Prevalence and Correlates of the Concurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are two common and impairing neurodevelopmental conditions with partial symptomatic overlap. The aim of this study is to systematically and meta-analytically examine the following: (i) the prevalence of an OCD diagnosis among young people with ASD, (ii) the prevalence of an ASD diagnosis among young people with OCD, and (iii) the clinical and therapeutic implications of such comorbidity.

Method: A multistep literature search was performed from database inception until 17 November 2023.

Exploring the association between social camouflaging and self- versus caregiver-report discrepancies in anxiety and depressive symptoms in autistic and non-autistic socially anxious adolescents.

Social camouflaging or masking refers to strategies autistic individuals adopt to hide their autism persona when trying to fit in. It is unclear whether camouflaging is only applicable to social differences unique to autism, or more generally to any types of social difference, such as experiences of mental health difficulties. We asked 43 autistic and 39 non-autistic adolescents (aged 14-19 years, all of whom showed similarly high levels of social anxiety) and their primary caregivers to complete questionnaires about their mental health (anxiety and depression) and autistic traits, and adolescents self-reported camouflaging behaviours.

Investigating the Effects of Transdiagnostic Processes on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Autistic Young People: the Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation.

Internalising symptoms are elevated in autism compared to the general population. Few studies have investigated emotional dysregulation (ED) as a potential mediator between specific transdiagnostic processes and anxiety and depression symptoms in autistic youth. In a sample of 94 autistic young people aged 5-18 years referred to a specialist clinic for an autism evaluation, we tested the effects of ED as a mediator between cognitive inflexibility (CI), intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and alexithymia with anxiety and depression symptoms, using structural equation modelling.

Loneliness in Young People with ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Many studies focus on problematic peer functioning in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but loneliness has been studied less. This paper examined (1) The loneliness level differences between young people (below 25 years old) with ADHD and those without ADHD, and (2) The association between loneliness and mental health difficulties in young people with ADHD. Six electronic databases were searched and 20 studies were included.

Co-designing behavioural activation for depression for autistic adolescents: A case series.

Autistic youth are at high risk of depression but there are few psychological interventions that have been specifically designed for use with this population. Behavioural activation (BA) is a particularly promising approach for autistic adolescents, having an established evidence-base for the treatment of depression in non-autistic people, and with a strong focus on behavioural, rather than cognitive change, which is a challenge for some autistic people. In this study, we worked with autistic adolescents and clinicians to co-design a BA-informed intervention to be delivered in an online format.

Screening for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Autistic Adults: The Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Commonly Used Questionnaires.

Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common co-occurring condition in autistic individuals. ADHD is sometimes first recognised in young adulthood because ADHD symptoms may be misattributed to autism due to superficial overlap in presentation and diagnostic overshadowing. It should be investigated whether ADHD questionnaires are accurate in screening symptoms in young adults with autism.

Measuring flexibility in autistic adults: Exploring the factor structure of the flexibility scale self report.

Cognitive flexibility differences are common for autistic individuals and have an impact on a range of clinical outcomes. However, there is currently a lack of well validated measurement tools to assess flexibility in adulthood. The Flexibility Scale was originally designed as a parent-report measure of real-world flexibility challenges in youth.

Understanding the relationship between social camouflaging in autism and safety behaviours in social anxiety in autistic and non-autistic adolescents.

Background: Social camouflaging (hereafter camouflaging) in autism includes factors such as masking and compensating for one's neurodevelopmental differences, and to assimilate or 'fit in' with non-autistic peers. Efforts to hide one's authentic self and autism traits (masking) resemble impression management (IM) in safety behaviours identified in Clark and Wells' (1995) cognitive model of social anxiety (SA). This study explores the relationship between camouflaging in autism and safety behaviours in SA among autistic and non-autistic adolescents.

Autistic young people's experiences of remote psychological interventions during COVID-19.

Recently, therapy has been delivered at a distance (i.e. remotely) to help control the spread of coronavirus.

Autistic and non-autistic young people's and caregivers' perspectives on COVID-19-related schooling changes and their impact on emotional well-being: An opportunity for change?

Autistic young people experience poorer mental health and well-being compared to their non-autistic peers. Navigating the complex social, academic, procedural and sensory aspects of school may be particularly challenging for autistic young people and contribute to poorer mental well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented school changes and provided a unique opportunity to gather caregiver's and young people's perspectives on the impact of school and pandemic-related school changes on the well-being of both autistic and non-autistic young people.

Examining the relationship between cognitive inflexibility and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in autistic children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Compared to neurotypical peers, autistic adolescents show greater cognitive inflexibility (CI) which manifests at the behavioral and cognitive level and potentially increases vulnerability for the development of internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) symptoms. This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the association between CI and INT/EXT in autistic adolescents. PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant studies until April 2022 (PROSPERO protocol: CRD42021277294).

Psychiatric conditions in autistic adolescents: longitudinal stability from childhood and associated risk factors.

Autistic people experience high rates of co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses. Current prevalence estimates vary considerably due to an over-reliance on clinical cohorts and the longitudinal stability of diagnoses from childhood into adolescence is poorly understood. This study aims to provide prevalence rates of co-occurring DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis for autistic adolescence and investigate, for the first time, the stability of diagnoses from childhood.

Pathways to adaptive functioning in autism from early childhood to adolescence.

Adaptive functioning is lower in many autistic individuals to a greater extent than would be expected based on IQ. However, the clinical features associated with these difficulties are less well understood. This study examines longitudinal and contemporaneous associations of adaptive functioning in autistic youth across a wide ability range.

Homotypic and Heterotypic Continuity in Psychiatric Symptoms From Childhood to Adolescence in Autistic Youth.

Objective: Despite the high prevalence of mental health difficulties in autistic youth, little is known about the patterns of developmental continuity and change in psychiatric symptoms between childhood and adolescence. Using a stratified community-derived sample of autistic youth (n = 101; 57 males, 44 females), within (homotypic) and between (heterotypic) domain associations between psychiatric symptoms in childhood to adolescence were tested as well as whether any continuities were moderated by sex, IQ, autism symptom severity, social economic status, or parental mental health.

Method: Autistic youth were assessed for emotional, behavioral, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in childhood (age 4-9 years) and adolescence (age 13-17 years) using parental diagnostic interview.

Understanding the heterogeneity of anxiety in autistic youth: A person-centered approach.

The present study aimed to examine anxiety profiles among children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. It further aimed to characterize the association between the identified anxiety profiles and key clinical and developmental variables. The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent Version (SCAS-P) data from a large international pooled sample of 870 caregivers of autistic children and adolescents (M  = 11.

Examining clinicians' concerns delivering telemental health interventions directly to autistic individuals during COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of telemental health (TMH). Pre-pandemic, clinicians had voiced many TMH concerns, but these had not been investigated with respect to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) even with it being known that there are distinct ASD-associated challenges for mental health interventions.

Method: A convenience sample of ( = 55) clinicians completed an online survey regarding their perspectives of adopting TMH interventions in ASD, with closed- and open-answered questions.

Reward Sensitivity Predicts the Response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children with Autism and Anxiety.

Objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research has yet to examine what cognitive characteristics may influence treatment response. The current study investigated decision-making ability and social cognition as potential (a) predictors of differential treatment response to two versions of CBT and (b) moderators of the effect of treatment condition.

Exploring the impact of adolescent cognitive inflexibility on emotional and behavioural problems experienced by autistic adults.

Autistic people experience high levels of co-occurring mental health difficulties. To develop more effective treatments, a greater understanding of the thinking processes that may lead to these difficulties is needed. Cognitive inflexibility, defined as a rigid pattern of thoughts and subsequently behaviours, is one possible thinking trait which has previously been associated with both co-occurring mental health difficulties but also other features of autism such as restricted and repetitive behaviours.

The association of adverse life events and parental mental health with emotional and behavioral outcomes in young adults with autism spectrum disorder.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at increased risk of developing co-occurring mental health difficulties across the lifespan. Exposure to adverse life events and parental mental health difficulties are known risk factors for developing a range of mental health difficulties. This study investigates the association of adverse life events, parental stress and mental health with emotional and behavioral problems in young adults with ASD.

Is cognitive inflexibility a missing link? The role of cognitive inflexibility, alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty in externalising and internalising behaviours in young people with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Internalising (anxiety and low mood) and externalising (aggressive or outburst behaviours, and irritability) difficulties are very common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the life span, relatively stable over time and often associated with poorer quality of life. Understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying internalising and externalising difficulties in ASD is essential for developing targeted supports and interventions. In the present study, we investigated established and less-researched cognitive factors hypothesised to contribute to internalising and/or externalising difficulties in ASD, namely cognitive inflexibility (CI), intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and alexithymia.

Network neuroscience of apathy in cerebrovascular disease.

Apathy is a reduction in motivated goal-directed behavior (GDB) that is prevalent in cerebrovascular disease, providing an important opportunity to study the mechanistic underpinnings of motivation in humans. Focal lesions, such as those seen in stroke, have been crucial in developing models of brain regions underlying motivated behavior, while studies of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) have helped define the connections between brain regions supporting such behavior. However, current lesion-based models cannot fully explain the neurobiology of apathy in stroke and SVD.

Anxiety in young people with autism spectrum disorder: Common and autism-related anxiety experiences and their associations with individual characteristics.

Anxiety is common in autism spectrum disorder. Many anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorder are consistent with (5th ed.) anxiety disorders (termed "common" anxieties), but others may be qualitatively different, likely relating to autism spectrum disorder traits (herein termed "autism-related" anxieties).

Brief Report: An Evaluation of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a Screening Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young People Referred to Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services.

The SCQ is a widely used screening measure for the assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, its sensitivity and specificity when used with older children in the context of community Child & Adolescent Mental Health services is unclear. Seventy-seven (Mean age = 12.