High-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders often find writing challenging. These writing difficulties may be specific to autism spectrum disorder or to a more general clinical effect of attention disturbance, as these children are often comorbid for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology (and children with…

Equality relies on inclusiveness. This is especially true in education. This book raises awareness of inclusiveness in learning and teaching environments. It discusses ways to achieve inclusiveness in education for those with intellectual and learning disabilities. The chapters examine inclusive learning and teaching strategies and approaches, as…

Working memory (WM) limitations are frequently reported for children with specific learning disorder (SLD). However, WM capacity influences more than literacy and numeracy, as research highlights the contribution of WM to language development, in particular syntax. In this article, the authors study the effect of syntactic intervention, i.e.…

The authors (a) examine the available peer-reviewed research documenting the literacy achievement of deaf children educated in sign bilingual programs, (b) identify gaps in the empirical literature, and (c) propose directions for future research. This review was limited to studies that reported reading and writing outcomes. On this basis, only 3…

We examined the reliability, validity and factor structure of the Eye Contact Avoidance Scale (ECAS), a new 15-item screening tool designed to measure eye contact avoidance in individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Internal consistency of the scale was acceptable to excellent and convergent validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit high rates of challenging behaviors that impair functioning and represent the primary presenting problem in mental health (MH) services. Obtaining symptom reports from multiple informants is critical for treatment planning. This study evaluated caregiver-teacher concordance of ratings of the…

Epilepsy is reported to co-occur in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies across the world have found prevalence estimates ranging from 4 to 38%. We examined parent-reported prevalence of co-occurring epilepsy and ASD in the most recent U.S. National Survey of Children's Health, 2011-2012. All analyses accounted for…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental conditions that vary in both etiology and phenotypic expression. Expressions of ASD characterized by a more severe phenotype, including autism with intellectual disability (ASD + ID), autism with a history of developmental regression (ASD + R), and minimally verbal…

Introduction: Stigma is widely identified as an issue affecting the health and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and those with mental illnesses. To address this issue, a population mental health strategy, which includes a focus on reducing stigma and discrimination, was developed by the government of…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorders, that frequently co-occur. This study examined whether stratification into single-incidence (SPX) and multi-incidence (MPX) is helpful in (a) parsing heterogeneity and (b) detecting overlapping and unique…

This study aimed to (i) describe concurrent and simultaneous tobacco and cannabis use and (ii) investigate the association between cannabis use and motivation and intentions to quit tobacco in a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2013 and 2014 with current tobacco smokers receiving aid from…

We examined comorbid psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in fifty adult males (mean age 30 years) with Asperger syndrome (AS) diagnosed in childhood and followed up prospectively for almost two decades (13-26 years). Only three of the 50 men had "never" met criteria for an additional psychiatric/neurodevelopmental diagnosis and…

Purpose: In this article, we examined how individuals with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and substance use disorders encounter numerous challenges when it comes to the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process. Method: A comprehensive review of the literature demonstrated barriers to service delivery (e.g., access to services, exclusionary…

Alexithymia is a personality trait frequently found in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and has been linked to impairments in emotion recognition and empathy. The presentation of alexithymia within ASD at younger ages remains unexplored, and was examined in the present study. Alexithymia rates were significantly elevated in ASD (55%;…

Two explanations for resolving dyslexia were investigated, one assuming resolving underlying deficits and another assuming compensatory mechanisms based on cognitive strengths. Thirty-six Dutch gifted secondary-school students with either persistent (n = 18) or resolving (n = 18) dyslexia participated. Groups, matched on IQ, were assessed on…