A systematic review of empirical papers comparing the application of DSM-IV and DSM5 diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders identified 12 papers. The application of DSM5 diagnostic criteria resulted in an approximately one third reduction in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The reduction was approximately two thirds for mild forms of Autism.…

Research indicates that fears and phobias are significantly more prevalent and emerge in response to a greater variety of stimuli, among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than among their developmentally disabled or typically developing peers. Such findings are problematic given the difficulty of assessing and identifying fears or…

There is clear evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder display deficits in imitation but little consensus on the reasons for these deficits. In this paper, we review evidence that suggests that the presence of imitation deficits may be explained in part by social communication deficits, specifically by impaired social motivation.…

Prevalence estimations for Autism Spectrum Disorder have been increasing over the past few years with rates now reported to be at 1:68. Interventions that are based on Applied Behaviour Analysis are significantly related to best outcomes and are widely considered 'treatment as usual' in North America. In Europe, this is not the case, instead a…

Because social communication impairment is a defining feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making the right decision regarding language use for bilingual families of children with ASD is pertinent. The present review evaluated eight studies identified as addressing bilingual language development in 182 children with ASD and…

Despite the increasing sophistication of research in autism, some authors refer to a research-to-practice gap in this field. There are large bodies of theoretical work in autism and of work on psychosocial interventions for autism. In this article, we investigate the extent to which researchers evaluate psychosocial interventions for autism from…

This literature review examined 36 studies that implemented Video-Based Instruction (VBI) to promote the social initiation skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Studies that met the criteria were analyzed to determine (a) characteristics of participants, (b) dependent variable(s), (c) independent variable, (d) results, (e)…

The current study examined the screening and evaluation of 2,594 toddlers between 16 and 36 months of age for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to determine the clinical utility of Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Albanian version(M-CHAT-R-A). Of these children, 253 (9.75%) toddlers screened positive on the initial screening at pediatric…

Although peer-mediated interventions have emerged as an evidence-based practice for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little attention has focused on approaches for tailoring these interventions to meet individual students' unique needs. In this systematic literature review of 29 studies, we identified assessment procedures used to…

The present review identified 15 studies that have evaluated the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) as an early intervention program for a total of 209 children with autism spectrum disorder. The articles were summarized in terms of participant characteristics, intervention characteristics, study design, quality of the study/research rigor, and…

One of the defining characteristics of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe deficit in the area of social communication. Script fading interventions are used to promote language development and are associated with an increase in novel language for individuals with ASD. Sixteen single-case design studies of script fading…

The current study examines qualities of self-monitoring (SM) interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within school settings. Despite substantial research supporting the use of SM in schools, there is currently a lack of consensus regarding the student-, intervention-, and setting-level variables that support the use of this…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by social difficulties that can have a negative impact on an individual's psychological and social wellbeing. To date, reviews of social skills training groups have mainly focussed on children, rather than adolescents and adults. This review aimed to critically evaluate studies published in the past…

This review provided a systematic analysis of mathematics interventions for individuals with autism. Using success estimates, strength of evidence ratings, and percentage of non-overlapping data (PND), we identified 13 studies that provided evidence of effective to very effective outcomes using mathematics accuracy measures for at least one…

Nurture groups (NGs) are recognised as an effective early practice for the development of children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Early educators outline enhanced social and emotional development, academic attainment and secure attachments with peers and adults. Nevertheless, there is limited data reporting on the…