Black caregivers of children with autism express that there are gaps in both knowledge and acceptance of disabilities within their communities. This lack of information and resources provided to Black communities can lead to tensions within families regarding autism diagnoses and how to support individuals with autism in their families. As part of…

Parent education interventions for children with autism have grown steadily over the past few decades. As such, it is essential to define, capture, and map the characteristics of parent education-focused interventions, particularly for parents of adolescents with autism. We conducted a scoping review of parent education interventions for parents…

Minimally verbal autistic children, or those who use fewer than 20 words, represent [approximately]30% of the autistic population and are at heightened risk for adverse outcomes in socialization, academics, independent living, and employment. While it is known that intensive intervention can enhance the communication skills of minimally verbal…

Parents of children who have sleep difficulties often experience depression. Although complex, this relationship may be at least partially explained because the children of parents with depression are more likely to experience poor psychosocial functioning, which can negatively impact their sleep. Autistic children are particularly at risk for…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using adapted science eBooks within shared reading on comprehension and task engagement of high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A grade-level science textbook was selected and converted into an eBook format, incorporating various visual and auditory features (e.g.,…

Parents play a substantial role in their children's emotion regulation (ER) abilities. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties regulating their emotions, which can manifest as externalizing behavioral issues. Parents of children with ASD facilitate their children's ER development in response to unique challenges and…

This pilot study explored the potential of knitting as a stress reduction activity to promote overall wellness for first year college students with autism spectrum disorder. It was hypothesized that after engaging in a series of knitting sessions, participants would report a decrease in stress levels, as demonstrated using a pre- and post-session…

The social validity of autism behavioral intervention has been questioned. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) attempt to address some concerns, but it is unclear whether autistic people consider NDBIs socially valid. Social validity of an NDBI, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), was investigated through autistic adults…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are described as generalized developmental disorders, with an average age of onset of 36 months. Genetic and environmental factors may contribute to this multifactorial disorder. The present study aimed to investigate the association of three "GRIN2B" polymorphisms, including rs1019385, rs1024893, and…

The current study examined vocalizations that occurred during training of the Picture Exchange Communication System for three U.S. preschool-age participants with autism spectrum disorder. In Phase IV, the protocol incorporates a delay to reinforcement in an effort to encourage vocalizations; however, the manual does not suggest additional…

Very little is known about the status of autism research in Central Asia. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the scope and focus of the peer-reviewed research studies conducted with autistic people and their families in five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The electronic…

Little attention has been given to the voice of autistic individuals during the development of theories that are trying to explain the condition. This can often make individuals feel that they have to fit into the theory's definition, rather than it fitting into their experience. We aimed to understand to what extent the HIPPEA (High, Inflexible…

This project study focused on the inconsistencies in transition planning for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by teachers serving as transition education designees (TEDs) in a specific local region of a southern state. Guided by Schlossberg's transition theory, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions…

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia, is an often overlooked or misdiagnosed disorder and little research exists on how it manifests among cognitively gifted children. The purpose of this study was to examine clinical profiles among 25 children diagnosed with DCD and identified as cognitively gifted to explore the…

The discussion about the words and concepts related to autism is alive in the scholarly community, tacitly or explicitly. Contrasting ideologies linked to the medical model and neurodiversity paradigm underlie terminology referring to autism. The present proof-of-concept study conducted a critical discourse analysis of the terminology (i.e.,…