Autism最新文献

{"title":"Minimal Clinically Important Difference on the Social Responsiveness Scale in Autistic Children Aged 4 to 10 Years.","authors":"Hangyu Tan, Lingli Zhang, Zhenzhen Xie, Luan Chen, Wenjun Xu, Wei Zhou, Tai Ren, Fei Li","doi":"10.1177/13623613261481552","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261481552","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is widely used in autism clinical trials to assess treatment effects on core symptoms. However, its minimal clinically important difference (MCID) remains undefined, limiting meaningful interpretation of treatment efficacy. This study pooled data from four clinical trials (542 observations from 319 autistic children, aged 4-10 years) to estimate an anchor-based MCID. Using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale as an anchor, we employed linear mixed-effects models to estimate MCID, defined as the between-group difference between participants reporting minimal improvement versus no change. We tested interactions among baseline SRS score and clinical characteristics. To complement the anchor-based approach, we also incorporated distribution-based MCID estimates using data from 1,405 autistic children (aged 4-10 years) drawn from an autism registry. We found that MCID depended on baseline SRS score, described by the formula MCID = 10.33 - 0.18 × (baseline SRS score). This translates to MCIDs of 5.87 and 9.47 for baseline SRS scores of 90 and 110, respectively. No significant interactions were found with sex, age, or co-occurring intellectual disability/developmental delay. Distribution-based estimates aligned closely with anchor-based findings. These estimates offer a crucial benchmark for interpreting treatment outcomes in autism trials.Lay AbstractThe Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is widely used to assess core symptoms in autistic individuals; however, its minimal clinically important difference remains undefined, limiting clinicians' ability to distinguish meaningful changes from random variations. By analyzing data from over 300 autistic children aged 4 to 10 years across multiple clinical trials and over 1,000 from an autism registry, we showed that the threshold for meaningful clinical improvement varies systematically with baseline SRS score. These findings provide critical benchmarks for interpreting treatment outcomes in clinical practice and autism research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613261481552"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148886048","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}

{"title":"Oscillatory Traveling Waves During Visual Entrainment in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.","authors":"Andrea Alamia, Jakob C B Schwenk, Johan Wagemans, Laurie-Anne Sapey-Triomphe","doi":"10.1177/13623613261478892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261478892","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Neural oscillations and traveling waves play a crucial role in cognition. In scalp electroencephalography (EEG), waves typically travel along the anterior-posterior axis: forward waves (occipital-to-frontal) predominate during sensory stimulation, while backward waves (frontal-to-occipital) emerge during rest and top-down modulation. Within the predictive coding framework, backward waves reflect predictive signals, whereas forward waves convey sensory processes and prediction errors. In this study, we investigated traveling wave dynamics during a visual entrainment task in non-autistic and autistic adults. Our results show an increase in backward waves during rhythmic visual stimulation in the non-autistic group, consistent with enhanced top-down predictions. Notably, we observed the opposite pattern in the autism group, characterized by a pronounced increase in forward waves at the entrained frequency (ω&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.132). These results align with predictive coding accounts of autistic perception, which hypothesize a difference in balance between predictions and sensory evidence. Specifically, an increase in forward waves may reflect a bias toward sensory signaling over predictive feedback, due to atypical hierarchical communication across brain regions. Together, our findings shed new light on the oscillatory dynamics involved in visual entrainment in non-autistic adults and provide novel evidence in favor of predictive coding accounts of autistic perception.Lay AbstractThe brain continuously processes information by combining incoming sensory signals with prior expectations about the environment. According to predictive coding theories, perception depends on a balance between these two processes: the brain generates predictions about what is likely to happen and then updates those predictions when incoming sensory information does not match expectations. In autism, several theories suggest that this balance may be atypical, with perception relying more strongly on sensory input and less on prior predictions. One way to study how the brain communicates during perception is through 'traveling waves', patterns of rhythmic brain activity that move across the cortex over time. These waves can be measured noninvasively using electroencephalography (EEG). In visual tasks, waves traveling from the back of the brain toward the front are generally linked to the processing of sensory information, whereas waves traveling from the front toward the back are thought to reflect top-down signals such as predictions, expectations, and attentional control. In this study, we investigated traveling brain waves in autistic and non-autistic adults during a visual entrainment task, in which participants viewed rhythmic visual stimulation. We found that non-autistic participants showed an increase in backward traveling waves during stimulation, consistent with stronger predictive or top-down processing. In contrast, autistic participants showed the opposite p","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613261478892"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148886016","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}

{"title":"Olfactory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Isabelle Cullen, Elisa Dal Bò, Peace Maddox, Thomas Sophocles, Kristina McShea, Edward S Brodkin, Valentina Parma","doi":"10.1177/13623613261462975","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261462975","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Altered sensory processing is recognized as a core diagnostic feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Olfactory perception in autism remains poorly characterized, despite its important role in safety, nutrition, and socialization. We conducted a preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify differences and identify moderators in olfactory function between autistic and non-autistic individuals. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases and identified 46 eligible studies with 87 effect sizes from 1,580 autistic and 7,698 non-autistic individuals. Moderator analyses examined olfactory assessment type, olfactory function tested, age, sex, and intelligence quotient (IQ). Autistic individuals showed significantly poorer olfactory performance than non-autistic (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.64), with reduced performance in psychophysical testing (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.58) and informant reports (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -1.31), but not in self-report or odor rating measures. In autism, significant differences were observed for psychophysically measured odor identification (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.66), threshold (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.47), and taste-smell measures from informant reports (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -1.33). Autistic children exhibited moderate deficits (&lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.88; odor identification: &lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.80; threshold: &lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -0.65). Olfactory alterations in autism appear most pronounced in childhood and vary by assessment method and olfactory function measured. Our results highlight the need for age-appropriate standardized measures to accurately evaluate sensory function in autism across the lifespan.Lay AbstractMany autistic individuals experience sensory sensitivities that can make everyday activities more difficult. While researchers have studied how autism affects senses like sight and sound, the sense of smell has received much less attention, even though it plays important roles in helping us detect danger, judge whether food is safe to eat, and connect with others socially. Past studies have suggested that autistic individuals may experience differences in their sense of smell, including how well they can detect, distinguish, or identify odors by name. However, the results of smell studies in autism have been mixed because studies often use different testing methods, have small numbers of participants, and do not always account for demographic factors (e.g., age or sex). In this study, we reviewed the published research literature to better understand how the sense of smell differs based on: (1) whether someone is autistic or not, (2) the type of smell test used, (3) age (children vs. adults), and (4) the specific smell ability being measured. Overall, we found that autistic individuals tend to have poorer smell abilities than non-autistic individuals. These differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals were most noticeable when s","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2225-2247"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148454447","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}

{"title":"Exploring the Experiences of First Nations Caregivers of Autistic Children in Canada: A Qualitative Community-Based Participatory Research Study.","authors":"Grant Bruno, Mariam Ahmad, Carmella Cutknife, Heather Littlechild, Trina Ertman, Jacqueline Smith, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, David Nicholas","doi":"10.1177/13623613261464661","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261464661","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Autism exists across all populations, including among Indigenous Peoples, yet the experiences of First Nations caregivers of Autistic children remain significantly under-researched. This study explores the lived realities of caregivers in two First Nations communities: Maskwacîs (Alberta) and Six Nations of the Grand River (Ontario). Guided by a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach and grounded in the nêhiyaw concept of wâhkôtowin (relationality), this research was co-led by the Autism Community Research Circle, which included Elders, Autistic individuals, caregivers, and professionals. Fourteen caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis revealed eight key themes: lack of understanding and recognition; caregiver burnout; challenges with diagnosis and clinical navigation; school experiences; advocacy; stigma and ableism; culture and ceremony; and acceptance and transformation. Caregivers identified barriers including jurisdictional divides, racism, and lack of culturally appropriate services, but also emphasized the importance of kinship, cultural identity, and community acceptance. Autism was often reframed through Indigenous worldviews as a gift from the Creator, highlighting a strength-based perspective rooted in relationality. This study addresses a critical gap in the literature and calls for culturally grounded, community-led autism supports that align with Indigenous knowledge systems. Findings offer essential insights to inform more responsive policy, programming, and future research.Lay AbstractAutism exists in every community, including among First Nations Peoples in Canada, yet very little research has explored the experiences of Indigenous families raising Autistic children. This study looked at what life is like for First Nations caregivers of Autistic children in two communities, Maskwacîs in Alberta and Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario. The project was led in partnership with community members, including Autistic people, Elders, caregivers, and professionals, through the Autism Community Research Circle. Together, we used a community-based approach that followed local teachings and values, especially the Cree concept of wâhkôtowin, which means kinship and relationship. Fourteen caregivers took part in interviews where they shared their stories and perspectives. We learned that caregivers often face major challenges in getting autism diagnoses and finding appropriate supports and services. Many spoke about burnout, stigma, and racism, as well as frustration with school systems and health care providers. Despite these barriers, caregivers described the strength they draw from family, culture, and community. Cultural teachings, ceremonies, and language helped caregivers and their children feel proud, connected, and supported. Some families described autism as a gift from the Creator, showing how Indigenous ways of understanding autism can promote acceptance and belongin","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2288-2300"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13494114/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148598120","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":"Preliminary Reliability and Validity of the M-CHAT-S, a New Autism Screening Tool for School-Aged Children.","authors":"Ashley de Marchena, Andrea T Wieckowski, Alexia F Dickerson, Hunter S Cheng, Georgina Perez Liz, Ashley Dubin, Giacomo Vivanti, Marianne Barton, Deborah Fein, Diana L Robins","doi":"10.1177/13623613261464200","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261464200","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identifying autism early is critical for ensuring timely access to appropriate educational and clinical supports. Current autism screening practices primarily focus on toddlers; universal practices for identifying the substantial portion of autistic children who arrive at school age without a diagnosis are lacking. This study evaluates the preliminary reliability and validity of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-School Age version (M-CHAT-S), a novel screener designed for early school-age children, with separate versions for verbally fluent and minimally verbal children. A total of 165 caregivers and 107 educators completed the M-CHAT-S, along with the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2), to test convergent validity, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), to test discriminant validity. Findings demonstrate strong internal consistency across versions (Cronbach's α = .79-.92) and robust construct validity. Children with preexisting autism diagnoses scored higher on the M-CHAT-S than nonautistic children. Both test-retest reliability and interrater reliability were in the moderate range. Despite these limitations, the M-CHAT-S demonstrates promise as a screening tool that could facilitate earlier identification of autistic children in school settings. Future research will involve a partnership with school districts to support school-based validation and implementation.Lay AbstractChildren with disabilities have a right to a free and appropriate public education in the United States. Children who are not identified by the time of school entry are likely to miss out on appropriate services and supports to which they would otherwise be legally entitled. Many studies show that a large portion of individuals who are ultimately diagnosed with autism are not identified until by the time they start school.Screening tools can help identify children who may be on the autism spectrum. Universal autism screening is currently recommended for toddlers, but not school-age children. To address this gap, we developed the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-School Age version (M-CHAT-S) for children in early elementary school. This study tested the consistency and accuracy of the M-CHAT-S for both verbally fluent and minimally verbal children.We asked 165 caregivers and 107 educators to complete the M-CHAT-S and compared their responses to other well-established measures of autism traits and behavior. Overall, we found that the M-CHAT-S had good reliability, meaning that the items in the measure were consistent with each other. Children with a known autism diagnosis scored higher on the M-CHAT-S than non-autistic children. M-CHAT-S scores were more strongly related to another autism screening tool (the SRS-2) than to a survey of general behavior (the CBCL). However, test-retest reliability (whether the same rater's score stayed consistent over time) and interrater reliability (whether two different raters agreed on scores) we","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2248-2259"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148560705","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}

{"title":"Navigating Mixed-Neurotype Dialogue: Environmental and Affective Influences on Autistic Speakers.","authors":"Zachary A Miller, Caitlin M Conner, Judy C Chang, Carla A Mazefsky","doi":"10.1177/13623613261469909","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261469909","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this reflective report study, we examined communication challenges for autistic adults by examining the influences of emotional state and environmental context across neurotype conversation partners. Using the Neurotype Communication and Assistive Technology Survey (NCATS), we surveyed 165 autistic adults (18-35 years old) and analyzed 154 responses to capture both quantitative ratings and qualitative descriptions of past contextual conversations. The majority of the participants noted that environmental factors, such as crowdedness, noise levels, and familiarity, at least somewhat impacted their communication. Autistic adults reported that noisy or unpredictable settings were associated with word loss, scripting, and social withdrawal, while quiet and familiar spaces facilitated openness and authentic self-expression. In addition, participants stated that conversations with allistic (non-autistic) partners required more conscious effort, social masking, and cognitive load than conversations with autistic partners, consistent with the Double Empathy Problem. Finally, survey responses revealed that negative emotions such as stress, frustration, and anxiety may worsen communication difficulties regardless of the conversation partner's neurotype, whereas positive emotions such as happiness and calmness were found to improve fluency, confidence, and intersubjectivity. These results indicate that partner neurotype, emotional states, and other environmental factors can affect communication challenges for autistic adults.Lay AbstractIn this study, autistic adults reflected on their conversational experiences and described what helped communication go well and what made it more difficult. We asked 165 autistic adults (18-35 years old) to complete a survey about how they communicate in different situations based on people and places and received 154 responses. We focused on how communication changed whether the other person is autistic or allistic (non-autistic). Within that, we focused on two main factors: the type of environment they were in (e.g., home, work, school) and how their emotions (feeling happy, sad, angry) affected their communication. The majority of autistic adults said that the place they were in at least somewhat affected their communication. Autistic adults said that loud or unpredictable places often made communication harder, leading to things like losing words, repeating scripts, or pulling back from the conversation. Quiet and familiar spaces, on the contrary, made it easier to share thoughts openly. Talking with allistic people usually took more effort and sometimes led to masking, or hiding one's natural way of communicating. This fits with the Double Empathy Problem, which says that communication struggles often come from mismatched understandings between autistic and allistic people. Emotions were also important. Stress, anxiety, or frustration made conversations harder, while happiness and calmness made conversing easi","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2415-2426"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13494137/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148668298","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":"Communicating About Sexuality in Autism: Experiences of Primary Caregivers.","authors":"Tatiane Geralda André, Milena de Lucca, María Dolores Gil-Llario, Lucila Castanheira Nascimento","doi":"10.1177/13623613261470850","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261470850","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sexuality is a fundamental part of human development and should be addressed in its physical, emotional, and social dimensions. However, when it involves autistic children and adolescents, the topic remains marked by taboos, silence, and misinformation, especially within families. To understand the experiences of caregivers of autistic children and adolescents in Brazil and Spain regarding communication about sexuality, a qualitative narrative study was carried out based on Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory. The research was conducted in Brazil and Spain. In Brazil, participants were recruited in person and remotely; in Spain, recruitment occurred online with academic and social media support. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and field notes using a semi-structured script. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns. Nineteen caregivers participated, mostly mothers. Two narrative syntheses emerged: (a) \"&lt;i&gt;Breaking the Silence&lt;/i&gt;,\" showing how family silences, trauma, lack of knowledge, and autism-related challenges create emotional and cognitive barriers; and (b) \"&lt;i&gt;Navigating Fragilities, Improvisations, and Discoveries&lt;/i&gt;,\" illustrating daily dilemmas, avoided topics, improvised strategies, and limited institutional support. The Bioecological Theory revealed influences from personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and temporal systems. Sexuality, though recognized as essential, remains surrounded by silence, discomfort, and educational gaps, with tensions intensified by the specificities of autism.Lay AbstractSexuality is a natural part of growing up, and this also applies to autistic children and adolescents. However, many families still struggle with silence, taboos, and a lack of reliable information when trying to talk about these issues. This study explored how caregivers in Brazil and Spain experience conversations about sexuality with their autistic children and adolescents. Nineteen caregivers, mostly mothers, participated in in-depth interviews in which they shared their everyday difficulties, worries, and learning processes. The findings revealed two main storylines. The first, \"Breaking the Silence,\" shows how family taboos, past traumas, limited knowledge, and autism-related difficulties create emotional and practical barriers to communication. The second, \"Navigating Fragilities, Improvisations, and Discoveries,\" illustrates how caregivers often face unexpected situations, avoid sensitive topics, improvise strategies, and receive little support from institutions such as schools and health services. Using Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory, the study shows that communication about sexuality is shaped by multiple layers: personal beliefs and emotions, family relationships, institutional guidance, cultural norms, and changes over time. Overall, families recognize the importance of discussing sexuality, but the topic remains surrounded by discomfort and educational gaps, dif","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2401-2414"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148618275","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}

{"title":"\"Everyone Has a Different Body Constitution\": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Social Interaction and Related Supports in Chinese Autistic Postsecondary Students.","authors":"Annabel Shin Ling Tong, Gary Yu Hin Lam","doi":"10.1177/13623613261466305","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261466305","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Little research has investigated how autistic individuals make sense of their experiences with socializing and interacting with others in postsecondary education. Autistic students are also dissatisfied with insufficient social interventions and the lack of autistic input in the design of such support. This study investigated the lived experiences of social interaction and related support in autistic postsecondary students. We conducted interviews with eight Chinese autistic students currently enrolled in a university or college in Hong Kong. Analysis using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach identified four themes, including (1) their attempts and motivation to connect and socialize, which was often felt ineffective and exhausting; (2) the internal negotiation and delicate balance between masking and unmasking; (3) the crucial role of both formal and informal supports in coping with social and emotional challenges; and (4) social support and interventions needed to include diverse strategies ranging from skills building to neurodiversity-informed practices that respond to individual preferences and contexts. This study reveals cultural nuances in social preferences and masking that are not found in Western-dominant literature, which can inform more culturally responsive conceptualizations of interventions that enhance social experiences and promote authenticity.Lay AbstractAutistic students in university often face social challenges that affect their well-being, learning, and ability to connect with others. These struggles are not always well understood. By listening to their personal experiences, we can better support them in ways that they desire and create more inclusive environments. The study aimed to understand how autistic college or university students in Hong Kong experience social interaction and the support they receive. It focused on their personal stories to explore what helps or hinders their ability to interact and socialize with others. We interviewed eight autistic students in Cantonese Chinese. They shared their thoughts and feelings about their social lives and the support they received. The researcher analyzed these interviews to find unique meanings in each participant and the common themes and patterns among their experiences. The study found four main themes. First, socializing is challenging but meaningful. Second, many students masked their autistic traits and found it exhausting, but they also valued the importance and benefits of doing it. Third, support from peers, teachers, and professionals helps them cope. Fourth, social interventions and support should be personalized and should value their preferences and perspectives. The study highlights that masking can be both harmful and helpful, depending on the situation and culture. Our results also show that autistic students want to be themselves but often feel pressured to fit in. These insights challenge the idea that all support should focus on","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2301-2317"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13494135/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148598140","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":"Beyond Direct Costs: Expanding the Conceptualization of Caregiver Burden in Autism.","authors":"Brianna Burte, Samuel Tringali","doi":"10.1177/13623613261466589","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261466589","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2432-2433"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148576766","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}

{"title":"Prevalence, Distribution, Co-occurring Neurodevelopmental Conditions, and Associated Factors of Autism Among Children in Northern Uganda.","authors":"Ouma Simple, Edward John Estlin, Kennedy Kosko Okello, Morrish Obol Okello, Franceska Akello, James Okello, Freddy Odong, Esther Ssebyala, Richard Idro, Catherine Abbo, Jonathan Vincent","doi":"10.1177/13623613261468802","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613261468802","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social interaction, communication and behaviour. Despite a global prevalence of one in 127 individuals, autism remains underdiagnosed in low-resource settings. We examined the epidemiology of autism among children aged 2 to 9 years in Northern Uganda. Using multistage sampling, 1,139 children were screened for neurodevelopmental conditions using the validated 23Q screening tool. Children who screened positive underwent clinical assessment, and suspected cases received specialist assessments according to &lt;i&gt;DSM&lt;/i&gt;-5-TR criteria. Descriptive statistics and Firth logistic regression were employed for analysis. The mean age was 5.38 years (&lt;i&gt;SD&lt;/i&gt; = 2.07), and 51.0% were male. The prevalence of autism was 10.5 per 1,000 children (95% confidence interval [CI] [6.0, 18.5]), of whom 75.0% had co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions. Autistic children were more likely to have intellectual disability, epilepsy, learning disabilities, global developmental delay, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment and speech delay (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; .0045). After adjusting for gender, family history of autism (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.95, 95% CI [1.60, 30.23]), teenage motherhood (aOR = 8.30, 95% CI [1.30, 53.12]), breech presentation (aOR = 12.23, 95% CI [1.83, 81.64]), and oxygen resuscitation at birth (aOR = 4.56, 95% CI [1.08, 19.33]) were independent predictors of autism. These findings highlight the need to strengthen early identification and targeted services for autistic children in low-resource settings.Lay AbstractAutism affects how people communicate, interact, and process information, and about one in 127 people worldwide are autistic. In low-resource settings, autism is often under-researched and underdiagnosed. We carried out a study in Northern Uganda to estimate how common autism is among children aged 2 to 9 years, to identify co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions, and to explore factors that may increase likelihood of autism. We enrolled 1,139 children from diverse communities using a multi-step sampling process. After parental consent, one child per household was screened with the 23Q neurodevelopmental screener. Children with possible conditions received further assessment by trained health care workers, and likely cases were confirmed by specialist clinicians using &lt;i&gt;DSM&lt;/i&gt;-5-TR diagnostic criteria. Approximately 1 in 95 children were autistic, and none had previously received a diagnosis of autism. The average age of the children diagnosed with autism was about 5 years, and slightly more than half were boys, and most lived in rural areas. Most autistic children (82%) had at least one additional neurodevelopmental condition, such as intellectual disability, learning delays, or epilepsy. Autism was linked to family history, teenage motherhood, and certain birth complications. Improving maternal care, community awar","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"2366-2380"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148590426","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}