Background: Although a growing body of literature has explored the physical activity experiences from the perspective of children on the autism spectrum, the perspective of autistic adults remains largely unheard. Due to this absence of perspective, there exists limited knowledge of the appropriateness and generalizability of current models and…

Disability support office (DSO) staff are responsible for providing appropriate support for an increasing population of undergraduate students with autism. A total of 153 DSO staff members in higher education institutions in the United States completed an online survey on their autism attitudes and knowledge, previous contact with autistic people,…

Prevalence rates of depression are higher in autistic youth than neurotypical peers, yet the effects of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and sex on depressive symptom severity remain incompletely understood, particularly in specific age groups. Using the Children's Depression Inventory, Second Edition, this study explored diagnostic- and…

Autism spectrum condition is associated with co-occurring physical health conditions and premature mortality. Autistic people experience multiple barriers to accessing healthcare. This study investigated autistic people's experiences of healthcare and professionals' experiences of providing healthcare to autistic people. Focus groups with 11…

A practical consideration for many intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is whether to disclose their diagnostic status or try to mask their autistic characteristics to avoid judgment and discrimination. Here, we assessed first impressions of adults with ASD and typically developing controls (N = 40) made by typically…

More boys than girls are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder; however, there are conflicting findings about whether they differ in their presentation. This study involved a survey of parents of school-aged children on the autism spectrum (171 parents of girls and 163 parents of boys) that was distributed via social media. The surveys provided…

This study compared sexual orientation and romantic relationship experience in a large sample of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 675) and general population peers (n = 8064). Gender identity was explored in the ASD group in relation to assigned gender at birth. Compared to general population peers, more people with…

Social relationships can shape the well-being of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Although much attention has focused on relationships with other family members or professionals, less is known about the place and contributions of informal relationships (i.e., non-family, unpaid others) in the lives of…

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 70) completed online measures of global constructs (i.e., stable individual characteristics measured at time 1), which included resilience, depressive symptoms, and family functioning, followed by 14 daily questionnaires assessing relationship quality and affect on a given day. The global…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder do not just 'grow out of' their early difficulties in understanding the social world. Even for those who are cognitively able, autism-related difficulties continue into adulthood. Atypicalities attending to and interpreting communicative signals from others can provide barriers to success in education,…

The broader autism phenotype (BAP) is a set of subclinical traits qualitatively similar to those observed in autism spectrum disorders. The current study sought to elucidate the association between self- and informant-reports of the BAP and friendships, in a non-clinical sample of college student dyads. Self-informant agreement of the BAP and…

This study examined the characteristics of adults with autism spectrum disorder who have undergone a forensic examination and explored any relationships between the diagnosis and the offence. The reports described 41 men and 7 women. The autism spectrum disorder was diagnosed late (mean age: 25.3?years), and 22 of the 48 cases were diagnosed with…

Young people on the autistic spectrum (AS) may be at an increased risk of developing mental health difficulties, but to date research evidence has been equivocal and/or inadequate. The aim of the current study was to document the mental health profiles of adolescents on the AS, and to identify factors that contribute to difficulties in this area.…

This study investigates the psycho-social characteristics of typically developing children who have siblings with autism and their sibling relationship. Children's adjustment at school, their self-esteem and social relations, as well as their friends' attitudes towards their autistic siblings were examined. Participants were 22 siblings of…

Adults on the autism spectrum are significantly under-represented in research on educational interventions and support, such that little is known about their views and experiences of schooling and how this prepared them for adult life. In addition, "good outcomes" in adult life are often judged according to normative assumptions and tend…