1. DeLucia EA, Dike J, Andrzejewski TM, McDonnell CG. Autism Screening Practices in Preschools and Early Childcare Centers: A Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):1-20.

Average 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 administered directly in early childcare settings showed evidence of reliability and validity. Many approaches provided information not gleaned from other reports and corresponded well with diagnostic decisions. Implications for future research are discussed.

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2. Morris IF, Matta C, Fung LK. A Scoping Review of Peer Mentoring Programs for Autistic College Students. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):21-38.

Many 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 supports (e.g., social skills group). Among them, three tracked academic outcomes, three reported non-academic outcomes, and one followed both academic and non-academic outcomes.

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3. Shady K, Phillips S, Newman S. Barriers and Facilitators to Healthcare Access in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders and Communication Difficulties: an Integrative Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):39-51.

This 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 needs; insurance coverage and financial hardship; communication; coordination and continuity of care; and supporter presence and inclusion. Communication between providers, patients, and supporters is a significant barrier for adults with IDD and CD.

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4. Ganz JB, Pustejovsky JE, Reichle J, Vannest KJ, Foster M, Fuller MC, Pierson LM, Wattanawongwan S, Bernal AJ, Chen M, Haas AN, Skov R, Smith SD, Yllades V. Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention Targets for School-Aged Participants with ASD and ID: a Single-Case Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):52-65.

This 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 differences found between moderator categories (e.g., communication mode, communicative function, and AAC type implemented). This is likely due, in part, to the participant heterogeneity and an under-reporting of implementation factors. A PRISMA-compliant abstract is available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZMjs3WuvIjTghkqa-JzJ3wc00bnmJkHciVL6_pY4WN8/edit.

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5. Erhard P, Falcomata TS, Oshinski M, Sekula A. The Effects of Multiple-Exemplar Training on Generalization of Social Skills with Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: a Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):66-85.

Adolescents 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 ASD. We reviewed 11 studies; results suggested that MET was effective for producing stimulus generalization of social skills.

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6. Félix J, Santos ME, Benitez-Burraco A. Specific Language Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorders: Is There Overlap in Language Deficits? A Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):86-106.

Analysing 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 matched according to some language or cognitive skills, they will also show similar characteristics in other language domains. Future work should be done based on spontaneous speech.

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7. Valagussa G, Piscitelli D, Baruffini S, Panzeri V, Perin C, Mazzucchelli M, Cornaggia CM, Pellicciari L, Grossi E. Little Evidence for Conservative Toe Walking Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):107-120.

This 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 studies with a sufficiently large and well-characterized sample to assess the effectiveness of TW interventions in autistic persons. These findings strongly support the need for further research in this area.

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8. Hymas R, Badcock JC, Milne E. Loneliness in Autism and Its Association with Anxiety and Depression: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):121-156.

This systematic review aimed to quantify differences in loneliness levels between autistic and neurotypical samples and investigate the association between loneliness and mental health in autistic individuals.

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9. Schwartzman JM, Corbett BA. Depression and Employment Outcomes in Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):157-171.

Autistic 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) discuss associations between depression and employment in autism, (2) identify current challenges to understanding the intersection of depression and employment in autism, (3) propose future lines of research, and (4) suggest clinical applications for providers (e.g., mental health clinicians, vocational rehabilitation practitioners) working with autistic adults.

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10. Saleem S, Habib SH. Implications of Genetic Factors and Modifiers in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):172-183.

Autism 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 genes on approximately all human chromosomes have association with the risk of ASD. Given the possible involvement of epigenetic processes in the development of autism and the ability of environmental variables to change gene expression, it seems essential to investigate a variety of factors, particularly interaction between gene and environment.

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11. Black MH, Kuzminski R, Wang J, Ang J, Lee C, Hafidzuddin S, McGarry S. Experiences of Friendships for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):184-209.

Friendships 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 studies 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. While autistic individuals defined friendship based on homophily and propinquity, similar to non-autistic individuals, unique challenges including friendship insecurity, monotropism and efforts to conform to neurotypical social norms, leading to anxiety, were experienced by autistic individuals.

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12. Lorah ER, Holyfield C, Griffen B, Caldwell N. A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders;2024 (2024/03/01);11(1):210-224.

For 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 inclusion criteria. Results indicated that many strategies including prompting, time delay, reinforcement, differential reinforcement, discrete trial training, naturalistic intervention, modeling, peer-mediated instruction, task analysis, and parent-implemented intervention have been used effectively within the context of AAC intervention. Quality indicators, communication behavior types targeted for intervention, participant characteristics, and type of mobile AAC technology were reviewed. Implications for clinicians and guidance for instructional planning are discussed including the use of multiple evidence-based practices and ample opportunities for skill demonstration. Suggestions for further research include an increased focus on adolescent or adult participants, community contexts, variation of communicative functions, and application of other evidence-based strategies.

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