Rehabilitative and habilitative therapies can help children with disabilities increase independence and overall wellbeing. However, children and their caregivers face many barriers to accessing these therapies and often rely on the school for therapy access. Given the limited resources available within the special education system, increasing…

While Extended Reality (XR) autism research, ranging from Augmented to Virtual Reality, focuses on socio-emotional abilities and autistic children requiring low support, common interventions address the entire spectrum and focus on other abilities, including perceptual abilities. Based on these observations, this paper first addresses common…

The diagnostic experiences of autistic adults in New Zealand have not been investigated and little is known globally about autistic adults' satisfaction with the autism diagnostic process. This study describes the diagnostic experiences of 70 autistic adults living in New Zealand and explores how these experiences are related to satisfaction…

The primary aim of this systematic review is to investigate the inclusion of autistic individuals in the design process of immersive technologies. This study follows the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses standards for systematic literature reviews. To ensure the research questions and subsequent stages of the…

The adult service system does not adequately meet the needs of autistic adults, prompting families to continue their supportive roles. Siblings frequently assume these roles when parents are no longer able to do so, often without preparation or planning. We received feedback on the proposed Siblings FORWARD (Focusing on Relationships, Well-being,…

Peer support has been an undeveloped pathway for filling the service gap and to generate employment opportunities for autistic individuals. Peer supports have been deployed widely in mental health and among veterans and understanding the utility of this service modality among autistic individuals illuminates opportunities for research, policy, and…

With many teens having to transition from a mainly educational system of support to a set of health and social service systems (Shattuck et al. in Autism Res Treat https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/924182, 2017), there is a critical need to advance research and support services in the area of autism and transition to aid autistic* individuals and their…

There is a growing trend of adult diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research has found that diagnosis can prompt a process of sense-making which may be disrupted by lack of post-diagnostic support. Given the continued involvement of many parents in supporting their adult son or daughter with ASD, it is vital to understand their…

Research has found 96% of autistic individuals experience sensory processing difficulties, and being a parent presents many sensory demands that may be especially challenging for autistic mothers. Despite the high prevalence, no research exists exploring the sensory experiences of autistic mothers, highlighting the gap in current knowledge.…

Caregivers of children with neurodiverse needs are known to experience challenges and hardship due to the increased needs of the child and the lack of support available. This study aimed to explore the support needs and well-being of caregivers of children with neurodiverse needs in Australia. Sixty-six caregivers participated in an online survey…

Little is known about needs of grandparents of young children with autism in family and community settings. This study investigated perceived needs of grandparents of preschool-aged children diagnosed with ASD in the cultural context of Sweden. Participants were 120 grandparents of children enrolled into autism intervention programs provided by…

Although it is well-documented that families of children with autism in developed nations report hardships, few researchers have focused on families who live in less-developed, low-resource settings. Using five focus groups with 30 parents of children with autism in Mongolia, a low-resource setting, the purpose of this study was to provide…

Whereas it is well documented how parents experience the diagnostic process of their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), less is known about parental experiences with the course of the early identification process and first steps in receiving care for their child with ASD symptoms. This mixed-method study investigated these experiences as…

This study investigated the role of acceptance during the transition process among autistic young adults, parents, and practitioners. Six focus groups were run and thematic analysis was used to identify four themes: Youth on the autism spectrum discussed transition as a time where "Self-Advocacy and Self-Acceptance" were salient. Both…

The Supports Intensity Scale-Children's version (SIS-C) was developed to provide a standardized measure of support needs of children with intellectual disability. Over half of the norming sample had a secondary diagnosis of autism. Using this subset of the sample, we engaged in exploratory analysis to examine the degree to which latent clusters…