Despite challenges in social communication skills people with ASD often display strengths in visual processing. Aerial photography analysis is an occupation reliant on strong visual processing skills that matches this unique profile. We investigated basic-vision and "real-life" visual tasks in 20 cognitively-able young adults with ASD…

This study examined the effects of storytelling with or without contextual information on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD) using eye-tracker. They were randomized into two groups--the stories included and did not include social contextual information respectively. Training was delivered in groups, with…

Regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been linked to improved bone health, muscular fitness, cognitive function, sleep, and a reduced risk of depression and obesity. Many children are not engaging in the recommended amount of physical activity. Furthermore, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were found to engage in…

For the first time, this study investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children matched on language comprehension (M age equivalent = ~ 44 months) are more likely to retain words when learning from colour photographs than black-and-white cartoons. Participants used mutual exclusivity to fast…

Access to wild nature may be beneficial for human health and well-being (Gill 2014). Time in wild nature has been found to have unique benefits for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), although research on access to wild nature for children with ASC is scarce (Blakesley et al. 2013). Parents of children with ASC have unique insights…

This paper is a methodological reflection drawn from a study on the transition from school into young adulthood in Aotearoa New Zealand. During this process, the personal priorities of young adults with significant disabilities often becomes overpowered by those involved in their post-school planning. Through the experiences of young adults living…

A multiple baseline with probe across participants design was used to investigate the effects of an oral narrative intervention on early developing personal narratives of four children aged 6 and 7 with autism spectrum disorder and severe language disorder. The individual intervention targeted the narrative macrostructure elements of…

In the context of Social Stories™, we compared visual attention to social scenes using BoardMaker™ versus photographic stimuli among typically developing (TD) children and age-matched children with ASD. For visual attention, the dependent measures were the number of fixations and fixation time to eye, mouth, and 'other' (background) areas of…

We used photographic activity schedules to increase the number of play activities completed by children with autism during unstructured time on the playground. All 3 participants engaged in more playground activities during and after training, and they continued to complete activities when novel photographs were introduced.

Evaluation of faces is an important dimension of social relationships. A degraded sensitivity to facial perceptual cues might contribute to atypical social interactions in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study investigated whether face based social judgment is atypical in ASD and if so, whether it could be related to a degraded…

Background: Research evidence suggests that self-understanding is likely to be limited in individuals with autism. Method: Photo-elicitation interview was used to explore self-understanding in five adolescent boys diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition. Results: An interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded three superordinate…

This randomized controlled study evaluated a computer-based intervention on emotion understanding in 32 children with autism spectrum conditions with and without intellectual disability (ID) aged 7-15 years. The intervention group (n = 16) used the program for 12 h while the control group (n = 16) was not included in any intervention or training…

Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can be a challenge due to limited resources, time, and money. Interactive computerized training (ICT)--a self-paced program that incorporates instructions, videos, and interactive questions--is one method professionals can use to disseminate trainings to broader populations. This study…

Past research has largely focused on the negative aspects of well-being of autistic young adults during the post-school transition. Research that meaningfully includes autistic individuals and captures their perspectives of positive well-being is essential for stakeholders to better understand how to provide services that respond to the needs and…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show reduced gaze to social partners. Eye contact during live interactions is often measured using stationary cameras that capture various views of the child, but determining a child's precise gaze target within another's face is nearly impossible. This study compared eye gaze coding derived from…