Previous research shows inconsistency in clinician-assigned diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We conducted an exploratory study that examined the concordance of diagnoses between a multidisciplinary assessment team and a range of independent clinicians throughout Australia. Nine video-taped Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)…

In this second of two primary papers, we examined moderators of treatment effects for younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders whose parents were taught to use a parent-implemented intervention called "Improving Parents As Communication Teachers". Investigators randomized 97 high-risk siblings and their primary parent…

Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be stressful. Understanding parent's perceptions of their stress and their child's ASD-related symptoms is important for both the well-being of parent and child and for other reasons, such as intervention adherence and diagnostic accuracy. We report parent (N = 570) ratings of both their…

Understanding that people's ideas may be false is a challenging step in Theory of Mind (ToM) development, which is accomplished around the age of 4-5 years old by typically developing (TD) children. False-belief attribution remains difficult beyond this age for certain clinical populations, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where delays in…

Introduction: Persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF, IQ 50-85) are at high risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A diagnostic instrument to establish a valid and reliable DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis in adults with MID-BIF was lacking. Aim of the current study was to determine…

Purpose: Infants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produce fewer play actions and gestures than neurotypical infants (e.g., Mastrogiuseppe et al., 2015; Veness et al., 2012; Zwaigenbaum et al., 2005). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether different "types" of actions and gestures are more or less likely to develop…

It is well established that neurotypical individuals generally show better memory for actions they have performed than actions they have observed others perform or merely read about, a so-called "enactment effect." Strikingly, research has also shown that neurotypical individuals demonstrate superior memory for actions they…

Background: The strength of the relationship between epilepsy and regression in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been much discussed but is currently unclear. Methods: The authors conducted 2 meta-analyses of published studies to determine if children with ASD who experience regression (ASD-R) epilepsy are more likely to have epilepsy or…

Social-emotional behavior in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was examined among high-risk (HR; siblings of children diagnosed with ASD) and low-risk (LR; no family history of ASD) toddlers. Caregivers completed the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) at 18 months, and blind diagnostic assessment for ASD was conducted at 36 months.…

Given the emphasis on early screening for ASD, it is crucial to examine the concordance between parent report and clinician observation of autism-related behaviors. Similar items were compared from the First Year Inventory (Baranek et al. "First-Year Inventory (FYI) 2.0." University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2003), a parent…

Preschool informants may provide valuable information about symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of ratings by preschool staff with those by parents of 3-year-old children using the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Preschool Forms. The sample consisted of 32 children at…

Background: Nodular thyroid disease is relatively common although thyroid cancer is rare. The aim of this study is to evaluate the advantage and reliability of conventional ultrasound in correlating sonographic characteristics of thyroid nodule with US-FNAC guided result as a diagnostic aid in thyroid nodule. Method: 111 patients were examined by…

Objectives: Explore the usage of tele-health to conduct diagnostic assessments and interventions for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: A Pubmed search was conducted using the words tele-health, telemedicine, video conferencing and telepyschiatry in conjunction with the words ASD, Autism, Asperger's, and Developmental…

There is growing evidence of a camouflaging effect among females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly among those without intellectual disability, which may affect performance on gold-standard diagnostic measures. This study utilized an age- and IQ-matched sample of school-aged youth (n = 228) diagnosed with ASD to assess sex…

Reaction to a child's diagnosis can strongly affect the parent, but little is known about the aspects of the diagnostic process associated with such reactions. The pre-diagnostic levels of anxiety, depression, and parenting stress of 67 volunteer mothers of children subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were assessed, along with the…