Purpose: This article outlines the experience of conducting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis research into the chronic illness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, an incurable condition of the gastro-intestinal tract which results in numerous physically and psychologically symptoms that are difficult to live with, by a researcher who shares the…

Adolescence is a developmental period that affords both risk as well as enormous opportunity. Ripple effects can extend far and wide and speak to the nuance and complexity in understanding and treating ADHD during the adolescent period. The studies in this special issue provide novel and important insights into the lives of adolescents with ADHD,…

Adolescence is a developmental period that affords both risk as well as enormous opportunity. Ripple effects can extend far and wide and speak to the nuance and complexity in understanding and treating ADHD during the adolescent period. The studies in this special issue provide novel and important insights into the lives of adolescents with ADHD,…

It is only in recent years that research has begun to focus on gender differences in males and females on the autism spectrum. There is now an increasing awareness that we are missing women and girls on the autism spectrum and the assumption has been that there are more males with autism or Asperger syndrome. The questions needing to be asked are…

It seems decidedly odd that after more than half a century of both research and clinical experience with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), there continue to be arguments on the nature of autism. "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition" ["DSM-5"; American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013] has not…

Jack and Pelphrey provide a systematic review of neuroimaging studies in understudied populations within the autistic spectrum, focussing specifically on those with minimal verbal ability, intellectual disability and developmental regression. Despite accounting for nearly a third of the autistic spectrum, the number of studies focussing on these…

On February 17, 2014, Dr. Jonathan Perry, former director of counseling at the University of Arkansas, sparked a lively debate on the listserv of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) by warning about the likelihood and dangers of underdiagnosing borderline II disorder. Standing out among the many…

In their analysis of the accumulated data from the clinically ascertained Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), Hus et al. (2013) provide a large-scale clinical replication of previously reported associations (see Constantino, Hudziak & Todd, 2003) between quantitative autistic traits [as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)] and…

This randomized clinical trial of methylphenidate in children with intellectual disability (ID) by Simonoff et al. (2013) advances the field in several ways useful to clinicians. The large ("N" = 122) widely representative sample more definitively confirms findings previously reported from smaller studies and studies with a differently…

In his commentary on our previously published article "Readability of Self-Report Measures of Depression and Anxiety," J. Schinka (2012) argued for the importance of considering readability of patient materials and highlighted limitations of existing methodologies for this assessment. Schinka's commentary articulately described the weaknesses of…

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is currently being used in clinical and genetic studies of autism as both a screener and as a quantitative measure of autistic traits. This article assesses the influence of nonspecific factors on SRS scores to aid researchers in their interpretations of these scores. In their commentary, Constantino and…

Everson and Faller's (2012) article on the significance of sexualized behavior in child sexual abuse assessments critiques a chapter by Poole and Wolfe (2009), but their objections assumed conclusions and practice implications that were not contained in that chapter. In this comment, I reiterate the value of educating adults about normative sexual…

While the prevalence of autism has been increasing globally, there is a search for the causative factors behind the rise. The point of view presented here examines the possibility of children brought up in social deprivation and watching television being at higher risk for developing autistic symptoms. The association is evident in the clinical…

Nadler (this issue), in his commentary of our article, "Addressing Relapse in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder: Methods for Optimizing Long-Term Treatment Outcomes" (Arch & Craske, 2011), argues that we misrepresent the role of panic attacks within learning theory and overlook cognitive treatment targets. He presents several case…

John Werry completed training in child and adolescent psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, and has been a world renowned leader in children's mental health. Drawing on a half century of work in Canada, the United States, and his native New Zealand, he shares his reflections and vision for the future in the interview given for this…