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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 15 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2019Task and Participant Variables Predict Communication Complexity Scale (CCS) Scores: Closer Examination of the CCS.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesIn people with minimal verbal skills, tasks inviting shared attention produced lower communication complexity scores, about half a point, than tasks inviting requests or protests, especially for those with ASD. Older age and lower everyday adaptive skills were linked to lower scores.
• SLPCohort2020Observational and Reported Measures of Language and Pragmatics in Young People with Autism: A Comparison of Respondent Data and Gender Profiles.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported significantly more pragmatic difficulties for girls with autism than clinicians did, and direct testing showed better skills than observation. Clinicians should combine parent reports with functional observation, as testing alone may miss real-world struggles in girls.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in Medicare-enrolled, autistic older adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic older adults had significantly higher odds of nearly every physical and mental health condition compared to non-autistic peers. This included high risks for epilepsy, Parkinson’s, gastrointestinal issues, and suicidality. Clinicians should anticipate complex comorbidities in this population.
• SLPCohort2020Predictors of Trauma Exposure and Trauma Diagnoses for Children with Autism and Developmental Disorders Served in a Community Mental Health Clinic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism or developmental disabilities in a mental health clinic had lower recorded trauma reports and trauma diagnoses than other clinic children, even though negative life events were similar. Foster care, multiple homes, and conduct problems were linked to higher trauma risk.
• SLPOther2020Neural dynamics of executive function in cognitively able kindergarteners with autism spectrum disorders as predictors of concurrent academic achievement.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn cognitively able kindergarteners with autism, some brain responses to errors during a button game were linked to better reading and math scores at school entry. The study did not test whether improving these responses helps achievement.
• SLPCohort2020Trajectories of Evidence Based Treatment for School Children with Autism: What's the Right Level for the Implementation?Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost children with autism received consistently low doses of discrete trial training and pivotal response training throughout the school year. Teachers were more likely to increase treatment for children with more severe symptoms or greater sensory challenges, while children with better verbal and social skills were less likely to receive intensive intervention.
• SLPCase-Control2019Intact neural representations of affective meaning of touch but lack of embodied resonance in autism: a multi-voxel pattern analysis study.Molecular autismAdults with autism rated hugs and hand-holding as less pleasant than controls, but both groups distinguished social from non-social touch. Autism showed weaker body-based brain responses to touch meaning, not a general inability to understand social touch.
• OTSLPOther2020Examining the Treatment Efficacy of PEERS in Japan: Improving Social Skills Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with autism who did 14 weeks of PEERS combining social-skills sessions, parent coaching, and homework showed greater improvement than waiting peers on social-skills knowledge and parent-reported adaptive socialization. Parent-reported autistic traits improved in treated adolescents, but not all outcomes changed.
• SLPPilot2020Can Cartoons Which Depict Autistic Characters Improve Attitudes Towards Autistic Peers?Journal of autism and developmental disordersA 3-minute Sesame Street clip increased children's autism knowledge and desire to interact, and only boys showed an attitude change. A 2:18 minute Arthur clip increased knowledge but did not change attitudes.
• SLPOther2019Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.Molecular autismAcross these countries, autism education policy gives parents school choice, but clear roles in deciding support are uneven. SLPs should check local consent and special education needs service rules before assuming families are partners.
• OTSLPCohort2020Differences in anxieties and social networks in a group-matched sample of autistic and typically developing students transitioning to university.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic students starting university reported more worries and distress than matched peers, despite similar academic ability. They had smaller social networks but perceived similar support levels. Social anxiety, not just autism traits, linked to daily living and social distress.
• SLPOther2019Visual and verbal semantic productions in children with ASD, DLD, and typical language.Journal of communication disordersWhen children with autism or developmental language disorder defined new words, they used more meaning details first shown visually than children with typical language did. Details shown in pictures and words together increased by session 2 and held steady. Data came from 36 children.
• OTSLPOther2020Increasing Extrinsic Motivation Improves Time-Based Prospective Memory in Adults with Autism: Relations with Executive Functioning and Mentalizing.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTelling adults with autism that a time-based memory task was more important than the main activity significantly improved their performance. This happened because they checked the clock more often, not because they ignored the main task.
• SLPOther2019Familiality of behavioral flexibility and response inhibition deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Molecular autismParents of children with autism made more errors when told to stop a response than controls, and this ability clustered in families. Their children with autism also made more errors and slowed less before stopping. Flexibility and inhibition were separate.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Deviation from normative brain development is associated with symptom severity in autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismChildren and young adults with autism whose brain scans predicted an older age than their actual age had milder symptoms. Those with a younger predicted brain age had more severe symptoms. This links brain development speed to symptom severity, not IQ.
• SLPSystematic Review2019Autism and the right to education in the EU: policy mapping and scoping review of Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.Molecular autismNordic education policies for autistic children aim to keep them in mainstream schools with support, moving to special settings only when mainstream no longer serves the child. The paper maps written policy, not therapy outcomes.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2020Learning of skilled movements via imitation in ASD.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism imitated novel gestures less accurately than peers. Their learning curves were flatter early on, catching up by the fourth repetition. This specific pattern of slow initial learning predicted worse motor planning skills and higher autism symptom severity.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Disparities in Documented Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Demographic, Individual, and Service Factors.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research25.2% of children whose records showed enough ASD symptoms to meet surveillance criteria had no documented ASD diagnosis. They were more likely to be non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or other non-Hispanic race, evaluated after age 3, have no intellectual disability, or need fewer supports.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Sex differences in brain structure: a twin study on restricted and repetitive behaviors in twin pairs with and without autism.Molecular autismIn twins, higher repetitive behavior scores linked to thicker brain tissue in the right intraparietal sulcus in females only. Males showed no such structural link in the main analysis. This suggests different biological pathways for these symptoms in girls and boys.
• SLPPilot2020Treatment of Adults with Autism and Major Depressive Disorder Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: An Open Label Pilot Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchTolerability of brain stimulation was mixed, with withdrawals and a seizure from a device error. Depression symptoms improved, while self-reported autism symptoms did not change.
• OTSLPOther2019Development of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale: initial validation in autism spectrum disorder and in neurotypicals.Molecular autismThe Stanford Social Dimensions Scale separates social motivation, affiliation, communication, recognition, and unusual approach into five distinct scores. It reliably measures these traits in children with autism and neurotypical peers, offering a clearer profile of social strengths and weaknesses than existing diagnostic tools.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2019Neuropsychiatric decompensation in adolescents and adults with Phelan-McDermid syndrome: a systematic review of the literature.Molecular autismAdolescents and adults with Phelan-McDermid syndrome show a high risk of sudden neuropsychiatric decompensation, including bipolar disorder and catatonia. Peak onset is between 16 and 20 years. Antipsychotics were often ineffective or poorly tolerated, while lithium and divalproex sodium showed more consistent benefit.
• OTSLPOther2020Development of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA new parent-rated scale measures how much a child's rigidity disrupts daily family life, not just the behavior itself. It is reliable and stable over time, helping therapists identify which children need intervention for inflexibility and track if that help works.
• SLPCohort2020Longitudinal analysis of communication repair skills across three neurodevelopmental disabilities.International journal of language & communication disordersAt the second time point, no significant differences were found among diagnostic groups. With age, boys generally used fewer inappropriate repairs, but boys with fragile X and autism did not gain metacomments; girls with fragile X or Down syndrome became less responsive to clarification requests.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2019Biological motion perception in autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis.Molecular autismAcross studies, people with autism were less accurate at detecting and interpreting human movement, especially emotions shown by body motion. The gap was largest in children and narrowed with age. Reaction-time and brain-activity results were less clear.
• SLPSurvey2020A comparative study of autistic and non-autistic women's experience of motherhood.Molecular autismAutistic mothers reported higher rates of depression and isolation, and found communicating with professionals difficult. However, 86% still described motherhood as rewarding, and 96% prioritised their child's needs above their own.
• SLPOther2020Children with autism spectrum disorder produce more ambiguous and less socially meaningful facial expressions: an experimental study using random forest classifiers.Molecular autismChildren with autism produced facial expressions that judges rated as lower quality than those of typical children, especially for anger and sadness. A computer classifier also found their expressions harder to identify, confusing anger with joy more often than in typical children.
• SLPCase Series2020Biophysical classification of a CACNA1D de novo mutation as a high-risk mutation for a severe neurodevelopmental disorder.Molecular autismA rare CACNA1D variant in twins with severe speech and language delay and autism made calcium channels more active in cells and more sensitive to isradipine. Another variant at the same position reduced channel activity.
• SLPOther2020Indigenous Australians with autism: A scoping review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceResearch with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander autistic people is sparse, mostly carer and provider barriers. Low diagnosis rates likely reflect access gaps and distrust of labels, not lower need. Carers recommended involving community and using Aboriginal workers.
• SLPOther2020Quantifying Caregiver Change Across Early Autism Interventions Using the Measure of NDBI Strategy Implementation: Caregiver Change (MONSI-CC).Journal of autism and developmental disordersA new coding scheme reliably tracks how well caregivers use autism intervention strategies over time. It detected significant improvements in caregiver behavior after treatment, with these changes correlating with better child social engagement and reduced autism symptoms.
• SLPCohort2020Maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk for autism spectrum disorder in the MARBLES high-risk study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMothers of children with autism reported lower total omega-3 intake in the second half of pregnancy than mothers of typically developing children. However, plasma omega-3 levels showed no difference for autism risk, and supplement use was not associated with outcomes.
• OTSLPRCT2020Behavioral effects of multiple-dose oxytocin treatment in autism: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with long-term follow-up.Molecular autismFour weeks of daily intranasal oxytocin did not improve social symptoms compared to placebo. However, it significantly reduced repetitive behaviors and feelings of attachment avoidance. These benefits lasted up to one year. This was a small pilot in adult men, so results are preliminary.
• SLPSystematic Review2020Beyond intervention into daily life: A systematic review of generalisation following social communication interventions for young children with autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchGains in social communication often moved beyond therapy partners or settings in autism trials, but generalisation was inconsistent and structured researcher tasks may not capture daily life.
• OTSLPCohort2020Autism Heterogeneity in a Densely Sampled U.S. Population: Results From the First 1,000 Participants in the RI-CART Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutism presentations in this population were highly heterogeneous. Many participants had co-occurring medical, psychiatric, or neurological conditions, and girls were diagnosed later than boys, with verbal status linked to earlier diagnosis in boys.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Persistence and predictors of self-injurious behaviour in autism: a ten-year prospective cohort study.Molecular autismSelf-injury persisted in 44% of autistic individuals over 10 years. Impulsivity and overactivity measured in childhood predicted both persistent self-injury and self-restraint a decade later, identifying high-risk patients for early intervention.
• SLPOther2020Symbolic Understanding and Word-Picture-Referent Mapping from iPads in Autism Spectrum Condition: The Roles of Iconicity and Engagement.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism mapped new words from iPad pictures just as well as vocabulary-matched peers. Adding 3D rotation or interactivity did not improve word learning. Interactive screens increased looking time but reduced speech and eye contact with the adult.
• SLPOther2020Age-variant and age-invariant features of functional brain organization in middle-aged and older autistic adults.Molecular autismSome brain aging patterns were similar in autistic and comparison adults. A connection between brain regions active at rest weakened with age in comparison adults but not autistic adults. Social task scores did not differ by age or group.
• OTSLPQualitative2020'When my autism broke': A qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic participants said menopause brought on or worsened sensory sensitivity, executive function problems, sleep problems, self-care struggles, mood difficulties and social communication strain. They described clinicians as lacking knowledge and interest, leaving them to seek peer and online support.
• SLPCohort2020Emergent life events in the delivery of a caregiver-mediated evidence-based intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder in publicly funded mental health services.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceUnexpected life crises appeared in 36% of early therapy sessions for children with autism. More child diagnoses predicted more crises, while more experienced clinicians reported fewer. Contrary to some prior studies, these crises did not reduce clinician adherence to the treatment plan in that session.
• SLPOther2020Reduced nonverbal interpersonal synchrony in autism spectrum disorder independent of partner diagnosis: a motion energy study.Molecular autismDyads involving an autistic adult showed less whole-body movement synchrony during conversations than typical-typical dyads. Autistic-autistic dyads were not more synchronised than mixed dyads, so partner diagnosis did not restore smooth coordination.
• SLPRCT2020Effects of pivotal response treatment on reciprocal vocal contingency in a randomized controlled trial of children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren receiving Pivotal Response Treatment plus parent training showed higher vocal reciprocity with adults after 24 weeks compared to controls. No significant difference was found at baseline or after 12 weeks. This suggests the treatment effect on spontaneous speech interaction emerges with sustained intervention.
• OTSLPCohort2020Sluggish cognitive tempo: An examination of clinical correlates for adults with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn young adults with autism, sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms strongly predicted depression but not anxiety. These symptoms were distinct from ADHD hyperactivity but linked to ADHD inattention. Sluggishness predicted poorer performance on complex executive function tasks requiring verbal explanation, but not simpler sorting tasks.
• SLPSurvey2020A framework of evidence-based practice for digital support, co-developed with and for the autism community.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAn autism community panel agreed that choosing digital supports should check reliability, engagement and effectiveness. For SLPs, it says ask an expert, read academic papers and user reviews. It does not prove any app works.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Trajectories of Change in the Behavioral and Health Phenotype of Adolescents and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Intellectual Disability: Longitudinal Trends Over a Decade.Journal of autism and developmental disordersDaily living skills improved through adolescence but plateaued or declined in the 30s. Behavior problems decreased overall but remained clinically significant for many. BMI and health conditions increased steadily over the decade. Higher autism symptoms predicted worse starting independence and behavior.
• SLPCohort2020Evaluating the Role of Autistic Traits, Social Anxiety, and Social Network Changes During Transition to First Year of University in Typically Developing Students and Students on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersLower social anxiety across the first year was linked to better university adjustment in both groups. In typically developing students, higher autistic traits linked to poorer social adjustment. Changes in social networks or perceived support were less consistently linked, and the autism group was small.
• SLPCohort2020Adult Manifestation of Milder Forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic and Non-autistic Psychopathology.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent and self reports showed more autistic traits in adults with earlier milder autism diagnoses, but most did not meet standard observation criteria. Comorbidity and education were similar, while they used more mental health care and medication.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Links between self-injury and suicidality in autism.Molecular autismAutistic adults with a history of self-injury reported significantly more suicide ideation and attempts than those without, regardless of whether they viewed their self-injury as a problem. Cutting was associated with higher suicide risk, while hitting or scratching was not.
• SLPCase-Control2020Neural Mechanisms of Social and Nonsocial Reward Prediction Errors in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAdolescents with autism showed different brain activation when social rewards were unexpected, but not when object rewards were unexpected. Links to reaction time and nonverbal communication skills did not hold after checking many tests. No therapy effect was tested.
• SLPSurvey2020The role of emotion regulation and core autism symptoms in the experience of anxiety in autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEmotion regulation problems were linked to higher parent-reported anxiety in young people with autism, in a sample that included those with intellectual disability. The study cannot show that regulation problems caused anxiety.
• SLPCase-Control2020An association of intrapartum synthetic oxytocin dosing and the odds of developing autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceHigh cumulative synthetic oxytocin dose (5493 mU or more) was linked to autism overall and in boys; girls showed no link. The study cannot show cause.