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Age of First Walking and Associations with Symptom Severity in Children with Suspected or Diagnosed Autism Spectrum Diso...

Published in Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Age of first walking (AOW) is reported to be later in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with typical development. However, the relationship between AOW and variations in ASD symptoms across different neurodevelopmental disorders is largely unknown. This study investigated AOW and its association with autism symptom severity in a large sample ...

Parent Perspectives Towards Genetic and Epigenetic Testing for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Published in Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Examining community views on genetic/epigenetic research allows collaborative technology development. Parent perspectives toward genetic/epigenetic testing for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well-studied. Parents of children with ASD (n = 131), non-ASD developmental delay (n = 39), and typical development (n = 74) completed surveys assessin...

Including Children with Developmental Disabilities in the Equation During this COVID-19 Pandemic

Published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Amidst the ongoing novel Coronavirus disease pandemic, children with developmental disabilities warrant specific attention to minimise having disproportionate consequences. These children are especially vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic due to (1) Greater healthcare needs, (2) Dependency on community-based services and (3) Mental health con...

The Coronavirus Might be Paradoxically Beneficial on the Risk of Autism

Published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

How is COVID-19 Affecting the Mental Health of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Their Famili...

Published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the UK ( n = 241) were asked to describe the impact of COVID-19 on their own mental health and that of their child. An inductive content analysis of the data was undertaken. Both parents and children appear to be experiencing loss, worry and changes in mood and behaviour as a re...

Supporting Minimally Verbal Autistic Girls with Intellectual Disabilities Through Puberty: Perspectives of Parents and E...

Published in Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Limited research has examined puberty in autistic girls, yet alone those who are minimally verbal and with additional intellectual disabilities. In this study, ten parents and ten educators were interviewed about their views and experiences of supporting these girls through puberty. Results demonstrated that many parents had concerns prior to the o...

Brief Report: Testing the Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Screen for Child...

Published in Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Anxiety is a prevalent and impairing co-morbidity among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet assessment measures, including screening tools, are seldom validated with autism samples. We explored the psychometric properties of the child and parent reports of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Screen for Anxiety Relate...

Evaluation of a Transition to University Programme for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Published in Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Applying to university can be an anxiety-provoking time for many autistic students, though enrolment can be increased by actively involving them in transition planning. We provide an evaluation of a transition to university pilot programme (Autism Summer School) for autistic students (16-19 years) who are seeking to apply/attend university. The con...

What Contributes to Stigma Towards Autistic University Students and Students with Other Diagnoses?

Published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Little remains known about the degree to which autistic university students are stigmatized relative to students with other diagnoses. We conducted an online survey with students in New York City ( n = 633) and Beirut ( n = 274). Students with diagnoses that were perceived as dangerous (e.g., psychopathy) were more stigmatized than students with di...