Language is a critical mediator of autistic experiences within the criminal justice system.

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social communication challenges and restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests, but also by highly heterogeneous language skills. The recent International Society of Autism Research (INSAR) policy statement, Autism and the Criminal Justice System: Policy opportunities and challenges (INSAR, 2022), aims to prevent, reduce, and improve interactions between autistic individuals and the criminal justice system. This policy statement provides a foundation for considering how to include language in these important aims.

A Lifespan Approach to Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life for People on the Autism Spectrum.

Autistic self-advocates, family members, and community organizations have called for greater emphasis on enhancing quality of life (QoL) for people with autism. Doing this is critical to understand how QoL unfolds across the life course and to clarify whether gender affects QoL, health, and functioning for people with autism. The purpose of this study was to curate and test a lifespan QoL measurement tool using freely available and well-constructed National Institutes of Health Parent-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

Predictors and Patterns of Psychiatric Treatment Dropout During Pregnancy Among Low-Income Women.

Objective This study compared psychiatric treatment discontinuation rates among pregnant women using psychotropic medications, outpatient psychotherapy, or both before conception. Methods Using data from Pennsylvania Medicaid Fee-For-Service and Managed Care Organization claims and Medicaid enrollment, 3030 women were identified who gave birth between 2007 and 2009, had ≥ 1 claim for psychiatric treatment during the 120 days prior to pregnancy, and were enrolled in Medicaid until they delivered. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to estimate psychiatric treatment dropout rate during pregnancy and examine relationships between treatment dropout and age, race/ethnicity, and pre-pregnancy psychiatric diagnosis and treatment pattern.

Ethnic Disparities in School-Based Behavioral Health Service Use for Children With Psychiatric Disorders.

Background: We examined racial/ethnic disparities in school-based behavioral health service use for children with psychiatric disorders.

Methods: Medicaid claims data were used to compare the behavioral healthcare service use of 23,601 children aged 5-17 years by psychiatric disorder (autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], conduct/oppositional defiant disorder, and "other") and by race/ethnicity (African-American, Hispanic, white, and other). Logistic and generalized linear regression analyses were used.

Training Teachers to use Evidence-Based Practices for Autism: Examining Procedural Implementation fidelity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which public school teachers implemented evidence-based interventions for students with autism in the way these practices were designed. Evidence-based practices for students with autism are rarely incorporated into community settings, and little is known about the quality of implementation. An indicator of intervention quality is procedural implementation fidelity (the degree to which a treatment is implemented as prescribed).