Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Theories on the Link Between Autism Spectrum Conditions and Trans Gender Modality: a Systematic Review
AbstractWhile research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirica...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - August 19, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Specific Language Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorders: Is There Overlap in Language Deficits? A Review
AbstractAnalysing language characteristics and understanding their dynamics is the key for a successful intervention by speech and language therapists (SLT). Thus, this review aims to investigate a possible overlap in language development shared by autism spectrum disorders (ASD), specific language impairment (SLI) and social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD). The sources of this work were the PubMed, PsycInfo and SciELO databases, as well as the Scientific Open Access Repositories of Portugal. The final selection included 18 studies, focused on several linguistic areas. Results suggest that when individuals are ma...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - August 4, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

The Early Childhood Signs of Autism in Females: a Systematic Review
AbstractCompared to males, females are at a much greater likelihood of receiving a later diagnosis of autism, which impacts their opportunity to receive early support. To assist with early identification, this systematic literature review aimed to ascertain whether females differ from males in the early childhood signs of autism. The small number of heterogeneous studies made it difficult to draw conclusions, although it appears that females and males under 6  years of age are more similar than different in terms of their expression of autistic behaviours. Given the discrepant sex/gender ratio in autism, these findings hi...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 30, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology
AbstractFor individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have limited to no vocal speech abilities, mobile augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology provides opportunities for communication with those around them. Interventionists can incorporate evidence-based practices into AAC instruction to heighten the efficacy of its intervention. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate the evidence-based practices that have been employed to date in AAC intervention research for individuals with ASD using mobile AAC technology. Thirty-eight studies with 106 total participants met in...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 20, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Implications of Genetic Factors and Modifiers in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Review
AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition. Genetic, environmental, and epigenetic variables are all likely to have a role in the occurrence of ASD. This systematic review was done to determine the implications of genetic factors and modifiers in ASD. Our results show that nearly all human chromosomes have one or more genes susceptible to autism including X and Y chromosomes. In majority of the studies, different genes like MTHFR, A1298C, KDM5B, AIM2, AMPD1-NRAS, TRIM33, and TRIM33-BCAS2 located on chromosome number 1 were found to have high association with ASD. It is concluded that g...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 19, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Loneliness in Autism and Its Association with Anxiety and Depression: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses
ConclusionsThis review highlights numerous limitations within current autism and loneliness research. Nevertheless, loneliness in autism merits targeted clinical and research attention. (Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders)
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 16, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Depression and Employment Outcomes in Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review
AbstractAutistic adults face elevated risks for depression and unemployment, yet a systematic review of studies on the intersection of depression and employment in autism is needed to inform research and clinical efforts. The present review synthesizes findings from studies that (1) measure both depression and employment in autistic adults, and (2) empirically test associations between these constructs. Results support other work indicating elevated prevalence rates of depression and unemployment in autism with new information on the complex associations between constructs. Insights from the present review were used to (1)...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 14, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Experiences of Friendships for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review
AbstractFriendships are vital to mental health and well-being. Understanding autistic individuals ’ lived experiences of friendship is necessary to support friendship development. A scoping review exploring autistic individuals’ experiences of friendship was undertaken to understand their perspectives of friendship. Electronic database and manual reference searches identified twenty-two stud ies exploring autistic perspectives of friendship. Results were synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach across the lifespan. Findings highlight the common and unique experiences of friendship among autistic individuals. Whil...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - July 12, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

The Effects of Multiple-Exemplar Training on Generalization of Social Skills with Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: a Systematic Review
AbstractAdolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have persistent difficulty developing and generalizing social communication and interaction skills. Emerging research has demonstrated that people with ASD have benefited from strategies that embed multiple-exemplar training (MET) to increase generalization of social skills. However, to date, no systematic review has examined the effects of MET on stimulus or response generalization of social skills. As such, the purpose of the current study was to analyze the effects of MET on generalization of social skills with people aged 13 –30 diagnosed with ...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - June 30, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Little Evidence for Conservative Toe Walking Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Review
AbstractThis systematic review summarizes the evidence about toe walking (TW) interventions in persons with autism. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Opengrey was performed. Nine articles (all case reports or case series) were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mayo Evidence-Based Practice Centre tool. The included studies considered 17 subjects (16 males; age range: 4 –15 years). All studies reported a reduction of TW frequency, but the follow-up was lacking in seven studies. There is a lack of high-quality s...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - June 17, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Barriers and Facilitators to Healthcare Access in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders and Communication Difficulties: an Integrative Review
AbstractThis integrative review explores the barriers to and facilitators of healthcare access in adults with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD) and communication difficulties (CD) using Levesque et al. ’s conceptual framework of access to health. IDDs are a group of disorders that occur early in childhood and often involve language dysfunction. CDs are prevalent in adults with IDD. Several themes emerged as barriers to access for adults with IDDs and CDs including health literacy, understanding health information, and screening; fear and negative patient expectations; impaired autonomy; time; accommodation n...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - May 30, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

A Systematic Review of Shared Social Activities for Children on the Autism Spectrum and Their Peers
AbstractThis review synthesized the results of 15 studies (with 12 studies having strong or adequate methodological rigor) that examined the social outcomes of shared social activity-based interventions, like interest-based games, music, and theatre, involving children on the autism spectrum and typical development together. Thirteen studies yielded significant improvements in social cognition, social communication, and/or social functioning with two studies also reporting an increase in positive affect between autistic children and their peers. Overall, shared social activities that promote a sense of equality, are enjoya...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - May 28, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention Targets for School-Aged Participants with ASD and ID: a Single-Case Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
AbstractThis meta-analysis reviews the literature on communication modes, communicative functions, and AAC type examined during interventions with school-age participants with ASD and/or ID who experience CCN. Considering potential differences related to outcomes taught could help identify the most effective means of individualizing AAC interventions. We performed a comprehensive literature search. A multi-level meta-analysis was implemented across 114 included studies with 330 participants and 767 effect size using two case-level effect size metrics, Tau and log response ratio. There were few statistically significant dif...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - May 26, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

A Scoping Review of Peer Mentoring Programs for Autistic College Students
AbstractMany autistic college students struggle with academics, mental health, and career development. Despite a proliferation of peer mentoring programs, there is little consensus as to what approaches are effective and even less published data on the impact of such programs on student outcomes. The purpose of this review is to describe peer mentoring programs for autistic college students and understand whether they are improving outcomes. The search identified 21 articles, with half reporting student outcomes data. Most programs provided weekly one-on-one mentoring individualized to student needs and offered additional ...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - May 20, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Autism Screening Practices in Preschools and Early Childcare Centers: A Systematic Review
AbstractAverage age of autism diagnosis exceeds four years (Maenner et al., 2020), delaying access to services and limiting early developmental research (Zwaigenbaum et al., 2015; Fletcher-Watson et al., 2017). Autism screening in early childhood settings may be a tool for enabling earlier, equitable diagnosis. This systematic review investigated the landscape of autism screening in preschools/childcare centers. Thirty-one studies were identified (7 studies on classroom observations; 22 on teacher-report questionnaires, 2 others). Questionnaires completed by early childcare staff and observational screening methods adminis...
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - May 12, 2022 Category: Child Development Source Type: research