Purpose: Parents of autistic individuals have been known to have a lower overall quality of life (QQL) than those of typically developing children. We present the first Hungarian large-sample study whose objective was to explore the differences in QOL between parents of autistic individuals (AS) and those of neurotypical (NT) persons. Methods:…

Early detection of autism spectrum condition is crucial for children to maximally benefit from early intervention. The study examined a machine learning model predicting the increased likelihood for autism from wellness records from 0 to 24 months. The study included 591,989 non-autistic and 12,846 autistic children. A gradient boosting model with…

The implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for autistic youth is a critical concern worldwide. Research examining factors facilitating the implementation of EBPs found that providers' attitudes are an important factor. In this study, we evaluated cross-cultural differences in attitudes toward and use of EBPs. We tested socio-demographic…

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…

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…

The study characterised differences in costs associated with raising a child between four rare disorders and examined the associations between these costs with clinical severity. Caregivers of 108 individuals with Prader-Willi, Angelman (AS), Chromosome 15q Duplication and fragile X (FXS) syndromes completed a modified Client Services Receipt…

Autistic adults frequently show increased physical or mental health conditions and impairments in social, occupational, and other life domains. Accordingly, they often report reduced health-related quality of life. Yet, numerous barriers prevent effective healthcare for autistic adults. To date, the impact of healthcare barriers on health-related…

The aim was to investigate the mediating role of emotional regulation and emotional expression in the relationship between autistic traits and empathy in Saudi students. Participants were undergraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University. A total of 398 questionnaires were sent out, and 260 valid questionnaires were received. Descriptive statistics…

Despite very high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in autistic adults, the key psychosocial drivers of this phenomenon remain unknown. To investigate, we examined how lifetime stressor exposure and severity, which have been found to predict STB in non-autistic populations, related to STB in a multinational dataset of 226 autistic…

Purpose: This study examined how subgroups of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) perform on theory of mind (ToM) tasks and comprehend mental terms. Method: Eighty Hebrew-speaking children aged 5-6 years were divided into four groups: children with DLD, ASD and language impairment (ASD-LI), and…

Strengths-based approaches to autism are increasing in research and clinical practice. Such approaches suggest facilitating autistic people to increase the use of their strengths leads to positive outcomes (e.g. improved well-being). However, despite proliferation of strengths-based clinical and educational interventions, these approaches are…

In the present study, we sought to examine whether face recognition problems impact the social anxiety experienced by autistic people. Many autistic people -- perhaps between 15% and 30% -- exhibit severe face recognition problems that closely resemble developmental prosopagnosia. At present, however, little is known about the psychosocial…

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present deficits in regulation of their emotions which have a great impact on their mental health and well-being. There are several studies showing the connection between executive functions deficits and emotion dysregulation in the context of an ASD diagnosis. Our study aims to investigate which among…

We examined stigma towards vignette characters representing diverse autistic characteristics (social, non-speaking, or repetitive interests or restricted behaviors; RIRB) among 259 South Korean and 240 American participants (age range = 18 [approximately] 74). Within each domain, participants were randomized to read a vignette depicting low or…

The alexithymia hypothesis posits that specific aspects of the autistic socio-cognitive profile, namely emotion recognition difficulties, can be explained by the increased prevalence of alexithymia in autistic populations. However, this hypothesis has largely been tested in adults. We tested whether co-occurring alexithymia could account for…