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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 13 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPCohort2019Impact of on-site clinical genetics consultations on diagnostic rate in children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismOn-site genetics visits found previously undiagnosed genetic conditions in 71 of 502 children and young adults with autism. Gene sequencing added diagnoses in 33 of 141 patients without a harmful chromosome change.
• OTSLPSurvey2019Neuropsychiatric phenotypes and a distinct constellation of ASD features in 3q29 deletion syndrome: results from the 3q29 registry.Molecular autismHigh autism symptom scores were common in 3q29 deletion, including people without an autism diagnosis. Females had a 34-fold increased autism risk. Repetitive behaviours were most severe, while interest in social interaction was less impaired.
• SLPOther2020Language Performance in Preschool-Aged Boys with Nonsyndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder or Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBoys with fragile X syndrome showed stronger language than boys with nonsyndromic autism on some measures after age, nonverbal IQ and autism severity were accounted for. Boys with autism more often had language below their nonverbal ability.
• SLPCohort2019Behavioral characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in very preterm birth children.Molecular autismOverall observed autism severity was similar between preterm children with autism and term children with autism. Parent-reported social interaction showed a different pattern. Preterm children had worse nonverbal social behaviors, but better peer relationships and socioemotional reciprocity.
• SLPRCT2019Does Theory of Mind Training Enhance Empathy in Autism?Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism who completed eight weeks of Theory of Mind training showed a small but significant improvement in how they reacted to an adult’s emotions during unscripted interactions. The control group showed no change. This suggests gains can transfer to real-life social moments.
• SLPRCT2020Mock Juror Perceptions of Child Witnesses on the Autism Spectrum: The Impact of Providing Diagnostic Labels and Information About Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor one autistic child witness, mock jurors rated him more credible when told he had autism and given autism information. For the other, the diagnosis and information did not appear to affect credibility ratings.
• SLPOther2020Construct Validity of the Autism Impact Measure (AIM).Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe AIM parent questionnaire for children with ASD grouped into five symptom areas: repetitive behavior, atypical behavior, communication, social reciprocity, and peer interaction. Scores matched related autism measures, so it can help clinicians track specific symptom targets.
• SLPCohort2020Longitudinal Epidemiological Study of Autism Subgroups Using Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) Score.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-reported autism severity scores fell over two years in 2272 children. No treatment was tested. Scores fell most in younger children and those with more severe initial scores; sex made no difference.
• OTSLPOther2020Evaluation of a Transition to University Programme for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic students reported fewer worries about university after a three-day summer school and rated it helpful and enjoyable. The programme included many components, so it cannot show which part helped.
• SLPOther2020Exploring the Role of Empathy in Understanding the Social-Cognitive Profile for Individuals Referred for Autism Spectrum Disorders Assessment in Adulthood.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdults referred for ASD assessment did not differ on emotion recognition or social inference tests. Those with confirmed diagnoses reported more autistic traits and lower self-reported empathy. Self-report traits, not task scores, separated the groups.
• SLPPilot2020Brief Report: Learning Language Through Overhearing in Children with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn a lab, 13 children with ASD chose the new object more often than random when the examiner spoke directly to them and when the examiner spoke to an assistant. This does not prove overhearing helps language learning.
• SLPCase-Control2019Validation of the Arabic version of the Social Communication Questionnaire.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn 412 Arabic-speaking children, the Arabic Social Communication Questionnaire separated autism cases from controls well. At a score of 15, it correctly flagged 0.796 of children with autism and correctly passed 0.966 of typically developing children.
• SLPCase-Control2020Brief Report: "Um" Fillers Distinguish Children With and Without ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with ASD used fewer 'um' pauses than typically developing peers, while 'uh' use did not differ. Using fewer than two 'um' per 100 fluent words was associated with ASD, but it is not a standalone diagnostic test.
• SLPOther2020Brief Report: Testing the Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn boys with ASD, common parent and child anxiety questionnaires separated those with an anxiety diagnosis from those without, but published cut-offs did not work well. Do not use the usual cut-offs.
• SLPOther2020Speaking the Same Language? A Preliminary Investigation, Comparing the Language and Communication Skills of Females and Males with High-Functioning Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersGirls with high-functioning autism performed better than boys on some complex language tasks, but below typically developing girls on figurative language and inference. Simple vocabulary and sentence tasks did not separate the groups.
• SLPQualitative2020Blindness and Autism: Parents' Perspectives on Diagnostic Challenges, Support Needs and Support Provision.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of blind children with autism described strong music and hearing abilities, but also said the children were very sensitive to noise. They reported delayed diagnosis, isolation and fragmented support, and wanted coordinated services from staff who knew both conditions.
• OTSLPQualitative2020Supporting Minimally Verbal Autistic Girls with Intellectual Disabilities Through Puberty: Perspectives of Parents and Educators.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents and educators described varied puberty needs in minimally verbal autistic girls with intellectual disabilities. Menstrual care was prioritised for dignity and independence, taught in small individualised steps over long periods. These are perspectives, not tested outcomes.
• SLPOther2020Visual Disengagement: Genetic Architecture and Relation to Autistic Traits in the General Population.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMoving gaze away from a central target was not associated with parent-reported autistic traits. The Overlap condition did not show its own genetic contribution, so this task did not support visual disengagement as a marker for social communication traits.
• SLPCohort2020Gesture Development, Caregiver Responsiveness, and Language and Diagnostic Outcomes in Infants at High and Low Risk for Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAt 12 months, high-risk infants without autism gestured more than those later diagnosed with autism. At 18 months, low-risk infants gestured more than both high-risk groups. Higher 12-month gesture use predicted better receptive language and lower chance of autism diagnosis. Caregiver response rates were similar.
• SLPSystematic Review2020Systematic Review: Distribution of Age and Intervention Modalities in Therapeutic Clinical Trials for Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdults with autism were far less likely than children to be in therapeutic trials: 184 of 218 studies had mean ages under 18, and 92% of participants were under 18. Adult trials more often tested medication than behavior.
• SLPCohort2020Incremental Utility of 24-Month Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening After Negative 18-Month Screening.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAfter a negative 18-month autism screen, 0.4% of toddlers who were rescreened at 24 months screened positive, and 10 were diagnosed with autism; 80% of those evaluated had a developmental condition that warranted intervention.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2020The Effects of Early Intervention on Social Communication Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEarly interventions for children with autism under 8 improved social communication compared with control groups. Gains were smaller when measured with unfamiliar partners, settings, or materials.
• OTSLPSurvey2020Elopement Patterns and Caregiver Strategies.Journal of autism and developmental disorders96% of respondents had used elopement prevention strategies, and 94% found at least one good or very good, but 68% rated overall burden high or very high. Parent-reported medication effects for elopement were poor on average and had frequent side effects.
• OTSLPCohort2019Mortality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Predictors over a 20-year period.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn adults and adolescents with autism, poorer health, lower daily living independence, and greater early social reciprocity impairment predicted higher mortality risk over 20 years. Deaths were premature, but this is an association, not proof treatment changes survival.
• OTSLPOther2020Clinical Validation of the Autism Behavior Inventory: Caregiver-Rated Assessment of Core and Associated Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregiver ratings on the Autism Behavior Inventory were stable over 3 to 5 days and matched other parent-reported autism, anxiety, behavior and burden measures. Short-term changes tracked reported improvement, but no treatment effect was tested.
• SLPRCT2020A Virtual Resiliency Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism: A Randomized Pilot Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn parents of children with autism, a virtual resiliency program did not clearly reduce distress, but improved coping and resiliency compared with parents waiting. This was only a pilot.
• SLPOther2020The Role of Emotion Regulation on Co-occurring Psychopathology in Emerging Adults with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersYoung adults with ASD who had anxiety or depression reported more involuntary emotion regulation and less voluntary emotion regulation than those without. Caregiver reports did not show the same pattern. This was a small baseline study, not a treatment test.
• SLPOther2020Understanding Social Communication Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder and First-Degree Relatives: A Study of Looking and Speaking.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNarrative quality was similar to controls in a structured picture-book task but lower in both individuals with ASD and their parents during an unstructured, emotionally ambiguous storytelling task. Gaze differences were subtle and inconsistent.
• SLPOther2019Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: Another name for the Broad Autism Phenotype?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceSocial communication problems and repetitive behaviours moved together across autism, language impairment, and unaffected family groups. Only one unaffected sibling had impaired social communication and no impaired repetitive behaviours. The social communication diagnosis was hard to separate.
• SLPOther2019Assessment of racial and ethnic bias in autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates from a US surveillance system.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceReported autism prevalence gaps between white and black or Hispanic children were not explained by missing residency or race data. Black and Hispanic children were more often left as suspected cases when only school records were available.
• SLPSystematic Review2019Assuming ability of youth with autism: Synthesis of methods capturing the first-person perspectives of children and youth with disabilities.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceFirst-person studies mostly used in-person open-ended interviews, and minimally verbal participants were underrepresented. Image-based tools such as Talking Mats and Photovoice, familiar settings and tailored questions were identified as possible ways to capture youth voices, but the review did not test whether these methods work.
• SLPPilot2019Developing an Online Tool to Measure Social Network Structure and Perceived Social Support Amongst Autistic Students in Higher Education: A Feasibility Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTen autistic students could complete a tool that maps their social contacts and support. They reported family support as more frequent and higher quality than friends or others. The tool matched less well with an existing support measure for autistic students.
• SLPPilot2020Adapting and pre-testing the World Health Organization's Caregiver Skills Training programme for autism and other developmental disorders in a very low-resource setting: Findings from Ethiopia.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCaregivers in Ethiopia found the adapted WHO autism training acceptable and useful, with all nine who started finishing the course. They reported improved skills and reduced stress, but the study was not designed to prove the treatment works.
• SLPOther2019Adults with autism are less proficient in identifying biological motion actions portrayed with point-light displays.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with autism identified moving-dot human actions less accurately and more slowly than neurotypical adults, but both groups improved on a second viewing and found actions with invisible objects harder.
• SLPOther2019Do minimally verbal and verbally fluent individuals with autism spectrum disorder differ in their viewing patterns of dynamic social scenes?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMinimally verbal autistic participants attended less to the video overall, looked less at the woman's face when she shifted her gaze, and were less likely to follow her unexpected gaze than verbally fluent peers. Both groups looked more at the woman than objects.
• SLPRCT2019Efficacy and safety of memantine in children with autism spectrum disorder: Results from three phase 2 multicenter studies.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMemantine extended-release did not prevent loss of treatment response better than placebo in children with autism who had already responded. Loss of response was similar across placebo, full dose, and reduced dose, and communication scores did not improve more than placebo.
• SLPOther2019Differences in profiles of emotional behavioral problems across instruments in verbal versus minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchOn the CBCL, parents reported more anxiety and depression symptoms in verbally fluent children with autism than in children with limited speech. On the ABC, minimally verbal children showed more lethargy, and children with less speech showed more hyperactivity. The two forms gave different profiles.
• SLPQualitative2019The AASPIRE practice-based guidelines for the inclusion of autistic adults in research as co-researchers and study participants.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic partners described clear role expectations, text-based meetings, advance materials, sensory supports, and concrete questions as ways to include adults with communication, cognitive, or support needs. These are practice lessons, not tested clinical interventions.
• SLPOther2019Effectiveness of Parent Education in Pivotal Response Treatment on Pivotal and Collateral Responses.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn individual education, parents created more opportunities for 11 of 13 parents, and children made more functional requests for 10 of 13 children. Group education was associated with lower parent stress and higher confidence, but child effects were smaller.
• SLPOther2019Atypical Pattern of Frontal EEG Asymmetry for Direct Gaze in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWhen faces moved toward them, typical children showed a brain pattern linked with approach for direct gaze. Young children with severe autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability showed the opposite pattern for downcast gaze. This is a lab finding, not a therapy result.
• SLPSurvey2019Use of GFCF Diets in Children with ASD. An Investigation into Parents' Beliefs Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents' belief that a gluten-free, casein-free diet helps autism symptoms predicted their intention to use it. Fear of regretting not trying it was the only factor predicting high intention. Parents who had already stopped using the diet still scored low on intention.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2019Early Life Exposure to Antibiotics and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEvidence linking early-life antibiotics to autism is inconclusive. Large cohort studies show conflicting results, and case-control studies suffer from recall bias. Current data does not support changing antibiotic prescribing practices for autism prevention.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2020Screening and treatment of trauma-related symptoms in youth with autism spectrum disorder among community providers in the United States.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMost U.S. providers for youth with autism asked about trauma, but few screened or treated all patients. Allied health providers, including PTs, OTs and SLPs, screened less often than mental health providers.
• SLPOther2020Self-reported social impairments predict depressive disorder in adults with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAdults with autism who also had depression reported more social impairments than adults with autism without depression, even when clinicians rated their autism symptoms as less severe. The study was small and cross-sectional, so this is an association, not proof of cause.
• SLPOther2019Psychometric analysis of the repetitive behavior scale-revised using confirmatory factor analysis in children with autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchThe parent-report repetitive behavior scale seems to describe children's repetitive behaviors as five separate patterns, not one overall score. Its scores were consistent, but links to observed repetitive behavior and thinking were small.
• OTSLPCohort2019Concurrent Social Communication Predictors of Expressive Language in Minimally Verbal Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersImitation ability was the strongest predictor of expressive language in minimally verbal autistic children and adolescents. Unlike in younger children, joint attention was not related to language. Diversity of play and non-verbal IQ were correlated with language but did not independently predict it.
• SLPOther2019Rates of Co-occurring Psychiatric Disorders in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost children and adolescents with autism had current psychiatric diagnoses, but these often did not match community diagnoses. Young adults showed lower self-reported rates.
• SLPPilot2019Developmental screening and early intervention in a childcare setting for young children at risk for autism and other developmental delays: A feasibility trial.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildcare screening and brief JASPER delivered by childcare providers were feasible in low-income sites, but only 20 of 42 eligible children enrolled. Exploratory child outcomes showed increases; this pilot cannot show the intervention caused them.
• SLPOther2019Is There a Link Between Autistic People Being Perceived Unfavorably and Having a Mind That Is Difficult to Read?Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic people are rated less favorably by others partly because they are harder to read. This link held even when viewers knew the social situation. Being difficult to interpret may drive negative first impressions more than the diagnosis itself.
• SLPCase-Control2019Auditory Attentional Disengagement in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism showed no significant delay in shifting eye movements to sounds compared to typically developing peers. However, they failed to look toward the sound more often when the background noise continued, suggesting difficulty disengaging from unpredictable auditory targets.