Autism in Adulthood最新文献

{"title":"Autistic Co-Led Community Priorities for Future Autism Research in Aotearoa New Zealand.","authors":"Lisa Marie Emerson, Ruth Monk, Larah van der Meer, Dean Sutherland, Laurie McLay","doi":"10.1089/aut.2022.0109","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2022.0109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous studies of community priorities for autism research have been limited by low representation of autistic people and thus a bias toward the views of families and professionals. We aimed to determine the first community-led priorities for autism research in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Autistic people were essential partners in the project, from inception and design through to methods and outputs. We gathered the views of the autistic and autism communities (including family, practitioners, and researchers) through focus groups (<i>n</i> = 55) and an online survey (<i>n</i> = 450). Almost 40% of the survey respondents indicated that they were autistic.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings across the focus groups and survey highlighted the importance of research that centralizes the experiences and needs of autistic people, particularly of autistic New Zealanders, including culturally specific research for Māori and Pacific peoples. All five priority topics for autistic adults were also priorities for at least one other group: (1) <i>Health, mental health, and well-being of autistic people</i> (all groups); (2) <i>Services across the life span</i> (autistic adults, health care/disability, and education practitioners); (3) <i>Needs of autistic people in Aotearoa NZ</i> (autistic adults, whānau); (4) <i>Perspectives from autistic people with a diverse range of support needs</i> (autistic adults; education practitioners); (5) <i>Quality of life of autistic people in Aotearoa NZ</i> (autistic adults; health care/disability practitioners).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We discuss the advantages of autistic involvement in research, and how these community priorities can inform future research and policy in NZ.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11317798/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49476035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Same Transition, Different Perspectives: Comparing Dyadic Interviews with Autistic Young Adults and Parents.","authors":"Hillary Steinberg, Tamara Garfield, Anne Roux, Lindsay Shea, Paul Shattuck","doi":"10.1089/aut.2022.0095","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2022.0095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The transition to young adulthood can be a turbulent life stage, and this is often magnified for autistic youth. Young adults frequently profess different goals and values than their parents. While there is some indication in autism research about how parents, and to a lesser extent, autistic young adults, feel about this transition, little research leverages dyadic interviews with both populations or has used this method with Black and/or low-income families.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We conducted four sets of dyadic interviews with autistic young adults and their parents who live together.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified three key themes that both groups found important to the transition: independence, structured transition, and interpersonal relationships. However, we found that how the groups conceptualized these themes were divergent and revealed differences in goals and values. Parents were more oriented toward long-term normative views of fulfillment, whereas young adults spoke about what was meaningful to them currently.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This work has implications for changes to how autism research will conceptualize the transition to young adulthood and how we can create better social opportunities for this population.</p><p><strong>Community brief: </strong><b>Why is this an important issue?:</b> Autistic adults are at risk for difficulties getting work and education, which can lead to them feeling alienated or unfulfilled. Most research on autistic people becoming adults is based on White people with more cultural and financial resources and does not ask autistic people themselves or their families with them. Research is needed to improve transition outcomes for these underresearched and underserved groups.<b>What was the purpose of this study?:</b> This study explored how autistic youth and their parents thought about and experienced the transition to adulthood out of an urban, low-resourced school district.<b>What did the researchers do?:</b> Researchers interviewed four parents and four autistic youth. Three families were Black, and one family was White and from a low-income household. All autistic youth had received special education services, needed support to transition to adulthood, and had finished high school 1 to 6 years before the study. The young adults lived with their mothers and received support from them for daily tasks. We interviewed the parents and then the youth. In some cases, youths joined parents' interviews or parents joined youths' interviews to provide help with remembering information or giving answers.<b>What were the results of the study?:</b> Researchers identified three themes. First, parents and youth thought about independence differently. Parents focused more on work and financial independence. Youth focused more on social aspects of work and having independence in daily activities such as shopping. The second theme was that youth a","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11304752/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49576848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"More Than Just a Variable: The Need to Explicitly Focus on Black Youth Within Autism Transitions Research.","authors":"Anne M Roux, Samuelle Voltaire, Hillary Steinberg, Ed-Dee Williams, Kristy A Anderson, Turea M Hutson, Lindsay L Shea","doi":"10.1089/aut.2023.0041","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2023.0041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Little evidence is available to provide context for understanding the experiences of parents and youth from historically marginalized groups as they age into adulthood, especially in regard to the transition experiences of Black autistic transition-age youth and their family members. This commentary builds upon recent publications that inform intersectional understandings of Black autistic experiences in America, and outlines research recommendations to better address the specific needs of Black autistic transition-age youth. Given the noted deficits in transition research and the transition process in regard to the experiences of Black autistic youth, we provide recommendations for improving autism transition research. We propose changes that are necessary to achieve equitable research processes, which could inform the design of targeted interventions to improve transition experiences for Black autistic youth.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44654263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversity in Autistic Play: Autistic Adults' Experiences.","authors":"Emma Pritchard-Rowe, Carmen de Lemos, Katie Howard, Jenny Gibson","doi":"10.1089/aut.2023.0008","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2023.0008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Play is important for mental health and well-being. Descriptions of autistic play have typically focused on \"deficits\" and are based on comparisons to neurotypical \"norms\". According to the neurodiversity paradigm, it is important that autistic voices are highlighted and that difficulties, differences, and strengths are explored. With this in mind, we designed the present study to focus on the experiences and perspectives of autistic people concerning the topic of autistic play.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a consultation with autistic stakeholders, as well as with parents and teachers of autistic individuals to help us design the study and interview questions. We used semi-structured interviews with 22 autistic adults aged 18-57 years (clinically confirmed diagnosis, <i>n</i> = 21; self-diagnosed, <i>n</i> = 1) who live in the United Kingdom. We analyzed the data using interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found important commonalities and differences in the ways that socialization in play, imaginary play, and flow (a state involving intense focus on the play) are experienced. Autistic adults discussed the importance of both solitary play and social play, with solitary play having an important recuperative function. They also reported preferences for parallel play and playing with similar autistic people. They also discussed imaginary play experiences, including social role-play and grounded-in-reality play, and the dual nature of flow experiences during play.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of this study contrast with deficit-focused understandings of autistic play and build on neurodiversity-informed studies. We highlight, for example, the importance of considering the different circumstances under which solitary play or social play are preferred, as well as the importance of taking an individual approach to play. We encourage wider understanding and acceptance of these play preferences and experiences to support autistic people's well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11317800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44681613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autism and Employment Challenges: The Double Empathy Problem and Perceptions of an Autistic Employee in the Workplace.","authors":"Kathryn A Szechy, Pamela D Turk, Lisa A O'Donnell","doi":"10.1089/aut.2023.0046","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2023.0046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High unemployment rates are found among autistic adults. Difficulties with social functioning in non-autistic workplaces can be significant barriers to employment success. Autistic social functioning challenges in non-autistic spaces have traditionally been attributed to assumed impairments in Theory of Mind (ToM). Alternatively, the Double Empathy Problem (DEP) posits that autistic social challenges arise not from assumed impairments within the autistic person but instead from mutual misunderstandings in the autistic/non-autistic social interaction. The purpose of this study was to compare the ToM impairments explanation of autistic social functioning with the DEP, within the context of autistic employee social functioning in a non-autistic workplace.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study compared autistic and non-autistic participants' ability to accurately interpret the behaviors of an autistic employee at work. A sample of 254 participants (173 non-autistic and 81 autistic) read a vignette about a hypothetical autistic employee having difficulty coping in the workplace. Participants answered open-ended questions regarding their interpretation of the employee's behavior and emotional state.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A significantly greater proportion of autistic participants (50.7%) accurately interpreted the behavior of the employee compared with non-autistic participants (31.2%) (<i>χ</i> ² = 8.65, <i>p</i> = 0.003). Autistic participants with the highest behavior interpretation scores had significantly higher mean self-reported autism traits scores (<i>M</i> = 26.8) compared with autistic participants who scored lowest on behavior interpretation (<i>M</i> = 19.3, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The opposite relationship was found for non-autistic participants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results from this study contribute to evidence supporting the DEP, shifting the paradigm of autistic social functioning away from a deficit model and toward addressing mutual misunderstandings in the autistic/non-autistic social interaction. The pattern of findings between neurotype groups by behavior interpretation abilities on an autism traits measure points to mutual misunderstandings as a clash of neurologically different social cultures. Addressing the DEP in the workplace would contribute to removing barriers to successful employment for autistic adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11317796/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45098567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What You Are Hiding Could Be Hurting You: Autistic Masking in Relation to Mental Health, Interpersonal Trauma, Authenticity, and Self-Esteem.","authors":"Joshua A Evans, Elizabeth J Krumrei-Mancuso, Steven V Rouse","doi":"10.1089/aut.2022.0115","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2022.0115","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Autistic masking refers to some autistic individuals' tendency to hide, suppress, or camouflage their autistic traits, autistic identity, or autism diagnosis. Autistic masking also may include unconscious or conscious attempts to mimic the behavioral, cognitive, or sensory styles of nonautistic neurotypical people and to suppress natural forms of autistic behavior, cognition, and reactions to sensory experiences. Since autistic people are a stigmatized minority in many neurotypical dominated societies, passing as nonautistic through autistic masking may be an attempt to avoid autism stigma and a reaction to previous interpersonal trauma. Increased autistic masking behaviors are associated with reports of increased depression, anxiety, burnout, and exhaustion in autistic people, and thus, exploring the roots and impact of autistic masking is an important mental health topic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study investigated the relationships between autistic masking and depression, anxiety, gender identity, sexual orientation, interpersonal trauma, self-esteem, authenticity, and autistic community involvement. Participants were autistic adults (<i>n</i> = 342) recruited through autistic social media groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study found that higher self-reported autistic masking behaviors were associated with higher reports of past interpersonal trauma, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, lower self-esteem, lower authenticity, and lower participation within the autistic community. Autistic masking was not associated with gender identity or sexual orientation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this study highlight the relationship between autistic masking and past interpersonal trauma, finding that autistic masking behavior is associated with mental health, self-esteem, and authenticity risks for autistic adults. We call into question the teaching of autistic masking strategies in therapies and education programs for autistic people based on the negative associations with autistic masking presented in this study and other research in this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11317797/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45653504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Moving from Disorder to Difference: A Systematic Review of Recent Language Use in Autism Research.","authors":"Summer B Bottini, Hannah E Morton, Kelly A Buchanan, Kait Gould","doi":"10.1089/aut.2023.0030","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2023.0030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The neurodiversity paradigm positions autism as a neurological difference that is disabling in the societal context, shifting away from the traditional medical view of a disorder. Several recent publications recommend use of alternative neuro-affirming language (ANL) instead of traditional medical language (TML) with the aim to increase acceptance of autistic people and reduce prejudice. Examining language use within recent autism literature, including by journal and study characteristics, may offer insight into the influence of these recommendations and current disability discourse.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in autism research from 2021 (<i>n</i> = 2322 articles; 394 journals). Articles were coded according to topic, participants, and use of self-report. Journals were coded by topic, geographic region, and language guidelines. Terminology use was extracted using QDA Miner software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Many articles primarily used TML with a smaller subset primarily using ANL. There was a positive correlation between ANL use and publication date. More ANL was associated with articles on topics of autistic traits, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), or lifespan and that included autistic adults or autistic self-report. More ANL was also found in journals from Australasia or Europe or those that had identify-first language (IFL) guidelines. Less ANL (more TML) was associated with articles on biology/causes or treatment and that included autistic or non-autistic parents, autistic youth, siblings, or other clinical groups, and were published in medical journals.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>TML continues to largely dominate language choices in autism research, with an emerging shift toward ANL in recent literature. Increased ANL may be facilitated by journal and article language recommendations. Neuro-affirming language was also more likely in articles on topics prioritized by the autistic community, that included autistic adults, and may also be driven by cultural differences. Researchers and practitioners should consider the potential for their language use to impact individual and societal views of autistic people.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11319857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60803597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transportation Use and Barriers for Employed and Unemployed Autistic Adults.","authors":"Beth Pfeiffer, Wei Song, Amber Davidson, Mark Salzer, Cecilia Feeley, Lindsey Shea","doi":"10.1089/aut.2022.0069","DOIUrl":"10.1089/aut.2022.0069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Autistic adults are significantly unemployed or underemployed even compared with other disability groups. Employment is a social determinant that, when satisfied, closely influences health-related quality of life. For autistic adults, environmental barriers to transportation can impact the ability to get to employment resulting in limited employment opportunities. This study provides a closer examination of the association between transportation use and employment status.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To examine the use of different types of transportation and barriers to public transit by employed and unemployed autistic adults.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The data were from a large statewide study conducted between May 2017 and June 2018 using the Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment (PANA), in which information about employment and transportation use was obtained from autistic adults who were residents of Pennsylvania. The study sample included 1120 autistic adults (M_age = 28.03 years, standard deviation = 9.84; 70% men; 82% non-Hispanic White).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who were employed were more likely to drive themselves than those who were unemployed (45% vs. 21%, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while they were less likely to take rides from others (62% vs. 75%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) or use service transportation (11% vs. 18%, <i>p</i> = 0.001). For barriers to public transit, the results identified that employed participants reported fewer barriers to public transportation than unemployed participants with a small effect size (1.98 vs. 2.54, <i>d</i> = 0.22).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Employed autistic adults exercise more transportation independence. Unemployed autistic adults report more barriers to participation and lower ability to independently use public transportation. Future transportation and employment studies are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11317801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48401304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychological Interventions for Autistic Adolescentswith Co-Occurring Anxiety and Depression: Considerations Linked to Autism Social Identity and Masking","authors":"J. Lei, Kate Cooper, M. Hollocks","doi":"10.1089/aut.2024.0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141377220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What Do Autistic Youth and Young Adults Want at Work? A Qualitative Study of Autistic Individuals’ Views on Key Workplace Supports","authors":"Briella Baer Chen, Gulnoza Yakubova","doi":"10.1089/aut.2023.0092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0092","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29965,"journal":{"name":"Autism in Adulthood","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141103644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}