The mental health and well-being of children and adolescents are critical public health concerns globally. This cross-sectional study analysed nationally representative data from the combined 2016-2022 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 239,534) to produce estimates of parent-reported diagnoses of children's anxiety, depression and…

Little is currently known about the autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-related difficulties of females narrowly below the ASD diagnostic threshold and whether the disorder conceptualisation should be broadened to capture their presentations. We extracted fine-grained information from the assessment reports of 222 children who were either diagnosed…

Studies have shown that there are differences between the presentations of males and females diagnosed with autism. There remains a developing understanding about how the presentation of autism differs between boys (hereafter referred to as 'assigned males at birth') and girls (assigned females at birth). This study sought to investigate the…

The birth of a child is the beginning of a woman's motherhood. It is genuinely illuminated in her raising and rearing responsibilities. This study explores the understanding and experiences of Mansaka mothers about autism before and after diagnosis. This qualitative phenomenological inquiry employed face-to-face semi-structured interviews with…

Extreme demand avoidance (EDA) is increasingly described as part of the autism spectrum and is sometimes diagnosed as Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Yet little is known, about the educational experiences of children with and without EDA behaviours. Using an online survey collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, 211 parents reported…

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, little research delineates the temporal and mechanistic associations between potential risk factors and suicidality in autistic individuals. We assessed 129 autistic and 121 age-matched and sex-assigned-at-birth-matched…

Autism is a lifelong condition characterized by repetitive and restrictive behaviors and differences in social communication. The reported prevalence of autism has risen exponentially in the past years. Early identification and subsequent early intervention are key to promoting better outcomes for autistic individuals. However, there is a dearth…

The Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF) was developed to specifically screen psychopathology and problem behavior in children and adolescents with IDD. This study aimed to update the NCBRF to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition" (DSM-5) and screen for the most prevalent psychopathologies that…

Autistic youth engage in higher levels of screen time and are more likely to experience mental health problems than their typically developing peers; however, few studies have investigated a potential relationship between daily screen time hours and mental health in autistic youth. This study examined the relations among daily screen time hours…

Children with complex behavioral profiles (e.g., ASD + ADHD) may experience delays in obtaining a final diagnosis. Low-resource or underrepresented groups may be at even greater risk for delayed diagnosis. We assessed the effect of sociodemographic factors, symptom complexity and co-occurring conditions, and identifier of first symptoms on…

"The Autism Spectrum Handbook & Resource Guide" combines valuable, easy-to-understand educational information for consumers, patients, and their families, with official reports and releases about monitoring childhood growth and important milestones, community statistics, living with an ASD, and treatments and further resources for…

Noncompliance with adult instruction is a common problem exhibited by individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The high-probability (high-p) request sequence was designed to increase compliance with low-probability (low-p) instructions by rapidly presenting high-p instructions immediately prior to the targeted low-p…

The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'" (5th ed.) Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder is meant to capture the social elements of communication dysfunction in children who do not meet autism spectrum disorder criteria. It is unclear whether Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder captures these elements…

Children with intellectual disability experience a higher prevalence of dental disease, obesity, challenging behaviours, and mental health disorders compared to children without intellectual disability. Children with intellectual disability concurrently face health and social service navigational barriers that are associated with unresolved health…

Mental health clinicians often report significant challenges when delivering evidence-based interventions in community settings, particularly when unexpected client stressors (or emergent life events) interfere with the therapy process. The current study sought to extend the study of emergent life events to children with autism spectrum disorder…