Autistic traits are associated with differential processing of emotional and social cues. By contrast little is known about the relationship of autistic traits to socio-emotional memory, though research suggests an integral relationship between episodic memory processes and psychosocial well-being. Using an experimental paradigm, we tested if autistic traits moderate the effects of negative emotion and social cues on episodic memory (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe types of outcomes studied in children on the autism spectrum include clinical characteristics, such as social functioning, communication, language, or autism symptoms. Research that measures these outcomes at multiple timepoints is useful to improve our understanding of what to expect as children develop. In trajectory studies, researchers assess outcomes at three or more timepoints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCo-occurring anxiety in children on the autism spectrum is associated with greater social challenges, including poorer social skills and relationships, which may influence the severity and presentation of anxiety symptoms, particularly social anxiety. The current study used Bayesian network analytics (Williams & Mulder, 2020) and a multimethod approach to examine (a) how different facets of social functioning relate to one another and to anxiety severity and comorbidity, (b) which facet(s) are most influential and thus may represent optimal targets for intervention, and (c) how social functioning relates to the presentation of social fears in a large treatment-seeking sample of autistic children with anxiety disorders (n = 191, 7-13 years). Results indicated strong associations among measures of social ability (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople who learn the outcome to a situation or problem tend to overestimate what was known in the past-this is hindsight bias. Whereas previous research has revealed robust hindsight bias in the visual domain, little is known about how outcome information affects our memory of others' emotional expressions. The goal of the current work was to test whether participants exhibited hindsight bias for emotional faces and whether this varied as a function of emotion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Longitudinal trajectory methods, featuring outcome assessments at three or more time points, are increasingly being used as appropriate approaches to understand developmental pathways of people on the autism spectrum across the lifespan. Understanding the scope of this rapidly expanding body of research can help inform future trajectory studies and identify areas for potential meta-analysis as well as key evidence gaps. We present the protocol for a scoping review whose objective is to identify and summarise the scope of research that uses a longitudinal trajectory study design to examine development in children diagnosed with autism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch on anxiety in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has burgeoned in the past 15 years. Most of the research has focused on school-age children, ages 6 to 18 years. Yet, recent studies suggest that anxiety can emerge in young children, under 6 years, with ASD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: This review aims to give an update on research in the past 5 years regarding the co-occurrence, assessment and treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Recent Findings: Recent findings affirm not only a high prevalence of OCD amongst individuals with ASD (and vice versa) but also notable variability in assessment methods and results. There remain limited validated measures with which to assess OCD in those with ASD, which are often difficult to differentiate.
Bull Menninger Clin
February 2020
A growing body of research has examined the efficacy of varying formats (individual, group, linear, modular) of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as a treatment for anxiety disorders in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The present review utilized Chambless and Hollon's (1998) criteria for efficacious treatments to: (1) critically review the current evidence base for the efficacy of CBT for anxiety disorders in ASD; and (2) provide recommendations for future research. Findings identify two probably efficacious CBT programs (one group and one individual program) and five possibly efficacious programs, but no well-established programs.
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