Sibling bullying is associated with various psychosocial difficulties. We investigated this in 231 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 8180 without ASD between middle childhood (age 11 years) and early adolescence (age 14 years). On the whole, self-reported sibling bullying decreased from middle childhood to early adolescence.…

Elevated salivary cortisol levels have been documented in individuals who engage in self-injurious behavior (SIB), indicating acute physiological stress. Less is known about the chronicity of stress and SIB. We analyzed the relationship between parent ratings of problem behavior and hair cortisol concentrations (an index of chronic adrenocortical…

Flexibility is often associated with resilience from adversity. Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk of stress and trauma yet have inherent difficulties with flexibility, including rigid behaviors, routines, "insistence on sameness," and lack of social reciprocity. This review highlights literature of physiological and…

Caregivers of children with ASD often find benefits associated with their caregiving role, and benefit finding predicts lower distress. Child problematic behaviours (CPB), which positively predict caregivers' distress, are perceived to be being less problematic, or more manageable, by caregivers who find benefits. Benefit finding therefore might…

We investigated the mechanism of impact of poor communication skills and emotional and behavioural problems in children with ASD (22-61 months) on parental psychological distress. Participants were dyads enrolled in two pilot intervention studies; the dataset includes cross-sectional data at baseline (N = 82). We postulated an indirect effect of…

Associations between parent critical attitudes (a component of the Expressed Emotion construct) and behavior problems have been relatively well established in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder, but use of systems adapted for children with autism spectrum disorder and additional investigations with younger samples are…

Understanding the cognitive and emotional mechanisms that link autistic traits and risk for suicide is a vital next step for research and clinical practice. This study included a broad sample of adult women (n = 74) who report finding social situations confusing and/or exhausting, and who score high on measures of autistic traits. Regardless of…

Cross-sectional research has demonstrated the overrepresentation of gender dysphoria in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. However, the predictors and underlying mechanisms of this co-occurrence remain unclear. This follow-up study aimed to explore baseline (childhood/adolescence) predictors for the follow-up (adulthood)…

Posttraumatic growth theory posits that when life circumstances are perceived as stressful, secondary appraisal processes can be recruited in ways to facilitate both coping efforts and personal growth. Using a mixed-methods approach, we found mothers' most challenging experiences involved child behavior (e.g. aggression, communication, and social…

Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often show comorbid emotional and behavior problems. The aim of this longitudinal study is to examine the relation between emotion control (i.e., negative emotionality, emotion awareness, and worry/rumination) and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Boys with and…

Emotional reactivity (e.g. explosive outbursts, tantrums) is a common but understudied challenge for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Prior research has relied primarily on questionnaire data or observations of very young children. The current study coded emotional reactivity and recovery during a series of standardized frustration tasks…

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with high rates of co-occurring health conditions. While elevated prescription rates of psychotropic medications have been reported in the United Kingdom and the United States, there is a paucity of research investigating clinical and prescribing practices in Australia. This study describes the problems…

Adults with autism and subclinical autistic traits report greater internalizing problems than their peers, but the psychological processes underlying these associations are not well understood. The current study used structural equation modeling to examine whether social experiences (social connectedness and loneliness) mediate the link between…

Background: This systematic review aimed to identify the factors related to psychosocial outcomes for adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). A further aim was to appraise the research methodology and provide recommendations for future research. Method: Systematic review methodology was used to comprehensively search for…

Parents of children with autism often report feeling judged and are increasingly using disclosure cards to reduce negative perceptions. However, no empirical research has been conducted on the effectiveness of these cards. The present study used vignettes of a parent-child interaction in which the child was misbehaving and investigated the…