1. Alsubai S. Deep transfer learning and explainable AI framework for autism spectrum disorder detection across multiple datasets. Front Neurol. 2025; 16: 1617446.

INTRODUCTION: This paper presents a transfer learning approach for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) detection using Deep Neural Networks (DNN) across three distinct datasets. METHODS: A baseline was established by training multiple machine learning and deep learning models on a toddler ASD screening dataset from Saudi Arabia, augmented with the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) to address class imbalance. The DNN architecture featured regularization and dropout layers. The trained model was then leveraged by transferring learned knowledge to two additional ASD datasets. Model performance was analyzed through standard metrics and explainable AI techniques. RESULTS: The DNN architecture outperformed other models (i.e., LSTM and Attention LSTM). Transfer learning demonstrated improved performance with limited training data. Explainable AI techniques provided insights into key features for ASD classification across different populations. DISCUSSION: Results indicate the efficacy of transfer learning for cross-dataset ASD classification, suggesting the presence of common behavioral indicators despite demographic and data collection differences.

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2. Aydın AS, Söyler M, Zileli R, Halmatov M, Gürkan AC, Akcan İ O, Yılmaz C. Game-based and individualized movement training improves physiological and motor outcomes in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: an experimental study from Türkiye. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2026.

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3. Brignell A, Chan K, Chellew T, Maddumahewa CV, Wong N, Hooft L, Alshawsh M, Williams K. Diagnostic tests for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2026; 1(1): Cd016321.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: Primary objectives To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of widely used ASD diagnostic tools (specifically CARS, GARS, ADOS, ADI-R, DISCO, 3di) in preschool children, compared with multidisciplinary team clinical judgement. We aim to: summarise sensitivity, specificity, and other accuracy measures for each ASD diagnostic tool; and for studies that compare two or more tools within the same study, describe and compare their diagnostic accuracy. To identify if any combination of diagnostic tools has greater diagnostic test accuracy than each single tool. We aim to: describe combined diagnostic test accuracy within a single study; and compare combined diagnostic test accuracy to individual test accuracy from primary objective 1a. Secondary objectives To assess whether there is different diagnostic test accuracy for subgroups such as intellectual disability, language level, setting, prospective versus retrospective, DSM diagnostic classification and specific ages (within the preschool age range).

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4. Coghill D, Guastella AJ. Can Leucovorin (Folinic Acid) Treat Autism Features?. CNS Drugs. 2026.

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5. Coxon MW, Coats JC, Stuart-Hill L, Sajko S, Temple VA. Analysis of sleep and sleep hygiene behaviours in relation to the 24-Hr Canadian movement guidelines among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A pilot study. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2026: 1-11.

BACKGROUND: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at a high risk for problems with sleep duration and quality. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of smartwatches and diaries to assess sleep duration and quality in this population. METHODS: Sleep duration, quality, and sleep hygiene were monitored for seven days from a Polar Ignite smartwatch and a written diary. Data were collected for analysis from 15 participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities (nine female). RESULTS: Participants successfully wore the smartwatches and completed their diaries. The modal number of nights that participants met the sleep guideline of 7-9 h per night was 4 (range 0-7). Moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was negatively correlated with sleep disturbances, r = -0.57, p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study highlights that participants were able to provide seven days of sleep data and complete a diary. Sleep duration was inadequate in most participants.

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6. Fan QX, Zhuang XM, Wen R, Wu XH, Luo HY, Yang HX, Kuang WY, Zhang BS, Zheng MC, Wu P. Simultaneous occurrence of bilateral retroperitoneal neuroblastoma and bifocal malignant mixed germ cell tumor in a pediatric patient with 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome: a case report. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025; 16: 1712251.

Central nervous system germ cell tumors are rare intracranial neoplasms that predominantly occur in pediatric populations and exhibit characteristics similar to those of gonadal and extragonadal germ cell tumors. Neuroblastoma (NB) represents the most common type of extracranial solid tumor in children, typically arising in tissues with sympathetic innervation. We present a case involving a 14-year-old male patient diagnosed with bilateral intracranial mixed germ cell tumors and concurrent bilateral retroperitoneal ganglioneuroblastoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented instance of the co-occurrence of these two distinct neoplastic entities. Additionally, Whole-exome sequencing (WES) of the blood sample identified a chromosomal deletion consistent with the 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome. Furthermore, a heterozygous missense variant in the ALK gene (p. Arg1275Gln) was identified.

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7. Gordon A, Yoon SJ, Bicks LK, Martín JM, Pintacuda G, Arteaga S, Wamsley B, Guo Q, Elahi L, Dolmetsch RE, Bernstein JA, O’Hara R, Hallmayer JF, Lage K, Pasca SP, Geschwind DH. Developmental convergence and divergence in human stem cell models of autism. Nature. 2026.

Two decades of genetic studies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have identified more than 100 genes harbouring rare risk mutations(1-13). Despite this substantial heterogeneity, transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses have identified convergent patterns of dysregulation across the ASD postmortem brain(14,15-17). To identify shared and distinct mechanisms of ASD-linked mutations, we assembled a large patient collection of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells, consisting of 70 hiPS cell lines after stringent quality control representing 8 ASD-associated mutations, idiopathic ASD, and 20 lines from non-affected control individuals. Here we used these hiPS cell lines to generate human cortical organoids, profiling by RNA sequencing at four distinct time points up to 100 days after in vitro differentiation. Early time points harboured the largest mutation-specific changes, but different mutations converged on shared transcriptional changes as development progressed. We identified a shared RNA and protein interaction network, which was enriched in ASD risk genes and predicted to drive the observed downstream changes in gene expression. CRISPR-Cas9 screening of these candidate transcriptional regulators in induced human neural progenitors validated their downstream convergent molecular effects. These data illustrate how risk associated with genetically defined forms of ASD can propagate by means of transcriptional regulation to affect convergently dysregulated pathways, providing new insight into the convergent impact of ASD genetic risk on human neurodevelopment.

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8. Han JH, Kim YR, Lee Y, Park Y, Kim D, Bong G, Yoo HJ. Double-blind, sham-controlled, pilot study of trigeminal nerve stimulation for autism spectrum disorder. Neurotherapeutics. 2026: e00838.

Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) is a minimal-risk, noninvasive neuromodulation method with growing evidence of efficacy across psychiatric conditions. However, its safety and potential effects in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain underexplored. This exploratory pilot study aimed primarily to evaluate the safety and tolerability, and secondarily to explore changes in ASD-related symptoms – including impairments in social communication and reciprocity, attention, executive functioning, emotional regulation, sleep, and sensory processing – in children with ASD, and to examine associated changes using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). This double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized exploratory pilot trial enrolled 29 children aged 7-12 years with ASD. The participants were randomized to receive 28 nightly sessions of active or sham TNS over 4 weeks. At baseline and week 4, we assessed safety, clinical outcomes and Clinical Global Impression scales, in addition to analyzing qEEG band power. No serious adverse events were observed, and TNS was well tolerated. Exploratory analyses showed nominal between-group differences (unadjusted) favoring the TNS group in maladaptive behavior (Vineland-II: 1.38 vs 0.08; p = .017) and social reciprocity (Social Responsiveness Scale-2: 12.07 vs -1.43; p = .025). Exploratory qEEG analyses revealed decreased gamma/high-frequency and increased alpha power in the left frontal and parietal regions, changes that significantly correlated with improvements in social (r = -0.917; p = .001) and overall (r = -0.680; p = .030) functioning. TNS was safe and showed preliminary evidence of potential benefits in improving behavioral and social functioning in children with ASD. Larger trials are required to confirm these findings. Clinical trial registration information: http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT06233279.

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9. Liao X, Li H, Han K, Long J, Liu Y, Tang Z, Chen J, Liu H, Zhang H. Applications and potential mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation in autism spectrum disorders. J Transl Med. 2026.

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10. Magnacca C, Carrier C, Esteves J, Perry A. Treatment of Challenging Behaviour in Children and Youth With an Intellectual Disability With or Without Autism. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2026; 39(1): e70189.

BACKGROUND: Children and youth with an intellectual disability and/or autism exhibit challenging behaviour at significantly higher rates than their peers. The present study explored the treatment modalities accessed to address challenging behaviour among this population as well as predictors of treatment access. METHOD: A sample of 372 caregivers completed the GO4KIDDS survey about their children aged 4 to 20 years (M = 11.37; SD = 3.81). RESULTS: Results revealed that informal behavioural/teaching strategies were the most utilised approach to address challenging behaviour, whereas formal behavioural programs were least utilised. Age, adaptive functioning and diagnosis were significant predictors for taking medication for self-injurious behaviours. For aggressive and/or destructive behaviours, age was also a significant predictor for taking medication. A diagnosis of autism predicted receiving formal behavioural programs for both challenging behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need for tailored and evidence-based interventions to address the unique challenges faced by this population.

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11. Mamo WG, Alhajyaseen WKM, Dirix H, Brijs K, Vanroelen G, Hussain Q, Wets G, Ross V. Visual attention and driving behavior of male autistic individuals while encountering driving hazards: A driving simulator study. Accid Anal Prev. 2026; 229: 108420.

Hazard perception is an important aspect of driving competence that significantly contributes to road safety. Allocating sufficient visual attention to hazards and responding accordingly can help reduce the likelihood of road crashes. Although hazard perception has been investigated to some extent in autistic individuals, little attention is given to hazards for which attention has to be divided among different hazard sources. The current study assessed visual attention and driving behavior of autistic individuals to hazards, including dividing and focusing attention (DF), environmental prediction (EP), and behavioral prediction (BP) hazards. A total of 53, male participants, 19 autistic and 34 non-autistic individuals participated in the study. All participants completed a driving simulator scenario while wearing an eye-tracking system. The included eye-tracking measures were time to first fixation (TTFF), frequency count (FC), first fixation duration (FFD), and average fixation duration (AFD). The included driving measures were brake reaction time (BRT), minimum time-to-collision (minTTC), and speed change immediately before encountering the hazard. A self-reported appraisal regarding difficulty in managing hazards was also included. A series of Linear Mixed Models (LMM) were computed to assess the effects of participant group (autistic and non-autistic) and hazard types (DF, EP and BP) on the included measures. Comparisons of visual attention between autistic and non-autistic participants when responding to hazards yielded mixed results. For certain hazards, autistic participants demonstrated faster fixation (e.g., DF and BP). In contrast, for other hazards, non-autistic participants exhibited quicker fixation (e.g., EP) and longer average fixation duration (e.g., DF and EP). For some hazards, however, both groups displayed comparable levels of average fixation duration (e.g., BP). Although variations in visual attention to hazards were observed between autistic and non-autistic individuals, these differences did not manifest in driving performance metrics. This is evidenced by the absence of significant interactions between participant groups and hazard types concerning driving measures. However, autistic individuals were more likely to experience crashes involving BP hazards than non-autistic individuals. Notably, inexperienced autistic participants had a higher crash rate on BP hazards compared to non-licensed non-autistic participants. In contrast, the crash rates were comparable between licensed participants in both groups. The study may reflect that pre-driver autistic participants could benefit from hazard perception training, particularly in dealing with BP hazards.

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12. Motamed M, Jamaloo S, Amin R, Khosrovanmehr N, Tavakolian N, Shirafkan S, Dehkordi R, Shirazi E, Mortazavi SS, Alaghband-Rad J. Cultural Adaptation and Evaluation of the PEERS(®) Program for Autistic Young Adults in Iran: A Mixed-Methods Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS(®)) for young autistic adults in Iran and explored participant and caregiver experiences. METHODS: Twenty-one autistic males aged 18-30 were randomly assigned to either a 16-week program or a waitlist control group. Weekly group sessions were held for participants and their parents. Quantitative assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and 12-month follow-up using Farsi versions of validated scales measuring social functioning, empathy, loneliness, and social skills knowledge. RESULTS: While no significant between-group differences were found in most outcome measures using repeated measures analyses, participants in the intervention group showed a statistically significant decrease in conflict scores reported by young adults (p = 0.026) and an increase in Test of Young Adult Social Skills Knowledge (TYASSK) (p = 0.008) after 16 weeks, which remained significant at 12 months (p = 0.046) based on paired t-tests. Focus groups identified several challenges in program implementation, including limited awareness of autism, resistance to homework, dense session content, and cultural barriers such as indirect communication norms and limited opportunities for social practice. However, participants reported meaningful improvements in confidence and social engagement. Families and therapists also expressed high satisfaction and a desire for follow-up sessions. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that PEERS(®) is a culturally adaptable and positively received intervention for autistic young adults in Iran. The study emphasizes the importance of contextualizing interventions to local cultures and addressing the needs of underrepresented populations in autism research.

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13. Nwaobi SE. Useful considerations for treating migraine in patients with autism. Headache. 2026.

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14. Panda PK, Sharawat IK, Saha S, Gupta D, Palayullakandi A, Meena K. Retraction Note: Efficacy of oral folinic acid supplementation in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2026; 185(2): 109.

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15. S AA, K P, Guganathan L, J A. Energy-Efficient EEG-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder Detection Using a Hyperbolic Attention Neural Network. Dev Neurobiol. 2026; 86(2): e70011.

Long-term physiological monitoring using wearable wireless systems represents a paradigm change in next-generation e-health applications. Specifically, electroencephalography (EEG) represents a noninvasive and trustworthy way of recording brain activity and is a likely candidate for the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, conventional methods involving the streaming of raw EEG signals to outside servers for classification consume significant energy and drastically shorten the operational life of wearable sensors. In response to these gaps, this research introduced an energy-aware, sensor-based scheme for ASD detection during early childhood from EEG signals. The system exploits on-node signal denoising via chaotic signal models, feature extraction by dual tree discrete wavelet transform (DT-DWT), and lightweight feature selection by parrot optimization (PO). The core detection is executed via a new Hyperbolic Cross-Head Attention-Based Neural Network (HyperCrossNet) that proposes deep reversible learning in conjunction with spatial and channel-oriented attention mechanisms. The network weights are then optimized by the Pied Kingfisher Optimization Algorithm (PKO) for improved accuracy. Experimental outcomes indicate 99.92% classification, 99.91% recall, and a 99.90% F1-score not mentioning that it has lowered considerably the amount of energy used to transmit the raw data. This effective design enables real-time wearable detection useful and applicable to long-term monitoring.

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16. Sadka N, Richdale AL, Li X, Date P, Barbaro J. Sleep and Behaviour in Early Autism: Examining Bidirectional Associations Near Diagnosis. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: Sleep problems and behavioural challenges are examined rarely in very young autistic children. We investigated sleep in 173 autistic children, close to their autism diagnosis (M(age) = 2.49 years at diagnosis), focussing on sleep’s relationship with daytime behaviour and vice versa, and examining if there were specific sleep problem-behaviour relationships in this very young cohort. METHODS: Caregivers of 173 autistic children (M(age) = 2.58 years at data collection) provided information on their children’s sleep (CSHQ; written descriptions) and behaviour (BASC-3, VABS-3). Demographic, ADOS-2 and developmental (MSEL) information were also available. Using parents’ written descriptions and normative sleep data, children were categorized as severe (SSP) or typical (TSP) problems sleepers, or good sleepers (NSP) (Roussis et al., 2021). Kruskal-Wallis, correlation and regression analyses examined sleep and behavioural relationships among these three sleep groups. RESULTS: Most children (71.9%) had two or more sleep problems. The TSP and NSP groups did not differ on behaviour, showing significantly less hyperactivity, aggression, attention, and atypicality than the SSP group. Night waking/parasomnias, daytime alertness, and sleep initiation/duration for both sleep problem groups strongly correlated with increased hyperactivity, attention, anxiety, depression, and aggression. Sleep explained 38.4% of variance and 61.8% variance in behaviour, and behaviour explained 22.4% of variance and 32.1% of variance in sleep, for the TSP and SSP groups respectively. CONCLUSION: Reciprocal relationships between sleep and behaviour in autism emphasise the importance of addressing sleep problems in young autistic children, at the time of diagnosis, as they can negatively impact behaviour and well-being.

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17. Salameh S, Murrar Z, Aburmeleh B, Agha H, Atallah A. Dietary challenges and supplement use in children with autism spectrum disorder in the West Bank-Palestine: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2026.

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18. Scott T, Whitcombe-Dobbs S, Kennedy AM, Woodford E, Hunter J, McLay L. Advancing Healthcare Provision to Autistic Clients: A Systematic Review of Autism Focused Digitally Delivered Professional Education Programs (DDPE) for the Health Workforce. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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19. Shulman C, Peretz-Bornstein Y, Kagya S, Shalom DB. Sensory Subgroups in Autism: The Role of Cognitive Abilities. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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20. Wang T, Carver LJ, Walker CM. Differences in causal reasoning in preschool-aged children with and without autism. Child Dev. 2026.

The abilities to reason probabilistically and infer causality at a distance support social inferences and emerge early in neurotypical development. We examined these capacities in 3- to 5-year-olds with and without autism. In Experiment 1 (N = 100, 73% males, predominantly White), autistic children were unable to discriminate high- from low-probability causes until age 5, whereas neurotypical children succeeded by age 3. In Experiment 2 (N = 100, 71% males, predominantly White), autistic children inferred non-contact causality in physical events by age 3 and in social events by age 4, with exploratory data suggesting group differences. We conclude that early emerging differences in children’s interpretation of socially relevant causal cues may partly contribute to the development of social differences in autism. Autistic children often show differences in social reasoning, but the early origins of these differences are not well understood. We ask whether young autistic children interpret everyday causes differently, focusing on two abilities that are known to support social understanding: learning from probabilities and recognizing that one event can cause another without physical contact. Across two experiments with 3- to 5-year-olds, autistic children showed intact learning from clear, deterministic causes and could understand “action at a distance” in both physical and social situations. However, they showed a later-emerging sensitivity to subtle probabilistic patterns, a skill that supports social prediction in neurotypical children. These early differences may shape how autistic children interpret and respond to social cues over time. eng.

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21. Wong WHS, Chen C, Tso A, So HK, Wong JPY, Tinsley H, Chung CHY, Luk RKW, Ip P. Correction to: Dog-assisted therapy on Hong Kong children with autism spectrum disorder: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2026; 185(2): 110.

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22. Xie F, Li S, Mao WH, Sun Y, Wang J, Li YF, Deng YX, Chen J. [Molecular diagnosis of genetic polymorphisms related to autism spectrum disorder in children based on multi-PCR targeted sequencing technology]. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2026; 60(2): 252-8.

Establish a multiplex PCR targeted sequencing technology to detect the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites of disease-related genes in children with autism spectrum disorder, and explore its application value as a diagnostic biomarker for autism spectrum disorder. Through a literature review, 357 candidate risk genes and their 603 mutation sites highly associated with the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were selected. The MFEprimer software was used to design a multiplex PCR primer library. Using this primer library and targeted gene sequencing technology, SNP polymorphisms in ASD-related risk genes were screened in 105 children with ASD and 71 healthy controls from the outpatient department of Rehabilitation Medicine in Huangshi Maternity and Children’s Health Hospital from January to August 2024. The selected polymorphic SNP sites were then validated by Sanger sequencing, in order to assess the clinical application value of the multiplex PCR-based targeted sequencing technology established in this study. The results showed that analysis of the multiplex PCR-based targeted sequencing results showed that, among the 105 children with ASD, 42 individuals carried the RELN (rs12666897) mutation site, with a mutation frequency of 40.00%; 22 individuals carried the AUTS2 (rs3735260) mutation site, with a mutation frequency of 20.95%. In contrast, among the 71 healthy controls, the mutation frequencies of RELN (rs12666897) and AUTS2 (rs3735260) were 18.31%(13 cases) and 5.63%(4 cases), respectively. The differences in mutation frequencies of these two SNPs between the ASD patients and healthy controls were statistically significant (respectively 0.002 7, 0.004 7, P<0.01). Sanger sequencing validation of the genotypes at these two sites showed complete concordance with the multiplex PCR-based targeted sequencing results, suggesting that these two SNPs may be associated with the risk of ASD onset. In conclusion, the multiplex PCR targeted high-throughput sequencing technology that established can screen for differentially expressed genes in children with ASD. Candidate gene polymorphism sites are closely associated with ASD in children, and have the potential to become new diagnostic biomarkers for ASD identification.

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23. Yasmeen N, Sharma PS, Piechowska J, Lisowski W, Noworyta K, D’Souza F, Kutner W. Chemosensing of an Autism Biomarker, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, by Electropolymerized Molecularly Imprinted Polymers. ACS Sens. 2026: Xxx.

We electrochemically synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) films and simultaneously deposited them onto an interdigitated electrode array (IDEA) and a classical Pt disk electrode to devise chemosensors for the selective determination of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a biomarker of autism spectrum disorder. p-Bis(2,2′-bithien-5-yl)methyl phenol 2-hydroxy acetamide ether was used as the functional monomer due to its ability to form a stable prepolymerization complex with the GABA template in solution. The highest stability of the prepolymerization complex of GABA with different functional monomers directed the choice of the above functional monomer. The structures of these complexes were optimized using DFT calculations. Potentiodynamic electropolymerization was performed to deposit prepolymerization template and functional monomer complexes on different electrodes. After removing template molecules to generate selective molecular cavities in the resulting MIPs, we evaluated the analytical performance of these MIP films when integrated into electrochemical sensing platforms. We integrated differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) or electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) transductions with the MIP film-coated electrodes and identified EIS as the most effective for point-of-care GABA determinations. Using EIS, an MIP-film-coated platinum disk electrode detected GABA in a linear dynamic concentration range of 0.19-1.6 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.13 μM. The MIP film deposited on the IDEA enabled GABA determination with EIS over a broader range of 8-240 μM, with an LOD of 0.39 μM, highlighting its potential for clinical applications. The EIS-determined imprinting factor was 2.7. The chemosensors were selective with respect to structural analogues of GABA. Finally, we successfully measured GABA concentrations in human serum samples, confirming the clinical applicability of the developed GABA determination method.

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24. Zhou HY, Xin ZM, Lu YY. Differential Effects of Autistic Traits and Psychotic-Like Experiences on the Interpretation and Inference of Social Intentions. J Clin Psychol. 2026.

OBJECTIVE: Theory of mind (ToM), the ability of mental state attribution, is an important aspect of social cognition. The autism-psychosis diametrical model suggests that there is an opposite impact of autistic traits and psychotic-like experiences (PLE) upon ToM, with autistic traits associated with under-mentalizing and PLE linked to over-mentalizing. This exploratory study aimed to examine the diametrical model at both subclinical and clinical levels. METHOD: We recruited 240 college students (Study 1), 28 patients with chronic schizophrenia and their demographically-matched controls (Study 2). The animated shapes task was used to assess ToM ability. This task was a non-verbal task involving the interpretation of geometric figure interactions in random and ToM conditions. All participants completed the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) to measure PLE and autistic traits. The positive symptom subscale (PANSS-P) and the dimensional autism severity score (PAUSS) of the PANSS were additionally used to assess the severity of positive symptoms and autistic phenotypes in clinical populations. RESULTS: Patients with chronic schizophrenia demonstrated a mixed pattern of ToM impairment, combining over-mentalizing for random movements and under-mentalizing for movements involving mental state. Correlational analysis preliminarily suggested that regardless of diagnostic status, PLE was associated with over-mentalizing, that is, more intentionality attribution to random movement. Autistic-like symptoms among patients were related to less intentionality with less appropriate answers in ToM condition. However, the interaction of the two symptoms, or the co-occurrence of PLE and autistic traits had no significant beneficial effect on ToM performances. DISCUSSION: Autistic traits and positive psychotic symptoms may have differential effects on mentalizing, but there is no support that ToM impairments would be attenuated in individuals with mixed symptom expressions.

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