This study examined individual differences in self-regulation, emotional and behavioral school engagement, and prosocial peer engagement in a sample of 40 children that included children with high functioning autism (HFA; n = 20) and their typical peers (n = 20). Children were 54.57 months on average at recruitment. Measures of self-regulation…

Hope is shown to provide resiliency for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) against the negative effects related to extreme parenting stressors. The broad positivity of hope may overlook opposing parental feelings about their child that may be important for well-being. Vicarious futurity (VF) is the hope and despair a parent…

The purpose of this research was to evaluate a self-instructional package (Fazzio & Martin, 2007) to train parents of children with autism to conduct discrete-trials teaching (DTT). In Study 1, we investigated the effectiveness of a self-instructional manual and a self-instructional video for teaching five parents of children with autism to…

This study was aimed to investigate the rate of co-occurring sensory processing (SP) dysfunction in children with autism who had a difficult temperament characteristics, and the relationship between SP dysfunction and temperament characteristics in preschool children with autism. A total of 111 children aged 48-84 months, 67 children with autism…

The range of interventions available for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased in recent years. This has led to an interest in the decision-making process related to intervention choices for parents of children with ASD. The present paper reviewed 16 studies examining the factors declared by parents as affecting their…

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is complex and parents worldwide often experience difficulties and frustration during the diagnostic process. This study examined the duration of the diagnostic period, the number of professionals consulted, the relationship with the professional(s) and the perceived helpfulness of information provided…

The current study investigated the relations among parent-child joint engagement, dyadic interactive behaviors, and children's subsequent social competence with peers. Participants were 40 children (20 children with autism, and 20 developmentally-matched typical children) between the ages of 2.75 and 6.5 years. Observational coding was conducted…

Children with autism fail to imitate from an early age and this lack of imitation is a salient diagnostic marker for the disorder. For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), increased imitation skills appear to be related to increased skill development in a variety of areas. Video modeling was recently validated as a technique to support…

There is literature suggesting that some demographic characteristics actually can influence how parents or caregivers respond on informant-based measures for their children. The current study aimed to expand that research to include analysis of the relationship of maternal age and education level on mothers' ratings of their child's ASD by…

We designed an Internet survey to identify the educational priorities that parents have for their children with autism spectrum disorders and to examine the relation between these priorities and the children's level of adaptive behavior functioning. The survey listed 54 skills/behaviors (e.g., toileting, expressing wants and needs, and tantrums)…

The core deficits in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include socialization, communication, and the presence of repetitive, stereotypical interests and behaviors. In addition to these core problems the autism spectrum includes a variety of possible developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, medical issues, and co-morbid psychiatric…

The history of autism treatment has been plagued with fad therapies which waste parents' and children's time, energy, and money. To determine if referral sources, such as professionals' recommendations, media, or scholarly sources, have influenced parents' treatment decisions, parents of at least one child with an autism spectrum disorder (N =…

This study examined the relationship between child symptom severity, parent broader autism phenotype (BAP), and stress and depression in parents of children with ASD. One hundred and forty-nine parents of children with ASD completed a survey of parenting stress, depression, broader autism phenotype, coping styles, perceived social support, and…

Studies have shown that children with ASD have increased severity and incidence of pain symptoms compared to typically developing children and children with other disorders. Pain has also been shown to act as a setting event for problem behavior. Further, problem behavior is one of the biggest impediments to quality of life for families and highly…

Asperger syndrome (AS) is a disorder resembling autism in its problems with social interaction and cognitive flexibility. Today, a number of adults with AS marry and rear children. Yet there has been little research into the quality of their marital and parental relationships. This study explored romantic attachment style, marital satisfaction and…