AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-04-20DOI: 10.1177/13623613241246091
Cara E Pugliese, Rebecca Handsman, Xiaozhen You, Laura Gutermuth Anthony, Chandan Vaidya, Lauren Kenworthy
{"title":"Probing heterogeneity to identify individualized treatment approaches in autism: Specific clusters of executive function challenges link to distinct co-occurring mental health problems.","authors":"Cara E Pugliese, Rebecca Handsman, Xiaozhen You, Laura Gutermuth Anthony, Chandan Vaidya, Lauren Kenworthy","doi":"10.1177/13623613241246091","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241246091","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Many autistic people struggle with mental health problems like anxiety, depression, inattention, and aggression, which can be challenging to treat. Executive function challenges, which impact many autistic individuals, may serve as a risk factor for mental health problems or make treating mental health conditions more difficult. While some people respond well to medication or therapy, others do not. This study tried to understand if there are different subgroups of autistic young people who may have similar patterns of executive function strengths and challenges-like flexibility, planning, self-monitoring, and emotion regulation. Then, we investigated whether executive function subgroups were related to mental health problems in autistic youth. We found three different types of executive function subgroups in autistic youth, each with different patterns of mental health problems. This helps us identify specific profiles of executive function strengths and challenges that may be helpful with identifying personalized supports, services, and treatment strategies for mental health conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11490586/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140847460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-05-10DOI: 10.1177/13623613241251512
Hannah Long, Kate Cooper, Ailsa Russell
{"title":"'Autism is the Arena and OCD is the Lion': Autistic adults' experiences of co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder and repetitive restricted behaviours and interests.","authors":"Hannah Long, Kate Cooper, Ailsa Russell","doi":"10.1177/13623613241251512","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241251512","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Repetitive behaviours and interests are a hallmark feature of autism. It is very common for autistic people to experience mental health difficulties, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Previous research has investigated similarities and differences between obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and repetitive behaviours in autism through questionnaires and observation studies. This is the first study to interview autistic adults about their personal experiences of differentiating between obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and repetitive behaviours related to autism. We interviewed 15 autistic adults who experience obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. We recorded these interviews and carefully analysed these to find themes. We found some differences between repetitive behaviours and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Participants said repetitive behaviours are part of who they are and what they want to be doing, whereas obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms conflicted with how they view themselves. Obsessive-compulsive disorder was said to cause negative emotions, while participants said they experience lots of different emotions when doing repetitive behaviours. A similarity participants reported was trying to stop themselves from doing obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and repetitive behaviours that other people can see. There was also overlap between obsessive-compulsive disorder and repetitive behaviours. Participants talked about experiences when obsessive-compulsive disorder would take over routines and make them feel more intense and negative. Also, participants' special interests were sometimes connected to the obsessions they experienced. We conclude that clinicians can use these findings to support conversations with autistic clients in differentiating between repetitive behaviours and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. We also think that further research investigating how obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms might be hidden by autistic and typically developing people is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11497754/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140897250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Camouflaging, not sensory processing or autistic identity, predicts eating disorder symptoms in autistic adults.","authors":"Siofra Bradley, Fhionna Moore, Fiona Duffy, Lili Clark, Tasha Suratwala, Pooky Knightsmith, Karri Gillespie-Smith","doi":"10.1177/13623613241245749","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241245749","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>This study aimed to explore the impact of Autistic identity (i.e. feeling like you belong to the Autistic community), sensory profiles (e.g. being over or under responsive to sensations) and camouflaging behaviours (i.e. masking) on eating disorder symptoms in Autistic adults. 180 Autistic people were recruited from the community and NHS. The Autistic people completed online questionnaires measuring Autistic identity, sensory profiles, camouflaging behaviours, autistic traits and eating disorder symptoms. The analysis showed that higher levels of camouflaging behaviour predicted higher levels of eating disorder symptoms. Sensory profiles were related to but did not predict eating disorder symptoms and there was no relationship between level of Autistic identity and eating disorder symptoms. This shows that camouflaging is the most important predictor of eating disorder symptoms in Autistic people, and warrants further exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11497744/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140849014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-08-18DOI: 10.1177/13623613241272031
Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu, Katie Lh Gray, Richard Cook
{"title":"Poor face recognition predicts social anxiety in autism: A short report.","authors":"Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu, Katie Lh Gray, Richard Cook","doi":"10.1177/13623613241272031","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241272031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Research has shown that some autistic people have severe difficulties in recognising other people's faces. However, little is understood about how these difficulties impact the daily life and the mental well-being of autistic people. In this study, we asked 60 autistic adults with varying degrees of face recognition ability to complete two tests of face recognition, a questionnaire about social anxiety and a bespoke survey which asked participants about their experiences of face recognition and social interaction. We found that participants who had poor face recognition reported experiencing higher levels of social anxiety compared to those with average or better face recognition skills. More than half felt that their face recognition difficulties affected their social interactions, and over a third believed it hindered their ability to make friends. These findings suggest that face recognition difficulties may contribute to social anxiety among autistic individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11528928/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141999392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-03-13DOI: 10.1177/13623613241236110
Jade Davies, Anna Melissa Romualdez, Elizabeth Pellicano, Anna Remington
{"title":"Career progression for autistic people: A scoping review.","authors":"Jade Davies, Anna Melissa Romualdez, Elizabeth Pellicano, Anna Remington","doi":"10.1177/13623613241236110","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241236110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Lots of autistic people are unemployed. Even when they are employed, autistic people might be given fewer opportunities than non-autistic people to progress in their careers. For example, assumptions about autistic people's differences in social communication might mean they are not given as many promotions. Indeed, we know that many autistic people are in jobs lower than their abilities (known as 'underemployment'). We reviewed 33 studies that tell us something about career progression for autistic people. Our review found that lots of autistic people want to progress in their careers, but there are many barriers in their way. For example, when they told their employer about being autistic, some people were given fewer opportunities. Research has also shown that autistic people do not get enough support to progress and that gaps in their employment history can make it difficult to progress. Our review suggested that good employment support (e.g. mentors) might help autistic people to progress in their careers. However, not much research has evaluated employment support for autistic people, which means we do not know how useful it is. Future research should find the best support that allows autistic people to live and work in ways that are meaningful to them.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11494842/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140108988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-04-16DOI: 10.1177/13623613241244875
Paula Morales-Hidalgo, Núria Voltas, Josefa Canals
{"title":"Self-perceived bullying victimization in pre-adolescents on the autism spectrum: EPINED study.","authors":"Paula Morales-Hidalgo, Núria Voltas, Josefa Canals","doi":"10.1177/13623613241244875","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241244875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Autistic individuals face a higher risk of various forms of victimization throughout their lives, with bullying being especially prevalent during their school years. Previous studies indicate that autistic children are 2.4 times more likely to be bullied than their typically developing peers and twice as vulnerable as those with other disabilities. However, the extent of this issue among Spanish schoolchildren with autism remains unexplored. In addition, there is no information regarding the presence of bullying victimization in children with marked but undiagnosed autistic traits (i.e. subthreshold autistic traits). This study examines the self-reported prevalence of bullying victimization in autistic pre-adolescents and those with subthreshold autistic traits, comparing them with peers without neurodevelopmental conditions. The study involved 323 participants (11 and 12 years old; 45 with autism or subthreshold autistic traits) from Spanish general education schools. The results revealed a higher rate of bullying victimization among autistic participants (58%; 3.1 times higher risk) and those with subthreshold autistic traits (27%; 1.5 times higher risk) compared with their peers without neurodevelopmental conditions (18.3%). Victimization was linked to more intense restrictive behaviours and increased behavioural and emotional problems. No significant associations were found with other individual or family factors. Our findings underscore the heightened risk of bullying faced by autistic pre-adolescents and those with subthreshold autistic traits at school, emphasizing the need to identify and implement preventive measures to mitigate bullying and its detrimental impact on their mental well-being and overall quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140847734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-03-21DOI: 10.1177/13623613241240183
Mackenzie Robeson, Kyle M Brasil, Haley C Adams, Kimberly R Zlomke
{"title":"Measuring depression and anxiety in autistic college students: A psychometric evaluation of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7.","authors":"Mackenzie Robeson, Kyle M Brasil, Haley C Adams, Kimberly R Zlomke","doi":"10.1177/13623613241240183","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241240183","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Anxiety, depression, and suicidality are major concerns among college students, though less is known about these constructs in autistic college students. Given the rising number of autistic individuals entering college, adequate screening and diagnosis of mental health difficulties is necessary to provide care to this population. For example, despite widespread usage of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), it is unknown if the two instruments accurately measure depression and anxiety the same way between non-autistic and autistic individuals. Thus, the current study was the first to examine how these instruments measure depression and anxiety symptoms in autistic versus non-autistic college students. Utilizing tests of construct measurement in a sample of autistic (<i>n</i> = 477) and non-autistic (<i>n</i> = 429) university students aged 18-29, results showed that while the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 appear to be accurately capturing anxiety and depression in autistic college students, the PHQ-9 item assessing suicidality was found to be measuring different things. This indicates that autistic college students are not interpreting this question the way non-autistic students are, and thus, the measure is failing to capture suicidality in autistic people. Future investigators should continue to assess the appropriateness of using common screening measures, originally created by non-autistic people, in autistic populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140183594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-03-18DOI: 10.1177/13623613241239388
Yael Goldfarb, Franziska Assion, Sander Begeer
{"title":"Where do autistic people work? The distribution and predictors of occupational sectors of autistic and general population employees.","authors":"Yael Goldfarb, Franziska Assion, Sander Begeer","doi":"10.1177/13623613241239388","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241239388","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Studies on employment of autistic individuals mainly assessed if they work and what their working conditions are (e.g. weekly hours, salary) while less is known about where they work. We explore this issue in our study, by examining which employment sectors do autistic adults work in, and comparing them to the general workforce in the Netherlands. We also explored the possibility that gender, age, age at diagnosis, level of education, degree of autistic traits and presence of focused interests could lead to a higher likelihood of working in specific sectors. We assessed data from a survey filled in by 1115 employed autistic adults (476 male; 627 female; 12 other; mean age: 40.75). Dutch workforce information was based on data form the Central Bureau of Statistics. Results showed that a higher proportion of autistic employees worked in healthcare & welfare, information technology, and the public-army-charity sectors. These were the three most-common sectors for this group. A lower proportion of autistic employees worked in economics & finances, and industry & construction, compared to the general workforce. Most autistic employees in the healthcare & welfare sector were females while having a higher educational degree and being male increased the chance of working in information technology. In addition to the common impression that most autistic individuals have interests or abilities that align with employment in information technology and technology sectors, we found that autistic employees worked in various sectors. It is important to address individual characteristics and needs of autistic individuals, while encouraging diverse employment opportunities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140142661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-04-24DOI: 10.1177/13623613241243107
Sinead O'Neill, Grainne M O'Donnell
{"title":"Identifying autistic children: Priorities for research arising from a systematic review of parents' experiences of the assessment process.","authors":"Sinead O'Neill, Grainne M O'Donnell","doi":"10.1177/13623613241243107","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241243107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Hearing about parents' experiences of having their child recognised as autistic could help improve the supports offered to parents. Our article may also help guide future research on this topic. We made a list of the type of research that interested us. We searched the studies already completed, only studying the research that matched our interests. After reading the studies, we rated their quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool.It became clear that parents went through four phases during the identification process. The first phase occurred before their child was identified as autistic. The second involved the actual assessment of their child. Parents' emotional reactions to the news were the focus of the third phase. The final phase occurred after their child was identified as autistic. We discuss the findings of our research. As there are sensitivities involved in conducting research on this topic, we identify how researchers can ensure that their research is of the best quality. We are committed to respecting the human rights of all involved, so we emphasise the need for professionals to develop good relationships with the parents of autistic children. Researchers have recently come to see autism as typical of human diversity. We encourage the professionals involved to adopt this understanding of autistic children and make practical suggestions to enable them to do so.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11528925/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140861752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AutismPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-05-09DOI: 10.1177/13623613241246502
Brian Yee Ting Ip, So-Lun Lee, Shirley Xin Li
{"title":"Telehealth-delivered parent-based sleep-focused intervention for insomnia in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled study.","authors":"Brian Yee Ting Ip, So-Lun Lee, Shirley Xin Li","doi":"10.1177/13623613241246502","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241246502","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Lay abstract: </strong>Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder. Although the effects of parent-based sleep intervention were shown to be promising, previous research was limited to the face-to-face service model, which might limit accessibility. This study examined a sleep-focused parent training group delivered via telehealth for treating insomnia in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder, which allowed parents to join the intervention remotely. Results showed that children in the intervention group had greater improvements in sleep and insomnia symptoms after treatment, as compared to those who only received care as usual. This sleep-focused treatment also led to improved daytime behaviors, especially externalizing problems such as hyperactivity and conduct problems, in children with autism spectrum disorder. Parents who had attended the training also reported reduced parental stress level after treatment. The findings supported the feasibility and promising effects of a brief parent-based sleep intervention delivered via telehealth for preschooler with autism spectrum disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140897253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}