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 31 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSLPOther2023Social and emotional characteristics of girls and young women with DDX3X-associated intellectual disability: a descriptive and comparative study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersGirls and young women with DDX3X intellectual disability had higher anxiety and self-injury than girls with other genetic intellectual disability. Autism characteristics were similar. Anxiety and self-injury need assessment. Do not assume they are only autism.
• OTSLPOther2023Validity of the SNAP-IV For ADHD Assessment in South African Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe SNAP-IV ADHD scale shows mixed validity in South African children with neurodevelopmental disorders. It correlates well with other behavioral measures, but specific items like 'talks excessively' fail in non-verbal children, and 'does not listen' is often misinterpreted as autism symptoms rather than inattention.
• SLPSurvey2023Attitudes Toward Inclusion and Benefits Perceived by Families in Schools with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFamilies of children with special needs in inclusive schools held more positive attitudes and saw more benefits from including students with autism than families of children without special needs. School collaboration and teacher satisfaction were linked to more positive views.
• OTSLPCohort2023Longitudinal development of language and fine motor skills is correlated, but not coupled, in a childhood atypical cohort.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEarly skill level in one domain did not predict rate of change in the other. Language and fine motor growth rates were strongly correlated, but that did not show a driving effect.
• SLPCohort2023"Um" and "Uh" Usage Patterns in Children with Autism: Associations with Measures of Structural and Pragmatic Language Ability.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn children with autism, lower use of the filler "um" reflects weaker structural language skills, not social communication deficits. Therapists should treat reduced "um" usage as a potential marker of language production difficulty rather than a lack of listener awareness.
• SLPQualitative2023Reasons for alcohol use and non-use by underage U.S. autistic youth: A qualitative study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceUnderage autistic youth in the US described deliberate, calculated decisions about alcohol. They avoided it due to fear of addiction, medication interactions, and sensory issues. They used it to reduce masking, manage sensory overload, and fit in socially.
• SLPSurvey2023Autistic children who create imaginary companions: Evidence of social benefits.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents reported autistic children with imaginary companions had better understanding of others' minds and better social skills, but not better communication. This is an association from parent report, not proof the companions caused the skills.
• SLPOther2023Examining clinical characteristics of autism and links with parent perceptions of sibling relationship quality.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents reported that children with stronger communication skills had warmer relationships with siblings, especially if they also had behavioral difficulties. However, higher communication was also linked to more conflict. Children with more severe autism symptoms showed less conflict and rivalry with siblings.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Do Autism-Specific and General Developmental Screens Have Complementary Clinical Value?Journal of autism and developmental disordersCombining autism-specific and general developmental screens at 18 months did not reach acceptable sensitivity and specificity levels for both conditions. The ordinally scored Q-CHAT-10-O showed better sensitivity than the M-CHAT-R/F, while a failed communication subscale was a strong red flag for autism or delay.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023What is the concordance between parent- and education professional-reported adaptive functioning in autistic children using the VABS-II?Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents rated autistic children's adaptive skills higher than school staff did, particularly in socialisation and motor domains. Agreement was poor overall, meaning a child's function looks different at home than at school. Both perspectives are needed for accurate assessment.
• OTSLPCohort2023Early Social Behavior in Young Children with Sex Chromosome Trisomies (XXX, XXY, XYY): Profiles of Observed Social Interactions and Social Impairments Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with extra X or Y chromosomes showed less social interaction and more independent play than peers, especially when social demands were high. They also had elevated autism-related social impairments in daily life. These patterns appeared early and persisted after accounting for cognitive and language differences.
• SLPPilot2022Brief Report: Feasibility of Delivering the Secret Agent Society Group Social Skills Program via Telehealth During COVID-19: A Pilot Exploration.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFive families and clinicians found delivering a social skills program online feasible. Parents valued the convenience and accessibility. Children and parents noted that the online format limited informal socialization and peer practice compared to in-person groups.
• SLPOther2022"Going Mobile"-increasing the reach of parent-mediated intervention for toddlers with ASD via group-based and virtual delivery.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents who coached their toddlers with autism via virtual groups learned strategies and improved their children's vocal communication just as well as those meeting in person. Virtual delivery is a feasible option that maintains gains while removing travel barriers for families.
• SLPOther2022Provider and Caregiver Satisfaction with Telehealth Evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost caregivers and providers were satisfied with telehealth autism evaluations. Satisfaction was highest when providers were certain about the diagnosis and caregivers preferred telehealth. Technical issues did not lower caregiver satisfaction, but they did lower provider satisfaction.
• OTSLPRCT2023Reexamining Pathways Early Autism Intervention in Children Before and After the Third Birthday: A Randomized Control Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children under 3 whose parents were coached in Pathways made larger social communication gains than services as usual when tested by an unfamiliar adult. For over 3, gains were smaller and the study did not show a clear benefit.
• OTSLPSurvey2023Shining a Light on a Hidden Population: Social Functioning and Mental Health in Women Reporting Autistic Traits But Lacking Diagnosis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWomen who scored high on an autism screening test but lacked a diagnosis showed better social functioning than diagnosed autistic women, yet still scored lower than non-autistic women. They reported similar levels of anxiety and depression to diagnosed autistic women. This suggests undiagnosed autistic women face real social difficulties and mental health risks.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2022Early intervention for very young children with or at high likelihood for autism spectrum disorder: An overview of reviews.Developmental medicine and child neurologyEarly interventions for children under three improved development, but the evidence quality was critically low. Gains were largest on specific skills targeted in therapy, not on standardized tests. Current guidelines recommending 25 to 40 hours weekly are not supported by high-quality evidence.
• SLPOther2022Efficacy of PEERS® for Adolescents via Telehealth Delivery.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with autism who did PEERS® for Adolescents online improved social skills, conversation knowledge, and reported more peer get-togethers. Their changes matched in-person PEERS® on most outcomes, so online delivery can support friendship skills.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022An interdisciplinary nationwide complex intervention for lifespan neurodevelopmental service development: Underpinning principles and realist programme theory.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStakeholders identified seven practitioner-level mechanisms for successful service change: being action-oriented, providing concise evidence-informed information, and being an accessible team. These principles guided the National Autism Implementation Team in Scotland.
• SLPSurvey2023Sex differences in predictors and outcomes of camouflaging: Comparing diagnosed autistic, high autistic trait and low autistic trait young adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceOverall, sex did not predict camouflaging, but diagnosed females reported more than diagnosed males; high-trait and comparison groups showed no sex difference. Camouflaging was linked to poorer quality of life, including poorer social quality of life in males without a diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2023Self-harm and Suicidality Experiences of Middle-Age and Older Adults With vs. Without High Autistic Traits.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMiddle-aged and older adults with high autistic traits reported significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation (73% vs 30%), deliberate self-harm (20% vs 5%), and suicidal self-harm (13% vs 3%) than those without. These risks persisted after accounting for depression symptoms.
• OTSLPPilot2023Appropriateness, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Neurodiversity-Based Self-determination Program for Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders31 autistic adults found a multi-component self-determination program acceptable and feasible, and most reported goal progress, but no control group means the program was not shown to cause change.
• SLPSystematic Review2022Stakeholder experiences, attitudes and perspectives on inclusive education for children with developmental disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of qualitative studies.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceTeachers want to include children with developmental disabilities but lack training, resources, and specialist support. Peer collaboration and parental involvement help, but stigma and overcrowded classrooms often lead to exclusionary practices and bullying.
• SLPSystematic Review2023A Systematic Review of Autistic People and the Criminal Justice System: An Update of King and Murphy (2014).Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic people are not necessarily more likely to offend than non-autistic people, but they struggle to understand court proceedings. Police often miss autism signs, and autistic individuals face high rates of victimisation and self-harm within the justice system.
• SLPPilot2023Attention Allocation During Exploration of Visual Arrays in ASD: Results from the ABC-CT Feasibility Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism looked at faces less and made fewer fixations on them than typically developing peers. They also spent less time looking at objects overall. The visual task took two minutes and was well-tolerated by children with a wide range of abilities.
• SLPQualitative2023A longitudinal study of the mental health of autistic children and adolescents and their parents during COVID-19: Part 2, qualitative findings.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents reported that school closures reduced anxiety and distress for some autistic children, while increasing it for others. Worry peaked at the start of lockdown and again when schools reopened. Distress often showed as challenging behaviour rather than low mood.
• SLPCohort2023A longitudinal study of the mental health of autistic children and adolescents and their parents during COVID-19: Part 1, quantitative findings.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceDuring the UK lockdown, anxiety stayed high for autistic young people but decreased for those with other special educational needs. Parents' distress remained stable throughout. This suggests autistic young people did not adapt to the new normal, while others recovered from the initial disruption.
• SLPCohort2023Examining associations between prenatal biomarkers of oxidative stress and ASD-related outcomes using quantile regression.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPrenatal oxidative stress markers showed no strong overall links to autism traits or early learning scores at 36 months. Greater antioxidant balance was modestly linked to higher autism traits in middle ranges, with no clear diagnosis link.
• SLPCohort2023Theory of mind in naturalistic conversations between autistic and typically developing children and adolescents.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children showed more conversational norm violations than peers, but equal use of positive perspective-taking. Violations linked to poor emotion recognition. However, neither positive nor negative conversational traits predicted whether partners enjoyed the interaction.
• SLPCohort2022Utility of Diagnostic Classification for Children 0-5 to Assess Features of Autism: Comparing In-person and COVID-19 Telehealth Evaluations.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTelehealth evaluations during the pandemic saw a drop in full-criteria autism diagnoses and a rise in subthreshold diagnoses like early atypical autism. Higher scores on the CBCL Autism subscale predicted full diagnoses, while higher total CBCL scores predicted subthreshold ones.
• SLPOther2022Mapping the time course of overt emotion dysregulation, self-injurious behavior, and aggression in psychiatrically hospitalized autistic youth: A naturalistic study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn hospitalized autistic youth, self-injury and aggression often occurred during visible emotion dysregulation, but many episodes did not. Self-injury and aggression did not usually follow one another, and patterns varied widely between young people.
• SLPOther2022Detecting autism from picture book narratives using deep neural utterance embeddings.International journal of language & communication disordersDeep learning models classified autism from picture-book narratives better than two psychiatrists reading the same transcripts. However, both models scored far below standard clinical tools like the ADOS-2. This is an exploratory proof-of-concept, not a diagnostic tool.
• OTSLPOther2022Motor performance, praxis, and social skills in autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism and developmental coordination disorder had lower motor and praxis scores than typical peers. Autism was worse than developmental coordination disorder on gesture to command, meaningful imitation, and tool use, and theory of mind was lower only in autism.
• SLPPilot2022From Clinic Room to Zoom: Delivery of an Evidence-Based, Parent-mediated Intervention in the Community Before and During the Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children with autism reported significant decreases in disruptive behaviors after a 12-week group parent-training program, whether delivered face-to-face or via Zoom. Teacher reports also showed improvement in the face-to-face group.
• OTSLPSurvey2023Transition to Kindergarten for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Perspectives of Korean-American Parents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersKorean-American parents put child behavior and teacher cooperation first. They named school-system knowledge and teacher relationships as top barriers. First-generation parents, lower income, and self-contained placement were linked to more reported challenges.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Characterizing Interoceptive Differences in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults show lower accuracy on heartbeat counting but higher confidence in that performance. They do not differ from neurotypical controls on heartbeat discrimination or self-reported attention to body sensations. These mixed results suggest interoceptive differences are not a core feature of autism.
• SLPCohort2023Relationships between alexithymia, interoception, and emotional empathy in autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceYouths with autism showed intact emotional empathy and interoception, but higher alexithymia linked to lower empathic concern and higher personal distress. This suggests empathy difficulties may stem from alexithymia rather than autism itself.
• SLPOther2023Mental representations of speech and musical pitch contours reveal a diversity of profiles in autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children represented pitch contours in speech and music similarly to non-autistic children. The main finding was greater variability within the autistic group, not a general impairment or enhancement in pitch processing.
• SLPQualitative2023"Peas in a pod": Oral History Reflections on Autistic Identity in Family and Community by Late-Diagnosed Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersLate-diagnosed autistic adults described building shared identity through 'peas in a pod' recognition in family and finding 'tribes' in online and face-to-face autistic communities. These connections validated their experiences, though some faced rejection from partners or health professionals.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2023Alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty predict somatic symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported more physical symptoms than non-autistic peers, but this was not caused by autism itself. Instead, difficulty identifying emotions and intolerance of uncertainty predicted the symptoms. Treating these psychological traits may help reduce physical distress in autistic patients.
• SLPPilot2022Brief Report: A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of PEERS® for Adolescents Telehealth for Autistic Adolescents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adolescents who completed a 16-week social skills program online showed better social knowledge, more get-togethers, and lower caregiver-reported autistic symptoms. Without a control group, this pilot suggests feasibility but cannot confirm the treatment caused these changes.
• SLPQualitative2022The perspectives of Australian speech pathologists in providing evidence-based practices to children with autism.International journal of language & communication disordersAustralian speech pathologists working in private practice rarely read journal articles, citing time and cost. They rely heavily on colleagues, workshops, and social media for evidence, often accepting imperfect sources. Outcome measurement is hindered by client diversity and poor stakeholder collaboration, with data collection frequently delegated to parents and teachers.
• SLPOther2022Autistic people outperform neurotypicals in a cartoon version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic adults matched neurotypicals on the standard Reading the Mind in the Eyes test but outperformed them on a cartoon version. Neurotypicals scored worse on cartoons, while autistic performance remained consistent across both formats.
• OTSLPOther2023A comparison of the content and nature of worries of autistic and neurotypical young people as they transition from school.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic teens worry about the same things as neurotypical peers but feel more distress and anxiety. They specifically fear unexpected routine changes, social skills, and noise. Use concrete discussion tools to explore these worries before transition.
• SLPSurvey2022Public awareness of developmental language disorder in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia.International journal of language & communication disordersMany people in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia had heard of developmental language disorder, but accurate definitions were uncommon. Most still recognized speech-language pathologists as the key professionals, with teachers seen as similarly able to advise parents.
• OTSLPSurvey2023Caregiver-Child Agreement in Health-Related Quality of Life of Autistic Children and Adolescents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregiver and child quality of life ratings usually agreed, but caregivers tended to rate emotional functioning lower than children, especially in children aged 8 to 12. Ask children directly when planning care.
• SLPRCT2022Is traditional back translation enough? Comparison of translation methodology for an ASD screening tool.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA translation method that included cultural adaptation produced a screening tool that parents preferred and used more evenly, but they abandoned it more often than the standard back-translation version. The adapted version was longer, which likely caused the dropouts.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Quality of life beyond diagnosis in intellectual disability - Latent profiling.Research in developmental disabilitiesQuality of life in children with intellectual disability clusters into three profiles that do not match diagnosis alone. The best-scoring group still showed emotional difficulties, while lower-functioning groups struggled with independence and social interaction. Assess domains, not just labels.
• SLPQualitative2022Short report: Experiences of Caregivers Participating in a Telehealth Evaluation of Development for Infants (TEDI).Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregivers found a telehealth infant assessment convenient and appreciated receiving a kit of toys in advance. However, managing the camera and engaging the infant at home were frequent challenges. Families requested video tutorials and practice sessions to help them prepare for the technical demands of the visit.
• SLPPilot2022Pilot Study of Maternal Autoantibody-Related Autism.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPChildren of mothers with specific autoantibodies showed higher autism severity scores on both parent and clinician assessments. No differences were found in IQ, adaptive skills, or other behaviors. This pilot suggests a link to severity but cannot confirm cause.