Primary care providers are often the first to identify concerns for autism through routine screening in the first 2 years of life. However, most children do not receive a diagnosis until years later resulting in delays accessing appropriate intervention. Delays in diagnosis disproportionately impact those who are otherwise disadvantaged by society…

To examine change in driving and community mobility outcomes for teens and young adults with autism as a result of participating in an occupational therapy intervention designed as a Bootcamp as perceived by the participants and their parents. Matched questionnaires were completed by novice drivers with autism as well as their parents prior to and…

Early intervention supports infants and toddlers with confirmed or suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in achieving optimal outcomes, and caregiver-implemented NDBIs are recommended as a developmentally appropriate intervention approach for very young children and their families. Research highlights discrepancies between early…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) implemented by special education teachers in a school setting in China. Feasibility was evaluated by procedural fidelity of teacher implementation and a social validity questionnaire. Effectiveness was measured by the acquisition of…

Background/purpose: Children with autism should have access to inclusive educational settings that aid in their development. The stigma associated with autism can be alleviated with mutual respect and positive social interactions. Understanding and awareness of autism amongst peers can be improved. The research focus is on the attitudes of…

Robotic therapies are receiving growing interest in the autism field, especially for the improvement of social skills of children, enhancing traditional human interventions. In this work, we conduct a scoping review of the literature in robotics for autism, providing the largest review on this field from the last five years. Our work underlines…

Multi-Sensory Environments (also called sensory or Snoezelen® rooms) are specialised spaces that contain equipment to modify the environment. They are commonly used in special-needs schools with autistic children, but empirical investigation into how to best use Multi-Sensory Environments with autistic children has been limited. Based on…

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of a circuit exercise program on the physical fitness parameters of children with atypical autism spectrum condition (ASC) and typically developing (TD) children. Method: Fourteen (14) boys with atypical autism (mean age: 10.07 ± 0.25 years; weight: 24.97 ± 0.64 kg; height: 126.79 ± 1.33 cm) and…

As many individuals in the general population will likely interact with autistic persons in various contexts, ensuring adequate autism knowledge and awareness is important. Increased knowledge of autism has been linked to positive outcomes such as a reduction in explicit bias against autism by non-autistic adults and an increase in service quality…

Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PHMDS)/22q13.3 deletion syndrome is a rare genetic disorder associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and bipolar disorder. While numerous cases have been reported describing successful pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder in PHMDS, there is currently little guidance available…

A growing literature supports the feasibility and validity of telehealth-based assessments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Better understanding families' experiences is crucial for sustained use beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This study qualitatively examines caregiver experiences with the Telehealth Evaluation of Development for Infants (TEDI)…

The National Research Council recommends 25 hr per week of active engagement for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This clinical brief describes a parent training program (PACE-CPI) designed to increase active engagement episodes between parents and children with autism. Observations from this program's introductory use with one family…

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience challenges with verbal communication (VC) and task engagement (TE) in daily and academic activities. Antecedent-based interventions (ABI) have been explored as evidence-based practices (EBP) to improve VC and TE for children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine…

Increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are being placed in the general classroom requiring educators to know how to use evidence-based strategies and interventions to address challenges related to their social skills and behaviors. The purpose of this case study was to understand rural school educators' perspectives…

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the gap that exists between the federal mandate to educate children with disabilities or special needs in the least restrictive environment, and the practice of inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) into the general education classroom or interactions with general education…