Autism

Caregivers of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are prone to depression and psychological problems, which have an impact on their children's challenging behaviors. Positive cognitions include specific positive thinking patterns that enhance one's ability to effectively manage daily activities and promote mental health. The purpose of this research is to test the mediating effects of positive cognitions on the relationship between caregivers' depression and their children's challenging behaviors among 117 caregivers of persons with ASD.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders, and little is known about how parents address the health and psychosocial consequences of ASD. Few studies have examined use of various treatments and services in a large, diverse sample of children with ASD and their families. Objective: This paper presents methods to create an autism research resource across multiple large health delivery systems and describes services and treatments used by children with ASD and their families.

Purpose: Little is known about the characteristics of residential educational settings for young people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) in England. Previous research has focussed on the characteristics and experiences of the young people attending such settings rather than the setting itself; therefore, an overview of national provision is needed. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Teaching parents to conduct functional analyses and to implement functional communication training is an efficacious approach for treating socially maintained problem behavior (Derby et al., 1997). Research has found that delivering this assessment and intervention package via telehealth technologies is efficient and acceptable to caregivers in the United States (Wacker et al., 2013b). We replicated this work with families residing in rural and urban areas of eight countries.

It is important to engage children with ASD and the families that support them in research. However, it is often challenging for researchers to engage this population in time- and/or labor-intensive research due to the many barriers caregivers of children with ASD face. From a researcher's perspective, this challenge ultimately inhibits research designs and compromises the learning and understanding needed to identify meaningful research questions, solve relevant problems, and implement solutions into practice.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require substantial support to address the core symptoms of ASD and co-occurring behavioral/developmental conditions. This study explores the early diagnostic experiences of school-aged children with ASD using survey data from a large probability-based national sample. Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine age when parent reported developmental concern to doctor, received ASD diagnosis, and first obtained services.

Background: This study identifies and describes feeding concerns of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and examines the extent to which parents relate those concerns as having been addressed by therapists. Methods: Survey data were collected from 113 parents of children with ASD. Results: Of the parents surveyed, 68% described a past or present concern with feeding; 60% of those parents with concerns said a therapist had not addressed those concerns.

Background: A brief intervention is described and evaluated that aimed to build and strengthen relationships for families of children diagnosed with ASD aged 12 and under. Methods: A particular focus was on socially disadvantaged parents. Parents were offered around five home visits which took place on weekdays during working hours; each lasting around 90 min. They were given individualised practical tools and support to manage their children's behaviours alongside providing a listening ear to parents' concerns.

Background: Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often experience difficulties in responding appropriately to the needs of those children, who typically express attachment in distinct and nonconventional ways. This highlights the need for an attachment-based approach targeted at caregivers of children with ASD. Circle of Security Parenting (COSP), an attachment-based parenting program, is designed to increase caregivers’ sensitivity to children’s attachment needs.