Autism最新文献

{"title":"Endogenous and exogenous oxytocin modulate interpersonal motor resonance in autism: A context-dependent and person-specific approach.","authors":"Jellina Prinsen, Kaat Alaerts","doi":"10.1177/13623613251335730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251335730","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding and interpreting non-verbal actions are critical components of social cognition, which are often challenging for autistic individuals. Oxytocin, a neuropeptide known to modulate social behavior and enhance the salience of social stimuli, is being explored as a therapeutic option for improving social mirroring. However, its effects are mediated by context- and person-dependent factors. This study examines the impact of a single intranasal dose of oxytocin (24 IU) on interpersonal motor resonance in young adult men with and without autism. Neurophysiological assessments of corticomotor excitability were performed using transcranial magnetic stimulation while participants observed real-time hand movements displayed by an experimenter demonstrating varying social intent (i.e. showing direct vs averted gaze). While no overall effect of oxytocin on interpersonal motor resonance was observed across groups, person-specific factors significantly influenced outcomes. In the autism group, individuals with higher endogenous oxytocin levels exhibited greater motor resonance during action observation. Autistic individuals with heightened social difficulties or avoidant attachment styles showed enhanced motor resonance following oxytocin administration. These findings highlight the nuanced role of both endogenous and exogenous oxytocin in shaping neurophysiological motor resonance and emphasize the importance of individual variability in assessing oxytocin's therapeutic potential for addressing social challenges in autism.Lay abstractThis study explores how oxytocin, a hormone that influences social behaviors, affects the ability to interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, particularly in autistic adults. Understanding others' actions and intentions, often guided by observing body language and eye contact, is a critical part of social interaction. Autistic individuals frequently face challenges in these areas. Using a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation technique, the study measured participants' brain responses as they observed real-time hand movements paired with the interaction partner's direct eye contact or averted gaze. Participants included young autistic and non-autistic adult men who received a placebo and a single dose of oxytocin via nasal spray. Results showed no overall differences between the two groups in their brain responses to these movements. However, in the autism group, several factors significantly influenced the effects of oxytocin. Participants with higher natural oxytocin levels or those who reported greater social challenges showed stronger responses after oxytocin administration, particularly when observing hand movements combined with direct gaze. These findings suggest that oxytocin may enhance social understanding in autistic individuals, especially for those experiencing greater difficulties. This highlights the potential of personalized approaches when considering oxytocin as a therapeutic option to improve ","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613251335730"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143961192","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":"Demographic, ecological and social predictors of quality of life among parents of autistic children: A multi-centre cross-sectional study.","authors":"Raghad AbdulKareen Abdoun Al-Janabi, Zainab Ali Saleem, Faris Lami, Osamah Abbas Jaber, Shatha Mohammed Jasim, Nahid Dehghan Nayeri, Mahdi Shafiee Sabet, Ghaith Al-Gburi","doi":"10.1177/13623613251334166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251334166","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parents experience lower quality of life due to the psychological, financial and social challenges of caring for an autistic child. This study aims to identify the independent demographic and social predictors of parents' quality of life, to allocate support to parents who truly need it. Al-Subtain Academy and Baghdad's National Center for Autism recruited 248 parents in a cross-sectional study from 3 January to 13 September 2024. Demographics, quality of life and social support were assessed using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were significant for all domains except role functioning (p = 0.258). The explained variance ranged from 50.8% for health perception to 19.5% for physical functioning. Mothers reported lower health perception and physical functioning than fathers (p = 0.015, p < 0.001). Parents with chronic condition also reported lower health perception, mental health, social functioning and higher pain scores (p-values: <0.001, 0.029, 0.023, 0.014). In addition, parents of female children and those with comorbidities reported lower mental health (p-values: 0.018, 0.004). Marital satisfaction was positively associated with all domains except pain (negative association) and physical/role functioning (no association). In conclusion, mothers, younger parents, parents with chronic conditions or female children, or whose children have comorbidities should be prioritised during interventions that promote family functioning and social support.Lay AbstractParents can face emotional and social challenges when taking care of autistic children, which can lower their quality of life. These challenges do not affect all parents in the same way. That is why we need to find out which parents are having more trouble, so that we can give more support to those who need it the most. Our goal was to identify which background and social factors are linked to lower quality of life in parents of autistic children. First, we found that parents of autistic children have lower mental and social well-being than physical quality of life. We argued that the type of challenges faced by parents might be the cause. We also detected lower quality of life among mothers, younger parents, parents with long-term conditions or autistic daughters, or whose children have other conditions besides autism. Finally, we found that marital satisfaction was the most important element in social support. Marital satisfaction is linked to a better quality of life in all areas except being able to do normal daily tasks and physical activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613251334166"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953175","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":"Pilot rural-urban comparison of health care experiences among autistic adolescents and young adults.","authors":"E Zhang, Wafaa Alduraidi, Makenna Snyder, Ezra Kaiser, Spencer Hunley, Ann Davis, Eve-Lynn Nelson, Nancy Cheak-Zamora","doi":"10.1177/13623613251337506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251337506","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Autistic adolescents and young adults face barriers to accessing health care, particularly during the pediatric-to-adult care transition. This study compared health care access, utilization, and provider interactions between rural and urban autistic adolescents and young adults. Autistic adolescents and young adults (&lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 180) aged 14-25 were recruited through autism registries and community agencies across multiple US states from October 2022 to June 2023. They completed the Health Care Transition Experience Survey, a 51-item questionnaire evaluating health care experiences. Rural-urban differences were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Rural autistic adolescents and young adults (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 84) relied more on a single health care location, while urban autistic adolescents and young adults (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 96) more often used multiple providers (72.6% vs 56.3%, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; = 0.046). Rural autistic adolescents and young adults reported greater challenges with providers lacking autism-specific knowledge (40.5% vs 24.0%, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; = 0.017) and limited nearby providers (57.1% vs 26.0%, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001). They also encountered more issues with dental insurance acceptance (46.4% vs 12.5%, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; = 0.015), while urban autistic adolescents and young adults more often lacked dental insurance (33.3% vs 3.6%, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; = 0.008). Significant rural-urban disparities were found in health care experiences, particularly provider availability and autism expertise in rural areas. Targeted interventions addressing rural health care barriers and enhanced provider training in autism care are needed.Lay abstractHealth care can be especially challenging for young autistic people, particularly when they move from child to adult health care. Our pilot study looked at whether the health care experiences are similar or different for autistic young people living in rural areas versus urban areas. We surveyed 180 autistic people aged 14-25 years about their health care experiences, including 96 from urban areas and 84 from rural areas. The survey asked about their experiences in finding providers, getting appointments, working with providers, and how well their providers understood autism. The results showed that rural young autistic people face some unique challenges. They often had to travel farther to find providers. They were more likely to work with one provider and report that their providers did not understand autism well compared to urban young autistic people, who often could choose between different providers. Interestingly, both rural and urban participants felt similarly about how well they could talk with their providers once they started working with them. Dental care stood out as particularly challenging among different health care services-rural participants had trouble finding dentists who accepted their insurance, while urban participants were more likely to have no dental insurance at all. These findings highlight important area","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613251337506"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960204","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":"Co-designing a novel service delivery pathway to increase access to autism identification and care within a non-profit community organization serving culturally and linguistically diverse families.","authors":"Shana M Attar, Hannah Benavidez, Carol Gicheru, Colleen Alabi, Risho Sapano, Wendy L Stone","doi":"10.1177/13623613251335702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251335702","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Culturally and linguistically diverse families experience greater challenges accessing timely, autism-specialized care relative to non-culturally and linguistically diverse families, and ultimately experience less optimal health outcomes. Alternative pathways to access autism care for culturally and linguistically diverse families are needed; however, the features of a novel pathway remain unclear. A co-design process was used with a culturally embedded non-profit community organization to develop a novel service delivery pathway for increasing access to autism services for culturally and linguistically diverse families in the United States. Twenty-three individuals participated in eight, 2-hour co-design sessions. Participants included front-line staff (seven non-specialist providers), management leaders (two program supervisors and two organization directors), and eight end-users (caregivers) from seven understudied cultural and linguistic groups (i.e. Somali Mai Mai, Swahili, Arabic, Dari/Pashto, French, Amharic, and Tigrinya) and four autism specialists. The co-design identified five key design features: respecting diversity, prioritizing caregiver agency, increasing accessibility, minimizing stigma, and maximizing feasibility. These features informed the co-development of a novel pathway to access autism identification and care for culturally and linguistically diverse families that pairs navigation services with the dissemination of brief, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based parenting and coping strategies. This power-sharing, community-academic partnership may serve as a model for improving equity in autism care.Lay AbstractEarly, specialized support is important for helping young autistic children learn and develop. However, families from different cultural backgrounds often find it challenging to access this early help. A university lab and a community organization worked together to create a new way for these families to access autism services. We used a co-design approach, which involves gathering feedback from a variety of people involved in autism care, including service providers, community leaders, caregivers, and autism experts. Twenty-three individuals participated in eight co-design sessions that were two hours each. Participants were from different language groups, including Somali Mai Mai, Swahili, Arabic, Dari/Pashto, French, Amharic, and Tigrinya. These sessions helped us identify five important factors important for improving access to needed services: being mindful about cultural differences between groups, empowering caregivers, providing information and support for accessing services, reducing stigma around autism, and ensuring the service is practical to use. Based on these factors, we developed a new pathway for families to access autism care. This new approach includes providing help in navigating the medical and educational systems and provides short, culturally appropriate advice for parenting and coping.","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613251335702"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957401","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":"Autistic-led insights on airport accessibility: A retrospective analysis of environmental assessments.","authors":"Chris Edwards, Abigail Ma Love, Ru Ying Cai, Tom Tutton, Emma Beardsley, Vicki Gibbs","doi":"10.1177/13623613251337200","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613251337200","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autistic people often encounter significant barriers when navigating airports, largely due to overwhelming sensory environments, stringent security procedures, and crowded spaces. This study aimed to enhance understanding of airport accessibility by retrospectively analyzing reports from Autistic-led environmental assessments conducted at six Australian airports between 2017 and 2024. Drawing on an evidence-informed autism-friendly framework, the assessments focused on eight key elements, including sensory adaptations, communication supports, and preparation and predictability. Through reflexive thematic analysis, two key themes were generated: (1) navigating the sensory landscape and (2) help passengers navigate with confidence. Our findings underscore the importance of sensory adjustments-such as natural lighting and quiet spaces-alongside clearer visual aids and communication supports. Importantly, this study represents the first systematic application of autism-friendly principles to airport environments, offering practical, evidence-based recommendations for more inclusive design. By foregrounding the perspectives of Autistic individuals, this research highlights the need for participatory design approaches to create public spaces that are genuinely accessible and supportive for Autistic travelersLay abstractAirports can be challenging for Autistic people because of overwhelming sensory experiences like bright lights and loud noises, security processes, and crowded spaces. This study analyzed reports from six Australian airports, produced between 2017 and 2024, to understand how airports can be made better for Autistic travelers. These reports were based on assessments led by Autistic people and used a specific framework to evaluate areas like sensory experiences and communication needs. The study found two main ways to improve accessibility: (1) reducing sensory challenges, like loud noises or bright, overwhelming areas, and (2) improving communication and wayfinding to make navigation clearer and easier. Some of the recommendations included providing quiet spaces for travelers, using softer and more natural lighting, and improving signs to make it easier for people to navigate airports. This is the first study to apply autism-friendly principles to airports and shows the importance of involving Autistic people in the design of more inclusive public spaces. The findings offer practical recommendations for airports around the world to better support Autistic travelers.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"13623613251337200"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973311","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":"Racial and ethnic group differences in service utilization in children with autism spectrum disorder: The role of parental stigma.","authors":"Karla Rivera-Figueroa, Stephanie Milan, Thyde Dumont-Mathieu, Diane Quinn, Inge-Marie Eigsti","doi":"10.1177/13623613241298043","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241298043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Racial and ethnic disparities in service utilization in autism are widely documented. Autism-related parental stigma may play a role if parents from racial/ethnic minoritized backgrounds experience dual stigma from autism and from membership in a marginalized group. This study examines racial/ethnic differences in autism-related stigma and compares the impact of stigma on service utilization in a large, diverse sample of US-based parents of autistic children (final sample = 764; White 41.6%, Black 16.6%, Latino/a/x/Hispanic 20.9%, Asian 7.5%, Multiracial 9.6%, Native American 1.8%, Pacific Islander 0.5%, Middle Eastern 0.2%, and Other 0.2%). Parents completed online surveys assessing affiliate and community stigma, service utilization, and perceived unmet treatment needs. Small but significant racial/ethnic group differences emerged in some aspects of stigma and service utilization. Specifically, Asian and Latino/a/x parents were less likely to fully engage in recommended services; Asian parents endorsed less service availability; Latino/a/x and multiracial parents reported more unmet needs; and Asian and White parents reported significantly more affiliate stigma. There was little indication that stigma contributed to racial/ethnic differences in service utilization, except for Asian families. Results indicate that socioeconomic factors interact with race/ethnicity to impact service use and stigma.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"1171-1183"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667089","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":"\"You should smile more\": Population-level sex differences in smiling also exist in autistic people.","authors":"Casey J Zampella, Julia Parish-Morris, Jessica Foy, Meredith Cola, Robert T Schultz, John D Herrington","doi":"10.1177/13623613241301113","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241301113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Societal expectations for social-emotional behavior differ across sexes; however, diagnostic definitions of autism do not account for this when delineating \"typical\" versus \"atypical.\" This study examines sex differences in autism in one behavior associated with strong gender biases: smiling. Computer vision was used to quantify smiling in 60 autistic (20 female) and 67 neurotypical (25 female) youth during conversations. Effects of sex and diagnosis were examined on degree of smiling, smile prototypicality, changes in smiling, and impact of smiling on interaction quality. Sex differences in smiling persisted across diagnosis groups: females smiled more than males, and their smiles were more prototypical. Autistic youth smiled less, and less prototypically, than neurotypical youth, with no sex by diagnosis interactions. In autism, the association between smile activity and interaction quality approached statistical significance, seemingly driven by autistic males but not females. Findings are consistent with population trends for females to smile more during social exchanges and \"display rules\" requiring more positive expressivity from females. Autism has historically been defined based on differences between autistic and neurotypical <i>males</i>. Failure to acknowledge sex-based differences in social-emotional behavior may leave some females appearing to have fewer autistic traits, increasing their risk of being under-identified and misunderstood.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"1236-1245"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12040582/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667081","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":"The use of Language ENvironment Analysis in autism research: A systematic review.","authors":"Orla C Putnam, Jennifer E Markfeld, Sarah Towner Wright, Jacob I Feldman, Jessica Goldblum, Maia Karpinsky, Amanda J Neal, Meghan R Swanson, Clare Harrop","doi":"10.1177/13623613241290072","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241290072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system has been used increasingly in research to record and evaluate the everyday speech of autistic children and their families. However, it is unclear how researchers are using LENA and whether the system is well-suited for work with autistic individuals. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the use of LENA in autism research, to highlight the strengths and limitations of the system as identified by researchers, and to provide recommendations for future research and clinical use. Forty-two studies that used LENA with samples of autistic children were identified through a systematic database search. Researchers using LENA in autism did so across a variety of ages, settings, and analytical approaches. Most studies used LENA within recommended guidelines. The most common purpose of using LENA was for exploratory research. Noted strengths of the LENA system included ecological validity, cost-effectiveness, and timely clinical feedback. Limitations included lower rates of speaker identification compared to human coders and limited information regarding speech context and language development. This systematic review provides key insights into the methods surrounding LENA use in autism research and serves to inform researchers and clinicians on best practices for future use with this technology.Lay abstractIn research, language ability has historically been measured using structured tasks in laboratory settings. In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the need to instead capture language ability in an individual's natural setting (i.e. through social interaction or in their home). Considering natural language may be particularly important for the autistic population, as an autistic child's language ability can be very different depending on the setting. One common tool for capturing natural language is the LENA recording system, which takes audio recordings over long periods of time and provides estimates of children's and caregivers' speech. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the use of LENA in autism research, to highlight the strengths and limitations of the system as identified by researchers, and to provide recommendations for future research and clinical use. We identified 42 autism studies that used LENA in a variety of ways and settings. Most studies used LENA within the guidelines put forth by its creators, and it was most commonly used to understand speech or speech development for autistic children. LENA is a useful tool for clinicians and caregivers to gain some insights into child speech, but those considering using it should be aware of concerns about its accuracy and limitations about the information it provides. In this review, we supplement the official LENA guidelines with specific suggestions for use with the autistic population.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"1095-1117"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12038073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142581964","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":"Pre-trained artificial intelligence language model represents pragmatic language variability central to autism and genetically related phenotypes.","authors":"Joseph Cy Lau, Emily Landau, Qingcheng Zeng, Ruichun Zhang, Stephanie Crawford, Rob Voigt, Molly Losh","doi":"10.1177/13623613241304488","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241304488","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many individuals with autism experience challenges using language in social contexts (i.e., pragmatic language). Characterizing and understanding pragmatic variability is important to inform intervention strategies and the etiology of communication challenges in autism; however, current manual coding-based methods are often time and labor intensive, and not readily applied in ample sample sizes. This proof-of-concept methodological study employed an artificial intelligence pre-trained language model, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, as a tool to address such challenges. We applied Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers to computationally index pragmatic-related variability in autism and in genetically related phenotypes displaying pragmatic differences, namely, in parents of autistic individuals, fragile X syndrome, and &lt;i&gt;FMR1&lt;/i&gt; premutation. Findings suggest that without model fine-tuning, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers's Next Sentence Prediction module was able to derive estimates that differentiate autistic from non-autistic groups. Moreover, such computational estimates correlated with manually coded characterization of pragmatic abilities that contribute to conversational coherence, not only in autism but also in the other genetically related phenotypes. This study represents a step forward in evaluating the efficacy of artificial intelligence language models for capturing clinically important pragmatic differences and variability related to autism, showcasing the potential of artificial intelligence to provide automatized, efficient, and objective tools for pragmatic characterization to help advance the field.Lay abstractAutism is clinically defined by challenges with social language, including difficulties offering on-topic language in a conversation. Similar differences are also seen in genetically related conditions such as fragile X syndrome (FXS), and even among those carrying autism-related genes who do not have clinical diagnoses (e.g., the first-degree relatives of autistic individuals and carriers of the &lt;i&gt;FMR1&lt;/i&gt; premutation), which suggests there are genetic influences on social language related to the genes involved in autism. Characterization of social language is therefore important for informing potential intervention strategies and understanding the causes of communication challenges in autism. However, current tools for characterizing social language in both clinical and research settings are very time and labor intensive. In this study, we test an automized computational method that may address this problem. We used a type of artificial intelligence known as pre-trained language model to measure aspects of social language in autistic individuals and their parents, non-autistic comparison groups, and individuals with FXS and the &lt;i&gt;FMR1&lt;/i&gt; premutation. Findings suggest that these artificial intelligence approaches were able to identify differences ","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"1346-1358"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12040583/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142863117","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":"Understanding the barriers to hiring autistic people as perceived by employers in the United Kingdom.","authors":"Marianne Day, Chantelle Wood, Elizabeth Corker, Megan Freeth","doi":"10.1177/13623613241301493","DOIUrl":"10.1177/13623613241301493","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Supporting more autistic people into employment is a major priority of the United Kingdom's National Autism Strategy (2021-2026). However, little is known about the barriers employers perceive to hiring autistic people. A pre-registered cross-sectional survey study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 1212 individuals with recent hiring experience. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behaviour framework and the Theoretical Domains Framework were used to identify perceived barriers to hiring autistic people. Results indicated that intentions to hire autistic people and to make adjustments to the hiring process were high. However, barriers existed in relation to knowledge about autism and how to make adjustments, as well as perceived limited opportunities to hire autistic people. Intentions to hire autistic people were higher for younger participants, men, people with higher levels of autism knowledge and those with more experience of previously hiring autistic people. Analysis of qualitative responses revealed employer concerns about workplace relationships, productivity and the need for training and adjustments to hiring processes. This study demonstrated that important targets for intervention are improving employer knowledge of autism and building more inclusive hiring practices. Practical suggestions for implementation are provided. These findings are significant for development of policies aimed at improving employment outcomes for autistic people.Lay abstractIn the United Kingdom, autistic adults struggle more to find jobs than non-autistic adults, which is a big concern to the government. To help more autistic people get jobs, hiring processes need to be better. By understanding what employers find challenging about hiring autistic people, we can come up with solutions to improve autistic people's employment chances. A survey of 1212 employers and employees who hire people was conducted to find out what affects employers' decisions to hire autistic people. Most people said they were open to hiring autistic applicants. This was particularly true for younger employers and men. People who had hired autistic people before were more likely to intend to do so again. However, key barriers to hiring were (1) not knowing enough about autism and (2) problems with how hiring is usually done in organisations. Employers also reported worrying about whether autistic employees would fit in at work, their productivity and the need for better training and changes to hiring methods. Our results indicate that it is important to educate employers about autism and make hiring practices more inclusive.</p>","PeriodicalId":8724,"journal":{"name":"Autism","volume":" ","pages":"1263-1274"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12038075/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142766020","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}