Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders最新文献

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report increased distress relative to parents of children with neurotypical development. Parent well-being is generally considered a key determinant of parenting behavior, thus increased distress may spill over into less optimal parenting in families of children with ASD. However, evidence is mixed regarding the degree to which parenting is actually compromised in this population, suggesting the possibility of buffering, wherein the parenting of children with ASD may be robust against spillover from increased parental distress. The current study tested competing spillover and buffering models with regard to relations among child ASD status, parental distress, and parenting behavior. Parents of preschoolers with (n = 73) and without (n = 55) ASD completed self-report measures of parenting stress, depressive symptoms, and emotion dysregulation, as well as of positive and negative parenting behaviors. Families of preschoolers with ASD reported higher distress and negative parenting, and lower positive parenting than did their counterparts. Findings supported the spillover model for negative parenting such that increased parental distress accounted for status-group differences in negative parenting. In contrast, potential buffering was observed for positive parenting in that an inverse association between distress and parenting was observed for parents of children with neurotypical development only. Findings highlight the potential benefit of intervention to reduce parental distress in families of children with ASD, but also suggest some existing ability of these families to buffer certain parenting behaviors from deleterious effects of parent distress.

The goal of this study was to translate and adapt the original 9-item of the Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS) to a Dutch version and assess its psychometric qualities. Autistic adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (n = 99) took part in a randomized controlled trial. In this study, pre-intervention data were utilized. The original CASS was adapted to ensure cultural relevance and the content validity was assessed. Data was used to assess reliability and structural validity, using confirmatory factor analysis. 4-item were added to the CASS during the adaptation to better align with the objectives of the experimental intervention. The original 9-item had inter-item correlations between .01 and .70. The Cronbach's alpha for the original 4-item total score was moderate (α = .69), while for a 7-item total score, it was high (α = .86). This 7-item total score had a sufficient model fit (Comparative Fit Index = .90). This total score had a significant correlation with the Assertion subscale of the Social Skills Improvement System-Adolescent (SSIS-A) (r = 0.26, p < .01), and the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2) total score (r = - .21, p = .04) indicating sufficient convergent validity. The CASS total score was not correlated with the Repetitive and Restricted Behavior scale of the SRS-2 (r = - .08, p = .43), indicating sufficient divergent validity. The Dutch CASS can be considered a conceptually sound and reliable observational instrument for assessing social conversational skills in Dutch autistic youth. Further evaluation of its feasibility when implemented in practice, outside of clinical research, is needed.Trial registration: Dutch trail register NTR6255 (NL6117) 08/02/2017 https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6117.

Purpose: Previous cross-sectional research suggests self-compassion may mediate associations between autistic traits and mental health in autistic and non-autistic adults. However, no research to date has examined these relationships longitudinally. In this study, we used a cross-lagged panel analysis to examine correlations over time between autistic traits, self-compassion, and anxiety/depression.

Methods: Participants were from the UK and included autistic (n = 228 at T1, n = 156 at T2, and n = 165 at T3) and non-autistic adults (n = 228 at T1, n = 122 at T2, and n = 124 at T3) without intellectual disability. Participants were recruited through an online participation platform and completed demographics, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at baseline (T1), 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3).

Results: In the autistic sample, negative correlations were observed between self-compassion and subsequent anxiety/depression across all models and timepoints, and these relationships were not reciprocal (i.e., earlier depression and anxiety did not predict future self-compassion). In the non-autistic sample, the findings generally suggested bi-directional relationships between self-compassion and anxiety/depression. In both groups, an indirect pathway between T1 autistic traits and T3 anxiety/depression via T2 self-compassion was confirmed.

Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of anxiety and depression among autistic people, and that self-compassion can be cultivated through practice, these findings suggest that self-compassion could be a useful therapeutic target to promote mental health in the autistic population.

Ryan Gainer, a 15-year-old African-American youth on the Autism-spectrum, was shot and killed by police officers in March 2024. The authors reflect on the tragedy of this incident and the harms that such police actions inflict on people living with disabilities and/or mental illnesses, as well as on their families, loved ones, and communities. Drawing on past research and similar incidents in recent years, the authors offer a series of systematic changes which may be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of police use of force on people on the autism spectrum.

Autistic children show higher rates of co-occurring emotional and behavioural difficulties compared to other children in the general population. However, the environmental factors which contribute to the development of emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) difficulties in autistic individuals are poorly understood. This study sought to investigate the association between harsh parenting (smacking, shouting, telling off) and the trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties in autistic children from ages 3 to 7. A sample comprising of 349 autistic children participated from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Associations between harsh parenting and child emotional and behavioural difficulties were modelled using multilevel growth curve models. In autistic children, harsh parenting was associated with total emotional and behavioural difficulties and behavioural (but not emotional) problems concurrently. Moreover, harsh parenting was not associated with changes in emotional and behavioural difficulties over time. Harsh parenting may have an important role in externalising problems in young autistic children indicating the need for public health strategies which educate parents on its effects.

Purpose: Developmental changes in sleep in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are understudied. In non-ASD youth, adolescents exhibit a "night owl chronotype" (i.e., later sleep/wake timing) and social jetlag (i.e., shifts in sleep timing across school nights and weekends), with corresponding sleep problems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate age trends in chronotype, social jetlag, and sleep problems in high-risk youth with ASD.

Methods: Youth with ASD (N = 171), ages 5-21 years old, were enrolled at the time of admission to specialized psychiatric units. Caregivers reported children's demographic information, habitual sleep timing, and sleep problems. Multivariate analyses evaluated the effect of age on chronotype, social jetlag, and sleep problems and the effects of chronotype and social jetlag on sleep problems. Covariates and moderators included sex, race, verbal ability, autism symptom severity, supplemental melatonin, and pubertal status.

Results: Older age was associated with later chronotype, more social jetlag, fewer sleep anxiety/co-sleeping problems, fewer night waking and parasomnia problems, and more daytime alertness problems. The effect of age on chronotype was stronger for youth with greater social affective symptom severity. Mediation analyses showed that later chronotype statistically mediated the association between age and daytime alertness problems.

Conclusions: Youth with ASD may exhibit night owl chronotype behavior and social jetlag as they enter adolescence. Shifts toward a later chronotype may be exacerbated by autism severity and may contribute to alertness problems and sleepiness during the day. Chronotype is modifiable and may be leveraged to improve daytime functioning in youth with ASD.

The present study explored the role race-related barriers and practical barriers to treatment participation play in treatment effectiveness and satisfaction among Black families with autistic youth using a mixed-method approach. In a sample of Black caregivers with autistic youth (N = 101), multiple regressions were conducted to examine the impact of reported racial and practical barriers on parental stress, treatment effectiveness, and treatment satisfaction. Caregivers provided further narratives on their experience navigating diagnostic and treatment services in qualitative interviews. The study demonstrated that Black caregivers of autistic youth are still encountering several racial and logistical barriers when seeking treatment and diagnostic services for their children. These barriers negatively impact caregiver stress and caregiver perceived treatment quality. Contrary to the barriers and stress experienced by Black caregivers, caregivers are generally satisfied with the treatments they are utilizing and find them helpful. The narratives told by caregivers further elucidate the tumultuous experiences of Black caregivers as they seek diagnostic and treatment services for their children. An experience that may be worsened by family, professional, and systemic barriers, and can be improved by advocacy, acceptance, peer and community support, and increased knowledge. Black families of autistic youth call for increased compassion, support, training, and humility among professionals who serve autistic youth.

Purpose: This study examined the improvement in vocabulary and listening skills of children with ASD through adapted shared reading. It also investigated the generalisation effect of this increase to new books and social validity.

Methods: A multiple probe across participants design was used to investigate the effect of ASR (adapted shared reading) on the vocabulary and listening comprehension skills of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants were Turkish-speaking children diagnosed with ASD attending a preschool special education institution in Turkey. The researcher analysed the data obtained from the baseline, intervention, generalization and mastery phases using the visual analysis method.

Results: Following the intervention, all three participating children gradually improved their vocabulary and listening comprehension skills. The findings suggest that young children with ASD can participate in and benefit from shared reading interventions with support.

Conclusion: The adapted shared reading method (ASR) is an effective method for increasing the vocabulary and listening comprehension skills of young children with ASD.

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: with or without siblings. Empathy was measured using the children version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) (parent-report) for children. For adults, the EQ (self-report version) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) were used. Contrary to the hypothesis, autistic children without siblings scored higher on EQ than those with siblings (t_(283.70) = 4.20, p < .001; d = 0.50). In adults, there was no difference between autistic adults with and without siblings on both measures, but there was an interaction effect between sex and group on the RMET (f₍₁₇₃₂₎ = 4.10, p = 0.04): whilst autistic males without siblings on average scored lower than females, autistic males with siblings on average performed similarly to females. Future research should investigate the possible effect of siblings on autistic males' empathy performance in a larger cohort of autistic individuals. Children's empathic abilities may be underestimated by their parents when they have siblings due to a contrast effect.

This scoping review synthesises the current research into robotics technologies for promoting social-emotional learning in children with autism spectrum disorder. It examines the types of robotics technologies employed, their applications, and the gaps in the existing literature. Our scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. The systematic search of relevant databases allowed us to identify studies that use robotics technologies for fostering social, emotional, and cognitive skills in young children with autism. Our review has revealed that various robots, such as Nao, Kaspar, and Zeno, have been used to support the development of social and emotional skills through imitation games, turn-taking, joint attention, emotional recognition, and conversation. As most of these studies were conducted in clinical settings, there is a need for further research in classroom and community-based environments. Additionally, the literature calls for more high-quality longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of robot-assisted therapy and to assess adaptive and personalised interventions tailored to individual needs. More emphasis is recommended on professional development for educators, parents, and health professionals to incorporate robotics technologies as evidence-based interventions as a pathway for creating inclusive learning environments for children with autism.