In Australia, an increasing number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are educated in inclusive classrooms. Research shows that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs impact the implementation of inclusionary practices. Eight pre-service teachers and eight recent teacher graduates were interviewed to gain insights into their experiences and…

Few studies examine the effectiveness of community-based early interventions in unselected samples of autistic children, especially those from minoritized backgrounds. These types of studies require attention to strategies for recruitment, retention, data collection, and support for community providers beyond those used in university-based trials.…

Selective mutism (SM) and autism frequently co-occur together, exacerbating social communication deficits and associated anxiety. However, professionals have lacked a readiness to diagnose SM and autism together, making the need to understand parental experiences of caring for a child with SM and autism crucial. The current study utilised…

Twice-exceptional individuals experience learning and psychosocial challenges resulting from the discrepancies between their cognitive and social-emotional development. This case report illustrates the learning and psychosocial faced by a child and an adolescent who possess both neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual giftedness, and the…

Background: Integrated primary care (IPC) can address prevalent behavioral health concerns identified in pediatric office visits, but research on IPC consultation patterns is limited. Objective: This study investigated variation in consultation rates across presenting problems, patient sociodemographic factors, and IPC treatment duration. Method:…

With the increasing prevalence of autism diagnoses globally, the overall aim of this dissertation is to improve our understanding of the linguistic aptitude of autistic individuals. Given that the autism diagnosis is a spectrum, we rely on the Autism Quotient (AQ) test, which measures the quantity of autistic-like traits an individual possesses,…

This study examined autistic undergraduate students' college experiences and their perceptions about their intentions to persist in college. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 27 autistic undergraduate students (mean age = 21.8 years; 40.7% men), and their responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Students…

Special education is a critical access point for the identification of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and subsequent provision of intervention services. However, it remains unclear which children will qualify for services in the educational setting, as ASD represents a heterogeneous group. The current study used structural equation…

Robots have shown great promise in being effective tutors for both children and adults. For instance, they have been shown to be successful in math tutoring for children, interruptions training for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and assisting the elderly while exercising. Yet, despite the great potential of tutoring robots, most studies…

The Federal government mandates the use of evidence-based practice for interventions with students. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one of these evidence-based practices, but despite this, many school systems do not implement ABA as described in the literature, which leads to loss of fidelity and integrity with implementation, and often results…

Background & Aims: Estimates suggest that one in 59 children receive a diagnosis of autism and that early intervention can be effective if applied consistently and intensively. Parent implemented intervention can increase intervention consistency and intensity however, availability of providers, geographical factors, time constraints, and…

Background and Aims: The fastest growing group of students with disabilities are those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). States annually report on post-high school outcomes (PSO) of exited students. This study sought to fill two gaps in the literature related to PSO for exited high-school students with ASD and the use of state data and…

Background and aims: The efficacy of parent-child reading for supporting language development has been well-established in the neurotypical (NT) literature. For children with autism spectrum disorder, (ASD) who may be at risk for delays in language development, prior research has shown promise for shared book-reading interventions. Yet there has…

Research Findings: All teachers have demanding jobs and work with limited resources. However, working with young children with disabilities may place additional demands on early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers which may impact their well-being. Using the Job Demands and Resources model, the present study aimed to predict ECSE teachers'…

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak caused a paradigm change in education and made it necessary to conduct educational activities through online learning environments (OLEs). This sudden shift also affected special education practices for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study aims to investigate the current issues…