Purpose: Caring for an autistic child is associated with elevated stress, anxiety and depression. Although some data suggest that 'child' or 'carer' factors may moderate the severity of carer distress, relatively few international comparisons have been made, limiting the generalizability of previous findings. This study aimed to address this…

Autistic children present with unique challenges that may be associated with challenges during the kindergarten transition process. While teachers endorse transition to kindergarten practices as important, implementation of effective transition practices is inconsistent. One possible reason is limited training during pre-service education;…

This meta-analysis aimed to systematically investigate the cognitive and linguistic correlates of both word decoding and reading comprehension among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across orthographies. Based on data from 26 studies of 1.92- to 18.92-year-old children with ASD, we found that (1) intelligence, theory of mind, and…

We examined associations between prenatal oxidative stress (OS) and child autism-related outcomes. Women with an autistic child were followed through a subsequent pregnancy and that younger sibling's childhood. Associations between glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), 8-oxo-deoxyguanine (8-OHdG), and nitrotyrosine and younger sibling…

Many autistic people cite a strong attachment to animals, and some studies suggest they may even show a bias towards animals over people. This mixed-methods study explored companion animal attachment in the adult autistic community. In a quantitative study with 735 people, we found that autistic adults were equally attached to their pets as…

The Adult Autism Quotient (AQ), the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and the Relative's Questionnaire (RQ) were used as part of the Adult Asperger's Assessment (AAA) by a diagnostic service for adults without an intellectual disability with suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This service is part of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Little…

Autistic children have differences in their movements which impact their functional performance. Virtual-reality enables researchers to study movement in safe, engaging environments. We used motion-capture to measure how 7-13-year-old autistic and neurotypical children make whole-body movements in a virtual-reality task. Although children in both…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting information processing across domains. The current meta-analysis investigated whether slower processing speed is associated with the ASD neurocognitive profile and whether findings hold across different time-based tasks and stimuli (social vs. nonsocial; linguistic…

People with autism show identifiable impediments in three central aspects, namely communication, social interaction, and repetitive and restrictive behavior, which is called the triad of impairments. The communication observation of children with autism is relatively complex, so a specific procedure to identify their communication is required. A…

Social media, as a favored platform for autistic adults, provides numerous opportunities to socialize and develop close relationships. However, autistic adults may have social skill difficulties that carry over to this platform. Further, social media-related risks pose additional concerns. This study taught four autistic adults social…

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have higher levels of stress compared to parents of children with other disabilities and parents of typically developing children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of ASD in U.S. children increased from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 54 in 2016, which…

Joint attention (JA) is a pivotal prelinguistic skill critical to developing language and social repertoires. This behavior is often absent or delayed in children with autism spectrum disorder, commonly resulting in problematic communicative consequences. Behavior-based interventions have been used to teach autistic children to initiate and…

This study examined the use of immersive video modeling to teach students with autism spectrum disorder classroom social skills such as asking for attention, asking for help, asking for an item, and asking for a hug. The research sought the functional relationship between immersive video modeling and increased social interaction. An ABAB…

The inclusion of autistic youth within the faith community appears to be a challenge for churches. The problem addresses the lack of inclusion for individuals identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who attend church services, specifically Sunday school. Individuals impacted by this problem are ASD individuals, their parents, and Sunday…

Motor difficulties are present in 50-73% of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and are associated with social difficulties. This review aims to synthesize the literature regarding psychomotor therapist use of psychomotor intervention for 3- to 6-year preschool children with ASD. A systematic search of electronic of six databases and…