SPAN-ASD: Pilot implementation to promote functional goals of autistic adolescents and young adults.

Purpose: This concurrent embedded-design study evaluated the initial efficacy of the Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN-ASD) remote intervention for autistic adolescents and young adults (AYA) in achieving personal goals and enhancing self-efficacy. The study also explored participants' experiences through follow-up interviews.

Methods: Twelve autistic AYA (9 male; 12-20 years, M = 16.

Effects of Medical Cannabis Treatment for Autistic Children on Anxiety and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors and Interests: An Open-Label Study.

The literature supports the benefits of medical cannabis for core and comorbid symptoms in autistic individuals and anxiety-related symptoms in individuals without autism. However, no study has specifically investigated how cannabidiol (CBD)-rich cannabis affects anxiety subtypes in autistic children or its relationship with restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBI). Understanding the effects of CBD-rich cannabis treatment on anxiety subtypes and RRBI could offer more precise treatment approaches to managing anxiety symptoms and reducing RRBI frequency in autistic children.

Characteristics for Medical Cannabis Treatment Adherence among Autistic Children and Their Families: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Introduction: Medical cannabis treatment for autistic children has recently become popular, and studies have focused on examining the treatment's effects on children's symptom presentation, reported side effects, and dropout rates. However, no previous study has investigated the factors influencing adherence and dropout rates in cannabis treatment.

Method: This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study explored these factors by examining the characteristics of 87 autistic children and their families and deepening parents' perspectives and experiences of the 6-month CBD-rich cannabis treatment's benefits and barriers.

SPAN Website for Remote Intervention with Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults: Feasibility and Usability.

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) report less functional independence and social participation than their neurotypical peers. Remotely delivered interventions may allow autistic AYA to promote their independence, social participation, and wellbeing as they transition to adulthood. Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN) is a technology-based remotely delivered intervention initially developed for AYA with acquired brain injuries.

The Relations between Repetitive Behaviors and Family Accommodation among Children with Autism: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBI) are a significant component in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They often pose the main challenge in day-to-day functions for children with ASD and their families. Research addressing family accommodation behaviors (FAB) in the ASD population is scarce, and associations with the characteristics of the children's behaviors are unclear.

Indifference or hypersensitivity? Solving the riddle of the pain profile in individuals with autism.

Excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) imbalance is a mechanism that underlies autism spectrum disorder, but it is not systematically tested for pain processing. We hypothesized that the pain modulation profile (PMP) in autistic individuals is characterized by less efficient inhibitory processes together with a facilitative state, indicative of a pronociceptive PMP. Fifty-two adults diagnosed with autism and 52 healthy subjects, age matched and sex matched, underwent quantitative sensory testing to assess the function of the (1) pain facilitatory responses to phasic, repetitive, and tonic heat pain stimuli and (2) pain inhibitory processes of habituation and conditioned pain modulation.

Social Participation and Navigation: Formative Evaluation of a Remote Intervention for Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults.

Remote interventions can uniquely benefit and significantly increase the motivation/engagement of autistic adolescents and young adults (AYA) in intervention processes. The evidence-based, technology-based Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN), originally a remote intervention for AYA with traumatic brain injuries, shows great promise for autistic AYA. This formative evaluation aimed to inform SPAN adaptations for autistic AYA.

Children and adolescents with ASD treated with CBD-rich cannabis exhibit significant improvements particularly in social symptoms: an open label study.

In recent years there has been growing interest in the potential benefits of CBD-rich cannabis treatment for children with ASD. Several open label studies and one double-blind placebo-controlled study have reported that CBD-rich cannabis is safe and potentially effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and improving social communication. However, previous studies have mostly based their conclusions on parental reports without the use of standardized clinical assessments.

"When I'm in Pain, Everything Is Overwhelming": Implications of Pain in Adults With Autism on Their Daily Living and Participation.

Pain sensation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been a growing research field in the last two decades. Existing pain research has focused on pain sensitivity, suggesting either hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity to pain in individuals with ASD. However, research about other aspects of pain experience is scarce.

Association Between Sensory Features and High-Order Repetitive and Restricted Behaviors and Interests Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Importance: Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often referred to occupational therapy practitioners so their sensory features and their repetitive and restricted behaviors and interests (RRBIs) can be addressed. RRBIs include an insistence on sameness, narrow interests, rigid routines, and rituals. However, there is a paucity of knowledge concerning the association between sensory features-across patterns, modalities, and contexts-and high-order RRBIs among children with ASD who are cognitively able.

EASI Praxis Tests: Age Trends and Internal Consistency.

Importance: Ayres Sensory Integration® is an evidence-based practice that requires a comprehensive assessment before intervention. The Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI) is intended for this purpose, and psychometric data are needed to determine its validity and reliability.

Objective: To evaluate the internal consistency of four EASI Praxis tests and their validity as developmental measures.

A Self-Determination Theory Approach to Work Motivation of Autistic Adults: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.

The study explores work motivation of autistic adults through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Twelve autistic employees (ages 28-47; 3 females) participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews about their work experience. Analysis combined inductive and deductive approaches, identifying motivational themes emerging from the interviews, and analyzing them according to SDT concepts.

Visual Detection and Decoding Skills of Aerial Photography by Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Despite challenges in social communication skills people with ASD often display strengths in visual processing. Aerial photography analysis is an occupation reliant on strong visual processing skills that matches this unique profile. We investigated basic-vision and "real-life" visual tasks in 20 cognitively-able young adults with ASD and 20 typically-developed (TD) "gamers".

"It's like a ramp for a person in a wheelchair": Workplace accessibility for employees with autism.

Background, Aims And Methods: Participation in employment by individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains restricted despite their high motivation and evident abilities. Challenges to employment result from personal characteristics and environmental barriers. This phenomenological research explores the accessibility of a competitive work environment according to the perceptions of adults with ASD.

Eating Challenges in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Development and Validation of the "Aut-Eat" Questionnaire (AEQ).

The Aut-Eat Questionnaire (AEQ) provides a novel and comprehensive assessment of eating problems and patterns in children with ASD. To establish the internal consistency and discriminant validity of the AEQ, parents of children with ASD (n = 105, M = 40.85, SD = 15.

Implications of Employment Changes Caused by COVID-19 on Mental Health and Work-Related Psychological Need Satisfaction of Autistic Employees: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study.

This mixed-methods study examined longitudinal data, assessing Israeli autistic adults' employment-related changes, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the quantitative phase, 23 participants answered a survey before and during COVID-19, assessing work-status, mental health, and work-related psychological need satisfaction. The qualitative phase included interviews with ten employed participants.

Autistic adults' subjective experiences of hoarding and self-injurious behaviors.

Hoarding and self-injurious behaviors are relatively common in autism, but knowledge about their expressions in adulthood is scarce. Through interviews collecting subjective experiences of autistic adults, these behaviors were explored, and categorized to their underlying purposes. Findings portray the occurrence of these behaviors in the lives of autistic adults, their self-regulatory purposes, and their relationship to other behaviors in the domain of Restrictive and Repetitive Behaviors and Interests.

The autism advantage at work: A critical and systematic review of current evidence.

Background: Despite difficulties entering the workforce, people on the autism spectrum are often successful. Furthermore, they are suggested to bring unique abilities (e.g.

Video modelling as a tool to evaluate self-perception of strategies used by adolescents during daily tasks.

Introduction: Metacognition is defined as the process of regulating behavior and having self-perception of own performance. An application of video modeling (VM) was used as a technological solution for assessing self-perception in daily situations among typical adolescents, compared to parental reports and to an objective performance-based assessment.

Method: One hundred and three adolescents (30 boys, 73 girls, mean age =15.

Quality of life: A universal or a disability specific concept?

Background.: Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome of occupational therapy practice. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts the individual throughout their lifespan and may substantially affect QoL.

Update of a Meta-analysis of Sensory Symptoms in ASD: A New Decade of Research.

This meta-analysis updated evidence regarding sensory over-responsivity (SOR), under-responsivity (SUR) and seeking symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) relative to typical controls and those with other conditions. Fifty-five questionnaire studies included 4606 individuals with ASD. Moderators tested were age, IQ, male ratio, matching group, and self-report.

Somatosensory Discrimination in People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.

Importance: Sensory symptoms in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are commonly reported by researchers. However, an often overlooked sensory aspect of ASD is sensory discrimination in general, and somatosensory discrimination in particular.

Objective: To examine what has and what has not yet been learned concerning the somatosensory discrimination abilities of people with ASD and to reveal gaps warranting further research.

A Conflict of Interests: A Motivational Perspective on Special Interests and Employment Success of Adults with ASD.

A course of action often suggested in an attempt to improve employment outcomes of adults with autism spectrum disorder, is to match between special interests and job opportunities. In this commentary, we propose that the match may be more complicated than it seems, possibly overseeing more pressing employment needs that should be answered such as: the job's characteristics, labor market demands, and stress resulting from job expectations. Self determination theory of motivation is suggested as a lens through which the association between special interests and a paying job can be examined, highlighting important considerations that hold the potential to increase employment success.

If you've employed one person with autism …: An individual difference approach to the autism advantage at work.

In this letter to the editor, we comment on the 'autism advantage' - the idea that superior skills associated with autism (e.g. attention to detail) present a talent in employment - an example of which is a recent discussion by Austin and Pisano.