Loneliness has been associated with several adverse psychosocial outcomes in childhood and adolescence. The present study aimed to investigate feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in school-aged typically-developing (TD) siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For this purpose, 118 siblings of children with ASD…

Parents of autistic children are routinely advised to raise them monolingually, despite potential negative effects of monolingualism and no evidence of harm from bilingualism. There is, however, limited research on this topic. This study explored experiences and perspectives of educational practitioners ('practitioners') and parents of…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been found to view social scenes differently compared to typically developing (TD) peers, but results can vary depending on context and age. We used eye-tracking in children and adults (age 6-63) to assess allocation of visual attention in a dynamic social orientation paradigm previously used…

The current review examined the use of self-report measures in autistic individuals in the context of psychiatric assessments. It focused on inter-rater agreement, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity with clinical diagnoses. It also gathered information on constructs measured, the nature of the samples, and the…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display variable verbal cognitive profiles despite a historical requirement for a language delay in autistic disorder. This study compared the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) to the newly created ancillary index score, the Verbal Expanded Crystallized Index (VECI) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for…

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a worldwide transition to providing online services overnight, highlighting the urgent need for empirically supported telehealth interventions. The current study examined the effects of PEERS® for Adolescents Telehealth, an adaptation from the original social skills intervention developed for in-person provision,…

Autistic (pre-) adolescents are often misunderstood by their peers, which can lead to challenges within their friendships. Yet, friendships play an important role in our psychological wellbeing, whereby in the non-autistic population good quality friendships usually protect against mental health difficulties, whereas conflictual friendships…

In this study, we evaluated the effect of the Future Center Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention program on children's skills longitudinally by sex, age, and diagnoses as dependent variables. Sixty-seven children ages 1-6 years and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were followed up for 2 years in Syria. They were assessed twice across the…

Instructive feedback (IF) involves incorporating additional acquisition targets into skill-acquisition programs. A recent study by Frampton and Shillingsburg (2020) found that IF led to emergent verbal operants with two elementary-aged children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study replicated Frampton and Shillingsburg…

This article discusses historical system structures in education that have impeded on inclusion and present pertinent historical challenges, pedagogy and beliefs that are foundational in cultivating inclusive environments today. It explores Neurodiversity, an equity imperative, as critical to shifting the culture of teaching and learning by…

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder do not demonstrate observational learning (OL), a skill that aids in learning during group instruction. Few studies have evaluated strategies for teaching individuals to engage in OL, and none have evaluated the effects of such strategies on individuals' learning during group instruction. In this…

Nurses and other health care providers face daily challenges when delivering care in the acute care settings to adult patients on the autism spectrum (ASD). Secondary to a lack of disability-specific training, health care providers may struggle to establish and maintain a therapeutic rapport with patients diagnosed on the autism spectrum (Bury et…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have challenges with communication, changes in routine, and processing social information and communication that can affect their ability to learn and respond successfully to safety threats. When given behavioral skills training (BST), children with and without ASD have demonstrated gains in safety…

The purpose of this embedded multiple case study was to explore perceptions of reading comprehension interventions in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at public schools within the Commonwealth of Virginia and to discover common themes and strategies that help students with ASD. The sample pool consisted of approximately 62 students.…

Social skill interventions have become increasingly popular in recent times, as well as the use of technology to deliver and aid interventions for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. Little research exists on the use of apps to teach social skills to individuals with ASD, in particular the behaviour change procedures that exist within…