TOPIC

Autism spectrum research

Everything we have read on autism spectrum. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,764 PAPERS · PAGE 1 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPQualitative2020Examining unconscious bias embedded in provider language regarding children with autism.Nursing & health sciencesSome dental professionals describing children with autism used language that framed care as dangerous, marked patients as 'them', and assumed parents were less careful with dental care. SLPs should listen for similar wording in their own clinical communication.
• SLPCohort2021Improvement of Autism Symptoms After Comprehensive Intensive Early Interventions in Community Settings.Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses AssociationThe ADOS severity score did not improve more in children receiving an intensive home and preschool autism programme. ADOS total scores fell, but the study was not randomised and cannot show which parts of the bundle caused this.
• SLPRNQualitative2021How children with autism spectrum disorder perceive themselves: A narrative research.Japan journal of nursing science : JJNSNine boys with autism or suspected autism described wanting to share feelings, feeling sad when others did not understand them, and some built friendships through shared words, games, maps or interests.
• OTSLPRNSystematic Review2022Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with autism and their family members: A scoping review.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemPeople with autism spectrum disorder and their families reported disrupted routines, reduced service access, behavior and mental health concerns, and caregiver stress during pandemic restrictions. Some also described benefits, such as reduced sensory and social demands and more family time.
• OTSLPQualitative2024Caregivers' voices: From the world of autism spectrum disorder.CurationisCaregivers of children with autism described not understanding the child's behaviour as communication, learning the child's own signals, and carrying stigma, financial strain and lost self-care. Clinicians can ask about these barriers when supporting these families.
• SLPRNSystematic Review2026Bridging the Gap: Barriers to Access Autism Support for Immigrant and Refugee Communities in Canada and the United States.Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing SocietyImmigrant families faced language barriers and financial constraints most often, followed by culturally incongruent services and long wait times. Interpreters without autism knowledge still left communication incomplete. Bilingual, autism-trained providers and funded navigation support are needed.
• OTSLPOther2026Autism in neurofibromatosis type 1: prevalence, phenotype and clinical implications.Molecular autismIn children with neurofibromatosis type 1, 28.1% met autism criteria and 51.5% had clinically significant autistic traits. Boys and girls were equally affected. Those below the autism threshold had similar functional difficulties, so supports may be needed without a diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2026Racial and Ethnic Differences in Rates of Prolonged Autism Diagnosis Process & Prior Diagnoses in Mental Health Specialty Care.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost children diagnosed with autism in specialty mental health care were diagnosed at the first visit, but just over 21% had a prolonged diagnosis process. Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic children were less likely than white children to have that delay.
• OTSLPCase-Control2026Cortical Network Overconnectivity Relates to Sensory, Cognitive, and Social Dimensions in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchStronger alpha brain network connections in children with autism were linked to differences in cognition, sensory processing and social behaviour. The connections involved attention and sensory networks.
• OTSLPOther2026Adaptive Functioning, Sensory Processing, and Behavioral Problems in Autistic Children: The Moderating Role of Gender.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn autistic children similar in age and intelligence, girls had more behavioral problems and weaker everyday communication, while boys had more sensory difficulties. Everyday skills were linked to behavior in girls, but not boys.
• OTSLPCohort2026Through Parents' Eyes: Perspectives on Child Development and Family Experience During ESDM Intervention.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchParents reported child progress across communication, play, daily living, and social domains, plus improved parenting skills and family well-being during six months of intensive therapist-delivered ESDM plus weekly parent coaching. Parental anxiety decreased; depression stayed stable.
• SLPCohort2026Autism Screening in the First Year and Beyond: Comparison of Multiple Measures.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchThese autism screeners did not work well at 6, 9, and 12 months. At 18 and 24 months, using the M-CHAT-R and ITC together, and treating a positive on either as enough, identified more children later diagnosed with autism.
• OTSLPOther2026Linking Emotion Dysregulation to Autistic Traits Across Neurodiverse Samples.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCaregiver reports linked emotion dysregulation to social communication and repetitive behavior challenges in autistic and non-autistic youth. Autistic youth also had higher dysphoria and reactivity. The paper cannot show treating emotion problems improves these traits.
• SLPCohort2026Electroconvulsive Therapy for Catatonia in Autistic and Non-Autistic Patients: An Observational Study on Course, Efficacy, Aggression, and Self-Injury Outcomes.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchBoth autistic and non-autistic patients with catatonia improved during ECT while also receiving medication and, in some cases, ABA. Autistic patients needed longer courses and more maintenance, especially with intellectual disability, and self-injury decreased.
• SLPRCT2016First evidence of the feasibility of gaze-contingent attention training for school children with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceGaze-contingent attention training was feasible for 17 children with autism in schools. It improved looking time at interesting images, but did not significantly change reaction times or attention disengagement. This pilot cannot confirm clinical benefit.
• SLPOther2017Psychometric analysis of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags for autism spectrum disorder in toddlers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceA video observation score separated toddlers with autism from those without, especially social communication items; restricted repetitive behavior items were weaker.
• OTSLPSurvey2016Diagnosis lost: Differences between children who had and who currently have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.Autism : the international journal of research and practice13.1% of school-aged children ever diagnosed with ASD no longer had the diagnosis. Parents most often said new information changed it, while 21.0% said treatment or maturation.
• SLPRCT2017Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceYouth with autism who completed ten weeks of peer-mediated theatre training reported significantly lower persistent anxiety than those on a waitlist. However, their physiological stress levels, measured by cortisol, did not decrease. The intervention changed how they felt about themselves, not their body's immediate reaction to social pressure.
• SLPCase-Control2016Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe change in a heart-rate measure during social evaluation did not differ between adolescent males with ASD and typical peers. ASD males had lower levels at rest and during the task, and for those with ASD less change tracked with more social problems.
• SLPOther2016Does sex influence the diagnostic evaluation of autism spectrum disorder in adults?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn adults first assessed for autism, more men than women received a diagnosis. Men had more childhood repetitive interests. Social communication differences depended on whether the diagnosis was full or partial autism.
• PTOTSLPCohort2016Early gross motor skills predict the subsequent development of language in children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn children with autism, later walking onset predicted slower language growth, but this link vanished once general motor ability and nonverbal IQ were accounted for. Overall gross motor skills remained a significant predictor of language development.
• SLPCohort2016Dopaminergic variants in siblings at high risk for autism: Associations with initiating joint attention.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAmong infant siblings at high risk for autism, dopamine genotypes linked to less efficient functioning were associated with lower initiating joint attention. Among low-risk siblings, the same genotypes were associated with higher joint attention.
• SLPSurvey2016Development and psychometric evaluation of a psychosocial quality-of-life questionnaire for individuals with autism and related developmental disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceA caregiver questionnaire may help clinicians identify psychosocial quality-of-life problems in young children referred for autism or developmental delays. Families of children with autism reported lower family quality of life before diagnosis.
• SLPOther2017Association between anger rumination and autism symptom severity, depression symptoms, aggression, and general dysregulation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceVerbal adolescents with autism reported more anger rumination than controls. In the autism group, anger rumination was linked to depression and general dysregulation after accounting for autism severity, but not to aggression.
• OTSLPCohort2017Race, disability, and grade: Social relationships in children with autism spectrum disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism received fewer friendship nominations than their typical peers, especially in upper grades. African American and Latino children with autism in grades 3–5 faced the sharpest drop in social integration and friendships compared to White typical peers in lower grades.
• SLPPilot2016Predicting social and communicative ability in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study of the Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism scored lower than typical peers on a brief social reasoning test. The test predicted real-life social and communication skills, but not daily living skills, and was not influenced by verbal IQ. This small pilot suggests it may help quantify social ability.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2016Functioning and disability in autism spectrum disorder: A worldwide survey of experts.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchExperts worldwide most often named brain structure, voluntary movement control and higher cognitive functions as central to ASD functioning. They also reported strengths and gender differences. This survey informs assessment categories, not tested interventions.
• SLPCohort2016Executive function predicts the development of play skills for verbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn preschoolers with autism, early executive function predicted later play only in children with higher language ability. In children with lower language ability, later play and executive function were best predicted by nonverbal cognitive ability.
• SLPCase-Control2017Atypical rapid audio-visual temporal recalibration in autism spectrum disorders.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic children and adolescents shifted their sense of whether sounds and sights happened together less than peers after a preceding mismatch for simple beeps and hammer videos. For spoken syllables, their shift matched peers, but their judged-synchronous window was wider.
• SLPCohort2017The Autism-Spectrum Quotient in Siblings of People With Autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchSiblings of autistic people scored higher on autistic traits than controls, but this depended on sex and who completed the test. Adult males self-reporting showed elevated traits, while parent-reported scores for male children and adolescents did not differ from controls. Female siblings showed elevated traits across all groups.
• SLPOther2017The autism symptom interview, school-age: A brief telephone interview to identify autism spectrum disorders in 5-to-12-year-old children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA phone parent interview can flag school-age children at high risk for ASD, but it does not diagnose. It identified many children with ASD yet also many without, so in-person assessment is still needed.
• SLPPilot2017Parent perceptions of an adapted evidence-based practice for toddlers with autism in a community setting.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of toddlers at risk for autism learned Project ImPACT strategies from community therapists and reported high satisfaction. Their use of the strategies improved after 12 weeks. The study cannot show whether children improved.
• SLPCohort2017Social analogical reasoning in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism matched typically developing peers on a social analogy task. When explicitly instructed to find similarities, both groups performed similarly. Accuracy improved with age in both groups, suggesting this reasoning ability develops on a comparable trajectory.
• SLPPilot2016Screening for co-occurring conditions in adults with autism spectrum disorder using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A pilot study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFor people with autism spectrum disorder, parent SDQ ratings were better than self-report at spotting emotional and ADHD risk. Parent emotional and hyperactivity ratings caught 90% and 86% of likely cases, but many caught were not true cases.
• SLPPilot2017The relationship between autism symptoms and arousal level in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder, as measured by electrodermal activity.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceToddlers with autism had larger increases in skin conductance, a skin-based arousal measure, during a communication assessment than typically developing toddlers. The assessment included toys and social interaction. The study was small and did not test treatment.
• SLPCohort2017Prevalence and associated features of autism spectrum disorder in extremely low gestational age newborns at age 10 years.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutism was found in 7.1% of children born at 23 to 27 weeks who were assessed at age 10, higher than the 1.5% estimate for the general U.S. population. Frequency was higher at lower gestational ages, and many children with autism spoke fluently.
• OTSLPOther2017Lessons learned: Engaging culturally diverse families in neurodevelopmental disorders intervention research.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEngaging low-income Latino families in autism and ADHD research required shifting from clinic-based to school-based delivery, replacing lectures with small-group discussions, and hiring a bilingual community navigator. Flexible scheduling, Spanish text messaging, and joint questionnaire completion were essential for retention.
• SLPCase-Control2017Autism-specific maternal anti-fetal brain autoantibodies are associated with metabolic conditions.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAmong mothers of children with autism, metabolic conditions were not significantly linked to autism-specific maternal antibodies against fetal brain proteins overall. In the subgroup with severe child symptoms, gestational diabetes was associated with greater likelihood of these antibodies.
• SLPCohort2017Impaired downregulation of visual cortex during auditory processing is associated with autism symptomatology in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism showed increased visual cortex activity during auditory tasks, whereas typical children showed decreased activity. This visual over-activation correlated with greater communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. The study involved only high-functioning participants who could tolerate MRI scanning.
• SLPOther2017Psychophysiological Associations with Gastrointestinal Symptomatology in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchMore bowel symptoms in children and adolescents with autism were linked to a stronger resting heart measure reflecting relaxation and a weaker response to cold stress. Upper gut symptoms showed no link. This is an association, not proof of cause.
• SLPCase-Control2017Children with autism spectrum disorder have reduced otoacoustic emissions at the 1 kHz mid-frequency region.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism had weaker cochlear emissions at 1 kHz than typically developing peers, despite normal hearing tests. In children with autism, the difference was frequency-specific and associated with severity, not IQ.
• OTSLPCohort2017Non-ASD outcomes at 36 months in siblings at familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A baby siblings research consortium (BSRC) study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchHigh-risk siblings who did not meet autism criteria at 36 months were more likely than controls to have mild-to-moderate global developmental delay and elevated autism symptom scores. Their language delay rates were not higher.
• SLPCase-Control2016Late Positive Potential ERP Responses to Social and Nonsocial Stimuli in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersYouth with autism showed blunted brain responses to smiling faces and enhanced responses to objects related to restricted interests compared to controls. However, subjective ratings of pleasure and arousal did not differ between groups, and brain responses did not predict symptom severity.
• SLPOther2017Visual orienting in children with autism: Hyper-responsiveness to human eyes presented after a brief alerting audio-signal, but hyporesponsiveness to eyes presented without sound.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism looked more slowly at eyes when images appeared silently, but more quickly when a brief sound preceded them. Typical children showed the opposite pattern. This is a lab eye-tracking finding, not evidence that sound improves communication.
• SLPOther2017High autistic trait individuals do not modulate gaze behaviour in response to social presence but look away more when actively engaged in an interaction.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchTypical adults looked less at a video person they thought was live, but adults with high autistic traits did not change looking for this belief. During a live conversation, high autistic traits were linked to looking away more from the other person.
• OTSLPOther2016Brief Report: The Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities on the Social Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFifteen children and adolescents with autism did not show improvement in overall adaptive behaviour or socialisation after a 6-week horse activity programme. Parent-reported autism traits, maladaptive behaviour and empathy scores improved.
• SLPOther2016Parents' Concerns as They Relate to Their Child's Development and Later Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPThe total number of concerns was similar in toddlers later diagnosed with ASD and toddlers not diagnosed with ASD. Parents of children with ASD reported more speech, repetitive behavior and social concerns. Concerns were associated with therapies and specialists children received before diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2017The stability and validity of automated vocal analysis in preverbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutomated day-long LENA recordings can produce vocal-development scores that predict later spoken words in preverbal preschoolers with ASD. A combined IVD plus ACPU-C+V score was not worse than lab samples but was research-only; the commercial AVA DA score did not predict later words.
• SLPQualitative2016The Experiences of Late-diagnosed Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Investigation of the Female Autism Phenotype.Journal of autism and developmental disordersLate-diagnosed women described hiding autistic social difficulties with masks, mimicry and learned scripts; professionals often missed or mislabelled their autism, and 9 of 14 reported sexual abuse. These are experiences, not evidence that a treatment works.
• OTSLPRCT2016A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Low-Dose Sertraline in Young Children With Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPLow-dose sertraline did not improve expressive language or clinician-rated global improvement more than placebo in young children with fragile X. Some secondary gains appeared in fine motor, visual reception, and combined developmental scores.