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 29 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2022Use of Mutual Exclusivity and its Relationship to Language Ability in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersToddlers with autism looked less quickly to a new object when a new word was said, mainly if their understanding of language was weaker. Once receptive language was considered, the group difference was not seen.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Relationships Between Emotion Regulation, Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBetter emotion regulation linked to less self-injury, while better social communication linked to less stereotypic behavior in autism. These specific associations were distinct: emotion regulation did not predict stereotypic behavior, and social communication did not predict self-injury.
• OTSLPQualitative2022"It's Like Stealing What Should be Theirs." An Exploration of the Experiences and Perspectives of Parents and Educational Practitioners on Hebrew-English Bilingualism for Jewish Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents and educators in Jewish schools rejected the idea that autistic children should be raised monolingual. They argued that excluding Hebrew causes social alienation and spiritual harm, and reported that autistic children often learn this second language successfully.
• OTSLPCohort2022Heart Rate Variability in Children and Adolescents with Autism, ADHD and Co-occurring Autism and ADHD, During Passive and Active Experimental Conditions.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with ADHD showed signs of low arousal at rest, while those with autism showed high arousal during tasks. Those with both conditions displayed both patterns. Autonomic profiles did not match diagnostic labels alone, suggesting physiological differences cut across diagnoses.
• SLPSystematic Review2022Virtual and Augmented Reality in Social Skills Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersVirtual reality social skills interventions for autism are widely accepted by users, with positive evaluations in 81% of reporting studies. However, the evidence base is immature: most trials are small case studies, female participants are underrepresented, and few include individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• OTSLPOther2022Training Coaches in Community Agencies to Support Parents of Children with Suspected Autism: Outcomes, Facilitators, and Barriers.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChild-skills checklist scores rose after a package combining online modules, agency meetings, workshops, practice, peer pods, trainer support, technology support, reimbursements, and newsletters. Coaching skill scores varied.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Longitudinal Stability of Intellectual Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Age 3 Through Mid-adulthood.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn autism, group IQ scores rise from childhood to adulthood, but individual scores vary widely. Verbal and working memory stabilize by adulthood, while non-verbal scores keep rising. Do not rely on a single childhood IQ score to predict adult function.
• SLPOther2023Does Treatment Fidelity of the Early Start Denver Model Impact Skill Acquisition in Young Children with Autism?Journal of autism and developmental disordersTherapists who followed the Early Start Denver Model protocol more closely helped children with autism learn targeted skills better. Ten of thirteen specific techniques predicted learning, but managing behavior and modulating arousal did not.
• SLPSurvey2023Brief Report: Healthcare Providers' Discussions Regarding Transportation and Driving with Autistic and Non-autistic Patients.Journal of autism and developmental disordersProviders discuss transportation with 20% of autistic patients versus 50% of non-autistic patients. Only 8% feel ready to assess autistic driving readiness, and just 26% refer patients for driving help. Conversations typically start at age 15.
• PTSLPCohort2023Sex Differences in Autism: Examining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors in Children and Adolescents Enrolled in a National ASD Cohort.Journal of autism and developmental disordersGirls with autism in this large cohort were diagnosed four months later than boys, even though parents' first concerns began at the same age. Parents more often first noticed motor delay in girls and speech delay in boys.
• SLPCase-Control2023Brief Report: The Characterization of Medical Comorbidity Prior to Autism Diagnosis in Children Before Age Two.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBefore age two, children later diagnosed with autism had more records of convulsive epilepsy, irregular eye movements, delayed milestones, strabismus, and lack of normal physiological development. Perinatal jaundice was less common. These are billing-code associations, not diagnostic predictors.
• OTSLPSurvey2022Self-Perceived Quality of Life in Spanish-Speaking Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSpanish-speaking women with autism, formally diagnosed or self-diagnosed, rated their quality of life lower than women without autism. Their lowest areas were relationships, community connection and future security. Scores were similar to men with autism.
• SLPOther2022Veritable Untruths: Autistic Traits and the Processing of Deception.Journal of autism and developmental disordersHesitation in speech made listeners doubt the speaker's truthfulness. People with more autistic-like traits showed less early eye-movement bias toward the named object, suggesting different processing routes despite reaching similar final interpretations.
• SLPPilot2022A Preliminary Examination of the Impact of Working Memory Training on Syntax and Processing Speed in Children with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism who completed eight weeks of home-based working memory training improved on memory tasks and showed gains in complex sentence repetition and comprehension. These language improvements persisted three months later, though the study lacked a control group.
• OTSLPOther2023Brief Report: Above and Beyond Safety: Psychosocial and Biobehavioral Impact of Autism-Assistance Dogs on Autistic Children and their Families.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents in 11 families reported lower stress and better child behavior after adding a trained autism service dog to ongoing occupational, speech and language, physical, and applied behavioral analysis therapy, medications, or other treatments. No control group.
• SLPOther2023Improving Efficiency and Equity in Early Autism Evaluations: The (S)TAAR Model.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAverage wait time fell from 18 to 4 months and average new patients per month rose from 19 to 55 during a one-visit team autism evaluation implementation; no clear differences by race, language or insurance. No control group means the model alone cannot be credited.
• SLPCohort2022What are you looking at? Gaze following with and without target objects in ASD and typical development.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceInfants later diagnosed with autism showed typical gaze-following accuracy and looking times compared to peers. However, when an adult looked at an empty spot, these infants returned their gaze to the adult's face significantly faster than typically developing infants.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Patterns in reporting and participant inclusion related to race and ethnicity in autism intervention literature: Data from a large-scale systematic review of evidence-based practices.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceRace and ethnicity data were reported in only 25% of autism intervention studies, and participants were heavily White. Reporting has increased slowly over time, but minoritized groups remain significantly underrepresented in the evidence base.
• SLPOther2022Exploring the Cognitive Model of Social Anxiety in Autistic Young People-The Central Role of Bodily Symptoms.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic young people with high social anxiety rated their own social performance similarly to how observers rated it, showing no self-observer discrepancy. Interoceptive sensibility, or awareness of bodily sensations, fully explained the link between negative self-ratings and social anxiety.
• SLPOther2022The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA): Development of a New Adapted Assessment Measure for Remote Telehealth Administration Through COVID-19 and Beyond.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe BOSA is a 12 to 14 minute autism observation that works remotely or in person. It shows good agreement with the gold standard ADOS-2 for toddlers and older children, but it is less precise than the full test and should not be used alone for diagnosis.
• SLPRCT2022A Randomized, Community-Based Feasibility Trial of Modified ESDM for Toddlers with Suspected Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents coaching toddlers with suspected autism improved their child's understanding of words more than standard community care. However, there was no significant difference in the number of words children produced or in overall cognitive scores. Parent satisfaction and self-efficacy were higher in the coaching group.
• SLPRCT2022Randomized Controlled Trial of Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acid Supplementation to Reduce Inflammatory Markers in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersOmega-3 and -6 supplements raised blood fatty acid levels and lowered one inflammatory marker (IL-2) in young children with ASD. The study did not test behavior or core symptoms, so clinicians cannot infer clinical benefit from these lab changes.
• SLPCohort2022Atypically slow processing of faces and non-faces in older autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceOlder autistic adults were slower at recognizing faces and letters than controls, but accuracy matched when time was not restricted. This reflects general processing speed differences rather than a specific deficit in face recognition.
• OTSLPOther2022Subtypes of Aggressive Behavior in Children with Autism in the Context of Emotion Recognition, Hostile Attribution Bias, and Dysfunctional Emotion Regulation.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-rated emotional lability predicted verbal and covert aggression, partly through hostile intent bias. It also predicted bullying directly. Physical aggression showed no significant links to these factors. Better emotion recognition unexpectedly associated with more hostile bias.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022Gastrointestinal concerns in children with autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative study of family experiences.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of children with autism and gut issues often cannot rely on verbal reports of pain. They instead watch for bodily signs like distension or non-verbal behaviors such as leg crossing, irritability, or aggression to detect distress.
• SLPSurvey2022Access, utilization, and awareness for clinical genetic testing in autism spectrum disorder in Sweden: A survey study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceFamilies and autistic adults in Sweden reported low use of genetic testing after an autism diagnosis. Many had not been referred, and few believed testing was available.
• SLPOther2023Brief Report: Evaluating the Diagnostic Yield of Commercial Gene Panels in Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCommercial gene panels for autism rarely find a cause. Most detect a genetic variant in fewer than 3% of cases. A negative panel result does not rule out a genetic basis for autism, as the panels miss many relevant genes.
• OTSLPQualitative2023"You Feel Like You Kind of Walk Between the Two Worlds": A Participatory Study Exploring How Technology Can Support Emotion Regulation for Autistic People.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic people and staff want emotion regulation technology that is adaptable, affordable and co-designed. Participants valued consistency and early warning of distress, but flagged ethical concerns about monitoring and a lack of tools for those with higher IQ.
• OTSLPCohort2022A prospective study of associations between early fearfulness and perceptual sensitivity and later restricted and repetitive behaviours in infants with typical and elevated likelihood of autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn infants with and without a family history of autism, higher fearfulness and perceptual sensitivity at 24 months predicted more restricted and repetitive behaviours and social communication difficulties at 36 months. These early temperamental traits were not specific to repetitive behaviours alone.
• SLPOther2022Defining in Detail and Evaluating Reliability of DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Among Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA detailed guide for mapping specific behaviors to DSM-5 autism criteria helped clinicians reliably agree on diagnoses. Agreement remained high across different sites, sexes, and cognitive levels, reducing bias in how autism is identified from records.
• OTSLPCohort2023Characterizing Daily-Life Social Interactions in Adolescents and Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Comparison Between Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with autism or 22q11 deletion spend similar time alone as peers, but less with friends and more with family. Those with autism feel judged and lonely in company. Those with 22q11 enjoy interactions but prefer being alone, suggesting different therapy targets.
• SLPPilot2023Parent-Led Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions. A Pilot Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of anxious autistic children who completed an 8-session CBT group reported reduced anxiety and family accommodation at 3-month follow-up. With no control group, these gains cannot be separated from natural change or assessment bias.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022A Longitudinal RCT of P-ESDM With and Without Parental Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction: Impact on Child Outcomes.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdding parental mindfulness training to early autism intervention did not improve child outcomes. Children in both groups showed similar decreases in autism severity and skill development, regardless of whether parents received the extra support sessions.
• SLPQualitative2022Exploring potential sources of childhood trauma: A qualitative study with autistic adults and caregivers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults and caregivers described childhood trauma from bullying, social exclusion, restraint or forced therapy, blocked opportunities, sensory events, and changes they could not predict. The standard trauma checklist did not capture many of these experiences.
• SLPOther2022Friendship quality among autistic and non-autistic (pre-) adolescents: Protective or risk factor for mental health?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic pre-adolescents reported less positive friendship quality than non-autistic peers, while negative features were similar. They also had more depressive and anxiety symptoms. For the 18 autistic girls, higher positive friendship quality appeared linked to higher anxiety.
• SLPQualitative2022A virtuous circle: Stakeholder perspectives of a short-term intensive parent training programme delivered within the context of routine services for autism in China.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCaregivers valued autism knowledge and hands-on practice but found the 11-week programme too short to build confidence. They requested structured childcare, family training and ongoing support. Practitioners reported high stress and insufficient supervision despite delivering the content with high fidelity.
• SLPOther2023Effects of Parental Involvement in Robot-Assisted Autism Therapy.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParental presence did not significantly change overall child engagement during robot-assisted autism therapy. Subgroup analysis suggested non-verbal children engaged more with parents present, while verbal children spoke less and showed more aggression. The study was too small to confirm these effects.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2023Beyond Friendship: The Spectrum of Social Participation of Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersForty autistic adults described finding belonging through work, neighborhoods, interest groups, support services, and online platforms. Casual encounters and acquaintances mattered as much as close friendships. Clinicians should ask about these varied contexts rather than focusing only on friendship quality.
• SLPRCT2023Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Disruptive Behaviors and Autism: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism and disruptive behavior showed large reductions in aggression and major gains in parent-child interaction after Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. These benefits occurred regardless of autism severity, medication use, age, or language level, and the therapy reduced parental stress.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2023Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Daily Life: Diverse Experiences for Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults reported higher stress and mixed pandemic impacts. Home life was often positive due to predictability, but social and work life suffered from isolation and routine loss. Telehealth was polarizing: some preferred its low sensory demand, while others found it exhausting and insufficient for complex needs.
• SLPQualitative2022Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) - Parent Group Training for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study on Perspectives of Parents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents described PRT group training as intensive but worthwhile. They valued sharing experiences with other parents and seeing therapists model techniques. Video recording helped them see their own patterns but caused initial discomfort. Perceived child communication improved, though this was not measured against a control.
• OTSLPCohort2022The impact of early stages of COVID-19 on the mental health of autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A longitudinal mixed-methods study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults' mental health did not worsen overall during early lockdown. Anxiety and stress scores fell on average, but individual reactions varied widely. Loss of routine, uncertainty and reduced support predicted decline, while social contact and leisure activities predicted improvement.
• SLPCohort2023Perceived and Observed Treatment Gains Following PEERS: A Preliminary Study with Latinx Adolescents with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTeens reported social knowledge gains, parents reported social skills gains, and both reported more hosted get-togethers after PEERS, but blind observers did not find clear conversational improvement. This is a small pilot, so do not treat it as proof the program works.
• SLPCase-Control2023Gestational Age in Autistic Children and Adolescents: Prevalence and Effects on Autism Phenotype.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNo difference in autistic traits, behaviour or IQ was found across preterm, full-term and post-term autistic children and adolescents. Preterm and post-term birth were more common than in matched controls.
• SLPCase-Control2023Autistic Children Quickly Orient Away from Both Eyes and Mouths During Face Observation.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism looked away faster than typically developing children, whether they first looked at the eyes or the mouth. They were not slower to look toward either feature, so looking away may reflect quick disengagement rather than not looking toward the eyes.
• SLPNarrative Review2023Eye Gaze in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Neural Evidence for the Eye Avoidance Hypothesis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersReduced eye gaze in autism was more often linked to avoiding over-stimulation than to reduced interest. Directing gaze to eyes changed brain activity in some studies, but no tested therapy.
• SLPOther2023Utilization of a Best Practice Alert (BPA) at Point-of-Care for Recruitment into a US-Based Autism Research Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAn electronic alert prompting clinicians to mention an autism study increased recruitment and completion. Patients referred via this alert were more likely to finish the study than those recruited by other methods, with non-white patients showing particularly high completion rates.
• SLPSurvey2023Brief Report: Covid Restrictions had Positive and Negative Impacts on Schooling for Students on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children with autism reported mixed impacts of school closures. While 48% described only negative effects on education, 26% reported positive impacts, including improved mental health and engagement. Remote learning helped some children avoid sensory overload but hindered others due to lack of structure.
• SLPOther2022Preliminary Validation and Feasibility of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood-Virtual (ADEC-V) for Autism Telehealth Evaluations in a Hospital Setting.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA telehealth version of the ADEC screening tool identified autism in toddlers referred for assessment, with the best balance of catching true cases and avoiding false alarms at a score of 14. It should be used alongside a caregiver interview, not as a standalone diagnostic test.
• OTSLPQualitative2022Clinician Perspectives on Telehealth Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersClinicians reported telehealth worked well for interviews and clear-cut cases but lacked confidence in diagnosing subtle symptoms or older children via video. Home observations offered richer behavioral data, though technology barriers and interpreter difficulties remained significant challenges.