School psychologists familiar with the autism evaluation process have an awareness of the complexity of this school-based process. This paper provides school clinicians with an introduction to a visual framework and descriptive language to think and talk about the complex students they evaluate in positive, nuanced, and accessible terms. This…

Despite the heterogeneity in autism, socioemotional difficulties are often framed as universal. Increasing evidence, however, suggests that socioemotional difficulties may be explained by alexithymia, a distinct yet frequently co-occurring condition. If, as some propose, autistic traits are responsible for socioemotional impairments, then…

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) III, the purpose of this commentary is to describe school-based and school-relevant interventions and instructional approaches for children and youth with autism that have been developed and employed during that time period. The commentary begins with a brief…

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate delayed and atypical communication development. These deficits constitute a core criterion for the diagnosis of ASD, though information regarding gestural communication in toddlers with ASD remains limited. The present investigation implemented a robust gesture classification system in order…

Mothers' views of their experiences with their child with high functioning autism (HFA) have not been thoroughly investigated in previous research. Thirty mothers of children with high functioning autism participated in a semi-structured interview in the present qualitative study. The collected data were generally coded into five broad categories:…

This research explored parents' lived experience of the autism spectrum disorder assessment process when a diagnosis was "not" received. Six mothers and one stepfather were interviewed and transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The identified themes: 'My child is different', The emotional and…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Report 230, "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in individuals with intellectual disability" which aims to reduce the frequent misdiagnosis of this condition in people with ID, as shown in the case vignette that begins our commentary. The College…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with or without intellectual disability (ID), is common in children with congenital blindness. This complex combination of disabilities often involves many challenges for the family. This study explored parents' experiences of having a child with blindness and ASD (with or without ID), their support needs and…

Little remains known about the degree to which autistic university students are stigmatized relative to students with other diagnoses. We conducted an online survey with students in New York City (n = 633) and Beirut (n = 274). Students with diagnoses that were perceived as dangerous (e.g., psychopathy) were more stigmatized than students with…

Children referred for audiology evaluation due to speech and language delays represent a neurodevelopmentally high-risk group. The audiology evaluation is a behaviorally-challenging encounter early in the diagnostic process. We assessed interfering behaviors (IB) that complicated completion of audiometry as predictors of autism spectrum disorder…

The recognition of anxiety as one of the most commonly co-occurring diagnoses for individuals on the autism spectrum has led to increased research on symptomatology and treatment, but there is limited research documenting the impact of this anxiety. To address this, this study reports on the Child Anxiety Life Interference Scale (CALIS, parent…

The importance of accurate identification and high-quality intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is indisputable. Clinicians from multiple professions need adequate knowledge of ASD to make appropriate referrals to specialists, conduct thorough evaluations, and provide effective interventions. ASD knowledge development…

Cultural groups may vary considerably in their understandings of autism spectrum disorder and approaches to supporting autistic individuals. However, approaches to researching, identifying and managing autism are largely dominated by Western perspectives. This review provides an overview of the literature related to autism and Maori, the…

Social engagement, pretend play, and concern for another's distress represent fundamental features of typical social-emotional development in the second year. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display delays and deficits in these areas, and research on toddlers at heightened risk for ASD (HR; younger siblings of children with ASD)…

Anti-Black racism is a pervasive issue in the autism field that affects the autism service pathway, which ranges from identification of concerns to ongoing service navigation. In this short report, we provide a working model of the autism service pathway and highlight ways in which anti-Black racism affects all components of the pathway. We…