Kindness has been generally defined as being compassionate, empathetic, friendly, forgiving, generous, considerate, or as showing genuine concern for and a desire to help others. This definition has utility when speaking informally but lacks technical precision when used in a scientific capacity. Given that kindness encompasses several different…

Introduction: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to close their doors and transition to remote learning, disrupting how autistic students received school-based services and support. While school structure changes were challenging for all students, autistic students were uniquely affected, considering their reliance on…

"Emotion Regulation" is a key factor in the psychological well-being of children on the autism spectrum. Therapeutic "co-regulation" is posited here as fundamental to addressing Emotion Regulation needs. A therapeutic combination of "Child-Centred Play Therapy" and "Rhythmic Relating" is assessed in its…

This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effect Melodic Based Communication Therapy has on minimally verbal children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly tact responses and their generalization in the natural environment. MBCT is a replicable protocol for pairing melodies with target words to elicit speech in children…

Despite decades of research, both understanding and availability of pharmacological interventions for autistic people are limited. We examined characteristics of pharmacological trials on ClinicalTrials.gov (N = 235) to elucidate trends, identify gaps, and suggest future research directions. We observed that trials predominantly sampled…

This systematic review aims to describe six types of physical activity interventions utilized with children and young adults ages 5-22 as a treatment for ASD. These interventions include swimming, cycling, neuromuscular training, yoga, sports, and exergaming. This examines the knowledge gaps regarding the details of these interventions via time…

Purpose: Comparative data of autism-sensitive standardized measures of emotion regulation and lability, describing percentage change over time for populations of young autistic children, are currently publicly unavailable. We propose publication of such data as a support for future therapeutic intervention studies. Methods: We generate and present…

An increasing body of literature demonstrates the effectiveness of interventions involving speech-generating devices (SGD) for children with autism with limited vocal speech output abilities. Few studies have evaluated interventions that teach children to "travel" to the device before making requests. The current study evaluated a…

Sleep problems are prevalent among autistic children and children with Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders (RGND). Behavioral interventions are commonly used to treat sleep problems, with most involving extinction. While effective, the occurrence of a response burst (i.e., temporary worsening of the behavior) can result in a temporary…

Lag schedules of reinforcement have been found to be useful in addressing invariant behavior of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to conduct an additive analysis of lag schedules and rules. Three participants with ASD were exposed to a Lag 2 schedule of reinforcement in isolation. Following,…

Sensory sensitivities are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and impact daily life, but research has largely focused on children, neglecting older individuals. Likewise, while there is research regarding parental concerns for their autistic children's transition to adulthood, little is known about the role of sensory sensitivities. To…

Background: Recent Government guidelines have promoted returning people with learning disabilities and/or autism from out-of-area placements to their local communities. These transitions not only impact the individuals but also their families. Methods: This study explores the experiences of family members who have been involved in the repatriation…

Background: The study reports the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The study focuses on the impact of the first and the fire-break lockdowns and the actions taken to support young people. Method: Data was collected from the cohort of young people currently working in Wales,…

This study investigated the benefits and challenges of computer-mediated communication use among a sample of young adults who identify with the autism spectrum via semistructured interviews. The interviews revealed that participants enjoyed using computer-mediated communication technologies (e.g. Discord, Facebook, Steam, and Zoom) to fulfill…

Autistic adults often experience health problems and a range of healthcare barriers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate barriers and explore how primary care providers and autistic adults want to improve their primary healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with three autistic adults, two parents of autistic children and six care…