Differential diagnosis of young children with suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is challenging, and clinician uncertainty about a child's diagnosis may contribute to misdiagnosis and subsequent delays in access to early treatment. The current study was designed to replicate and expand a recent report in this Journal (McDonnell et al. in…

How mental health disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) manifest in high ability youth has received little empirical attention, and differentiating OCD from other diagnoses like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine clinical profiles among OCD, ASD, or no diagnosis for those of…

Families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges engaging in services following diagnosis. This study: (1) developed and implemented a toolkit to tailor ASD evaluation feedback to families' needs, and (2) evaluated caregiver and provider perceptions of the toolkit. Focus groups with providers (N = 11) informed toolkit…

Sensory processing abilities are highly variable within and across people diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, and their association with features of autism and ADHD, in a large sample of autistic people (n = 495) and people with…

This study estimated the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a 5-year inpatient cohort of children and adolescents diagnosed with first-episode psychosis in two Hong Kong teaching hospitals, and explored the clinical characteristics predicting first-episode psychosis-autism spectrum disorder comorbidity. The autism spectrum disorder…

This research examined the preference for identity-first language (IFL) versus person-first language (PFL) among 215 respondents (M[subscript age] = 30.24 years, SD = 9.92) from the Dutch autism community. We found that a stronger identification with the autism community and a later age of diagnosis predicted a stronger IFL preference and a weaker…

Sensory features are included in the diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder, and sensory responsiveness may produce "cascading effects" on later development. However, the relation between early sensory profiles and later skills has yet to be defined. This study aims to characterize sensory subgroups in 116 toddlers at elevated…

Background: Making accurate diagnoses in teams requires complex collaborative diagnostic reasoning skills, which require extensive training. In this study, we investigated broad content-independent behavioral indicators of diagnostic accuracy and checked whether and how quickly diagnostic accuracy could be predicted from these behavioral…

Pathways to diagnosis in adulthood are poorly understood. Even less is known about undiagnosed adults who believe they may be autistic. This mixed-methods online survey examined adults' journeys from initial concern to receiving the diagnosis. Quantitative findings showed the diagnostic process to be highly heterogeneous. Qualitative analysis…

The diagnostic experiences of autistic adults in New Zealand have not been investigated and little is known globally about autistic adults' satisfaction with the autism diagnostic process. This study describes the diagnostic experiences of 70 autistic adults living in New Zealand and explores how these experiences are related to satisfaction…

Estimates place the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (autism) at around 1% in the population. New services for adult diagnosis have been set up in Wales, UK, at a time of rising awareness of the spectrum of autism experiences; however, no studies have examined adult autism prevalence in Wales. In this study, we used an anonymised e-cohort…

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare scale and conditional reliability derived from item response theory analyses among the most commonly used, as well as several newly developed, observation, interview, and parent-report autism instruments. Methods: When available, data sets were combined to facilitate large sample evaluation.…

When observing other people during naturally paced and dynamic interactions, it is essential to look at specific locations at the right time to extract a maximum of socially informative content. In this study, we aimed to investigate the looking behavior of typically developing toddlers and toddlers later diagnosed with autism when observing other…

Purpose: An official autism diagnosis is required to access timely intervention and is associated with better long-term wellbeing and mental health. Certain demographic characteristics, such as being female or a racially or ethnically minoritized youth, have been associated with significant diagnostic lag. However, it remains unclear how assigned…

Objective: In the United States, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is significantly less diagnosed in Spanish-speaking populations compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Structural barriers such as transportation, insurance, and time have been documented within this population. However, many families also report language as a barrier. The present…