process were mixed; 40% of…

We examined the stability of cognitive and adaptive behaviour standard scores in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between diagnosis and school entry approximately age 6. IQ increased 18 points in 2-year-olds, 12 points in 3-year-olds, and 9 points in 4-year-olds (N = 281). Adaptive behaviour scores increased 4 points across age groups…