This study compared contingent and noncontingent access to therapy dogs during educational tasks for children with autism spectrum disorder using a multielement design. The experimenters assessed whether initial preference for the dog predicted reinforcer efficacy and how preference changed across time. A higher response rate during contingent dog…

This report examines the relationship between treatment response in children with ASD and parents' affective symptomatology. This study examined 29 children with ASD in a manualized group psychotherapy program, Resilience Builder Program® (RBP), where emotional and social functioning of parent and child were measured through pre- and…

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with diverse social, educational, and occupational challenges. To date, no standardized, internationally accepted tools exist to assess autism spectrum disorder-related functioning. World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health can serve as foundation for…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. Children with ASD typically have difficulty with communication and social interaction, and may be overly dependent on routines, place extreme foci on items, and/or extremely dislike changes to their environment (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental-5, American…

This study identified patterns of therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder within publicly funded mental health services and compared patterns for therapists delivering usual care to those trained in AIM HI ("An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD"). Data were…

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of stress-response psycho-training on the stress levels of mothers with autistic children. The research was experimental in design encompassing a pretest-posttest model with control and placebo groups. Participation in the study was voluntary with a total of 28 mothers of autistic children included…

Aim: This is a cross-national study with the aim to explore the development of children with autism over time in the UK and Greece. The focus of the study was to investigate the differences in language and social skills between children with autism across the two countries who were receiving different types of treatment: speech and language…

This article will present an ongoing Erasmus + Innovative Academic Course on Integrative Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, IACIIC-ASD, implemented betweeen 2017/2019 by the West University of Timisoara (WUT) Department of Educational Sciences, in partnership with Universita degli studi di Firenze (UNIFI), Universitatea…

This article illustrates a little boy's journey from autistic-like symptoms into more adaptive ways of coping with trauma and separation. Drawing from the psychoanalytic literature on autism and trauma, it discusses how traumatic events in the first two years of life may cause a child to withdraw from social relationships and cause developmental…

The experiences of disabled people suggest that ableism insidiously and invasively impacts upon the practice of counselling and related therapies. This article critiques a particular account of psychotherapy with a child with the label of autism to illustrate how ableism can disrupt the process of empathy and negate the therapeutic experience. In…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2020, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year had to be transformed into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Modern…

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) has been found effective in treating a wide number of psychological conditions affecting adults. To date, however, little research has been done on the use of ACT with youth and parents. Few efforts have been made at summarizing the literature that does exist. This article,…

This study describes the characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with disruptive behavior problems served in community-based mental health clinics, characterizes psychotherapy process and outcome, and examines differences between children with ASD and a non-ASD comparison group. Results indicate that children with ASD…

Through clinical vignettes taken from the analytic treatment of an autistic child, the paper explores Bion's notion of "selected fact" in relation to the post-Jungian theoretical speculation on the "emergent mind". The issue of the subjectivity of the analyst is considered and explored in this light. A review of some neuroscience research…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2018, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and…