1. Petty S, Noddings-Walker M. No longer keeping a secret: what autistic people intend for their blogs. Advances in Autism;2025;12(3):245-256.

Blog data receives attention from researchers who intend to understand the lived experiences of autistic people. There is good discussion of the value of blog data, but with limited direction from blog authors themselves. This study aims to hear about the everyday experiences and motivations of autistic authors when they blog.A systematic search and reflexive thematic analysis details the intentions of 43 autistic bloggers as described within blogs themselves.Blogging created meaningful routes to belonging, feeling “connected but safe”. Blogs provided well-being resources for use personally (for reflection, self-acceptance and emotional expression) and to support peers. Bloggers also said they wrote to re-narrate how autism is understood by their readers, to speak with honesty without secret-keeping and to challenge stigma. Personal accounts chronicled and explained past pains caused by navigating what it means to be autistic. Blogs contained non-stigmatised and personally meaningful descriptions of autistic experiences, which the authors said were not available in other published sources.The value of this peer support indicates the need for investment into appropriate post-diagnostic knowledge and well-being resources for autistic adults, which appear to be afforded to some people who access online communities. This study presents a summary of what benefits and empowers autistic bloggers and topics deemed important to advocate for. Researchers and policymakers are advised to hear this self-advocacy to inform their work.

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2. Burns HE, Taylor RD, Jones S. Mapping the age of autistic spectrum condition diagnosis, affected by sex and intellectual disability. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):257-272.

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition thought to affect 1 in 100 children globally. More commonly diagnosed in males, and during childhood, diagnoses are increasingly being made throughout adulthood. This study aims to establish what age autistic people receive their diagnosis, and whether the age of diagnosis was influenced by their sex and by the presence of intellectual disability.A quantitative, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Data was collected from the Primary Care records of six GP Practices covering Ellesmere Port, a large town in Northwest England with 71,210 people registered. Mean age of diagnosis was calculated for the group then for each subgroup, to allow comparison between males and females, and those with and without a documented intellectual disability.Data from 1,130 autistic participants were analysed. Age of participants was between 3 and 81 years with an age of autism diagnosis of 1–72 years. In total, 85.6% of participants were diagnosed with autism by the age of 25 years, most commonly at 3 years of age (11.9%). The average age of diagnosis was 2.48 years later for females diagnosed across the lifespan. Average age of diagnosis was 5.05 years later for those with a learning disability.This study highlights the importance of healthcare professionals, educators and care givers recognising autistic traits in people across the lifespan, including the potential for diagnostic overshadowing. There are implications for commissioning autistic services, to ensure adequate assessment pathway capacity for adolescents and adults as well as children.This study used Primary Care records from all the practices covering a large town, aiming to reduce recruitment bias and allowing a snapshot of a large sample size with a common referral pathway.

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3. Wee C, Thompson LM, Cowley G, Wood JJ, Bradburn J, Pender F, Jaydeokar S. Analysis of the impact of socio-demographic or clinical factors on wait times for neurodevelopmental assessments in children, across the Northwest. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):273-289.

This study looked at the impact of socio- demographic factors on the waiting times for children and young people waiting for neurodevelopmental assessments in a region of England. Neurodevelopmental conditions are defined as Autism, ADHD, Foetal Alcohol spectrum disorder, Intellectual disability and Tics/Tourette’s 2019. This study aims to consider what influences wait times to manage demand.This retrospective cohort study was conducted on all Children and Young People (CYP) (aged 0–19) in Cheshire and Merseyside between September 2021 and October 2023. Individual-level data on CYP was captured from routine health-care datasets from NHS Digital Emergency Care Data Sets (ECDS), Secondary Uses Services (SUS) and Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS). All data was processed in R (version 3.6.1) for statistical analysis. The relationship between referrals to mental health services, patient demographics and variables (as described above) was evaluated to determine potential risk factors on wait times and additional mental health planned and unplanned events.Girls were found to be referred at a later age for neurodevelopmental assessmentcompared to boys. Those living in a less deprived area and being refeered to a neurodevelopmental team (rather than an autism team) were significantly associated with a shorter waiting time to assessment. Being referred by Local Authority and Public Health Services was found to be associated with being less likely to be seen within 91 days. Of interest is the finding that a higher number of A and E attendance for mental health emergencies was significantly associated with a shorter time to autism or ADHD assessment.Limitations include the data quality and access. The code for neuro-developmental team was used differently in different places/ local government areas across the wider health region ICB.There were major issues with data quality and diagnoses coded as ID and FASD, which are largely underrepresented in health data sets. While CYP with an ID diagnosis are coded within the primary care LD QOF, the authors found no CYP coded with an FASD diagnosis in the data set included in this work.This study has found that socio-economic factors such aslevel of deprication in a specific area, type of assesment, type of team refer to (autism team vs neurodevelopmental team), assesment and the number of presentations for mental health need in A and E departments are significantly associated with having shorter or longer waits for neurodevelopmental assessment.

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4. Paz PA. Communicating autism: a qualitative analysis of daily challenges and adaptations. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):290-306.

This study aims to explore the daily challenges and adaptive communication strategies of Filipino families caring for children with autism. By focusing on family guardians’ lived experiences, it highlights barriers such as limited resources, high therapy costs, public stigma, coping mechanisms and impact to the faith to God. The research proposes the Autism Communication Support Framework (ACSF) to improve inclusion, support and policy for families affected by autism in Butuan City and throughout the Philippines.This study used a qualitative, phenomenological approach, interviewing 60 Guardians of family members from therapy centers in Butuan City. The interviews documented their experiences, coping mechanisms and communication behaviors. Thematic analysis revealed consistent themes, while ethical protocols ensured voluntary participation, providing a comprehensive understanding of familial dynamics and autism caregiving difficulties.Guardian caregiving is predominantly undertaken by middle-aged, married women from middle-income households, who encounter considerable financial and emotional stressors. Notwithstanding these challenges, families demonstrate resilience via transparent communication and collective duties. External challenges encompass expensive therapy, limited governmental assistance and societal stigma. The research highlights the significance of advocacy, accessible resources and culturally attuned communication to enhance support and inclusion for families with autistic children.This study’s focus on urban, middle-income families in Butuan City may overlook rural or lower-income perspectives, necessitating comprehensive research for more inclusive autism policy and interventions.The Autism Communication Support Framework (ACSF) provides guidelines for caregiver training, accessible services and government support, serving as a blueprint for comprehensive autism support at local, national and international levels.Promoting open communication and public advocacy helps reduce stigma and foster social inclusion for autistic individuals. This study encourages collective action and community engagement to better support families facing autism.The research uniquely examines Filipino family experiences with autism, introduces ACSF and addresses local gaps, offering culturally relevant recommendations for improving care and policy in the Philippines.

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5. Cilar Budler L, Kovac V. Exploring the impact of technology-based interventions on the mental health of children with autism. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):307-318.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience mental health challenges, including anxiety, emotional dysregulation and difficulties in social interactions. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of technology-based interventions, such as mobile applications, virtual reality, serious games and telehealth programs, in improving the mental well-being of children with ASD.A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library, adhering to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses framework to ensure methodological rigor.The findings indicate that digital interventions can significantly reduce anxiety, enhance emotional regulation and promote social engagement. However, inconsistencies in study designs, small sample sizes and limited longitudinal research highlight the need for further investigation.This review underscores the potential of digital technologies as accessible and scalable therapeutic tools while emphasizing the necessity of standardized guidelines to optimize their implementation in clinical and educational settings.

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6. Dutta S. Invisible scaffolding: families as a hidden public health workforce in autism services in India. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):319-325.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how families, particularly mothers, function as a hidden workforce in autism care systems struggling to meet demand. This paper highlights the risks of treating caregivers as substitutes for professional staff and underscores the need to recognise their contributions within inclusive practice.This reflective essay draws on practice insights and field experiences of families navigating autism care. This study interprets how unpaid caregiving becomes central to sustaining children’s progress when formal services are unavailable or inaccessible.Caregivers sustain essential continuity of care but at significant personal cost. Mothers frequently reduce or leave employment, leading to financial strain, emotional burnout and social isolation. These burdens remain largely invisible to practitioners and policymakers, yet they directly affect the sustainability of inclusive systems.For practitioners and policymakers, inclusive practice requires acknowledging caregiver labour, providing structured training and emotional support and defining limits to what unpaid caregiving can sustain. Making this hidden workforce visible is critical to building equitable and resilient systems of care.This paper reframes unpaid family caregiving not as background support but as a workforce issue. By presenting field perspectives, this paper argues that maternal and child health and autism service frameworks must move beyond viewing families solely as recipients of care and recognise them as integral but overburdened actors in service systems.

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7. Mustafa G, Zibin A. Metaphor comprehension in Jordanian–Arabic speaking children with ASD compared to typically developing children. Advances in Autism;2026;12(3):326-346.

This study aims to investigate the comprehension of spatial, container and socio-cultural metaphors among Jordanian–Arabic speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children.Thirty Jordanian–Arabic speaking children participated, divided into two groups: 15 TD children from a private school in Amman and 15 children with ASD from two autism centers. A 12-item multiple-choice test with dynamic pictures assessed metaphor comprehension. Results showed significant differences between the two groups across all metaphor types, with TD children outperforming those with ASD.Both groups found container metaphors easiest, while socio-cultural metaphors were the most challenging. The study suggests TD children access a broader range of experiences, enhancing their metaphor comprehension through contextual and analogical reasoning. Children with ASD struggle with abstract thinking and social interaction, limiting their understanding of figurative language. Container metaphors were easier for both groups due to their clear physical boundaries, whereas socio-cultural metaphors were difficult, requiring complex abstract mapping and higher-order cognitive skills like inference and synthesis.While this research provides answers to the research questions, its validity may be affected by several limitations outlined as: geographical and language limitations: the test focused on ASD and TD children specifically from Amman, the capital city of Jordan. Other cities may lack specialized educational centers for ASD. Sample size: the sample size is small; due to limitations in identifying children with ASD at the test center, only 15 children with ASD were selected to participate in the study. It was difficult to find samples consisting solely of individuals with ASD without other disorders or conditions, such as intellectual disability.The findings highlight differences in metaphor comprehension between TD and children with ASD, which reflects cognitive and linguistic processing challenges among children with ASD. These results support existing theories that suggest a developmental delay or deficit in figurative language comprehension in children with ASD. Taking these results into account, educational approaches for children with ASD might benefit from a greater emphasis on concrete and visually supported metaphors before gradually introducing more abstract and complex forms. This progression could improve metaphor comprehension and overall language skills in children with ASD. Given that container metaphors are most accessible to children with ASD, teachers might start with these metaphors when introducing figurative language. Gradually increasing the complexity to spatial and then socio-cultural metaphors could be a strategy to scaffold learning. Interventions that account for these differences could enhance language comprehension and usage in children with ASD. Via scaffolding the learning process, providing contextual supports and giving explicit instructions about hyperbolic language, children with ASD can be aided in developing their metaphor comprehension skills.To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in Jordan as it examines the comprehension of three types of metaphor by children with ASD and typically developing children using visual stimuli.

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