Despite the documented benefits of nature-based learning (NBL), research around the use of NBL with autistic children from a strengths-based perspective remains sparse. To understand how practitioners perceive the experience of engaging in NBL with autistic children, we interviewed 14 practitioners from the United States, United Kingdom, and…

Purpose: Adapted physical activity (APA) provides children and youth with disabilities more opportunities to be physically active. Nevertheless, it is not well known how APA implementation in different services has benefited them. This study reviews the existing literature on APA interventions to identify characteristics and program descriptions,…

Emerging research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may improve mental health for caregivers. Parents of autistic children, adolescents, and adults (N = 54) were randomly assigned to either complete a brief group-based ACT intervention or remain on the waitlist. Participants completed surveys immediately prior to randomization,…

Introduction: Mental health concerns have been noted to be highly prevalent for youth with intellectual disability (ID), with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to examine a Canadian sample of youth with ID, with or without ASD, to explore caregiver-reported percentages, predictors, and treatment…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition characterized by restrictive, repetitive patterns of behaviour, and impairments in social communication. Various forms of physical activity, including dance, have shown to improve ASD symptoms among children. The study's purpose was twofold: to examine the lived experiences of a family with a…

Significant barriers to training have been introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting in-person professional activities resulting in the development of the novel remote training. We developed and evaluated a remote training approach for master trainers of the Caregiver Skills Training Program. Master trainers support community practitioners,…

The experiences of coping in parents of autistic children have been extensively studied in the literature. While this research has identified both effective and ineffective coping strategies used by caregivers, no studies to date have examined how coping strategies used by parents might be linked to family quality of life outcomes. Furthermore,…

Research regarding autistic children's sibling relationship quality is mixed, although some literature suggests poorer quality compared to children with other disabilities or who are neurotypical. Little is known about how the clinical characteristics of autistic children relate to parent perceptions of sibling relationship quality. We drew data…

Objective: This study aims to delineate the characteristics of severe self-injurious behaviors (SIB) in a cohort of children with autism and unspecified intellectual developmental disorder (UIDD) (intellectual disability) and examine potential risk factors for developing SIB. Methods: A retrospective chart review studied characteristics of severe…

Mental health problems are prevalent in autistic youth, but the underpinning mechanisms are not well explored. In neurotypical youth, stressful life events are an established risk factor for mental health problems. This study tested longitudinal bidirectional associations between family-level stressful life events and mental health problems and…

Families of autistic children from underserved populations participate in support services at lower rates than other families. To better understand possible reasons for this inequity, we reviewed qualitative studies examining parent-reported barriers and facilitators to accessing and participating in support services. A systematic search…