The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the research literature on equine-assisted services for motor outcomes of autistic children. Eligible articles published between June 2012 and June 2023 were identified through electronic database searches, including PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The Preferred Reporting Items…

Disordered sleep is common in autistic children. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a brief behavioural sleep intervention, the 'Sleeping Sound intervention', in primary school-aged autistic children in Australia. A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken alongside a randomised controlled trial over a 6-month follow-up…

This study examined the sustained and moderating effects of a behavioural sleep intervention for autistic children in a randomised controlled trial. Autistic children (5-13 years) with sleep problems were randomised to the Sleeping Sound intervention or Treatment as Usual (TAU). At 12-month follow-up (n = 150), caregivers of children in the…

Evidence-based robotic intervention programmes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been limited. As yet, there is insufficient evidence to inform therapists, teachers, and service providers on effectiveness of robotic intervention to enhance social development and participation of children with ASD in a real context. This study…

The current study aims to investigate the effectiveness of sensory-motor integration exercises on social skills and motor performance in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all children with…

This study examined the effect of a 12-week fundamental movement skills (FMS) intervention on the motor skills of 20 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (ages 3-10 years) in an Asian country and whether the intervention effect would persist for at least 12 weeks after the intervention. In Part I, 10 boys with ASD (Group 1) received the…

The critical role of executive functioning in autism as well as the co-occurring mental health challenges common among autistic youth support to the immense value of interventions targeting executive functioning for enhancing mental health services for autistic children. The goal of the present study was to conduct a randomized feasibility trial…

Over the past decade, a large number of literature reviews have explored the effectiveness of virtual reality technology as applied to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there has been a lack of scope focus on different types of virtual reality systems in assessment and intervention for children aged 3-12 years and a lack of…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face significant challenges in social reciprocity, which involves the mutual exchange of social cues and interactions. This study investigates the potential of using a child-height assistive robot named Rudolf to enhance the social reciprocity skills of children with ASD. The research focused…

Minimally verbal autistic children, or those who use fewer than 20 words, represent [approximately]30% of the autistic population and are at heightened risk for adverse outcomes in socialization, academics, independent living, and employment. While it is known that intensive intervention can enhance the communication skills of minimally verbal…

Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated that physical exercise can modulate the endogenous melatonin level in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and improve their sleep quality. However, it remains unclear whether physical exercise or melatonin supplement, or a combination of both, is more effective in improving sleep quality in this…

Children with autism spectrum disorder often exhibit difficulties in social communication and interaction. Those who do not acquire functional communication to effectively express wants and needs often are at a higher risk of displaying challenging behaviors. Mand training is recognized as an evidence-based intervention for teaching communication…

Anxiety disorders occurs at a high rate amongst autistic children. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a reasonably well-established multi-component intervention used to reduce anxiety in this population. Whilst there are known effective intervention components in CBT for treating anxiety among autistic children, there are few guidelines for how…

Background: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties recognizing emotions. Studies showed that virtual reality (VR) and computerized training programs might be used as potential tools for enhancing emotion recognition in such people. However, some inconsistencies were observed between the studies. Objective: In the current…

The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the family can have a negative impact on parental Quality of Life (QoL), but evidence on how treatments for children with ASD can affect parental QoL is currently limited. In this qualitative study, we develop a semi-structured interview in order to investigate the impact of ASD on the…