A growing literature suggests that there is cross-cultural variation in levels of autism-related stigma, which may partially be explained by differences in cultural orientation or autism-related knowledge between countries. This literature has relied heavily on self-report measures of explicit attitudes towards autism; little research has examined…

This study explored the salient characteristics of transactions within parent-child engagement and investigated relationships between transactional characteristics and future identification of autism. The main aims of the study were to (1) examine if parents/children and their initial behaviors impact the length of transaction; (2) determine…

Tele-assessment of autism in early childhood has increased. However, it is unclear how autism screening tools (M-CHAT-R, DCI) function as part of tele-assessment and relate to a commonly used tele-assessment instrument, the TAP. 361 families from a clinically referred sample of children (mean age: 27.63 months, sd = 4.86 months) completed the…

Purpose: Gesture delay in autistic infants and toddlers has been widely reported. The developmental trajectory of gesture production during early childhood is understudied. Thus, little is known about the possible changes of gesture production over time. The present study aimed to document the development of gesture production in autistic children…

Purpose: This study explores whether and how balance of multilingual exposure (BME) impacts gesture comprehension in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: Eighty-six autistic children (aged 4-12 years) varying in their balance of exposure to different languages completed a gamified task assessing the comprehension of deictic,…

Information sampling about others' trustworthiness prior to cooperation allows humans to minimize the risk of exploitation. Here, we examined whether early adolescence or preadolescence, a stage defined as in between childhood and adolescence, is a significant developmental period for strategic social decisions. We also sought to characterize…

Intensive services are recommended for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Limited research on service receipt in states with mandated ASD-specific service coverage suggests that it remains low, and factors associated with intensity are unclear. Participants were 206 children from the Boston Outcomes of Autism in Toddlers study…

Past research suggests that children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder, with general behavioral inflexibility to objects, persons, and environments may be at risk for feeding problems. However, questions remain about whether feeding problems are better predicted by behavioral inflexibility or sensory sensitivity, and whether…

The use of self-report to assess anxiety in adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) is notably underexplored. This study examined the impact of youth-level factors (i.e., age, verbal and cognitive ability, adaptive skills) on anxiety self-report completion and parent-youth agreement among 72 autistic adolescents with ID. We also examined if…

Previous research on employment outcomes of autistic adults mainly assessed if they work and under what terms, with mostly anecdotal descriptions of where they work. This study aimed to identify the employment sector distribution of autistic employees compared to the general workforce in the Netherlands and to explore possible background…

Autism is a lifelong condition characterized by repetitive and restrictive behaviors and differences in social communication. The reported prevalence of autism has risen exponentially in the past years. Early identification and subsequent early intervention are key to promoting better outcomes for autistic individuals. However, there is a dearth…

Inclusive education policies stimulate children with special educational needs, including autism, to attend regular education. We aimed to explore change over time in school placement and transitions of autistic children since the introduction of an inclusive education policy in the Netherlands (2014) and to examine the role of individual child…

Objective: Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) and autistic-like traits (ALTs) may occur together in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to explore a possible association between SCT and ALTs in a sample diagnosed with ADHD. Method: A total of 147 children and adolescents with ADHD aged 6 to 14 were included in the study.…

Studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic children's psychosocial outcomes have shown mixed results. In the current study we aimed to gain a better insight into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing psychosocial outcomes collected pre-pandemic with data collected during the pandemic. We used the Strengths and…

Children with complex behavioral profiles (e.g., ASD + ADHD) may experience delays in obtaining a final diagnosis. Low-resource or underrepresented groups may be at even greater risk for delayed diagnosis. We assessed the effect of sociodemographic factors, symptom complexity and co-occurring conditions, and identifier of first symptoms on…