Autistic traits are found throughout the general population, but their link to creative attributes has received little attention in childhood populations. In adults, autistic traits are linked to both creative benefits and disadvantages, moderated by the autistic trait and the creative domain under investigation. The current study investigates the…

In this paper, I propose "A/autisms" as an organizing concept for considering the complex intersection of Autistic identity, autistic disability, and the contingency of the diagnosis "autism" in educational research. I draw from "Neuroqueer(ing) Noise"--my doctoral research-creation project in an integrated,…

We examine the cost-effectiveness of treating epilepsy with anti-epileptic medicines in autistic children, looking at impacts on healthcare providers (in England, Ireland, Italy and Spain) and children's families (in Ireland). We find carbamazepine to be the most cost-effective drug to try first in children with newly diagnosed focal seizures. For…

Research suggests that whilst not more likely to offend, autistic people are overrepresented within the Criminal Justice System. To date, prevalence estimates are available only for male autistic offenders. Thus, this research aimed to provide the prison-reported rate of autistic female prisoners currently residing in the female prison estate in…

The Adult Autism Quotient (AQ), the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and the Relative's Questionnaire (RQ) were used as part of the Adult Asperger's Assessment (AAA) by a diagnostic service for adults without an intellectual disability with suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This service is part of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Little…

Employment interviews can be challenging for autistic people. In addition to standard interview procedures often being inaccessible, features associated with autism (including atypical emotional expression, eye-contact, and gestures) may lead to negative first impressions. Research using vignettes and 'thin slices' of communication indicate that…

Autistic people experience high rates of mental health problems. A tendency towards behavioural repetition in autistic individuals could contribute to repetitive negative thinking, which is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health problems. Our research aimed to add to the literature by using transdiagnostic measures of both mental health…

Obsessive-compulsive disorder commonly co-occurs with autism. Research characterising the interplay between restricted, repetitive behaviours, activities and interests related to autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms has used theory-driven, bottom-up methodology. This study aimed to interview autistic adults about the subjective…

The number of children educated within maintained Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools, known as special schools, in England has continued to rise since 2006, yet the 'pupil voice' of children and young people with severe learning difficulties and those attending special schools remains limited in current research. Drawing on Gramsci's theory…

Autistic people in England face worse health outcomes than non-autistic people. Autism-specific annual health checks have been proposed as one solution to this issue. This study identified strategies to incentivise primary care providers to offer autism-specific annual health checks, using a behavioural science approach. In phase 1, we conducted…

Motor competence is important for lifelong physical activity (PA). The current study aimed to examine associations between PA and motor competence. In total, 43 children aged 7--12 years with intellectual disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder completed anthropometric measures, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2, and wore a…

Background: NHS England's "Transforming Care" agenda aims to reduce the number of adults with intellectual disabilities and autistic adults in mental health hospitals. The aim was to understand the demographic and clinical characteristics of those most at risk of admission. Method: A cohort, retrospective study of adults using community…

Background: Documented inequalities in access to eye care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are caused by poor uptake of primary eye care services, poor identification of eye problems, lack of signposting and reasonable adjustments of existing services, concerns about costs of care and the low priority historically given to these…

Concerns have been raised about genomic studies of autism. Most recently, the Spectrum 10 K study was paused due to criticism from the autistic community. This situation raised important questions about how the autistic and autism communities perceive genomic research. The Personal Experiences of Autism and Perceptions of DNA-based-research study…

Keeping a conversation going is the social glue of friendships. The DSM criteria for autism list difficulties with back-and-forth conversation but does not necessitate that all autistic children will be equally impacted. We carried out three studies (two pre-registered) with verbally fluent school children (age 5-9 years) to investigate how…