Background: Few studies have explored community participation for autistic adults, with or without intellectual disability. This study aims to investigate how autistic adults participate in the community, and the childhood and adulthood factors that predict community participation in adulthood. Method: Eighty-four autistic adults (mean age 34…

College students have been identified as highly vulnerable to diverse mental health disorders affecting academic performance and quality of life. There was an even greater prevalence of mental health problems in college students' during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the relationship among academic performance, depression,…

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…

Alexithymia and autism are variably characterized by social cognitive and perceptual deficits, which can lead to profound social interaction difficulties. Such difficulties are also the hallmark of personality disorders (PDs), but the potential link between alexithymia, autism, and PDs remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether autistic and/or…

Approximately 3-4 boys for every girl meet the clinical criteria for autism in studies of community diagnostic patterns and studies of autism using samples of convenience. However, girls with autism have been hypothesized to be underdiagnosed, possibly because they may present with differing symptom profiles as compared to boys. This secondary…

Internalising symptoms are elevated in autism compared to the general population. Few studies have investigated emotional dysregulation (ED) as a potential mediator between specific transdiagnostic processes and anxiety and depression symptoms in autistic youth. In a sample of 94 autistic young people aged 5-18 years referred to a specialist…

For years, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was believed to be a phenomenon disproportionately impacting boys and men. However, in light of recent upticks in initial diagnosis and treatment for girls and women with ADHD, prevalence estimates appear to be more comparable across genders than previously believed. With increased…

Differential diagnosis of young children with suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is challenging, and clinician uncertainty about a child's diagnosis may contribute to misdiagnosis and subsequent delays in access to early treatment. The current study was designed to replicate and expand a recent report in this Journal (McDonnell et al. in…

Objective: To examine both psychiatric risk and psychological wellbeing in a college student sample drawn from a majority-minority university. Participants: 100 participants (42% White; 70 females), mean age, 21.22 years. Methods: Univariate and multivariate analyses examined the relationship of psychiatric risk (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI) and…

We explored associations among the core behavioural features and developmental/cognitive abilities of 155 autistic children, assessed between ages 13-67 months and again around 1-year later to understand predictive directionality. Bidirectional, cross-domain association was apparent, albeit with stronger direction of effect from earlier cognition…

Active participation in the outdoors is beneficial for health and wellbeing. However, the impact of extreme weather, particularly heat, on safe participation is causing concern for organisations who lead these activities. Local mitigation strategies and acute management of heat- and sun-related illness (HSRI) are generally well understood by…

Depression is a mental health issue among high school students. This cross-sectional study examines depressive symptoms and determines the factors predicting it among anonymous Thai high school students. A total of 404 students, with an average age of 14.89 years (SD = 1.66), were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique was employed at an…

Recent research suggests there may be differences in the social presentations of autistic males and females. Camouflaging is believed to account for some of these differences and executive function (EF) may support compensatory social behaviors. As few studies have explored the role of sex and everyday EF when evaluating specific social…

Understanding the overlap of symptoms between oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) experienced by youth is pertinent for accurate diagnosis. A quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional design format was used to assess the relationship between ODD and OCD in addition to evaluating the difference in ODD…

Background: Studies suggest that prosocial behavior, having high empathy and engaging in behaviors intended to benefit others, may predict mental health or vice versa; however, these findings have been mixed. The purpose of the current study was to examine the bidirectional relationships between prosocial behavior and dimensions of psychopathology…