Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders最新文献

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with potential repercussions on neurobehavioral functioning exacerbating socio-communicative impairments and aggressive behaviors. Parent reports are the most used method to assess sleep in pediatric populations and a modified 23-item of Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) for ASD has been proposed in the United States. The generalizability of the CSHQ for ASD has yet to be validated across countries, including Italy. To extend the CSHQ applicability to Italian youth with ASD, we back-translated to Italian and revised the 23-item CSHQ, validating its dimensional structure in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD using Explorative Graph Analysis. In addition, we compared the revised scale scores of the ASD group with a typically developing (TD) group. The revised Italian version of the CSHQ (CSHQ-r) consisted of a 15-item tool with a four-dimension structure (Sleep initiation/duration, Sleep anxiety/Co-sleeping, Night awakenings/Parasomnias, and Daytime alertness) with good structural stability. Group comparison indicated significantly higher scores in the ASD group than the TD group, suggesting greater prevalence of sleep disturbances in ASD. The four-dimensional CSHQ-r may represent a useful screening tool to assess sleep disorders in Italian children and adolescents with ASD, with potential implications for clinical practice.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of metaphoric language intervention (MLI) on students' psychological perception in bilingual learning, focusing on both autistic and students with non-autism. Students with autism often exhibit apprehension toward engaging in bilingual learning with their peers, resulting in reduced enjoyment and unfavorable language learning outcomes. A cohort of 108 students with autism and 102 students with non-autism, who demonstrated psychological perception engagement through MLI, was recruited for the study. The findings revealed that autistic male students reported higher levels of enjoyment in MLI compared to autistic female students, with metaphoric expressions being preferred over literal ones. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the quality of MLI and increased psychological perception, receptiveness, and enjoyment in bilingual learning, leading to favorable perceptual outcomes for students with autism. These findings highlight the critical role of integrating MLI and implementing targeted psychological perceptions to enhance the quality of bilingual learning for students with autism. This approach shows promise as a practical and universally applicable language therapy that effectively addresses challenges in bilingual learning and fosters a deeper interest in communication, particularly among individuals with autism.

Purpose: Looking while listening (LWL) tasks track eye movements while children view images (e.g., a dog and a ball) and hear an auditory prompt (e.g., "Find the ball"), allowing researchers to measure receptive language in populations who may be difficult to test with traditional measures. However, LWL tasks often result in high levels of missing data and accurately measuring receptive language in autistic children remains a challenge.

Methods: We analyzed data from 18 autistic children ages 2-5 years and examined whether adding visual movement of the named image improved LWL accuracy compared to a static condition. This study also investigated whether receptive language abilities on a standardized assessment moderated the effect of condition (i.e., static vs. movement) on LWL accuracy.

Results: There was evidence of comprehension in both conditions, although children showed faster recognition in the static compared to the movement condition. Standardized language abilities did not moderate the effect of condition on LWL accuracy. However, as standardized receptive language scores increased, accuracy increased.

Conclusion: Findings indicate that the visual movement manipulation in the current study did not improve accuracy compared to traditional static images within the LWL task. These results also suggest a continued need to refine LWL tasks in order to improve LWL methodology and refine receptive language measures for autistic children.

During emergencies like wartime, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face heightened challenges, potentially leading to Parental Burnout (PB). Wartime conditions can exacerbate children's behavioral difficulties, contributing to PB. Protective factors such as successful Emotional Regulation (ER) and perceived social support may mitigate PB. This study aims to compare child behavioral problems, parental ER difficulties, perceived social support, stress, and PB between parents of children with ASD and Typical Development (TD) during wartime. It also investigates how ER difficulties, perceived social support, and stress moderate the relationship between child behavioral problems and PB. The study included 213 Israeli parents: 101 parents of children diagnosed with ASD and 112 parents of TD children. Participants were recruited during the "Swords of Iron" War using purposive sampling via online platforms. Findings indicate that children with ASD exhibited higher levels of behavioral problems, and their parents experienced increased difficulties in ER, stress, and PB, alongside decreased perceived social support compared to parents of TD children. Moderation analysis revealed that ER difficulties, perceived social support, and stress moderated the direct association between child behavioral problems and PB specifically among parents of TD children. This study underscores the heightened vulnerability of parents with ASD-diagnosed children during wartime, emphasizing the importance of understanding how these circumstances impact parental well-being and available resources. Effective interventions should target enhancing ER, social support, and addressing parental stress, PB, and child behavioral issues, underscoring the need for prioritized services despite wartime challenges.

This study aimed to validate the Mandarin translation of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale (SSDS). The initial validation sample consisted of 480 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (M_age = 9.35). Discriminant validity was appraised by comparing relevant SSDS scores among samples of children with ASD, typical development (TD) (N = 160, M_age = 7.16), and non-ASD but Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) (N = 170, M_age = 5.08). Confirmatory application of the Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling indicated that a five-factor model encompassing Social Motivation (SM), Social Affiliation (SA), Expressive Social Communication (ESC), Social Recognition (SR) and Unusual Approach (UA) provided adequate to excellent fit to the data in ASD group ([CFI] = .908, [TLI] = .930, [RMSEA] = .052, [SRMR] = .028). The factor loadings of most items constituting SM, SA, ESC, and SR factors were aligned with the original factor structure in the US sample, except items on the UA factor that showed lower loadings. The internal consistency was .93-.96, and test-retest reliability was .86. Discriminate validity was excellent, with the ASD group showing significantly lower scores compared to non-ASD NDDs and TD groups. Convergent and divergent validity of the SSDS was strong, as indexed by the pattern of correlations with relevant Social Responsiveness Scale, second edition (SRS-2), and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) domains. This study provided preliminary validation of the Mandarin translation of the SSDS by largely replicating the original factor structure and showing evidence for strong discriminant, convergent, and divergent validity. Potential areas where further refinement and potential expansion of the SSDS are needed were identified.

Purpose: Autistic youth are at heightened risk of mental health issues and face several barriers to accessing appropriate supports. A lack of available services is a common barrier that many autistic youth experience, with only 43% of autistic youth from the US who needed mental health services receiving them. Little is known about the availability of these mental health services in Canada, despite the high prevalence of mental health issues in autistic youth. The current study is one of very few that has reviewed the state of community-based programs and services for the support of mental health challenges in autistic people in North America, and the first such study in Canada.

Methods: Using an environmental scan methodology, we conducted a search of resource listings on various community websites with a filter for "autism". The resulting websites were then reviewed to find what services providers offer for autistic youth (≥ 25 years) and contacted to complete a survey.

Results: 267 listings of mental health supports were identified in the initial search, with 94 sites that specifically mentioned serving autistic youth. 43% (n = 40) of service providers completed a survey about the services they offered, therapeutic approaches, and background training. Providers reported that neurodiversity approaches and multi-disciplinary teams were working well in their practices, yet funding access and society's views on autism were barriers they face.

Conclusion: Findings add to the growing body of evidence that availability of services is a systemic barrier that many autistic youth experience when accessing mental health supports.

This study explored parents'/carers' knowledge, interest, and preferences towards technology devices as support mediums for autistic children, the reasoning behind any choice and the factors associated with the most preferred technology device. Technology devices were conceptualised as smartphones, iPods, tablets, virtual reality, robots, and 'other' for participants to list their own further interpretations of technology devices. Survey data were collected from 267 parents/carers of autistic children aged 2-18 years internationally between May to October 2020. Parents/carers of autistic children and young people were aware of, interested in and mostly preferred the use of tablets because of their convenience and ease of use. They least preferred virtual reality followed by robots due to both being overwhelming, cold, inconvenient to transport and expensive. Robots, in particular, were unknown to respondents. The data suggested that some technology devices as a support medium are not widely known to families of autistic children and young people in support programmes. Technology devices need to be financially approachable and achieve a high standard of design to engage users. Future research should focus on gathering evidence from the autistic community about their preferences and views of technology devices as a medium in autism support programmes.

Purpose: The use of Augmented Reality (AR) in the field of neurodevelopmental communication disability is emergent and under-researched. The views of supporters on the use of AR by children with neurodevelopmental communication disability will help in the design of applications suited to their educational, learning, social, and communication needs.

Aims: To determine the views of supporters of children with neurodevelopmental communication disability on the use of AR, and facilitators or barriers to its use.

Methods: We conducted an online survey on the use of AR including categorical and open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Results: In total, 17 health professionals, 12 educators, and 7 parents completed the survey. Participants across groups viewed AR as a potentially helpful technology if sufficient training and technical support were provided. They also considered that financial costs and lack of knowledge could limit AR implementation.

Conclusions: Supporters of children with developmental communication disability view that AR may be a useful and motivational tool if it is affordable and implemented with training and technical support. Future research should gather the views of children on and experience with AR to further the co-design of AR applications.

Purpose: This study examines racial and ethnic disparities in autism prevalence using data from three National Longitudinal Transition Studies (NLTS) spanning two decades. This inquiry intends to explore: (1) changes in the educational labels assigned to students with a medical diagnosis of autism over time and (2) the disparities in these changes across different racial and ethnic groups.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of the NLTS was conducted using the SPSS Complex Samples module. We focused on percentage distribution over time utilizing longitudinal data from the NLTS surveys.

Results: The results reveal that students diagnosed with autism are often classified under various other special education categories. There are significant disparities observed in these autism categorizations, with variations in autism prevalence across different racial and ethnic groups. These disparities notably intersect with other special education categories including other health impairments, intellectual disabilities, speech and language impairment, and emotional disability.

Conclusion: The study suggests that racial disproportionality in the special education autism category could stem from the mechanisms of special education disability designation, which may lead to an inaccurate representation of true autism prevalence.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders tend to have more social difficulties than typically developing children. The aim of the current study was to examine parent and teacher-reported effects of age and gender on social functioning in a large clinical sample of children and adolescents with ADHD, autism, or co-occurring ADHD and autism using a cross-sectional study design. This nationwide clinical sample included 2132 Icelandic children and adolescents (35% girls, 65% boys) aged 5-18 years referred for a neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment (ADHD and/or autism) in Iceland. Social functioning was measured using the Prosocial behavior and Peer problem subscales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by parents and teachers. Results revealed that autistic youth and youth with co-occurring ADHD and autism experienced more peer problems and showed less prosocial behavior than youth with ADHD only. According to parents and teachers, girls were found to experience more social difficulties compared to boys. Interaction for age and gender, although only significant for teacher reports, indicated that younger girls with neurodevelopmental disorders experience more peer problems and show less prosocial behavior than older girls. In contrast, boys with neurodevelopmental disorders experience similar issues at all ages. The results suggest different patterns of social difficulties for boys and girls with neurodevelopmental disorders. Future research should examine different developmental pathways of social challenges for boys and girls. Implications for developing and providing clinical interventions appropriate developmental stages are discussed.