Autism and Developmental Language Impairments最新文献

{"title":"Hand Leading in Autism: Associations With Neurocognitive Profiles and Adaptive Abilities.","authors":"Carolina Belisário Bizutti Fernandes, Rebecca McNally Keehn, Brandon Keehn","doi":"10.1177/23969415261487874","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261487874","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hand-leading (HL) gestures used to obtain assistance or direct another person's actions are often reported at elevated rates in autistic children. Yet, their developmental significance and relation to children's broader cognitive and adaptive profiles remain poorly understood. This study examined the presence and developmental correlates of HL gestures in a sample of toddlers and young children referred for autism evaluation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were 156 toddlers and young children aged 18-48 months (111 autistic [86 male, 25 female]; 45 non-autistic with other developmental concerns [28 male, 17 female]). Children were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning to derive verbal and nonverbal developmental quotients (DQs) and a nonverbal-verbal difference score. Adaptive functioning was measured using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Autism symptoms were indexed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) and a DSM-5-based caregiver interview/clinician checklist. HL gestures, defined as physically directing others, were operationalized by creating a composite score of items from the ADOS-2 and caregiver/clinician reports, which was scaled from 0 to 100 and dichotomized to indicate clear use of HL gestures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HL gestures were observed more frequently in autistic than non-autistic children. Within the autism group, HL gesture use was associated with higher autism symptom severity and lower verbal DQ but was unrelated to age, sex, nonverbal ability, or adaptive functioning. Higher nonverbal-to-verbal developmental abilities uniquely predicted greater HL gesture use. Use of HL gestures also predicted stronger daily living but not adaptive communication or socialization skills.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Use of HL gestures appears more closely linked to language level than to general developmental delay. They may reflect adaptive, goal-directed communicative strategies rather than autism-specific social-communication impairments, particularly among those with relatively stronger nonverbal than verbal abilities.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>These findings highlight heterogeneity in autistic communication profiles and support viewing HL gestures as functional behaviors that may scaffold early daily living skills.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261487874"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13583274/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148991735","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":"Multimodal Communication in Autism Is Reorganized, Not Reduced: Evidence From Speech and Gesture Across Four Languages.","authors":"Armita Ghobadi, Pauline Wolfer, Stephanie Durrleman","doi":"10.1177/23969415261485091","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261485091","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Speech and gesture form an integrated communicative system, yet how this system operates in autism, and whether it varies across languages, remains unclear. We examined narrative production in 88 children (44 autistic, 44 neurotypical [NT]), matched on age, socioeconomic status, and nonverbal IQ, acquiring English, French, German, or Spanish, using a structured storytelling task (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS-2 Monkey Story). Speech and gesture were analyzed along parallel dimensions of amount, diversity, and complexity. Autistic children produced comparable speech amount and lexical diversity to NT peers but differed in complexity. Critically, autistic children produced gestures more frequently, with greater diversity and complexity, including gestures conveying additional semantic information. This pattern indicates that gesture contributes meaningful information alongside speech. Cross-linguistic analyses revealed limited variation in speech but robust language-related differences in gesture across both groups. These findings are consistent with a reorganization of multimodal communication in autism rather than a reduction, highlighting gesture as an integral component of communicative expression across languages.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261485091"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13583284/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148991681","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":"Associations Between Parenting Stress, Parenting Behaviours and Language Abilities in Autistic Preschoolers: A Study with Mothers and Fathers.","authors":"Ines Brys, Lotte van Esch, Ellen Demurie, Herbert Roeyers, Jean Steyaert, Hanna Van de Vyver, Inge Zink, Petra Warreyn, Ilse Noens","doi":"10.1177/23969415261483567","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261483567","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Research shows that language abilities in autism are highly heterogeneous and that parents play a crucial role in children's development. However, the bidirectional relationships between parenting stress, parenting behaviours and children's language abilities in autism remain under-researched. Furthermore, fathers are often excluded from autism parenting research. This study therefore aimed (1) to compare mothers and fathers with respect to the levels of self-reported parenting stress and behaviours and (2) to examine associations between parenting stress, parenting behaviours and children's language abilities, as well as whether these associations differ between mothers and fathers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This cross-sectional study included 92 autistic children aged 2-6 with their mothers and fathers. Parenting stress and parenting behaviours were measured with self-report questionnaires. Children's receptive and expressive language abilities were measured using a combination of standardised tests, which were chosen depending on the children's age, abilities and community language (i.e., Dutch or French). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare mothers and fathers. Zero-order and partial Spearman correlations were adopted to examine associations among variables, and Fisher's r-to-z transformations compared the strength of associations between maternal and paternal correlations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Mothers reported higher scores on parenting stress and several positive parenting behaviours (i.e., positive parenting, supervision, rules, rewarding, stimulating the development and adapting the environment) than fathers. No significant differences were found in the amount of autonomy support, discipline and indulging. In mothers, multiple parenting behaviours (i.e., autonomy support, supervision, discipline and stimulating the development) were significantly correlated with children's language abilities, although these associations weakened when controlling for children's non-verbal cognitive abilities. In fathers, only supervision correlated significantly with children's language abilities. Mothers showed no significant associations between self-reported parenting stress and behaviours. In fathers, however, higher parenting stress was linked to lower positive parenting, rewarding and stimulating the development and to higher discipline and indulging. Paternal stress was also related to lower receptive language abilities, a pattern not observed in mothers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;More differences than similarities emerged in parenting experiences and practices between mothers and fathers. Mothers reported more parenting stress and positive parenting practices compared to fathers, whereas no differences were found for negative parenting practices. Gender differences also appeared in the associations between parenting stress, parenting behaviours and child's language abil","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261483567"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13554673/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148921251","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":"Cultural Responsiveness in Community Early Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Observational Study of Coaching Practices.","authors":"Ana D Dueñas, Barbara Caplan, Tatiana R Gallardo, Wendy Ochoa, Carmen Orendain-Soto, Karely Valdez Lopez, Monserrat Valladares, Sarah Rieth","doi":"10.1177/23969415261479551","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261479551","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Caregiver-mediated early intervention (EI) for autistic children depends on meaningful caregiver engagement, yet Latine families face persistent structural and cultural barriers to equitable participation. Despite growing recognition of cultural responsiveness (CR) as a core EI component, few studies have examined how providers enact culturally responsive practices or whether those practices relate to observed caregiver engagement. This mixed-methods study examined that relationship in community-based EI services for Latine families of autistic children.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This secondary analysis drew from a larger community effectiveness trial conducted across EI agencies in California. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, Parent Participatory Engagement (PPE) scores from 95 videos were used to purposively sample sessions reflecting high (75th percentile; n = 26) and low (25th percentile; n = 25) caregiver engagement, yielding 51 videos for all quantitative and qualitative analyses. The sample included 16 EI providers (56.3% Latine) and 24 caregivers (87.5% Latine; 95.8% mothers) of children ages 12-36 months. A novel 12-item CR codebook was applied to sampled videos. Two ordinary least square regression models examined whether CR predicted PPE scores and which provider and session-level variables predicted CR. Inductive thematic analysis explored qualitative patterns in culturally responsive and unresponsive coaching.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CR and caregiver engagement were significantly positively associated (<i>r</i> = .44, <i>p</i> = .001; <i>R</i> ² = .198). Provider and session-level predictors explained 51.1% of CR variance (<i>F</i>(10,40) = 4.18, <i>p</i> < .001); Project Improving Parents as Communication Teachers treatment condition (β = 0.30, <i>p</i> < .001) predicted higher CR. Qualitative analysis identified three CR domains: home language use, centering family culture, and equitable partnership. While providers often demonstrated rapport-building (<i>personalismo</i>) and validated caregiver concerns, non-exemplary practices were common-including failing to inquire about cultural alignment of strategies, not soliciting caregiver perspectives, and framing interventions as separate from everyday family routines.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and implications: </strong>Findings reveal a gap between Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C mandates for family-centered EI and actual culturally responsive practice with Latine families. Providers frequently defaulted to hierarchical, practitioner-driven models that centered dominant cultural norms over families' values and daily practices. EI professional development must intentionally build providers' capacity for cultural humility, collaborative goal-setting, and embedding strategies within families' lived contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261479551"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13519225/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148841541","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":"Who are Adults with Developmental Language Disorder? Profiles from the Engage with Developmental Language Disorder Project.","authors":"Jenny L Gibson, Nicola Botting, Ellie Barker, Emily M Jackson, Suze Leitão, Michelle C St Clair","doi":"10.1177/23969415261461413","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261461413","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Although developmental language disorder (DLD) is a lifelong, neurodevelopmental condition, its presentation in adulthood has received scant research and clinical attention. Several longitudinal studies have demonstrated that poor language ability may be negatively associated with wider life factors in adulthood. Moreover, although a growing body of qualitative evidence illustrates the lived experience of adults with DLD, more quantitative research on this subject is needed, which may guide evidence-informed assessment and support practices for adults. In this short report, we aim to explore the presentation of DLD in adulthood. We share the demographic characteristics, language difficulties, and mental health profile of a sample of adults with DLD based on self-report data.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;We collected data from 92 adult participants recruited via Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD), an international database set up to facilitate DLD research. Participants completed a DLD screening questionnaire, a set of demographic questions, and measures of emotional health including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. We used the resulting data to construct an overview of the characteristics and profiles of two subgroups in the database: (a) adults who self-reported a clinical diagnosis of DLD (n = 30); and (b) adults who scored highly on the screening questionnaire (\"possible DLD,\" n = 62) but who did not have a formal diagnosis. For some measures, we also include a comparative sample of typical adults with no confirmed or suspected DLD (n = 91).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;More women than men completed the survey, with the average age of the DLD participants being just under 37 years of age, whereas the controls were on average 43 years of age. About 70% of the DLD participants were UK residents, while 30% were from countries across the world. Participants with DLD tended to be lower earners than controls but were represented in all income bands. In total, 43% (39) were parents and 43% (39) were living with a partner. Word finding and expressive language were the most reported areas of language difficulty, and the clinically diagnosed sample reported significantly more pragmatic language challenges than the \"possible DLD\" group. Respondents across both DLD groups had higher levels of emotional challenges including anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and low self-efficacy compared to the comparison sample.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Adults with DLD are a diverse group, with potentially more women than men seeking diagnosis or recognition in adulthood. It is possible that the high rates of emotional difficulties may indicate notable levels of need in those with DLD in adulthood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Our findings show that there are many adults with likely DLD without a formal diagnosis. As such, they are unlikely to qualify for support. We recommend that ser","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261461413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13458118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148713789","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":"Intervention Deploying an Autonomous Robot Promotes Eye Gaze Abilities of Autistic Children: Comparison With a Human-Based Intervention.","authors":"Wing-Chee So, Xiao-Han Li","doi":"10.1177/23969415261476472","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261476472","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Autistic children have difficulties establishing and maintaining eye contact. Previous interventions for eye gaze rely on human professionals, who may be too costly or even inaccessible to many families of autistic children. These challenges have led to the application of technology, such as social robots, the use of which in autism therapy is theory-driven. Thus, the present study examined whether robot-based intervention (RBI) and human-based intervention (HBI) improved autistic children's eye gaze.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this randomized controlled trial study, 121 Chinese-speaking autistic children aged 4-9 years (34 females) participated and were randomly assigned to three conditions: RBI, HBI, and waitlist control. The robot/human experimenter narrated stories while detecting the eye gaze of the autistic children. They prompted the child if he/she lost eye contact with the robot/human continuously for more than 5 s. Children's eye gaze abilities were evaluated in both the experimental setting and parental report.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our experimental data showed that the children in the RBI had their eye gaze improved 1 month after the intervention. Their parents also perceived their autistic children to have better eye contact immediately and 1 month after intervention. Parents of the children in the HBI reported an improvement in eye gaze 1 month after intervention, which was not evident in the experimental setting. Children in the waitlist group did not show any improvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The present study showed that RBI could promote the eye gaze of autistic children under the conditions studied.</p><p><strong>Implication: </strong>Our innovative design for RBI addresses clinicians' concerns about the capacity to interact with autistic children in real time. Specific hands-on training workshops should be offered to enhance clinicians' knowledge and skills in using robots in the clinical context.This randomized controlled trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (no. ChiCTR2300073238).</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261476472"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13451704/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148697950","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":"Adaptive Functioning in Expressively Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal Autistic Children: Nonverbal Intelligence as a Predictive Factor.","authors":"Ekaine Rodríguez-Armendariz, Zuriñe Ábalos, Elena Castroviejo, Agustín Vicente","doi":"10.1177/23969415261465246","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261465246","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Adaptive functioning is a strong predictor of long-term outcomes for autistic individuals, yet evidence regarding its association with ADOS-2 comparison scores, nonverbal IQ (NVIQ), and early language development remains inconsistent. Findings on the contributions of IQ and ADOS-2 comparison scores are mixed, and early linguistic abilities have received comparatively less attention. This study examined how receptive language delay, NVIQ, and ADOS-2 comparison scores relate to later adaptivity in nonverbal and minimally verbal autistic children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Participants were 4- to 12-year-old autistic children (&lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 44) who completed ADOS-2 Module 1 at baseline, indicating limited expressive language but variability in age and developmental profiles. Baseline assessments included ADOS-2 comparison scores, NVIQ (Leiter-3), and receptive vocabulary (PPVT-III). Adaptive functioning was measured 2 to 3 years later using Vineland-3 subscales. To examine the contribution of each variable, we fitted multiple linear regression models with Vineland-3 scores as the dependent variable and standardized test scores as continuous predictors, while controlling for children's age (in months) and the testing interval between the ADOS-2 and the Vineland-3. We first fitted separate models for each predictor, followed by additive models including the three predictors. Additional models included interaction terms between NVIQ and ADOS-2 comparison scores, PPVT-III scores and ADOS-2 scores, NVIQ and PPVT-III scores, and their three-way interaction. Model comparisons were conducted to determine which model provided a better fit for the data.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;NVIQ emerged as the only significant predictor of adaptive functioning. Although ADOS-2 comparison scores and receptive vocabulary were significantly associated with adaptivity in the simpler models, these effects were no longer significant once NVIQ was included, suggesting that their predictive value was largely accounted for by NVIQ. Unlike earlier reports, higher NVIQ in this sample was not associated with greater adaptive difficulties, which suggests this relationship is not uniform across subgroups of autistic children. Interaction analyses did not reveal significant moderation effects, although some interactions involving NVIQ or receptive language delay and ADOS-2 approached conventional significance thresholds. These effects require confirmation in larger samples.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Adaptive functioning in autistic children with limited expressive language abilities is predicted more strongly by NVIQ than by ADOS-2 comparison scores, receptive language delay or the interaction of these three variables.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;These findings indicate that early NVIQ remains a meaningful predictor of adaptive functioning in minimally verbal autistic children, underscoring the importance of including","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261465246"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13434895/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148674197","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":"Gesture Production and Its Semantic Integration with Speech in a Heterogeneous Group of Cantonese-Speaking Children with Autism.","authors":"Xin Zhang, Xue-Ke Song, Wing-Chee So","doi":"10.1177/23969415261464456","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261464456","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study examined heterogeneity in gesture production and its semantic integration among autistic children. Although previous studies have examined gesture-speech combinations in autism, less is known about whether there are individual variations in how autistic children gestured in relation to speech. Cantonese-speaking autistic children (<i>N</i> = 97; 79 boys, 18 girls, <i>M</i> _age = 5 years, 2 months) were invited to participate in a 15-min parent-child interaction task. Autism characteristics were measured using the ADOS-2 comparison score, intellectual ability was indexed by overall IQ, and receptive language ability was measured using age-equivalent scores from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted separately for reinforcing gestures, disambiguating gestures, supplementary gestures, and gestures without speech, together with selected child-based variables. Distinct clusters were identified for each type of gesture. Specifically, profiles with higher disambiguating gesture production tended to include children with fewer autism characteristics and stronger receptive language ability. Profiles with higher supplementary gesture production tended to include children with fewer autism characteristics. Other types of gestures did not show consistent profile patterns with child-based variables. These findings highlight the heterogeneous nature of multimodal communication in autism. In particular, examining the individual variations in how gestures reinforce, clarify, or add semantic information to speech may document a more fine-grained gesture-speech profile among autistic children.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261464456"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13369425/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148456966","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":"Defining the Level of Need and Total Intervention Time in Children's Speech and Language Therapy in Finland: Developing a Consensus-Based Guideline.","authors":"Sirpa Tarvainen, Eva Ståhlberg-Forsén, Hanna Elo, Marita Haukilehto, Stina Sundstedt","doi":"10.1177/23969415261464496","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261464496","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Speech and language therapy is essential for supporting the skills and participation of children with disorders that impair their ability to interact, communicate, understand or use language, speak, eat or swallow. However, it might be challenging to outline how much intervention should be recommended for each individual. Currently, there are no guidelines to support clinical decision-making regarding the child's level of need for intervention, and thus, the recommended amount of speech and language therapy. The aim of the present work was to create a consensus-based guideline for clinical use in speech and language therapy in Finland to enhance equitable treatment and purposeful allocation of resources. This guideline was designed to assist in evaluating the child's level of need for intervention and, based on that, the total intervention time of speech and language therapy for children up to 17 years of age.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;A work group of Finnish speech and language therapists created a consensus-based guideline regarding the level of need for intervention and total intervention time during a 3-year process. During this time, the guideline was improved through a pilot phase following three comment rounds, including expert evaluations, conducted within the field of speech and language therapy as well as among other stakeholders. The ACCORD guideline was used to report this consensus work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;A guideline including a framework for outlining the level of need for intervention was developed to support clinical decision-making regarding the total intervention time per year of speech and language therapy for children up to 17 years. The guideline is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the idea of adaptive intervention. Four factors were considered essential: (1) impact the disorder has on participation, (2) need for consultative support, (3) severity of the disorder, and (4) expected benefit of the intervention. Application of the guideline in the Finnish context and expert evaluations on the guideline and its validity are presented.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;We developed a guideline to define the child's level of need for intervention and total intervention time. The content validity of the guideline was high based on the ratings by the expert evaluators. We hope that this guideline will support clinical decision-making regarding total intervention time per year in Finland and support the creation of similar guidelines in other contexts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;The present guideline may facilitate both intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary discussion regarding the child's level of need for intervention, and based on that, the recommended total intervention time. Systematic considerations of predefined factors used to define the level of need for intervention may enhance more equitable national","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261464496"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13346750/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424988","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":"Humor Styles in Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Their Links to Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Strengths and Difficulties.","authors":"Noémie Treichel, Ana Milosavljevic, Verena Hofmann, Jo Van Herwegen, Andrea C Samson","doi":"10.1177/23969415261464457","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415261464457","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>When it is positive, humor can improve psychological well-being and social interactions, but when it is negative, it can also be harmful. As such, it is important to better understand what type of humor individuals with different neurodevelopmental conditions tend to use. This study investigated the use of four different humor styles, that is, affiliative, self-enhancing (both positive), aggressive, and self-defeating (both negative) humor, in individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), Down syndrome (DS), and Williams syndrome (WS). Moreover, it investigates the relation of potential differences in humor styles with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties and strengths.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Parent-reported questionnaires were used to assess humor styles, social difficulties, and mental health in young individuals (5-25 years old) with ASC (<i>N</i> = 31), DS (<i>N</i> = 82), or WS (<i>N</i> = 34).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that autistic individuals are reported to use more self-defeating humor than both individuals with DS and WS, which seems to be related to increased externalizing conduct problems, as well as less affiliative humor which was associated with fewer emotional difficulties, better social cognition, and greater prosocial behavior.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and implications: </strong>These results are discussed in relation to how humor styles use enhances our understanding of humor in neurodevelopmental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"11 ","pages":"23969415261464457"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13346725/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424922","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}