Background: Black families of children with autism spectrum disorder have less access to high quality, culturally responsive care for their children. Method: We assessed satisfaction and service utilization among fifty (29%) Black caregivers and 124 (71%) White caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. We also examined whether race…

Purpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) disproportionately affects those living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is associated with significant impairment and treatment recidivism. Methods: We studied the use of accelerated theta burst stimulation (ATBS) for the treatment of refractory MDD in ASD (3 treatments daily x 10 days). This…

Purpose: Research documents poor outcomes for autistic adults in the domains of employment, independent living, and social relationships. Measurement and sample limitations in prior studies may have amplified past estimates of poor outcomes. The goal of the current study was to improve upon past approaches and to create and describe a measurement…

Purpose: Social anhedonia is a transdiagnostic trait that reflects reduced pleasure from social interaction. It has historically been associated with autism, however, very few studies have directly examined behavioral symptoms of social anhedonia in autistic youth. We investigated rates of social anhedonia in autistic compared to non-autistic…

Despite the importance of centering autistic perspectives in educational decision-making for autistic children, few studies have directly assessed autistic perspectives on the social acceptability of early childhood practices. We conducted an online survey to recruit perspectives of autistic adults on a current, comprehensive range of educational…

Background: Health outcomes of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability are poor. Yet there is a paucity of nurse education and preparation to care for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. Method: A cross sectional survey of Australian Registered Nurses related to their educational…

We examined the effectiveness of coaching on caregiver implementation of responding to joint attention (RJA) intervention for toddlers with autism. We used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline across participants single-case research design to examine the relation between coaching practices and caregivers' RJA intervention implementation behaviors.…

The current study used a multiple baseline across behaviors design to evaluate a rapid coaching intervention for teaching two caregivers to implement naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) with their child with autism. Coaches were preservice behavior analysts completing a personnel preparation program in applied behavior analysis who…

Previous research links resting frontal gamma power to key developmental outcomes in young neurotypical (NT) children and infants at risk for language impairment. However, it remains unclear whether gamma power is specifically associated with language or with more general cognitive abilities among young children diagnosed with autism spectrum…

In their first three years, children begin to maintain topics and add new information in conversation. In turn, caregivers create opportunities for language learning. Compared to children with no family history of autism (typical likelihood, TL), the younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at elevated likelihood (EL)…

Despite very high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in autistic adults, the key psychosocial drivers of this phenomenon remain unknown. To investigate, we examined how lifetime stressor exposure and severity, which have been found to predict STB in non-autistic populations, related to STB in a multinational dataset of 226 autistic…

We used the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards for evidence-based practices (EBP) in Special Education to evaluate the effectiveness research on the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) and video VSDs with young children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual and developmental disability (ASD/IDD). VSDs and video VSDs are…

The United States educational system struggles to provide supportive services as rates of autism spectrum disorder rise. Teachers face challenges in "shared decision-making" with caregivers for developing high-quality intervention plans tailored to the strengths, challenges, and needs of students with autism and their learning…

Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes to health and social care services, including the use of telehealth. Prior to COVID-19, there was interest in telehealth for autistic people; however, little is known about its use during the pandemic. This scoping review focused on telehealth for autistic people during the pandemic.…

Sensorimotor difficulties are common in children with autism spectrum disorder, and it has been suggested that motor planning problems underlie their atypical movements. At early school-age, motor planning development typically involves changes in visuomotor integration, a function known to be affected in autism spectrum disorder. However, there…