Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders最新文献

This study investigates the effects of disclosing an autism diagnosis on non-autistic listeners' empathy and social interest towards the autistic discloser. In Study 1, participants (non-autistic students in the social sciences/humanities [n = 99; 70% female]) watched a video of an autistic adult sharing an autobiographical story and reported how they believed the storyteller felt, following an introduction in which the storyteller did or did not disclose their diagnosis. Their evaluation of the storyteller's emotions was compared to the storyteller's own reports, resulting in an empathic accuracy measure. Participants reported how empathic they felt towards the storyteller and how socially interested they were in them. Studies 2 and 3 replicated the same procedure with STEM students (n = 96; 40% female), and with non-student adults (n = 76; 50% female) from diverse professional/occupational backgrounds, with an additional question about working together. In Study 1, participants in the self-disclosure condition demonstrated higher empathic accuracy, reported more empathy, and greater social interest in the storyteller. Study 2 showed a similar trend of higher empathy in the self-disclosure condition but no differences in social interest measures. Interest in working with the storyteller was higher in the self-disclosure condition. In Study 3, participants in the self-disclosure condition demonstrated higher empathy and greater interest in hearing another story and working with the storyteller. An individual's self-disclosure of an autism diagnosis improved others' ability to empathize with them and willingness to work with them. We discuss the complex effect of self-disclosure on social interest in an autistic person.

Given the high prevalence of sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a critical need to examine how sleep problems may be exacerbated for children exposed to social and environmental adversity. Guided by the socio-ecological model, this review aimed to evaluate factors linked to sleep health disparities (SHDs) in children with ASD, determine possible gaps/limitations in existing literature, and identify possible solutions. A scoping review was selected to ascertain what is known about SHDs in ASD. Four databases identified articles from 2004 to 2023. Included articles were those conducted in children with ASD that focused on sleep and examined socio-ecological factors (i.e., individual, family, neighborhood and socio-cultural) possibly contributing to SHDs. 41 studies were extracted; 31 (75.6%) focused on individual factors, 27 (65.9%) focused on family factors, 11 (26.8%) focused on neighborhood and/or socio-cultural factors; 3 (7.3%) focused on factors across all three socio-ecological levels. Six studies included interventions that found improvements in child sleep, behavior, and quality of life. Representation of racial and ethnic minoritized groups was limited across studies. Most studies focused on individual child factors associated with sleep problems, with less research focused on family factors, and very few studies examining broader neighborhood and socio-cultural factors. Only about half of studies reported race and ethnicity data, with sparse representation of racial and ethnic minoritized children and families overall. These findings highlight the need for future research on modifiable socio-ecological factors to guide equitable sleep interventions for children with ASD.

Purpose: Autism early intervention research has indicated a research-to-practice gap, including continued use of practices with inadequate research support, and insufficient use of empirically supported practices. The present study explored the processes and mechanisms through which providers working with young children on the autism spectrum learn, select, and implement the various practices in their clinical repertoires. We addressed the role of providers' priorities, competence, and experience with (and needs for) professional development (PD), as well as whether, in clinical practice, a provider selects for implementation interventions based on domains.

Method: Providers (n = 136) responded to an online survey to report the interventions they used, their outcome domain priorities, confidence, and their desire for PD.

Results: The most commonly used interventions were reinforcement, modeling, prompting, and visual supports, which are all supported by research evidence and classified as empirically supported practices. While most providers reported using empirically supported practices, many also used unsupported practices, especially in the sensory domain. Providers' top priority domains for intervention were communication, challenging behavior, adaptive behavior, and social skills. Provider confidence regarding the evidence-base of the practices they used was domain-specific and related to provider priorities. Providers reported interest in PD in all empirically supported practices and in all domains.

Conclusion: Results may inform the delivery of PD in early intervention services for providers working with children on the autism spectrum, to support the best possible outcomes for this population and mitigate the research-to-practice gap.

Autism diagnostic criteria relate to difficulties in functioning across multiple developmental domains, that often impact on a person's independence. There are different ways to conceptualise and exercise independence, but no previous studies have questioned how autistic adults do so. This qualitative study aimed to understand how autistic adults define and experience independence. It was designed to further our understanding of how autistic adults account for and use coping strategies to overcome barriers to independent living and navigate their way to their desired level of independence. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with autistic adults living in the United Kingdom. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The researchers generated three major themes. The first theme 'Independence is "not a one-size-fits-all"' highlights that there is no one definition or concept of independence for autistic people; these are relative and uniquely individual. The second theme '"Being autistic has its setbacks" in a neurotypical world' describes the obstacles encountered by autistic adults seeking independence within a society that favours neurotypical norms. The third theme 'Finding ways of making it work' captures strategies autistic adults use in achieving or maintaining independence. The findings from this study provide a foundation for future research exploring domains of independence for autistic adults. The perceived desirability of achieving different degrees of in(ter)dependence and the fluctuating nature of self-sufficiency are explored through lived experience. Increasing understanding of barriers and challenges to independence has the potential to empower autistic adults and improve services and support.

Serious games are digital games designed for education or therapy. Virtual reality (VR)-based serious games have shown potential in enhancing motor learning, but their role in improving gross motor skills in children with ASD in special education remains underexplored. This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of VR-based serious games in improving gross motor skills in children with ASD. Forty children (6-12 years) from Changsha Special Educational School were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) receiving VR-based serious game training, or a control group (n = 20) attending traditional physical education classes. The 12-week intervention was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). The experimental group used a multimedia VR system with nine motor rehabilitation games. After the intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in gross motor skills, but the experimental group showed greater gains in locomotor and object control skills, with significant time × group interaction effects. Despite improvements, average gross motor scores remained below the expected norms, highlighting persistent motor skill challenges. These findings support VR-based serious games as a valuable tool in special education, warranting further exploration for long-term interventions and broader adoption in school settings.

The transition from pediatric to adult health care is a vulnerable time period for autistic adolescents and young adults (AYA) and for some autistic AYA may include a period of receiving care in both the pediatric and adult health systems. We sought to assess the proportion of autistic AYA who continued to use pediatric health services after their first adult primary care appointment and to identify factors associated with continued pediatric contact. We analyzed electronic medical record (EMR) data from a cohort of autistic AYA seen in a primary-care-based program for autistic people. Using logistic and linear regression, we assessed the relationship between eight patient characteristics and (1) the odds of a patient having ANY pediatric visits after their first adult appointment and (2) the number of pediatric visits among those with at least one pediatric visit. The cohort included 230 autistic AYA, who were mostly white (68%), mostly male (82%), with a mean age of 19.4 years at the time of their last pediatric visit before entering adult care. The majority (n = 149; 65%) had pediatric contact after the first adult visit. Younger age at the time of the first adult visit and more pediatric visits prior to the first adult visit were associated with continued pediatric contact. In this cohort of autistic AYA, most patients had contact with the pediatric system after their first adult primary care appointment.

Children with autism spectrum disorder often demonstrate self-regulation challenges and academic difficulties. Although self-regulation has been well documented as an important factor for academic achievement in neurotypical children, little is known about how it is related to academic learning in autistic children, especially during preschool, a critical developmental period for both emergent academic skills and self-regulatory abilities. It is also unclear whether school engagement or autism characteristics influence the relation between self-regulation and academic learning in autistic children during preschool. Thirty-two autistic preschoolers participated in this study. Direct measures and parent reports were used to measure three dimensions of self-regulation, including executive function, effortful control, and emotion regulation. Classroom-based data from multiple academic programs were used to reflect their average rates of achieving new literacy and mathematics learning goals. Teachers reported the participants' levels of school engagement, and their autism characteristics were measured directly. Emotion regulation was significantly linked to the rate of meeting literacy learning goals in autistic preschoolers, whereas multiple executive function skills, including inhibitory and attentional control and working memory, were associated with their mathematics learning rate. Emotion regulation demonstrated a stronger association with literacy learning when autistic children were more engaged in classroom activities. Levels of autism characteristics did not mediate or moderate the association between self-regulation and academic learning. Future interventions and teaching should consider fostering self-regulation and facilitating school engagement for autistic preschoolers besides targeting their learning performance on specific academic content to promote their current and future academic success.

Purpose: Previous studies have reported that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher levels of loneliness than neurotypical (NTP) people, most likely because of their difficulties in social communication with their predominantly NTP peers. However, direct investigations on the causal influence of friendship on their feelings of loneliness is scarce.

Methods: In the current study, using the causal mediation analysis, we investigated whether friendship among ASD individuals influences their feelings of loneliness, especially during adolescence when the importance of friendship is typically most elevated. Furthermore, we examined whether individual differences in autistic behavioral features or age affect feelings of loneliness or the qualities of friendship with linear regression analyses.

Results: The results demonstrated that the higher levels of loneliness in adolescents with ASD were mediated by one aspect of friendship, companionship. We also found that positive aspects of friendship, but not negative aspects, influence the feelings of loneliness in both ASD and NTP populations. One subcategory of the measured autistic trait, difficulty in imagination, which is associated the ability to consider another's perspective, had a negative relationship with the positive aspects of friendship in the ASD group, but not in the NTP group.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that the quality of the positive aspects of friendship is similarly important for both adolescents with ASD and NTP adolescents, but the autistic behavioral features could interfere with the experience of such positive friendships.

Research is equivocal on whether attention orienting is atypical in autism. This study investigated two types of attention orienting in autistic people and accounted for the potential confounders of alerting level, co-occurring symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety, age, and sex. Twenty-seven autistic participants (14 males; 9-43 years) and 22 age- and sex-matched non-autistic participants (13 males; 9-42 years) completed the exogenous and endogenous Posner tasks. Response time and pupillometric data were recorded. Autistic participants were faster at orienting attention to valid cues in the exogenous task and slower at disengaging from invalid cues in the endogenous task compared to non-autistic participants. With increasing age, autistic participants showed faster exogenous and endogenous orienting, whereas non-autistic participants showed faster exogenous orienting but stable speed of endogenous orienting. Higher ADHD symptoms were associated with slower exogenous orienting in both groups, whereas higher anxiety symptoms were associated with faster exogenous orienting only in autistic participants. No group differences were noted for alerting levels, sex, or pupillary responses. This study provides new evidence of superior exogenous orienting and inefficient endogenous orienting in autistic people and suggests that age and co-occurring symptoms are important to consider when assessing attention orienting in autism.