Publications by authors named "Melissa Cyperski"

Recent research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has suggested a higher prevalence of gender diversity in individuals diagnosed with ASD. Adolescence is a critical period for the consolidation of gender identity, yet the extent to which the experience of gender diversity is stable over adolescence and puberty in autistic youth is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to examine the consistency of gender diversity using the gender diversity screening questionnaire for self- and parent-report of youth (GDSQ-S, GDSQ-P) over a four-year longitudinal study of pubertal development in youth with ASD (N = 140, 36 assigned-female-at birth (AFAB)) and typical development (TD, N = 104, 58 assigned-male-at-birth [AMAB]) and their parents.

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The Child Protective Services (CPS) Academy was designed to equip members of the child-welfare workforce with knowledge that would assist them with addressing trauma in the lives of children and families. In its design, the CPS Academy applied principles of trauma-informed care, integrating evidence-based research, and a variety of clinical strategies into a comprehensive training program. Over a 2-year period, 277 frontline workers completed training through the CPS Academy.

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Current research has established that male adolescents with illegal sexual behavior (AISB) are a heterogeneous population. We aimed to explore this within-group heterogeneity to derive clinically relevant groups of AISB using the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI). We then compared these groups on selected covariates (age at intake, minority status, and child maltreatment history) and distal outcomes (general, nonviolent, violent, drug, and sexual recidivism 5 years after release) to identify any differences.

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The overrepresentation of racial/ethnic minorities within the criminal justice system relative to their population percentage, a phenomenon termed disproportionate minority contact, has been examined within general adult and adolescent offender populations; yet few studies have tested whether this phenomenon extends to juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs). In addition, few studies have examined whether offender race/ethnicity influences registration and notification requirements, which JSOs are subject to in some U.S.

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