A potential underlying mechanism associated with the difficulties in social interactions in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) concerns the abnormal development of moral reasoning. The present study examined utilitarian and deontological judgments in impersonal and personal moral dilemmas, comparing 66 individuals with ASD and 61 typically…

Actively involving the network during treatment, as recommended in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) guidelines, can be facilitated with the Network in Action-Questionnaire (NiA-Q), which identifies the current and potential sources of social support. The aims of this study were to (1) examine the factor structure of the NiA-Q and (2) to explore the…

Social impairments are common features of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) allowed access to daily-life information in order to explore the phenomenology of social interactions. 32 individuals with 22q11DS, 26 individuals with ASD and 44 typically developing peers…

Difficulties with social interactions and communication that characterize autism persist in adulthood. While social participation in adulthood is often marked by social isolation and limited close friendships, this qualitative study describes the range of social participation activities and community contacts, from acquaintances to close…

Samson et al. ("Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders" 41:475-483, 2011) conducted the first empirical investigation examining the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) and its prevalence in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (hfASD). The present research examined gelotophobia in relation to social…

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in social learning between individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading known inherited cause of intellectual disability, and individuals with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty school-aged males with FXS and 26 age and symptom-matched males with…

The protective effects of social support for caregiver mental health are well documented, however the differential impact of support providers (partner, child, family, siblings, friends, professionals) and types (perceived, received) remain unclear. Observational data from 21 independent studies, involving a pooled sample of 2273 parents,…

Autistic university students face extra challenges in both their academic and social life. Barriers to socialising appear to be less well understood and supported by universities than academic requirements. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten autistic university students to explore their social experiences. Questions explored their…

This study compared immediate and 4-month outcomes among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder randomly assigned to the PEERS curriculum (n = 10), a peer mediated PEERS curriculum (n = 12), or a delayed treatment control group (n = 12). Findings suggest a modest advantage in social skills knowledge and social functioning for participants in…

The population aging on the Autism Spectrum (AS) faces disproportionate physical and mental health comorbidities. This research describes self-care practices, including physical activity (PA), nutrition, and spirituality, and the impact of these practices on the health and well-being of older adults on the AS. Researchers conducted semi-structured…

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is characterized by both social approach and social avoidance. However, the age of emergence and developmental trajectory of social avoidance has not been examined. This study investigates the longitudinal developmental trajectory and dynamic nature of social avoidance in males with FXS from infancy through young adulthood…

Research on families' experiences raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is limited in minority ethnic and cultural groups, such as the Arab American community. Twenty Arab American caregivers raising children with ASD completed online questionnaires regarding their experiences with stigma and acculturation. Nine participants…

Developing positive peer relationships is important. Unfortunately, due to challenges in social communication and increased complexity of peer groups during adolescence, many secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in limited positive social interactions with peers. This study examined the effects of a peer network…

Mentoring is often recommended to universities as a way of supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and/or mental health conditions (MHC), but there is little literature on optimising this support. We used mixed-methods to evaluate mentees' and mentors' experiences of a specialist mentoring programme. Mentees experienced academic,…

Recent research suggests that impaired action prediction is at the core of social interaction deficits in autism spectrum condition (ASC). Here, we targeted two cognitive mechanisms that are thought to underlie the prediction of others' actions: statistical learning and efficiency considerations. We measured proactive eye movements of 10-year-old…