Background: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties recognizing emotions. Studies showed that virtual reality (VR) and computerized training programs might be used as potential tools for enhancing emotion recognition in such people. However, some inconsistencies were observed between the studies. Objective: In the current…

Sensory differences are included in the DSM-5 criteria of autism for the first time, yet it is unclear how they relate to neural indicators of perception. We studied early brain signatures of perception and examined their relationship to sensory behaviors and autistic traits. Thirteen autistic children and 13 Typically Developing (TD) children…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of video modeling to teach safety skills during earthquakes and postearthquake evacuation to children with autism. Three male children with autism, aged 9-10 years, participated in the study. The results indicate that video modeling was effective at promoting the acquisition of…

Alterations in the development of attention control and learning have been associated with autism and can be measured using the "antisaccade task," which assesses a child's ability to make an oculomotor response away from a distracting stimulus, and learn to instead anticipate a later reward. We aimed to assess these cognitive processes…

This trial examined stepped-care cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) among 96 autistic youth with co-occurring anxiety. Step 1 included an open trial of parent-led, therapist-guided bibliotherapy. Step 2 was family-based CBT for those who did not respond to Step 1 or maintenance for those who did. Eighteen participants (28%) who completed Step 1…

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ([superscript 1]H-MRS) has shown inconsistent alterations in brain metabolites of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated brain metabolites in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala of 24 drug-naive adults with ASD and no intellectual disability and 24 non-ASD control subjects, using…

This study tested the role of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)'s conversational expansion in mediating between mothers' descriptive language and children with ASD's conversational repair, and whether this mediation was moderated by the relative complexity of mother-child language. Videos of forty children with ASD engaging in various…

A compassionate care framework considers the neurodiverse needs of autistics and challenges the practitioner to think beyond their own comfort levels, preferences, and understanding of "correct" labels to consider how their language and actions support or create barriers for students. The foundational goals of compassionate care seek to…

The rise in autism and shifts in federal laws have driven a move towards inclusive education, aiming to offer equal opportunities and support for autistic students facing challenges in communication, social skills, and repetitive behaviors. Yet, placing students in the least restrictive environment can strain general education teachers without…

This systematic literature review discusses the use of spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) as a training and therapy intervention for autistic individuals. The authors emphasize the need for an evidence-based framework with guidelines and design considerations to help developers and educators tailor SVVR to the diverse needs of autistic…

This study examined whether autistic people with siblings score higher on measures of empathy than those without siblings. Cohorts of autistic children (n = 939; mean age = 7.35 years (SD = 2.15)) and autistic adults (n = 736; mean age = 37 years (SD = 12.39)) from the Cambridge Autism Research Database (CARD) were each divided into two groups:…

Advancing interventions and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires understanding that ASD is a lifelong developmental difference. However, little is known about the unique experiences of autistic young adults, parents, and community providers in the Latino community. The purpose of this study was to improve access to…

The purpose of this study is to investigate if feedback related negativity (FRN) can capture instantaneous elevated emotional reactivity in autistic adolescents. A measurement of elevated reactivity could allow clinicians to better support autistic individuals without the need for self-reporting or verbal conveyance. The study investigated…

Interoception, the sense of the physiological condition of our body, is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Evidence suggests that subclinical autistic traits are mild manifestations of autistic symptoms, present in the general population. We examined the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) associating with…

This study examined the effect of attention on auditory processing in autistic individuals. Electroencephalography data were recorded during two attention conditions (passive and active) from 24 autistic adults and 24 neurotypical controls, ages 17-30 years. The passive condition involved only listening to the clicks and the active condition…