Up to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep problems, which have been associated with more severe presentations of ASD symptoms. We examined the bidirectional link between sleep problems and specific ASD symptoms at two time points within 5 years in a well-characterized sample (659 children with ASD). Using…

An autism diagnosis in adulthood can increase women's self-compassion and inform appropriate supports. This study explored what helped and hindered autistic women when accessing an adulthood autism diagnosis in Australia. Ten autistic women diagnosed as adults within the past 5 years participated in a semi-structured interview about their…

Autism is increasingly seen as a social identity, as well as a clinical diagnosis. Evidence suggests that autistic adults who have stronger autism social identification have better psychological well-being. Autism is a condition which impacts on social interactions, and so one's sense of autism identification may be particularly important for…

Despite showing effects in well-controlled studies, the extent to which early intensive behavioral intervention (EBI) produces positive changes in community-based settings remains uncertain. Thus, our study examined changes in autistic symptoms and adaptive functioning in 233 children with autism receiving EBI in a community setting. The results…

Previous research has identified possible sex-based differences in restricted and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, this finding is mixed, particularly among preschool-aged children. We investigated the presence of sex-based differences in parent-rated ASD symptomatology, using the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale…

We integrated data from a newborn hearing screening database and a preschool disability database to examine the relationship between newborn click evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and developmental disabilities. This sample included children with developmental delay (n = 2992), speech impairment (SI, n = 905), language impairment (n =…

The objective of this study was to determine the clinical features that moderate a later age at ASD diagnosis in females in a large sample of females with ASD. Within two large and independent ASD datasets (>20,000 females), females were first diagnosed with ASD 14-months later relative to males. This later age at diagnosis was moderated by a…

Self-compassion is a gentle way of relating to oneself, linked to a host of mental health benefits in non-autistic people. Although many autistic individuals report high anxiety and depression symptoms, no research to-date has examined the self-compassion experiences of autistic individuals and determined if self-compassion is associated with…

Behavior analysis is the scientific study of behavior. Radical behaviorism is the worldview of behavior analysts and this perspective drives how we think about behavior, assess the influences on behavior, and develop strategies to change behavior. There is evidence that some behavior analysts are using interventions that are not conceptually…

Autistic-like features and functional somatic symptoms (FSS) frequently co-occur. It remains unknown how autistic-like features and FSS affect each other and develop throughout adolescence. This study examined reciprocal relations between autistic-like features and FSS in adolescence. Participants were 2772 adolescents (52.5% male) from the…

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors. How specific anatomical alterations contribute to the clinical profile of autism spectrum disorder remains largely uncharacterized. We have previously shown that parvalbumin-positive Chandelier cells, a specific…

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. It had been suggested that public awareness is low for DLD, especially in comparison with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia. This study investigated awareness of DLD, ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia, as well as…

Reduced social attention is characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It has been suggested to result from an early onset and excessive influence of circumscribed interests (CIs) on gaze behaviour, compared to typically developing (TYP) individuals. To date, these findings have been mixed. The current eye-tracking study utilised a visual…

Parents of autistic children experience more parenting stress and are at increased risk for poor mental and physical health compared with parents of neurotypical children; however, not all parents are distressed. The present study used a person-centered analytic approach to identify profiles of the parenting experience in a sample of 183 mothers…

Autistic children experience a high rate of sleep problems, which have been associated with maternal mental health difficulties. However, the directionality of these relationships has received little attention. The extent to which children's sleep problems influence maternal mental health difficulties and vice versa remains unclear. The aim of…