Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is one of the two core diagnostic features used to determine the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) is widely used to measure the presence and severity of a variety of RRBs in individuals with ASD. Previous studies have implemented a factor analysis…

Background: Camouflaging or camouflaging autistic traits--strategies that hide social impairments to match societal norms--has been linked to empathy and depressive symptoms in autism research. Much epidemiological evidence has further revealed that characteristics of autism and autistic traits are distributed continuously throughout the general…

Background: NHS England's "Transforming Care" agenda aims to reduce the number of adults with intellectual disabilities and autistic adults in mental health hospitals. The aim was to understand the demographic and clinical characteristics of those most at risk of admission. Method: A cohort, retrospective study of adults using community…

This paper is devoted to the design, description and validation of the Android application TEAtreves, which focuses on structured arithmetic problem-solving for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The application contains multiple adaptations to make it suitable for users with ASD. Validation was carried out with five students with ASD,…

This study investigated the effects of labels on preschool teachers' attitudes (i.e. openness) towards the strengths and difficulties of autistic preschool students in the mainstream setting. It also examined the differential effect of disclosure of a specific or a generic label, and the teacher-related factors influencing their attitude. Sample…

Background: In families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the added difficulties they face may influence their perception of family quality of life (FQoL). It is important to identify factors which foster their perceived wellbeing and are susceptible to intervention. Our aim was to explore the association between mindful…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which typically developing (TD) siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could implement the model-lead-test (MLT) strategy through the self-monitoring checklist and telehealth-based coaching, as well as the impact of the sibling-mediated intervention on the acquisition of…

Background: Documented inequalities in access to eye care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are caused by poor uptake of primary eye care services, poor identification of eye problems, lack of signposting and reasonable adjustments of existing services, concerns about costs of care and the low priority historically given to these…

This dissertation explores strategies for creating a more inclusive and accessible music learning environment for students with autism. With many educators in mainstream music education unaware of the strategies and resources to cater effectively to children with neurodevelopmental disorders, I combine my previous experiences as a behavioral…

Echolalia, a language phenomenon whereby individuals imitate the speech of others, is commonly used by children and adults with autism. Research into the underlying nature and meanings associated with this repetitive behaviour is characterised by a lack of conceptual definitions and conflicting opinions about the functions of echolalia. A scoping…

Concerns have been raised about genomic studies of autism. Most recently, the Spectrum 10 K study was paused due to criticism from the autistic community. This situation raised important questions about how the autistic and autism communities perceive genomic research. The Personal Experiences of Autism and Perceptions of DNA-based-research study…

Neurodivergent youth, such as those with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are frequently victimized by their peers. This bullying victimization may occur in unique ways that are not captured by existing questionnaires. The "Assessment of Bullying Experiences"…

In this pilot study, we report on the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of 'Who, When, How to Share', a new disclosure decision-making programme for autistic adults. We evaluated this programme using pre-post mixed-methods surveys that included questions about participants' experiences of the programme and four psychosocial outcome…

Several measures have been developed to assess loneliness in the general population. Here, we examined if, and how accurately, widely-used measures capture the experience of loneliness in autistic adults. A total of 203 autistic participants from the UK completed an online survey, which included two widely-used loneliness questionnaires: the…

Language ability has been associated with emotion regulation (ER) ability. Children on the autism spectrum have greater rates of language delays and lower ER ability. Despite this, autism traits have not been considered or controlled for in past research. This study therefore examined the association between language ability and ER in young…