1. Birnschein AM, Ward OF, McClain AB, Harmon RL, Paisley CA, Stevens M, Tomeny TS. Qualitative Ascriptions of Autistic Behavior by Non-Autistic College Students. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 27)

In studies that assess perceptions of autistic people by non-autistic people, researchers often ask participants to review vignettes depicting fictional autistic characters. However, few studies have investigated whether non-autistic peers accurately identify these hypothetical individuals as being on the autism spectrum. Accurately ascribing autism as a cause of depicted behaviors likely influences perceptions about autistic peers. In this study, 469 college students (M(age) = 18.62; 79.3% female) ascribed cause(s) of an autistic peers’ behaviors as depicted in a written vignette. We reviewed and categorized open-ended responses into 16 categories. Non-autistic college students primarily attributed an autistic vignette character’s behavior to non-autistic origins. The most commonly ascribed causes of behavior were: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (55.4%), inattention symptoms (20.9%), autism (12.8%), generalized anxiety disorder (11.7%), hyperactivity (11.3%), an unspecified diagnosis (10.7%), an environmental influence (9.6), anxiety or insecurity (8.3%), irritability or anger or annoyance (6.0%), social anxiety disorder (5.3%), and learning disorder (5.1%). Additional ascribed causes include other mental health diagnoses; environmental stressors; and cognitive, emotional, behavioral, biological, or personality characteristics/etiologies. Non-autistic young adults may not always recognize their autistic peers as autistic, which may affect acceptance and inclusion. Future anti-stigma interventions should assess the impact of helping non-autistic peers to accurately identify and better understand behaviors associated with autism. Additionally, autism-focused researchers using vignettes should assess participants’ awareness of the character as autistic and interpret their findings with this in mind.

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2. Buckley D, Khashan AS, McCarthy FP, O’Connor K, Maher GM. The Association between Threatened Miscarriage and Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring by Age 14 Years. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 28)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between threatened miscarriage, and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring by age 14 years. METHODS: We used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of children born in the UK. Data on threatened miscarriage and potential confounders were maternal-reported and collected at 9 months postpartum. Data on ASD and ADHD were based on maternal-reported doctor diagnoses and collected when children were aged 5, 7, 11 and 14 years. A diagnosis of ASD or ADHD was assumed if parents reported ASD or ADHD at age 5, 7, 11 or 14 years. Crude and adjusted logistic regression examined threatened miscarriage and ASD and ADHD relationship, adjusting for several sociodemographic, maternal and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: A total of 18,294 singleton babies were included at baseline, and 1,104 (6.0%) women experienced a threatened miscarriage during their pregnancy. Adjusted results suggested an association between threatened miscarriage and ASD (OR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.15, 2.08), and ADHD (OR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.09, 2.10) by age 14 years. E-values for threatened miscarriage and ASD were 2.47, while the lower limits of the 95% CI were 1.57. E-values for threatened miscarriage and ADHD were 2.39, while the corresponding lower limits of the 95% CI were 1.40. CONCLUSION: Threatened miscarriage was associated with an increased likelihood of ASD and ADHD by the age of 14 years, however, residual confounding cannot be ruled out. Placental pathology may be a potential mechanism for the observed associations.

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3. Ding JL, Lv N, Wu YF, Chen IH, Yan WJ. The hidden curves of risk: a nonlinear model of cumulative risk and school bullying victimization among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health;2024 (Jan 28);18(1):17.

BACKGROUND: School bullying victimization (SBV) occurs more frequently in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in general education than in special classes, and there is a cumulative risk effect on SBV exposure among young people with ASD reported by their parents and teachers. However, SBV is a personal experience, the predictive patterns of cumulative risk on SBV reported by themselves and its psychological mechanism remain unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between cumulative risk and SBV based on self-report, and to test whether internalizing problems mediates this relationship among adolescents with ASD placed in regular classes. METHODS: This study used data from the Taiwan Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study (SNELS) in 2011. The analysis included 508 adolescents with ASD who were in regular classes across Taiwan. The primary variables under study were the quality of friendship interactions, teacher-student relationship, school connection, perceived stigma, the impact caused by the disabilities, internalizing problem, and whether the participants had experienced SBV over the past semester, while control variables were adaptability and social-emotional skills. Established risk factors were summed to form a cumulative risk score. RESULTS: The cumulative risk was positively associated with SBV. The relationship was characterized by the nonlinear pattern of the quadratic function (negative acceleration model) between cumulative risk and SBV. Internalizing problem played a partial mediating role in the effect of cumulative risk on SBV. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention measures to reduce SBV should include the strategies to reduce the number of risks to which adolescents with ASD in regular classes are exposed, comprehensive prevention targeting each risk factor is needed specially when the number of risks is one or two, and more attention needs to be given to their internalizing problem in various ways.

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4. Fourie E, Lu SC, Delafield-Butt J, Rivera SM. Motor Control Adherence to the Two-thirds Power Law Differs in Autistic Development. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 27)

Autistic individuals often exhibit motor atypicalities, which may relate to difficulties in social communication. This study utilized a smart tablet activity to computationally characterize motor control by testing adherence to the two-thirds power law (2/3 PL), which captures a systematic covariation between velocity and curvature in motor execution and governs many forms of human movement. Children aged 4-8 years old participated in this study, including 24 autistic children and 33 typically developing children. Participants drew and traced ellipses on an iPad. We extracted data from finger movements on the screen, and computed adherence to the 2/3 PL and other kinematic metrics. Measures of cognitive and motor functioning were also collected. In comparison to the typically developing group, the autistic group demonstrated greater velocity modulation between curved and straight sections of movement, increased levels of acceleration and jerk, and greater intra- and inter-individual variability across several kinematic variables. Further, significant motor control development was observed in typically developing children, but not in those with autism. This study is the first to examine motor control adherence to the 2/3 PL in autistic children, revealing overall diminished motor control. Less smooth, more varied movement and an indication of developmental stasis in autistic children were observed. This study offers a novel tool for computational characterization of the autism motor signature in children’s development, demonstrating how smart tablet technology enables accessible assessment of children’s motor performance in an objective, quantifiable and scalable manner.

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5. Hirai M, Ikeda A, Kato T, Ikeda T, Asada K, Hakuno Y, Matsushima K, Awaya T, Okazaki S, Kato T, Heike T, Hagiwara M, Yamagata T, Tomiwa K, Kimura R. Comparison of the Sensory Profile Among Autistic Individuals and Individuals with Williams Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 28)

PURPOSE: With the current study, we aimed to reveal the similarities and differences in sensory profiles between Williams syndrome (WS) and autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: Using the sensory profile questionnaire completed by the caregivers, we analyzed the WS (n = 60, 3.4-19.8 years) and autistic (n = 39, 4.2-14.0 years) groups. RESULTS: The Severity Analysis revealed a significant group difference in Sensory Sensitivity but not in Low Registration, Sensation Seeking, and Sensation Avoiding subscales. Age can modulate the subscale scores differently across groups. For Sensation Seeking, the scores of both groups decreased with development. However, the scores of Sensory Sensitivity decreased with age in the autistic group but not in the WS group. Sensation Avoiding scores increased with development in the WS group but not in the autistic group. No significant developmental changes were observed in Low Registration. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the cross-syndrome similarities and differences in sensory profiles and developmental changes in autistic individuals and individuals with WS.

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6. Kim HY, Cho GJ, Ahn KH, Hong SC, Oh MJ, Kim HJ. Short-term neonatal and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of children born term low birth weight. Sci Rep;2024 (Jan 27);14(1):2274.

This study aimed to examine the impact of term LBW on short-term neonatal and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in children 5-7 years of age. This is a population-based cohort study that merged national data from the Korea National Health Insurance claims and National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children. The participants were women who gave birth at a gestational age of ≥ 37 weeks between 2013 and 2015 in the Republic of Korea, and were tracked during 2020 for the neurodevelopmental surveillance of their children. Among 830,806 women who gave birth during the study period, 31,700 (3.8%) of their babies weighed less than 2500 g. By Cox proportional hazard analysis, children aged 5-7 years who had LBW were associated with any developmental, motor developmental delay, cognitive developmental delay, autism spectrum, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and epileptic and febrile seizures.Children born with term LBW were more vulnerable to neurodevelopmental disorders at 5-7 years of age than those with normal and large birth weights. This study further substantiates counseling parents regarding the long-term outcomes of children being born underweight.

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7. Little LM, Avery A, Tomchek S, Baker A, Wallisch A, Dean E. Race and Ethnicity Reporting in Occupational Therapy Research Among Autistic Youth. OTJR (Thorofare N J);2024 (Jan 28):15394492231225199.

Historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in autism research broadly; however, patterns of inclusion in occupational therapy research are unknown.In this secondary data analysis, we examined race and ethnicity reporting across articles included in a systematic review of evidence related to occupational therapy practice with autistic individuals <18 years (2013-2021).Two team members reached >90% interrater coding agreement in race and ethnicity reporting across articles in ADLs/IADLs, education/work, play, sleep, and social participation in clinics, homes/communities, and schools.Intervention outcomes of ADL/IADLs (66.7%) and play (66.7%) had low rates of reporting, while social participation in schools (100%) and education/work (100%) had higher rates of reporting. Sample diversity was greatest among research in schools and most limited in clinic-based settings.Systemic racism that limits individuals’ participation in occupational therapy research perpetuates racial and ethnic health inequities among autistic children and adolescents. Who is included in occupational therapy research among autistic youth?In research that guides occupational therapy practice with autistic youth, we need an understanding of the participants that were included in the research. Historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups are typically not included in the research, so we examined articles that informed occupational therapy practice for autistic youth. We found that different areas of intervention (e.g., play, education/work) had different rates of reporting. The most diverse samples were included in schools and were most limited in clinic-based settings. This is important because systemic racism can influence occupational therapy research and practice. eng

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8. McKinnon I, Iranpour A, Charlton A, Green E, Groom F, Watts O, McKenna D, Hackett S. Models of care in secure services for people with intellectual and developmental disability: Implementing the Walkway to Wellness. Crim Behav Ment Health;2024 (Jan 27)

BACKGROUND: Changes to policy around inpatient services for people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) who offend, have led to a need for services to reconsider their models of care. This has led to calls for more tailored, patient-centred care models, with less reliance solely on offence-related treatment programmes which can be unsuitable for a growing proportion of patients with more complex cognitive and behavioural difficulties. In response, the Walkway to Wellness (W2W) was developed at one National Health Service Trust providing secure services to people with IDD, with the intention of delivering a more collaborative, co-produced and goal-oriented care model that was better understood by staff and patient stakeholders. AIMS: To evaluate the implementation of the W2W using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT), an evidence-based theoretical approach is used across a number of health settings. METHODS: Staff were invited to complete a short questionnaire, using the NPT informed Normalisation Measure Development questionnaire, at two time points along the implementation process. Patients were invited to complete a simplified questionnaire. Both groups were asked for their views on the W2W and the process of its implementation. RESULTS: Although the W2W was more familiar to staff at the second time point, scores on the four NPT constructs showed a trend for it being less embedded in practice, with significant results concerning the ongoing appraisal of the new model. Patient views were mixed; some saw the benefit of more goal-oriented processes, but others considered it an additional chore hindering their own perceived goals. CONCLUSION: Early involvement of all stakeholders is required to enhance the understanding of changes to models of care. Live feedback should be used to refine and revise the model to meet the needs of patients, carers and staff members.

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9. Nakamura T, Ueda J, Mizuno S, Honda K, Kazuno AA, Yamamoto H, Hara T, Takata A. Topologically associating domains define the impact of de novo promoter variants on autism spectrum disorder risk. Cell Genom;2024 (Jan 19):100488.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have demonstrated the roles of rare promoter de novo variants (DNVs). However, most promoter DNVs in ASD are not located immediately upstream of known ASD genes. In this study analyzing WGS data of 5,044 ASD probands, 4,095 unaffected siblings, and their parents, we show that promoter DNVs within topologically associating domains (TADs) containing ASD genes are significantly and specifically associated with ASD. An analysis considering TADs as functional units identified specific TADs enriched for promoter DNVs in ASD and indicated that common variants in these regions also confer ASD heritability. Experimental validation using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) showed that likely deleterious promoter DNVs in ASD can influence multiple genes within the same TAD, resulting in overall dysregulation of ASD-associated genes. These results highlight the importance of TADs and gene-regulatory mechanisms in better understanding the genetic architecture of ASD.

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10. Scheeren AM, Olde Dubbelink L, Lever AG, Geurts HM. Two validation studies of a performance validity test for autistic adults. Appl Neuropsychol Adult;2024 (Jan 27):1-13.

In two studies we examined the potential of a simple emotion recognition task, the Morel Emotional Numbing Test (MENT), as a performance validity test (PVT) for autism-related cognitive difficulties in adulthood. The aim of a PVT is to indicate non-credible performance, which can aid the interpretation of psychological assessments. There are currently no validated PVTs for autism-related difficulties in adulthood. In Study 1, non-autistic university students (aged 18-46 years) were instructed to simulate that they were autistic during a psychological assessment (simulation condition; n = 26). These students made more errors on the MENT than those instructed to do their best (control condition; n = 26). In Study 2, we tested how well autistic adults performed on the MENT. We found that clinically diagnosed autistic adults and non-autistic adults (both n = 25; 27-57 years; IQ > 80) performed equally well on the MENT. Moreover, autistic adults made significantly fewer errors than the instructed simulators in Study 1. The MENT reached a specificity of ≥98% (identifying 100% of non-simulators as non-simulator in Study 1 and 98% in Study 2) and a sensitivity of 96% (identifying 96% of simulators as simulator). Together these findings provide the first empirical evidence for the validity of the MENT as a potential PVT for autism-related cognitive difficulties.

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11. Vashi N, Ibrahim A, Pouyandeh A, Weiss JA. Coherence of Parental Representations Following Therapy for Autistic Children. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 28)

Autistic children experience high rates of mental health challenges, and links have been found between child mental health and the parent-child relationship. As parents of autistic children are often actively involved in their child’s treatment, it is important to consider aspects of the parent-child relationship within this context. The present study investigated changes in a component of the parent-child relationship, the coherence of parental representations, following participation in a 10-week cognitive behavioural therapy intervention designed to address autistic children’s mental health challenges. Relationships were examined between coherence and child characteristics (i.e., autism symptoms, mental health), and associations with child treatment outcomes (i.e., mental health). Participants included 81 children (89% boys) aged 8 to 13 years and their parents (85% mothers) aged 35 to 54 years. Baseline levels of coherence were related to children’s mental health symptoms but not autism symptoms. Although there were no significant changes in overall coherence across therapy, subscale-level improvements (i.e., concern, acceptance) emerged. Changes in coherence across therapy were linked with children’s post-intervention behavioural symptoms and were approaching significance for internalizing problems, but were not associated with externalizing problems. It is critical to investigate factors that shape the coherence of parents’ representations of their children, as this may provide insight into potential targets for intervention. Ascertaining whether participation in therapy improves parental coherence, and consequently child treatment outcomes, can advocate for parent-involved therapy, which will ultimately benefit the well-being of autistic children.

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12. Volgyesi-Molnar M, Gyori M, Eapen V, Borsos Z, Havasi A, Jakab Z, Janoch L, Nemeth V, Oszi T, Szekeres A, Stefanik K. Quality of Life in Hungarian Parents of Autistic Individuals. J Autism Dev Disord;2024 (Jan 27)

PURPOSE: Parents of autistic individuals have been known to have a lower overall quality of life (QQL) than those of typically developing children. We present the first Hungarian large-sample study whose objective was to explore the differences in QOL between parents of autistic individuals (AS) and those of neurotypical (NT) persons. METHODS: Based on the ABCX model we developed a questionnaire comprising standardized scales to characterize the life of parents involved. Our data came from parents of 842 individuals (ASD = 521, NT = 321) between 0 and 49 years. Battery deployed standardized instruments to examine quality of life (WHO-QQL BREF and Quality of Life in Autism questionnaire, QOLA). We assessed the families’ socio-economic/demographic characteristics, parents’ psychological well-being, the autistic/neurotypical individuals’ characteristics, and the interventions. RESULTS: Our data showed significantly lower QOL in parents of autistic individuals in all domains of questionnaires. We analyzed 20 relevant factors to uncover the predictors of parental QOL. We confirmed the existence of most but not all predictors present in earlier literature and identified intervention-related predictors. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the importance of supporting parents in their role, and of providing health and social supports that focus on quality of life, in addition to child care.

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