Autism最新文献

Compared with their non-licensed peers, licensed autistic adults appear to report more positive outcomes in objective measures of quality of life, particularly participation in activities outside of the home. We examined if this is due to individual differences/factors or the ability to independently drive. We conducted a prospective follow-up survey study of 16-21 years old in the United States and compared engagement in activities outside of the home over time by licensing status. Our final sample included 111 young adults; at follow-up, 62% did not have a permit or a license, 18% had obtained a permit, and 20% were licensed. Generally, travel patterns were consistent, except for reported increases in employment. The lack of overall differences across groups over time suggests individual differences in resources, barriers/facilitators to traveling, or general characteristics may underlie objective measures of quality of life rather than the obtainment of a license. Furthermore, regardless of licensure status, most respondents were not traveling everywhere they wanted to go, and nearly 80% were interested in a transportation modality they did not currently use. Thus, there is a continued need to support autistic adults' independent use of various transportation modalities.Lay abstractShort Report: Obtaining a driver's license may not change autistic young adults' engagement in activities outside of the homeAutistic adults who have a driver's license say they participate in activities outside of their home, like employment or socializing, more often than those who do not have a license. It is unclear if this is because these adults can drive or if people who obtain licenses are different in some way than those who do not obtain a license. To examine this, we administered multiple surveys to a group of autistic young adults (16-21 years old) to see if their travel patterns changed after obtaining a license. In total, 111 young adults completed our surveys. Generally, we did not see changes in adults' travel patterns, regardless of if they obtained a license or not. The only change was an increase in employment over time among young adults who never obtained a learner's permit/license and those who obtained a license. Overall, our findings suggest that individual differences may be why some adults are engaged in activities outside of the home more often than others. We also found that most adults in our sample were not traveling everywhere they wanted to go or using all the modes of transportation they were interested in. This suggests more efforts are needed that improve autistic adults' independent mobility across transportation modes (e.g., driving, public transportation).

To date, no studies have investigated whether disparities in hours of applied behavior analysis (ABA) exist in the Medicaid system. We used multilevel modeling to analyze Medicaid billing claims for 1,028 autistic youth under the age of 21 years to examine the extent to which there were disparities in hours of ABA services for Medicaid-enrolled youth based on race/ethnicity and rurality. Although younger children received more hours of ABA, F(1, 964.63) = 118.28, p < .001, there were no statistically significant differences in hours of ABA based on minoritized race/ethnicity status or sex. On average, youth served in rural areas received significantly less hours of ABA per month than those in non-rural areas, F(1, 122.13) = 7.89, p = .006; youth in rural areas received 10.86 less hours per month than those in non-rural areas. Results suggest that publicly funded service systems like Medicaid may reduce ABA service disparities by race/ethnicity. Policymakers should focus on improving service provision for youth in rural areas.Lay AbstractWe used Medicaid billing claims from 1,028 autistic youth to see if there were differences in hours of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services per month for youth from different racial/ethnic groups, different service settings (rural or non-rural), different sexes, and different ages. We found that younger autistic youth received more hours of ABA per month compared to older youth, and and youth served in rural areas received about 11 hours less per month compared to youth in non-rural areas. There were no differences among different race/ethnic groups or sexes. Policymakers should focus on improving service availability for autistic youth served in rural areas.

Research on ageing in autism has sharply increased following a number of influential publications that highlighted the lack of knowledge in this area. However, much of the research on autism ageing has inadvertently treated all people aged over 50 as a homogeneous 'older adult' group, overlooking important distinctions between midlife (40-64 years) and old age (65+ years). Midlife is marked by complex role management, career pressures, health changes and identity development, while old age often involves retirement, shifts in priorities, physical and cognitive changes, and planning for less independent living. Recognising midlife and old age as distinct life phases is essential to accurately characterise the lived experiences and needs of autistic adults across the latter part of the lifespan. This letter makes conceptual and methodological suggestions that autism researchers should align with established ageing frameworks by labelling samples accurately, using appropriate keywords and, where possible, stratifying analyses by age subgroup. Doing so will enhance research accuracy, improve indexing and increase clinical relevance. This shift is vital for advancing autism ageing research and ensuring findings reflect the diverse experiences of autistic adults throughout later life.Lay AbstractResearch on autism and ageing has increased a lot in recent years. However, many studies group everyone over the age of 50 as part of the same 'older adult' group. This overlooks the fact that people in midlife (ages 40-64) and those in old age (65 and older) often face very different experiences, challenges and opportunities. Recognising that midlife and old age are separate stages of life is important for understanding what autistic adults go through as they age. This letter encourages autism researchers to be more specific when describing age groups in their studies. By doing this, research on autism and ageing will be more accurate, easier to find and more useful for researchers, healthcare professionals and autistic people alike.

Research and intervention efforts for autistic people have disproportionately focused on negative mental health. This has resulted in a shortage of interventions addressing the promotion of positive emotional (hedonic) and psychological (eudaimonic) states. Therapeutic photography, which refers to self-initiated photo-taking paired with mindful reflections of the photographs, has the potential to provide an accessible and scalable approach to promote positive mental health for autistic people. This study employed a mixed-methods design to investigate the development and feasibility of a novel therapeutic photography intervention intended to promote hedonic and eudaimonic well-being among autistic youth. Forty-one autistic youth between 16 and 25 years of age were recruited. Findings indicated that therapeutic photography was a feasible intervention in terms of demand, implementation, acceptability, and practicality. There was also preliminary evidence suggesting that therapeutic photography may be a promising intervention for the promotion of different aspects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Suggestions for future intervention adaptations to better address the needs of autistic youth are also featured.Lay AbstractUsing Photography to Increase the Well-Being in Autistic YouthPast research has mostly focused on the challenges and negative mental health experiences of autistic young people, leading to a lack of strategies aimed at increasing positive emotions and experiences. To address this gap in the literature, we developed a therapeutic photography intervention that aimed to increase positive aspects of well-being for autistic youth. With the help of two autistic advisors, we recruited 41 autistic people, between the ages of 16 and 25 years, and asked them to take photos of positive experiences and write short reflections about their photos, for the duration of 4 weeks. We then asked participants about the benefits and challenges of the intervention. We also asked participants about any challenges they had in engaging with therapeutic photography and any changes and additional supports they would recommend for the intervention. Our results showed that autistic young people found the intervention to be interesting, doable, acceptable, and practical. We also found some evidence for the potential benefits of the intervention for the well-being of autistic youth. Participants had different ideas for adapting the design of the intervention to better meet the needs of autistic youth in the future.