The autoclitic is among the least studied and most complex verbal operant named and described by Skinner. The descriptive autoclitic is one subtype, which among other functions can describe the strength of the response. If the clarity of the stimulus is one source of response strength for tacts, manipulating stimulus clarity should evoke different…

Accumulating evidence suggests that there is a spontaneous preference for numerical, compared to non-numerical (e.g., cumulative surface area), information. However, given a paucity of research on the perception of non-numerical magnitudes, it is unclear whether this preference reflects a specific bias towards number, or a general bias towards the…

Tactile defensiveness in autistic individuals is the least investigated sensory modality. The current multi-component, explorative study aimed to understand the experiences of ten autistic adults regarding tactile defensiveness and fabrics, using semi-structured, one-to-one interviews. Participants were asked to discuss the effects of seven…

Symmetry studies in autism are inconclusive possibly due to different types of stimuli used which depend on either local or global cues. Therefore, this study compared symmetry detection between 20 autistic and 18 non-autistic adults matched on age, IQ, gender and handedness, using contour integration tasks containing open and closed contours that…

Community participation and the formation of social networks are crucial for a qualitative life. To this end, transportation plays an essential role. Many autistic people rely on public transportation for their mobility needs. However, research shows that it is not always easy for them to use it. The issues they face when using public bus…

Perception is not an independent, in-the-moment event. Instead, perceiving involves integrating prior expectations with current observations. How does this ability develop from infancy through adulthood? We examined how prior visual experience shapes visual perception in infants, children, and adults. Using an identical task across age groups, we…

Purpose: Judgments regarding hyoid movement are frequently included in evaluations of swallowing. However, the literature lacks reference values for measures of hyoid kinematics in healthy swallowing. This study explores hyoid movement across the continuum from thin to extremely thick liquids. Method: Participants were 39 healthy adults under the…

Despite the attention devoted to situational and institutional barriers in studying participation in adult education, psychosocial barriers are often overlooked in research. However, low-educated, and non-participating adults are more likely to experience them. In this study, we examine low-educated, both participating and non-participating,…

Autistic adults commonly experience sensory reactivity differences. Sensory hyperreactivity is frequently researched, whilst hyporeactivity and seeking, and experiences across domains, e.g., vision, are often neglected. Therefore, we aimed to understand more about the sensory experiences of autistic adults. We conducted a mixed-methods study,…

Purpose: Emotional stimuli have been shown to influence language processing (both language comprehension and production) in people with aphasia (PWA); however, this finding is not universally reported. Effects of emotional stimuli on language performance in PWA could have clinical and theoretical implications, yet the sparsity of studies and…

Purpose: Stuttering is characterized by intermittent speech disfluencies, which are dramatically reduced when speakers synchronize their speech with a steady beat. The goal of this study was to characterize the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Method: Data were collected from 16 adults who…

Reliable techniques to assess centrally mediated function in healthy individuals are essential to understand the origins of neuromuscular dysfunction in pathologic populations. This study examined the test-retest reliability of corticospinal excitability in the upper extremity musculature of 21 healthy individuals using transcranial magnetic…

While atypical sensory processes have become central to scientific explanatory models of autism, such models usually do not explicitly address first-person experiences of sensory processes by autistic individuals. Detailed phenomenological research of this subjective domain is nonetheless essential to ground explanatory accounts in the actual…

Purpose: Respiratory-swallow coordination is vital for airway protection, preventing aspiration, or penetration of foreign material into the airway. With the implementation of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative definitions for different liquid consistencies used in dysphagia management, it is important to establish whether…

Emerging empirical evidence supports play's potential to stimulate and foster scientific creativity. Focusing on how play relates to scientific creativity in adulthood, this review synthesizes the current state of knowledge in four areas: the play element in scientific research, the playfulness of scientists, mechanisms through which play affects…