Previous studies have reported that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher levels of loneliness than neurotypical (NTP) people, most likely because of their difficulties in social communication with their predominantly NTP peers. However, direct investigations on the causal influence of friendship on their feelings of loneliness is…

Background: Adults with intellectual disability (ID) are at high risk of exhibiting challenging behaviors, especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are clinical and transdiagnostic variables that are largely related to the existence of these behaviors, and it is necessary to know the particularities of their role in people with…

In this article, we describe the sources of funding cited, and topics of research associated with that funding, in Australian disability research. We conducted a systematic search for publicly available peer-reviewed papers reporting the findings of Australian disability research studies focused on Australia in the 2018-2020 period. Papers…

The study aimed to assess the suitability of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) in evaluating the hopelessness of parents with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using multidimensional item response theory modelling, the research involved 437 participants recruited from a private psychological institution in Shenzhen, China.…

High parenting stress is associated with diminished quality of life in parents and more problem behaviors in autistic children. Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy in mitigating parenting stress. Psychological flexibility and resilience have been recognized as protective factors against psychological distress. However, the…

Autistic individuals are frequently exposed to stigmatizing attitudes and discrimination. Through the lived experience of stigmatizing attitudes, autistic people can internalize the negative stereotypes associated with autism. This phenomenon is known as self-stigma. In non-autistic populations, self-stigma is associated with shame and negative…

Autistic people experience high rates of mental health problems. A tendency towards behavioural repetition in autistic individuals could contribute to repetitive negative thinking, which is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health problems. Our research aimed to add to the literature by using transdiagnostic measures of both mental health…

Play is a central feature of childhood and a fundamental right of all children. Currently, our understanding of autistic play is based on a deficit perspective, most often framed in comparison to neurotypical 'norms' and assumptions where the views of the players themselves have been overlooked. In moving towards a strengths-based neuroaffirmative…

In the past 40 years, accumulating evidence suggested that autistic individuals are at an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study examined the occurrence of various potential risk factors for lifetime suicidal behavior and suicidal thoughts in the past month in a Dutch cohort (Netherlands Autism Register) of autistic…

Introduction: As little is known about who uses specialty mental health clinics for persons with intellectual disabilities, this study aimed to identified caregiver concerns, clinical characteristics, and the relationship between these two constructs for referrals to such a clinic. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative analyses were applied to…

Autistic children are often reported less socially connected, while recent studies show autistic children experiencing more loneliness in school than allistic (i.e. non-autistic) children, contradicting the traditional view that autistic children lack social motivation. This study aimed to understand individual differences in how social…

Previous research has indicated that autistic individuals report lower quality of life (QoL) than non-autistic people. It is unclear whether it is the autism traits themselves or co-occurring thinking styles or mental health difficulties that most impair QoL. This study tested a hypothesised model to explore how 'intolerance of uncertainty' (IU),…

Shared family meals are associated with family functioning and thought to protect against disordered eating in families with neurotypical children. Limited research, however, has examined the mealtime structure or experience in families with children with autism (Autism spectrum condition) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, despite…

With the widespread use of masks in the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to understand how emotion recognition is affected by partial face covering. Since individuals with autism spectrum condition often tend to look at the lower half of the face, they are likely to be particularly restricted in emotion recognition by people wearing masks, since…

Drama is a subject through which pupils can explore and develop their social learning. Previous research into drama-based pedagogy has predominantly centred on outcomes that benchmark Autistic socialising against non-Autistic standards. This corrective ideology has been critiqued in the light of emerging research into the damaging impact of…