Social difficulties and mental health are primary behavioral health concerns in autistic young adults, perhaps especially during key life transitions such as entering college. This study evaluated how dissatisfaction with social connectedness may predict and/or maintain depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse, first-semester, undergraduate…

Research suggests a relationship between anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the current study was to examine social attention in anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder compared with age- and sex-matched typically developing groups, and to examine whether lowered social motivation could explain reductions in social…

A systematic retrospective case note review was undertaken to investigate autism diagnostic factors in 124 individuals with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS). Social Responsiveness Scale questionnaires were then analysed to explore the severity and profile of autism characteristics in 70 participants. Thirty-two to forty percent of participants had a…

Social participation of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in natural environments can be enhanced by teaching them to communicate spontaneously, at least in situations where they have the motivation to access specific items or activities by controlling the amount of access for these stimuli. The purpose of this study was to determine…

Difficulties with emotion regulation are common in children with autism. Although interventions targeting emotion regulation show promise, children's individual treatment responses vary, and it is important to understand the factors that contribute to treatment change. The present study aimed to identify pre-treatment child characteristics and…

Developmental approaches to autism treatment aim to establish strong interpersonal relationships through joint play. These approaches have emerging empirical support; however, there is a need for further research documenting the procedures and demonstrating their effectiveness. This pilot study evaluated changes in parent behavior and child autism…