Autistic adults face various psychological and physical health conditions which often require ongoing medical attention. Despite a greater likelihood of health conditions, autistic adults face many systemic barriers in accessing healthcare services. It is important to identify facilitators to healthcare access and recognize the impact of…

Both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology have shown potential for the instruction of people on the autism spectrum by simulating real-world experiences in a safe and controlled environment. However, numerous reports indicate that this type of research has included few participants with intellectual disability (ID). The…

This study assessed the construct validity and measurement invariance of the Kurdish version of the General Functioning Subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment (GF6+) among parents in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Data from 149 parents of autistic children and 161 parents of non-autistic children were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis…

Teachers' negative attitudes towards autistic students remain a major obstacle to their school inclusion. This exploratory study aims to investigate the mediating role of teacher's self-efficacy and knowledge of the relationship between a teacher's status (general education teachers "versus" special education ones) and attitudes towards…

Early school adjustment is an important process for children with autism spectrum disorder, as it influences not only their academic success but also the development of social communication and interaction skills. Several factors influence school adjustment, but the quality of the teacher-child relationship plays a decisive role. Therefore, the…

The study aimed to examine the performance on linguistic and cognitive tasks among Chinese preschool children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and explore the direct and indirect relationships between theory of mind (ToM) and literal and inferential listening comprehension. Forty-nine (N = 49) children with ASD and fifty-two (N =…

Purpose: Puberty a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, poses problems that are difficult to manage for typically developing adolescents, but even more difficult for adolescents with autism. It is vital that girls with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), like their typically developing peers, are able to manage these physiological…

The aim of this study was to assess test-retest reliability and diagnostic validity of self-report instruments of depression and anxiety in autistic youth. Participants were 55 autistic youth aged 8-17 years presenting with depressive or anxiety symptoms. They were interviewed with the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for…

We aim to determine the accessibility of gold-standard hearing assessments -- audiogram or auditory brainstem response (ABR) -- during the first 3 months of hearing health care for children with and without developmental disabilities. Electronic health records were examined from children (0-18 years) who received hearing health care at three…

Masking may entail the suppression of autistic traits by autistic individuals. Thus far, research indicates a negative impact of autistic masking on mental health, but this is largely based on retrospective surveys. In this study, we used ecological momentary assessment to examine real-time associations between social context (i.e. presence of…

This study examines how multilingual caregivers use their linguistic resources to support their autistic children's language development, challenging historical narratives recommending therapists use only one language, English. Using a critical language socialization framework in which multilingualism is considered a practice that transcends…

Neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC) are highly heritable. Obstetric complications (OC) have been studied as potential predictors for NDC, although results are inconsistent. Inconsistencies might be related to biases such as family confounders. While some studies using sibling and twin designs have examined the association between OC and NDC, this…

Physical activity (PA) participation among autistic adults is low; however, it is unclear why this is the case. To date, little research has included the perspectives of autistic adults during middle adulthood to understand how to support their PA and to understand the complexity of their daily lives. Seventeen autistic adults aged 36-59 years…

Although professional organizations in the United States have recommended genetic testing for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), uptake rates of genetic testing remain low. This review lists the recommendations made by professional medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of…

Background and aims: Humans communicate primarily through spoken language and speech perception is a core function of the human auditory system. Among the autistic community, atypical sensory reactivity and social communication difficulties are pervasive, yet the research literature lacks in-depth self-report data on speech perception in this…