Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a common condition that is being diagnosed with increasing frequency and which can be markedly debilitating. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly important that health care workers are proficient in diagnosing infants and children with ASD (Manning-Courtney et al., 2013). However as the rates of ASD diagnoses…

Families whose child has recently received a diagnosis of autism are a unique population in particular need of support and guidance. These parents often experience feelings of stress, fear, and uncertainty, which can be further complicated by challenges with understanding and navigating services. It may be especially important to consider parent…

Despite the burgeoning interest in mindfulness and its applications, relatively few mindfulness research studies have been conducted with children and adolescents, particularly in regard to those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and comorbid internalizing symptoms. Moreover, there is a lack of peer-reviewed, published studies regarding the…

A gap exists in the literature regarding the needs, concerns, and overall experiences of Arab American parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Al Khatib, 2017; Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). This study explored the experiences of five Arab American mothers of children with ASD. A qualitative interview approach, utilizing…

Despite recent advancements in the field of Autism, young adults with a diagnosis of ASD continue to struggle working and living independently (Thompson, 2013). Competitive employment is a quality of life indicator (Garcia-Villamisar & Hughes, 2007; Garcia-Villamisar, Wehman, & Navarro, 2002; Hendricks, 2010; Hurlbutt & Chalmers, 2010;…

With the increasing prevalence of autism diagnoses, large percentage of diagnosed individuals with comorbid language difficulties, and negative effects of these difficulties on language development and overall functioning, research on language acquisition in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is essential. The current study used data…

Autism affects 1 in 68 children according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC, 2014). Research suggests that church attendance and believing in God helps parents cope with children with autism and improve quality of life (Lee, Harrington, Louie and Newschaffer, 2008). Attending church can be difficult for families with children with autism. The…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex brain based disorder. Children are being diagnosed with ASD at an alarming rate. Students with ASD present with behaviors that interfere with their learning and the learning of others. These behaviors can be a challenge for the teachers and other staff who work with students with ASD. For the past 25…

As the prevalence of children diagnosed with autism continues to rise, the need for high quality parent coaching practices to ensure generalization of skills targeting in early intervention services is pronounced. This mixed methods study investigated the results of implementation of a parent coaching treatment package developed in alignment with…

Over the past two decades reported rates of autism have steadily risen. The current incidence is 1 in 68 children. While autism can be reliably diagnosed at 18 months in most children with the condition, specialized autism treatment rarely begins before a child's third or fourth birthday. As screening and diagnosis procedures improve so does the…

Rating scales are often used as part of the evaluation process to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Rating scales that are modeled after the experiences and understanding of the Caucasian American race may not reflect the unique experiences of individuals from other races or ethnicities. If parent ratings do not uniformly identify the ASD…

The American Psychiatric Association (2000) defined Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a mild to severe neurological condition with unknown causes that affects the brain's sensory filters and social development. According to Rice (2009), the number of people diagnosed with autism has increased to one out of every 88 children. As a result of the…

Introduction: Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions (EIBI) is an applied behavior analysis approach that can be effective for remediating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms for some individuals (Reichow, 2012). From a population perspective, timely access to early intervention services is assumed to be important for facilitating long term…

Families with individuals with special needs face many different struggles such as identifying needs and/or appropriate supports, accessing those supports, and then locating providers to help implement those supports (Boehm & Carter, 2016). These individuals may need continuous support to live meaningful and productive lives outside of the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of typically developing siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders regarding their own quality of life. The researcher also sought to discover if there were specific characteristics that affected the typically developing siblings' descriptions of their lives. In order to achieve…