Individuals with disabilities often have difficulties transitioning to employment after the completion of high school. This is especially true for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as many of the soft skills needed for employment (e.g. communication, flexibility, teamwork) are characteristically difficult. Employment training in…

Developmental difference is a common characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with unclear sex differences. The current study included 610 children with ASD, aged between 2 and 7 years, with completed language profiles. We used a nonparametric item response theory model called Mokken scale analysis to examine the order of acquisition of…

Gender dysphoria (GD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) co-occur relatively often, but there is no evidence-based treatment for this specific group. Therefore, we examined the effects of a group intervention for adolescents with ASD and GD in a pilot study with a pre-post-test design. The adolescents completed questionnaires on quality of life,…

Anxiety disorders commonly occur in autism. Existing studies implicate intolerance of uncertainty, alexithymia, sensory processing differences and emotion regulation difficulties as influencing factors of anxiety in autism. To date, a few studies have considered the combination of these factors within the same sample. This study used structural…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a profound impact on millions of families in the United States. While Hispanic families represent the most rapidly growing demographic group within this population, little research explores their unique experiences in coping with the family impacts of ASD. This phenomenological study explored the lived…

Fidget toys are recommended as "sensory" tools to improve the attention and performance of elementary students with autism. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how fidget toys affected the visual attention and skill acquisition of elementary students with autism during storybook reading. Provision of fidget toys was compared with a…

This study investigated the role of resilience as a mediator and the place of residence as a moderator of parenting stress and parental burnout. The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Parental Burnout Assessment, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were administered to 249 Chinese parents of children with ASD (M = 33.95 years, SD = 7.6). Results…

Autistic adults experience disparities in physical health and health care access. A major barrier to addressing these disparities is a lack of federal funding for research on this topic. In seeking funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we discovered nodes that contribute to structural discrimination in physical health--related…

To retrospectively explore the characteristics of plasma amino acids (PAAs) in children with autism spectrum disorder and their clinical association via case-control study. A total of 110 autistic and 55 healthy children were recruited from 2014 to 2018. The clinical phenotypes included severity of autism, cognition, adaptability, and regression.…

Relative to parents of children with neurotypical development and other developmental disabilities, parents of autistic children experience higher levels of parenting stress, which are associated with deleterious consequences for parents' mental and physical health and child functioning. Despite urgent calls to action, parenting stress is rarely…

This study examined the validity of the Greek version of the Societal Attitudes Towards Autism (SATA) scale in a Greek community sample (n = 633) and explored how the demographic variables of the sample modulate knowledge and attitudes regarding people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The principal component analysis confirmed the…

Post-diagnostic support for autistic adults in the United Kingdom is geographically inequitable and, in general, considered inadequate. This results in autistic adults facing unnecessary challenges and wide-ranging poor outcomes. A modified Delphi study sought to establish autistic adults' priorities for optimal provision of post-diagnostic…

Research on how adults react to receiving an autism diagnosis is focused on the United States or the United Kingdom context even though cultural differences might have an impact on these experiences. Few interventions for autistic adults exist, and when they do, they are often described as inappropriate. Our study aimed to explore the experiences…

Identification procedures for autism spectrum disorders in paediatric settings include screening and routine clinical surveillance. Screening tools are perceived as challenging, and a preference for direct observation has been reported in Ecuadorian paediatric settings. Augmentative observational procedures could prompt the application of…

Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were…