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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 40 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPCohort2024Examining the association between prenatal cannabis exposure and child autism traits: A multi-cohort investigation in the environmental influences on child health outcome program.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPrenatal cannabis exposure was not associated with autism traits or diagnosis once tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use were accounted for. The apparent risk in unadjusted data disappeared when controlling for polydrug use.
• SLPQualitative2024Partnering With a Purpose: Promoting Equity and Justice for Black Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPBlack caregivers of children with autism described safety fears, provider bias, jargon, fragmented services, and need for providers to respect family knowledge, coordinate care, and support parent mental health. They proposed community-led navigation.
• SLPOther2024Spontaneous instrumental approach-avoidance learning in social contexts in autism.Molecular autismAdults with autism learned to choose seats that avoided angry faces and approached happy ones just as well as controls, even without instructions. This suggests spontaneous social learning is intact in high-functioning autism, contradicting theories of reduced social motivation.
• SLPOther2024Mapping neural correlates of biological motion perception in autistic children using high-density diffuse optical tomography.Molecular autismChildren with autism tolerated a brain-imaging cap while watching moving point-light displays. Non-autistic children showed stronger brain responses to biological motion in several regions. Brain activity related to parent-reported autism traits in the autistic group.
• SLPSurvey2024Characteristics and correlates of aggressive behavior in autistic youths.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchCaregiver reports showed verbal aggression was more common than physical aggression in autistic youths. Sleep problems, caregiver stress, and sibling conflict or criticism were linked to aggression. Age and sex were not related to aggression.
• SLPQualitative2024Family Involvement During Comprehensive Developmental Evaluations: Perspectives of Diverse Mothers.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMothers of children with false-positive autism screens relied on family for decision-making, logistics, and emotional support. Grandmothers often voiced early concerns, while partners provided logistical ease. Family input sometimes delayed care or increased worry, highlighting the need for providers to validate maternal stress and assess family dynamics.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Brief Report: Under-Identification of Symptomatic Menopause in Publicly-Insured Autistic People.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic women with intellectual disabilities were 28% less likely to have medical claims for menopausal symptoms than those without. This suggests that communication barriers or provider oversight, rather than biology, may be hiding significant health needs in this group.
• OTSLPQualitative2024Diversity in Autistic Play: Autistic Adults' Experiences.Autism in adulthoodAutistic adults described solitary play as restorative and social play as draining but valuable. They preferred parallel play and smaller groups. Imaginary play was often grounded in reality. Flow provided relaxation but disrupted self-care. These preferences vary by individual needs and energy levels.
• SLPRCT2025A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial of Prebiotic Supplementation in Children with Autism: Effects on Parental Quality of Life, Child Behaviour, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and the Microbiome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSix-week GOS plus dietetic advice did not improve parental quality of life, child social or mealtime behaviour, or overall GI symptoms in autistic children more than placebo plus dietetic advice. It increased Bifidobacterium, but did not give clear clinical benefit.
• SLPPilot2025Brief Report: Telehealth Music-Enhanced Reciprocal Imitation Training in Autism: A Single-Subject Feasibility Study of a Virtual Parent Coaching Intervention.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAll parents learned to use the music-enhanced autism imitation coaching strategies with fidelity, and they kept using them after online coaching. Children's spontaneous imitation did not consistently increase.
• OTSLPCohort2024Brief Report: The Factors Associated with Social Cognition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children without intellectual disability scored lower than neurotypical peers on theory of mind, working memory, and inferential thinking. Theory of mind was the strongest differentiator, correctly identifying 82% of the autistic group, but performance relied heavily on general cognitive abilities.
• SLPCohort2024Adaptive Behavior in Young Autistic Children: Associations with Irritability and ADHD Symptoms.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn young autistic children, higher irritability was linked to poorer socialization skills, even after accounting for ADHD symptoms. This suggests that targeting emotional regulation may support social development more effectively than addressing attention or activity levels alone.
• SLPOther2024How Well Can we Diagnose Autism in Adults? Evaluating an Informant-based Interview: The Dutch Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview - Adult Version (3Di-Adult).Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe Dutch 3Di-Adult interview correctly identified 80.6% of adults with autism and 93.3% of controls when compared to clinical diagnosis. It takes about 42 minutes to administer but requires an informant and should not be used alone.
• SLPSystematic Review2024Indigenous Autism in Canada: A Scoping Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe review found a small literature on autism in Indigenous communities in Canada, mostly low quality by Indigenous research standards, with barriers to diagnosis and support, especially on reserve. It gives no evidence that any intervention works.
• SLPOther2025Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Inpatient Adolescent Psychiatric Population.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTwenty of 173 adolescents admitted to inpatient psychiatric units were diagnosed with ASD (11.56%), versus 1.52% in Canadian children and youth. Prenatal and perinatal factors did not separate the groups.
• OTSLPCohort2025Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Times of COVID-19: Examining Emotional and Behavioral Problems, Parental Well-Being, and Resilience.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism did not show a larger increase in emotional and behavioral problems during the COVID-19 lockdown than typically developing peers. Parental mental health and social connectedness were not associated with how children’s problems changed. Individual variability was high, meaning some children worsened while others remained stable or improved.
• SLPOther2025Evaluating the Efficiency and Equity of Autism Diagnoses via Telehealth During COVID-19.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTime to autism diagnosis did not significantly differ between telehealth and in-person evaluations. Overall demographics and diagnosis rates were similar, though longer distance and private insurance were associated with longer telehealth diagnosis times.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2024Autism in Preschool-Aged Children: The Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPreschoolers with autism struggled far more with remote learning and showed worsening behaviors during lockdown, with 43% of parents reporting symptom deterioration. Typically developing children managed better, though all groups lost physical activity and sleep routine.
• SLPCase-Control2024Gaze Following as an Early Diagnostic Marker of Autism in a New Word Learning Task in Toddlers.Journal of autism and developmental disordersToddlers with a high likelihood of autism looked at eyes and mouths far less than typically developing peers during a word-learning task, focusing almost entirely on objects. Eye-tracking detected the autism group in 96.5% of cases, suggesting gaze patterns could serve as an early diagnostic marker.
• SLPRCT2024A Pilot Randomised Control Trial Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Delivering a Personalised Modular Psychological Intervention for Anxiety Experienced by Autistic Adults: Personalised Anxiety Treatment-Autism (PAT-A).Journal of autism and developmental disordersA personalised anxiety treatment for autistic adults was feasible and acceptable, but the pilot was too small and disrupted by the pandemic to prove it works. Participants reported feeling understood and gaining coping skills, yet efficacy remains untested.
• SLPCase-Control2024Predictors of Sexual Victimization Among Autistic and Non-Autistic College Students.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWhen matched for other diagnoses, autistic college students reported similar rates of sexual victimization as non-autistic students. ADHD, however, was associated with higher odds of both unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, regardless of autism status.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Prevalence and Characteristics of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn a diverse metropolitan area, 17.7 per 1,000 adolescents had autism. Prevalence was twice as high in high-income areas compared to low-income areas, and one in four cases remained undiagnosed by age 16.
• SLPCohort2025Profiling Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Traits in Children with SYNGAP1-Related Intellectual Disability.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported high autistic traits in 30 children with SYNGAP1-ID, especially repetitive behaviours and peer difficulties. In 19 who completed Conners, 16 of 19 had an ADHD probability above 50%. Only 12 had an ASD diagnosis and 2 had an ADHD diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2024How 18-month-olds with Later Autism Look at Other Children Interacting: The Timing of Gaze Allocation.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe first planned looking measure did not show the expected shift; in a later window, toddlers later diagnosed with autism looked less at a girl's face after a boy asked her for a toy than elevated-likelihood toddlers without autism.
• SLPOther2024Autism Prevalence and the Intersectionality of Assigned Sex at Birth, Race, and Ethnicity on Age of Diagnosis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutism prevalence was 2.65% overall, but Black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latinx children were diagnosed earlier than white and non-Hispanic children. Females were diagnosed later than males, with the greatest delays seen in non-Hispanic white, Black, or Asian females.
• SLPOther2024Treatment Engagement as a Predictor of Therapy Outcome Following Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn-session involvement throughout therapy predicted better emotional regulation outcomes for autistic children. Therapeutic relationship and homework completion did not predict change. This suggests monitoring and addressing engagement issues early in treatment is key for success.
• PTOTSLPOther2024A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Characterization of Family Support from Adolescence to Young Adulthood in Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAs autistic youth reach adulthood, family support remains the most helpful and valued resource, while formal professional support declines significantly. Caregivers shift from needing practical help to valuing emotional partnership and dependability. Clinicians should prioritize assessing family networks, not just clinical services.
• SLPCohort2024The Construct Validity of the Childhood Joint Attention Rating Scale (C-JARS) in School-Aged Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents completed the 55-item C-JARS to rate their children's joint attention. Autistic children had significantly more atypical symptoms and less prosocial sharing than neurotypical peers. Scores correlated with clinical observations of social affect but not repetitive behaviors, supporting its use as a specific measure of social symptoms in research.
• SLPCase-Control2024The Relationship Between Autism and Pitch Perception is Modulated by Cognitive Abilities.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic participants did not show enhanced pitch perception. Across pitch tasks they performed similarly or poorer than neurotypical participants, and cognitive abilities were associated with pitch scores.
• SLPCase-Control2024Defining the Characteristics of Story Production of Autistic Children: A Multilevel Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children told picture stories with more sound and word errors, fewer picture events and events not shown, and less connected overall than matched peers, even though groups scored similarly on memory, attention and theory-of-mind tasks.
• SLPOther2024Epidemiologic Patterns of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Pediatric Inpatients in the United States, 1997-2019.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutism diagnoses in US pediatric hospitals rose sharply from 0.18% in 1997 to 3.36% in 2019. This increase was steepest among boys, non-Hispanic White youths, and younger birth cohorts. The data reflects hospital records rather than community screening.
• OTSLPRCT2024Socialization, Education, and Learning for the Internet (SELFI): A Pilot RCT of a Social Media Skills Group Program for Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults rated this Facebook skills group as enjoyable and helpful for confidence. Half showed improved online engagement compared to none on the waitlist, but no significant differences appeared in social media anxiety or utility.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Expectations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual Disabilities in Ghana: A Comparison Between Service Providers and Parents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents expect children with autism or intellectual disability to achieve independence more than teachers and healthcare providers do. Providers rated independence as highly important but doubted it would happen. Aligning these expectations is crucial to avoid conflicting care goals.
• SLPSurvey2025TV Series in Mainstream Media Depicting Autism and Self-Diagnosis of Autism in a General Population of Young Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWatching more TV shows with autistic characters was linked to higher autism self-diagnosis in young adults. However, these self-diagnoses did not match objective emotion recognition scores, suggesting the link reflects subjective perception rather than clinical signs.
• SLPCohort2025Factors Influencing Despair, Self-blame, and Acceptance Among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Malaysian Perspective.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents with higher education and children in school reported less despair. Chinese ethnicity linked to more self-blame and less acceptance. Parents with medical illness and children on antipsychotics reported more despair and self-blame. Married parents had higher acceptance. Cross-sectional design limits causal claims.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Behaviours that Challenge in SATB2-associated Syndrome: Correlates of Self-injury, Aggression and Property Destruction.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSelf-injury was linked to reflux signs and health problems, aggression to impulsivity, and property destruction to older age and male sex. These are correlations from caregiver reports, not proof that treating these factors reduces behaviour.
• SLPOther2024Machine Learning Differentiation of Autism Spectrum Sub-Classifications.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA machine learning model using routine questionnaire and demographic data classified autism spectrum subtypes with high accuracy. It correctly identified 80.5% of cases in the main dataset, though positive predictive value for PDD-NOS was low at 0.221.
• SLPSurvey2024Social Anxiety in Autistic People: Does the Clark and Wells Model fit?Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe Clark and Wells model explains about half the variance in social fears for autistic adults, but autistic people report higher fear than the model predicts. Safety behaviours link less strongly to fear in autism, suggesting standard therapy protocols may need adaptation.
• SLPSystematic Review2024How are Autistic People Involved in the Design of Extended Reality Technologies? A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic people were rarely co-designers of XR technologies. When they were, their input improved usability and reduced anxiety. Most projects relied on teachers or parents instead. None of the studies let autistic people set the research questions.
• OTSLPCohort2024Psychosocial Outcomes in Autistic Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children in the Netherlands showed unexpected improvements in behavior and peer problems during the pandemic. Hyperactivity and conduct issues decreased, while prosocial behavior increased. Emotional problems remained stable, but worsened if the child themselves worried about COVID-19.
• SLPCohort2025Autistic Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Clinical Sample of Adolescents Seeking Medical Gender-Affirming Treatment in Norway.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn adolescents seeking gender-affirming care, 9.6% had an autism diagnosis, all assigned female at birth. Parent-reported autistic traits were higher than norms in this group, particularly social motivation difficulties. However, no significant difference in total trait scores was found between assigned female and male groups.
• SLPRCT2025Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) for Italy: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Social Skills Intervention for Autistic Adolescents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCompared with waiting, Italian PEERS® did not improve parent-rated overall social ability in autistic teens, but it increased social knowledge and the number of get-togethers they hosted.
• SLPCohort2025Brief Report: Single and Repeat Screening with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised in Young Children at Higher Likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor toddlers with an older sibling with autism, screening twice (at 18 and 24 months) caught more true cases than screening once. Parents with autism experience reported symptoms more consistently, so take their M-CHAT-R scores over the cutoff seriously and refer promptly.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2024Participation and Experiences in Extracurricular Activities for Autistic and Neurotypical Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of autistic children reported similar interest in extracurricular activities as neurotypical parents, but their children participated in fewer activities. Barriers were not just child behavior, but included program structure and social attitudes, suggesting inclusive design is key.
• SLPQualitative2024The Earlier, the Better? An In-Depth Interview Study on the Ethics of Early Detection with Parents of Children at an Elevated Likelihood for Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents described an autism diagnosis as a tool to justify changing their parenting and to gain recognition from others. They worried the label could also cause stereotyping. They suggested waiting for a 'timely' diagnosis rather than rushing for an early one.
• OTSLPCohort2024Harsh Parenting and Trajectories of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn autistic children, higher maternal harsh parenting was linked to more behavioural problems, but not emotional ones. Children exposed to high levels of smacking and shouting saw their total difficulties rise from borderline to abnormal by age 7.
• SLPQualitative2024Korean Immigrant Mothers and the Journey to Autism Diagnosis and Services for Their Child in the United States.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMothers described autism as illness or severe disability, bilingualism delaying concern, and US-Korea system gaps stalling services; family and clinician support helped them act.
• SLPCase-Control2024The Acquisition of Relative Clauses in Autism: The Role of Executive Functions and Language.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children’s relative-clause accuracy was not clearly lower than typically developing children’s, except in some object-clause conditions. Object relative clauses were harder than subject relative clauses for both groups.
• SLPOther2024Screening for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Autistic Adults: The Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Commonly Used Questionnaires.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-reported SDQ ADHD subscale missed 40% of ADHD cases in autistic young adults, despite high specificity. No single questionnaire, parent- or self-reported, met acceptable sensitivity and specificity thresholds simultaneously. Screening alone cannot rule out ADHD in this group.
• SLPCohort2025Behavioral Phenotypes and Comorbidity in 3q29 Deletion Syndrome: Results from the 3q29 Registry.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIndividuals with 3q29 deletion syndrome show significantly elevated behavioral problems and high rates of comorbidity compared to controls. The CBCL autism screener is highly sensitive for ASD, but CBCL/ABCL scales are poor screeners for anxiety and ADHD, requiring gold-standard diagnostic evaluations.