Autism Research最新文献

{"title":"The Effect of a Parent Advocacy Intervention on Service Access for Autistic Youth: The Moderating Role of Baseline Advocacy Ability","authors":"Carly Moser,&nbsp;Leann Smith DaWalt,&nbsp;Meghan M. Burke,&nbsp;Julie Lounds Taylor","doi":"10.1002/aur.70357","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70357","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autistic youth face significant challenges accessing adult disability services as they transition out of school-based services. Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions (ASSIST), a group-based program, was developed to address this issue by teaching parents about the service system and how to advocate for services for their youth. Through a randomized controlled trial, previous findings showed that ASSIST improved parent advocacy ability and increased access to government programs for youth who had exited high school. To identify which families may benefit most from ASSIST, the current study used a baseline target moderation framework to examine whether parents' baseline levels of advocacy ability (i.e., knowledge of adult services, perceived advocacy skills, and empowerment) modified the effect of intervention modality (ASSIST vs. written materials) on the primary outcome. The primary outcome for this study was having one or more service needs met at the 6- or 12-month follow-up. Participants included 138 parents of transition-aged autistic youth who received the ASSIST program or comprehensive written materials on disability services. We found that parents taking ASSIST who reported high levels of perceived advocacy skills and empowerment at baseline were more likely to have a service need met compared to those who received written materials. These findings help clarify which families are most likely to benefit from a parent advocacy program and underscore the importance of parental empowerment and perceived advocacy skills in securing needed services for their autistic youth.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70357","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148835216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-Term Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study","authors":"Evora Hailin Zhu,&nbsp;Stephen Z. Levine,&nbsp;Matilda Morin,&nbsp;Weiyao Yin,&nbsp;Benjamin Christoffersen,&nbsp;Johan Askling,&nbsp;Natalia Rivera,&nbsp;Abraham Reichenberg,&nbsp;Joseph D. Buxbaum,&nbsp;Sven Sandin,&nbsp;Benjamin Hon Kei Yip","doi":"10.1002/aur.70349","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70349","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To investigate the long-term risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), addressing potential immune comorbidity in ASD populations. A population-based matched cohort was assembled using Swedish registers, including 46,164 individuals diagnosed with ASD between 1987 and 2017, matched to 4,634,895 controls by sex and birth year. Cohort members were followed from age 18 until RA diagnosis, death, emigration, or end of follow-up, providing up to 30 years of observation into adulthood. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for RA, with sensitivity analyses adjusting for parental autoimmune, psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. RA diagnosis rates were similar between individuals with ASD (<i>n</i> = 58, 0.13%) and controls (<i>n</i> = 5484, 0.12%), with no increased risk: overall HR = 1.06 (95% CI 0.82–1.37), seropositive HR = 1.00 (0.67–1.48), and seronegative HR = 1.12 (0.79–1.57). Complementary analyses adjusting for parental psychiatric history, autoimmune conditions, and socioeconomic factors yielded consistent null findings (HR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.97–1.84). Sensitivity analyses, including accelerated failure time models and alternative RA subtype definitions, confirmed these results. This large-scale population study does not suggest an increased RA risk in individuals with ASD. Despite suggested immune dysfunction in ASD and shared genetic pathways with autoimmune conditions, we did not observe evidence that ASD is associated with elevated RA risk during adulthood; In conclusion, these findings inform understanding of autoimmune comorbidity patterns in autism and may guide evidence-based clinical monitoring for autistic adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148851900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex and Cognitive Ability-Based Stratification of Social Attention in Autism","authors":"Jason W. Griffin,&nbsp;Frederick Shic,&nbsp;Adam Naples,&nbsp;Kelsey Dommer,&nbsp;Geraldine Dawson,&nbsp;Susan Faja,&nbsp;Shafali Jeste,&nbsp;Natalia Kleinhans,&nbsp;James Dziura,&nbsp;Catherine Sugar,&nbsp;Damla Senturk,&nbsp;Gerhard Hellemann,&nbsp;Sara Jane Webb,&nbsp;James C. McPartland,&nbsp;the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials","doi":"10.1002/aur.70356","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70356","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Reduced social attention (SA) is a hallmark feature of autism that is foundational to social communication and interaction. However, emerging evidence suggests that reduced SA may not be uniformly expressed across the autism spectrum. Sex and cognitive ability (IQ) have been identified as relevant stratification variables, potentially moderating SA in autistic children. We examined differential patterns of SA stratified by sex and cognitive ability in a large, longitudinal sample of autistic and neurotypical (NT) children (ages 6–11 years) from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT), examining SA across four measurement timepoints (Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 4 years). SA was measured using the oculomotor index of gaze to human faces (OMI) derived from standardized eye-tracking (ET) assays, with children stratified by sex (male, female) and IQ (IQ ≥ 85, IQ &lt; 85). Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the effects of sex, IQ, and timepoint on SA, with additional analyses assessing the stability and clinical associations of OMI. Autistic females did not exhibit lower OMI scores compared to autistic males; however, relative to sex-matched NT children, autistic females showed approximately twice the reduction in OMI observed in autistic males. Likewise, the reduction in OMI associated with autism (i.e., ASD &lt; NT) was larger in autistic children with below-average IQ than in those with average or above-average IQ. These differences were relatively stable across measurement timepoints, and OMI was more strongly associated with clinical features like face memory and adaptive behavior in autistic males and the average or above-average IQ autism subgroup. While reduced SA is a general feature of autism, its expression is stratified by sex and cognitive ability. These findings highlight the importance of subgroup stratification to better understand heterogeneity in autism and improve the utility of SA as a therapeutic biomarker.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148860597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of Change in Severity of Self-Injurious Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Autistic Children","authors":"Joseph Boyle,&nbsp;Andrew Dakopolos,&nbsp;Olivia Surgent,&nbsp;Joshua K. Lee,&nbsp;Derek S. Andrews,&nbsp;Brianna Heath,&nbsp;Jason Smucny,&nbsp;Marjorie Solomon,&nbsp;Sally J. Rogers,&nbsp;Christine Wu Nordahl","doi":"10.1002/aur.70350","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70350","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) affect up to 50% of autistic individuals and significantly impact quality of life and everyday functioning. Cross-sectional studies link the presence of SIB to lower IQ, altered sensory responsivity, and poor emotion regulation, yet their effect on changes in SIB severity from early childhood to school age in autism remains poorly understood. We examined SIBs in 325 autistic children assessed at age 2–5 years (T1) and 161 autistic children at 4–9 years (T3). This included a subset of 122 autistic children evaluated longitudinally at both time points. SIBs were classified into subgroups based on severity of SIB (no-SIB, mild, moderate, severe). We assessed cognitive ability, dysregulation, and sensory features at each time point. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were used to examine group differences. At T1, 74% of the sample were characterized as having mild, moderate, or severe SIB. At T3, 67% had mild, moderate, or severe SIB. There was substantial variability in SIB severity subgroup membership across time; however, only 9% did not have SIBs at either timepoint. At both timepoints, children with more severe SIBs had increased dysregulation (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and sensory features (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), but differences in developmental/intellectual quotient (DQ/IQ) emerged only at T3. Longitudinally, improvement in sensory features (<i>p</i> = 0.026) and higher T3 IQ (<i>p</i> = 0.039) significantly raised odds of decreasing SIB severity. Of the baseline measures of sensory features, dysregulation, DQ, and SIB severity, higher baseline SIB severity was the only predictor of increasing SIB severity. SIBs are highly prevalent in preschool-aged autistic children. Sensory responsivity and dysregulation predict severity of SIBs, and reductions in sensory features may lead to decreased SIB severity across time.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70350","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148835225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DSM-5-TR Severity Levels for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Agreement Between Clinicians Using Telehealth and In-Person Assessment Procedures","authors":"Michael J. Morrier,&nbsp;Allison J. Schwartz","doi":"10.1002/aur.70351","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70351","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The DSM-5/DSM-5-TR includes clinician-reported severity levels to help individualize autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses. Severity levels for the two core autism domains of social communication and interaction (SCI) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are assigned using a 3-point Likert scale, with higher levels indicating greater symptom severity. Research examining the consistency of DSM-5-TR severity-rating agreement has been limited. Four doctoral-level clinicians independently evaluated 49 toddlers, ages 16–31 months, with each child receiving both a telehealth and an in-person (IPA) comprehensive diagnostic assessment. Previous research using this cohort demonstrated high agreement between clinicians for overall ASD diagnostic outcome. The present study examined agreement in clinician-assigned DSM-5-TR severity levels. Agreement between assessment protocols was fair for SCI (<i>κ</i> = 0.318, 95% CI [−0.114, 0.352]) and slight for RRB (<i>κ</i> = 0.195, 95% CI [−0.046, 0.436]). Further analyses revealed no significant differences in severity ratings based on individual clinician, clinical team, or assessment protocol. These findings suggest that factors beyond the core ASD symptom domains may influence clinicians' assignment of DSM-5-TR severity levels despite guidance that ratings should reflect impairment within SCI and RRB. The relatively low agreement observed for severity ratings, despite previously demonstrated high agreement for ASD diagnostic classification, suggests that assigning a diagnosis and determining the level of support needed represent distinct clinical decisions. Improving the consistency and transparency of DSM-5-TR severity level assignment may strengthen clinical communication, treatment planning, and equitable access to services while enhancing the reliability and clinical utility of these specifiers across diagnostic settings.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148802245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor: Autism and Cortical Thickness Deviation From Neurotypical Controls: Evidence for a Spatial Association With Serotonin Receptors","authors":"Laust Vind Knudsen,&nbsp;Manouchehr Seyedi Vafaee,&nbsp;Tanja Maria Michel","doi":"10.1002/aur.70358","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70358","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148815079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atypical Cerebellar Responses are Associated with Altered Neural Habituation during Sensory Stimulation in Autism","authors":"Melis E. Cakar,&nbsp;Kaitlin K. Cummings,&nbsp;Susan Y. Bookheimer,&nbsp;Mirella Dapretto,&nbsp;Shulamite A. Green","doi":"10.1002/aur.70313","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70313","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sensory processing atypicalities are highly prevalent in autistic youth; yet, the neural mechanisms underlying these differences are not well understood. While the cerebellum plays a key role in sensorimotor coordination and is structurally and functionally atypical in the autistic brain, it has been overlooked in research investigating sensory challenges in autism. Previous evidence has linked sensory over-responsivity in autism to altered neural habituation in sensory and limbic regions, but the role of the cerebellum in atypical habituation is as yet unknown. In the current study, we investigated sensory-evoked cerebellar responses in autistic and typically-developing (TD) youth, and how these responses related to sensory-limbic habituation. Fifty-two autistic and 41 TD participants aged 8–18 years underwent fMRI during mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimulation. We found increased activity in the contralateral (to the tactile stimulation) cerebellum in ASD compared to TD. Greater cerebellar activity was associated with more habituation in sensory-limbic regions for TD youth. In contrast, stronger activity in lobule VII (including crus I and II) was associated with <i>less</i> amygdala habituation in ASD. There were no diagnostic group differences in the relationship between cerebellar activation and habituation in sensory cortices. Results inform understanding of the role of the cerebellum in processing aversive sensory information and, taken together, findings of hyper-active cerebellar responses as well as an atypical relationship between cerebellar function and amygdala habituation suggest cerebellar involvement in sensory alterations in autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13644733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148835173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal Thyroid Dysfunction During Pregnancy and Childhood Autism or Other Developmental Outcomes","authors":"Zoe B. Kaplan,&nbsp;Elizabeth N. Pearce,&nbsp;Meghan Miller,&nbsp;Daniel Tancredi,&nbsp;Irva Hertz-Picciotto,&nbsp;Hyeong-Moo Shin,&nbsp;Rebecca J. Schmidt","doi":"10.1002/aur.70346","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70346","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Overt maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy has been associated with cognitive impairment in offspring, but less is known about effects of subclinical hypothyroidism and other maternal thyroid conditions on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the relationships between maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes. Participants were from a high ASD likelihood pregnancy cohort (MARBLES). Maternal thyroid dysfunction (hypothyroid or hyperthyroid compared to euthyroid) was measured in up to one blood sample per trimester. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) were also examined as exposures. Outcomes were child ASD diagnosis, non-typical development (non-TD), typical development and standardized scores from the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Outcomes were confirmed by study psychometricians. Multinomial logistic and quintile regressions were used to examine associations of maternal thyroid dysfunction (using trimester-specific reference ranges) with developmental outcomes and SRS scores. Among 285 pregnancies, 83.9% were categorized as euthyroid, 9.5% hypothyroid, and 6.7% hyperthyroid. Of 285 children included in analyses, 28.8% were diagnosed with ASD (<i>n</i> = 82; female = 27) and 14.7% with non-TD (<i>n</i> = 42; female = 19). Maternal hypothyroid conditions were associated with increased ASD:TD odds (adjusted RRR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.22, 9.45; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Significant relationships were also found between hypothyroid conditions and non-TD, and between first trimester TSH and ASD. There was no evidence of a relationship between either TSH or FT4 and preschool SRS scores. Findings suggest that maternal hypothyroid conditions during pregnancy are associated with greater chances of their children developing ASD and other neurodevelopmental differences among children with high familial likelihood of ASD.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148726779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality of Life in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Patients and Caregivers","authors":"Kamila Castro,&nbsp;Camila Kümmel Duarte,&nbsp;Eduarda Silva,&nbsp;Laura Hoffmann,&nbsp;Jenifer Lopes Borchardt,&nbsp;Laura Pohl,&nbsp;Josiane Luçardo,&nbsp;Myrella Lapschies,&nbsp;Andreia Morales Cascaes,&nbsp;Ana Amélia Freitas-Vilela,&nbsp;Adriane Cenci,&nbsp;Juliana S. Vaz","doi":"10.1002/aur.70348","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70348","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition associated with significant challenges in daily functioning and well-being. Caregivers often experience substantial psychological and physical burden. However, comprehensive synthesis of quality of life (QoL) outcomes for both individuals with ASD and their caregivers remains limited. This study evaluated QoL in individuals with ASD and their caregivers and examined key psychological, social, and economic determinants. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42024538872). PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, and preprint repositories were searched for studies published between January 2013 and July 2025. Eligible studies assessed QoL using validated instruments in individuals with ASD aged ≤ 19 years and/or their caregivers. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled mean differences. Of 14,368 records identified, 216 studies were included. Quantitative meta-analyses included up to 173 studies, depending on the outcome and availability of comparable data. Individuals with ASD scored 21.7 points lower than peers (95% CI: −26.9 to −16.5; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001). Caregivers scored 13.64 points lower than controls (95% CI: −19.21 to −8.06; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001). Emotional and social domains were most affected. Higher Human Development Index was associated with better QoL. QoL is markedly reduced in individuals with ASD and their caregivers, underscoring the need for multidimensional and equitable interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70348","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148809189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Language Adaptation of Young Bilingual Autistic Children During Semi-Naturalistic Interactions With Their Caregivers","authors":"Pauline Maes,&nbsp;Maira Tafolla,&nbsp;Nurit Benrey,&nbsp;Nicole Rosen,&nbsp;Helen Tager-Flusberg,&nbsp;Catherine Lord","doi":"10.1002/aur.70319","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70319","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although bilingualism is now recognized as having no adverse effects on language outcomes in autistic children, little is known about how it manifests in early development, particularly in minimally speaking children who may show unique patterns of bilingual expression. The present study used naturalistic language sampling to characterize bilingual language use in minimally speaking autistic children and their caregivers. Video recordings of 31 minimally speaking autistic children interacting with their caregivers during two separate sessions of the Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA)—one in English and one in Spanish—were transcribed and analyzed for language skills (mean length of utterance in words, number of different words), speaking rate (utterances per minute), and use of English, Spanish, or mixed-language utterances. We found that children were slightly more proficient in English than in Spanish, especially in the number of different words. Both children and caregivers produced similar rates of speech across the English and Spanish BOSA sessions, suggesting that language choice did not quantitatively impact their interaction. Finally, children aligned with their caregivers' language use more consistently in English than in Spanish. Although they responded in Spanish when caregivers used Spanish, they also switched into English a lot during the Spanish BOSA. These findings suggest that minimally speaking autistic children flexibly adapt to their caregiver's language while showing an early advantage or preference for their societally dominant language.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148594791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}