The aim of the present study was to investigate sustained attention and working memory in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as this issue has not been widely investigated in this population. Children with ASD were age-matched with children diagnosed with dyslexia based on standardised reading assessments. All children were administered…

This randomized, controlled study examined the initial efficacy of an executive function training program for children with autism spectrum disorder. Seventy 7- to 11 year-olds with autism spectrum disorder and intelligence quotients [greater than or equal to]80 were randomly assigned to receive a web-based set of executive function training games…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders typically exhibit reduced visual attention towards social stimuli relative to neurotypical individuals. Importantly, however, attention is not a static process, and it remains unclear how such effects may manifest over time. Exploring these momentary changes in gaze behaviour can more clearly illustrate…

In the context of Social Stories™, we compared visual attention to social scenes using BoardMaker™ versus photographic stimuli among typically developing (TD) children and age-matched children with ASD. For visual attention, the dependent measures were the number of fixations and fixation time to eye, mouth, and 'other' (background) areas of…

Recent studies highlighted that autistic individuals show increased perceptual capacity -- the ability to process more information at any one time. This study examined whether there is a link between this increased perceptual capacity and the sensory hypersensitivity that many autistic people experience on a daily basis. In total, 38 autistic and…

Thirty to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder also have symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder experience difficulties carrying out goal-directed behaviors, particularly when it comes to inhibiting responses. The aim of this study was…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate heterogeneous writing skills that are generally lower than their typically developing (TD) peers and similar to peers with attention difficulties like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recent evidence suggests children with ASD spend less time engaging in writing tasks…

Purpose: Play is a critical aspect of children's development, and researchers have long argued that symbolic deficits in play may be diagnostic of developmental disabilities. This study examined whether deficits in play emerge as a function of developmental disabilities and whether our perceptions of play are colored by differences in language and…

Adults with autism spectrum disorder often experience co-occurring mental health problems such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder, as well as impairments in executive function. Sluggish cognitive tempo, a cluster of behaviors including slow processing, daydreaming, and mental fogginess, has been shown to be associated with…

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate highly variable writing skills. Few studies have examined if engagement during writing assessments may differ for children with ASD and if task engagement is related to their writing assessment performance. This study examined narrative writing and broad task engagement in…

Children with autism spectrum disorder have a high risk of vision problems yet little is known about their vision care. This cross-sectional survey study, therefore, examined vision care among 351 children with autism spectrum disorder ages 6-17 years in the United States or Canada who were enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network Registry. Vision…

The Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children -- Fifth Edition (WISC-V) is a comprehensive intellectual ability assessment for children. The WISC-V was developed over the course of five years by an expert team including doctoral-level scientists and clinicians and an advisory panel, who provided expert advice about intellectual ability testing,…

Social-emotional comprehension includes the ability to encode, interpret, and reason about social-emotional information. The better developed children's social-emotional comprehension, the more positive their social interactions and the better their peer relationships. Many clinical tools exist to assess children's social behavior. In contrast,…