Search

Autistic adults often experience difficulties in taking the perspective of others, potentially undermining their social interactions. We evaluated a quick, forced-choice version of the Adult Theory of Mind (A-ToM) test, which was designed to assess such difficulties and comprehensively evaluated by Brewer et al. (2017). The forced-choice version (the A-ToM-Q) demonstrated discriminant, concurrent, convergent and divergent validity using samples of autistic (N = 96) and non-autistic adults (N = 75). It can be administered in a few minutes and machine-scored, involves minimal training and facilitates large-scale, live, or web-based testing. It permits measurement of response latency and self-awareness, with response characteristics on both measures enhancing understanding of the nature and extent of perspective taking difficulties in autistic individuals., Author(s): Neil Brewer [sup.1] , Robyn L. Young [sup.1] , Jade Eloise Norris [sup.2] , Katie Maras [sup.3] , Zoe Michael [sup.1] , Emily Barnett [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.1014.4, [...]

Byline: Hatice. Konak, Kevser. Gök, Berkan. Armagan, Serdar. Güven, Ebru. Atalar, Hakan. Apaydin, Yüksel. Maras, Sükran. Erten Background: To determine the rate and types of neurological involvement in patients with [...]

Author(s): Cemile Pehlivanoglu [sup.1] , Hulya Maras Genc [sup.2] , Sevinc Kalin [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.488643.5, 0000 0004 5894 3909, Pediatric Nephrology Department, University of Health Sciences, Umraniye Training [...]

Mental health difficulties, family and childhood adversity factors, substance use and conduct problems have all been linked to offending behaviour in the general population. However, no large-scale study with comparison groups has investigated these risk factors in relation to autistic offenders. The current research included 40 autistic offenders, 40 autistic non-offenders, 40 typically developed (TD) offenders and 39 TD non-offenders. Conduct problems risk factors differentiated autistic offenders from both non-offender groups (autistic and TD) and mental health risk factors differentiated autistic offenders from both TD groups (offenders and non-offenders). Further research is required to understand more about the role of both conduct problems risk factors in autistic offenders (e.g., age at onset, frequency of behaviours) and the mental health needs of autistic offenders., Author(s): Katy-Louise Payne [sup.1] , K. L. Maras [sup.2] , A. J. Russell [sup.2] , M. J. Brosnan [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.44870.3f, Faculty of Health, Education and Society, University [...]

Author(s): Cemile Pehlivanoglu [sup.1] , Hulya Maras Genc [sup.1] , Sevinc Kalin [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.488643.5, 0000 0004 5894 3909, Pediatric Nephrology Department, University of Health Sciences, Umraniye Training [...]

Research suggests that autistic children can provide accurate and forensically useful eyewitness evidence. However, members of a jury also rely on non-verbal behaviours when judging the credibility of a witness, and this could determine the verdict of a case. We presented mock jurors with videos (from an experimental study) of one of two child witnesses on the autism spectrum being interviewed about a mock minor crime. Results demonstrated that providing jurors with generic information about autism and/or informing them of the child's diagnostic label differentially affected credibility ratings, but not for both children. Implications for how to present information about child witnesses with autism to a jury-highlighting the need for approaches tailored to individual children-are discussed., Author(s): Laura Crane [sup.1] [sup.5] , Rachel Wilcock [sup.2] , Katie L. Maras [sup.3] , Wing Chui [sup.4] , Carmen Marti-Sanchez [sup.4] , Lucy A. Henry [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

International law enforcement agencies have reported an apparent preponderance of autistic individuals amongst perpetrators of cyber-dependent crimes, such as hacking or spreading malware (Ledingham and Mills in Adv Autism 1:1-10, 2015 (See CR52)). However, no empirical evidence exists to support such a relationship. This is the first study to empirically explore potential relationships between cyber-dependent crime and autism, autistic-like traits, explicit social cognition and perceived interpersonal support. Participants were 290 internet users, 23 of whom self-reported being autistic, who completed an anonymous online survey. Increased risk of committing cyber-dependent crime was associated with higher autistic-like traits. A diagnosis of autism was associated with a decreased risk of committing cyber-dependent crime. Around 40% of the association between autistic-like traits and cyber-dependent crime was mediated by advanced digital skills., Author(s): Katy-Louise Payne [sup.1] , Ailsa Russell [sup.1] , Richard Mills [sup.1] , Katie Maras [sup.1] , Dheeraj Rai [sup.2] , Mark Brosnan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2162 [...]

A randomized, 13-weeks, placebo-controlled double-blind study in 125 subjects aged 2-17.5 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Smith-Magenis syndrome and insomnia demonstrated efficacy and safety of easily-swallowed prolonged-release melatonin mini-tablets (PedPRM; 2-5 mg) in improving sleep duration and onset. Treatment effects on child behavior and caregiver's quality of life were evaluated. PedPRM treatment resulted in significant improvement in externalizing but not internalizing behavior (Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire; SDQ) compared to placebo (p = 0.021) with clinically-relevant improvements in 53.7% of PedPRM-treated versus 27.6% of placebo-treated subjects (p = 0.008). Caregivers' quality of life also improved with PedPRM versus placebo (p = 0.010) and correlated with the change in total SDQ (p = 0.0005). PedPRM alleviates insomnia-related difficulties, particularly externalizing behavior in the children, subsequently improving caregivers' quality of life., Author(s): Carmen M. Schroder [sup.1] [sup.2] , Beth A. Malow [sup.3] , Athanasios Maras [sup.4] , Raun D. Melmed [sup.5] , Robert L. Findling [sup.6] , John Breddy [sup.7] , [...]

One-hundred-and-sixty jury-eligible participants read a vignette describing a male who was brought to the attention of police for suspicious and aggressive behaviours and displayed atypical behaviours in court. Half of participants were informed that he had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and were given background information about ASD; the other half received no diagnostic label or information. The provision of a label and information led to higher ratings of the defendant's honesty and likeability, reduced blameworthiness, and resulted in fewer guilty verdicts, and more lenient sentencing. Thematic analysis revealed that participants in the label condition were more empathetic and attributed his behaviours to his ASD and mitigating factors, while participants in the No label condition perceived the defendant as deceitful, unremorseful, rude and aggressive., Author(s): Katie Maras [sup.1] [sup.2] , Imogen Marshall [sup.1] , Chloe Sands [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2162 1699, grid.7340.0, Centre for Applied Autism Research, University of Bath, , [...]

Online surveys were used to sample the views of judges, barristers and solicitors (n = 33) about their engagement with autistic individuals in criminal courts in England and Wales. Despite an understanding of some of the difficulties experienced by individuals with autism, and the adjustments suitable for supporting them, legal professionals reported constraints arising from a lack of understanding by others within the criminal justice system. These results are considered alongside the views and perspectives of autistic adults (n = 9) and parents of children on the autism spectrum (n = 19), who had encountered the criminal courts as witnesses or defendants and were largely dissatisfied with their experiences. Training, understanding and the provision of appropriate adjustments were identified as key issues by all respondent groups., Author(s): Katie L. Maras [sup.1] , Laura Crane [sup.2] [sup.3] [sup.4] , Sue Mulcahy [sup.5] , Tamsyn Hawken [sup.1] , Penny Cooper [sup.6] , David Wurtzel [sup.3] , Amina Memon [...]

To gain further insight into psychosexual functioning, including behaviors, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects, in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), comprehensive, multi-informant measures are needed. This study describes (1) the development of a new measure of psychosexual functioning in both parent- and self-reports (Teen Transition Inventory; TTI) covering all three domains of psychosexual functioning (i.e. psychosexual socialization, psychosexual selfhood, and sexual/intimate behavior). And (2) the initial testing of this instrument, comparing adolescents with ASD (n = 79 parent-report; n = 58 self-report) to Typically Developing (TD) adolescents (n = 131 parent-report; n = 91 self-report) while taking into account gender as a covariate. Results from both informants indicate more difficulties regarding psychosexual socialization and psychosexual selfhood in the ASD group. With regard to sexual/intimate behavior, only parents reported significantly more problems in adolescents with ASD., Author(s): Linda P. Dekker [sup.1] [sup.2] , Esther J. M. van der Vegt [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jan van der Ende [sup.1] , Nouchka Tick [sup.1] [sup.2] , Anneke Louwerse [sup.1] [...]

An online survey gathered the experiences and views of 394 police officers (from England and Wales) regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Just 42 % of officers were satisfied with how they had worked with individuals with ASD and reasons for this varied. Although officers acknowledged the need for adjustments, organisational/time constraints were cited as barriers. Whilst 37 % of officers had received training on ASD, a need for training tailored to policing roles (e.g., frontline officers, detectives) was identified. Police responses are discussed with respect to the experiences of the ASD community (31 adults with ASD, 49 parents), who were largely dissatisfied with their experience of the police and echoed the need for police training on ASD., Author(s): Laura Crane[sup.1] , Katie L. Maras[sup.2] , Tamsyn Hawken[sup.2] , Sue Mulcahy[sup.3] , Amina Memon[sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) City University London, London, UK (2) Department of Psychology, University of [...]

Previous studies have shown that psychosexual functioning in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is hampered and emphasize the need for a specialized training program tailored to their needs. Therefore, an individual training program was developed; the Tackling Teenage Training (TTT) program. The current pilot study systematically evaluated whether psychosexual knowledge increased after taking part in the TTT program, using a pre- and post-training design in 30 adolescents with ASD (77 % male, mean age = 14.80 years, mean intelligence = 96.96). Psychosexual knowledge increased significantly (pre-training total score: M = 25.74, SD = 6.20; post-training total score: M = 33.52 (SD = 2.78); F(1,29) = 65.20, p < .001). The TTT program may be useful to improve psychosexual knowledge and functioning in adolescents with ASD, yet these findings are preliminary, and a more elaborate controlled trial is needed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2301-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users., Author(s): Linda P. Dekker[sup.1] [sup.2] , Esther J. M. van der Vegt[sup.1] [sup.2] , Kirsten Visser[sup.1] [sup.2] , Nouchka Tick[sup.1] [sup.2] , Frieda Boudesteijn[sup.2] , Frank C. Verhulst[sup.1] , Athanasios [...]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect around 1% of the population, and is characterised by impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavioural flexibility. A number of risk factors indicate that individuals with ASD may become victims or witnesses of crimes. In addition to their social and communication deficits, people with ASD also have very specific memory problems, which impacts on their abilities to recall eyewitnessed events. We begin this review with an overview of the memory difficulties that are experienced by individuals with ASD, before discussing the studies that have specifically examined eyewitness testimony in this group and the implications for investigative practice. Finally, we outline related areas that would be particularly fruitful for future research to explore. Keywords Autism spectrum disorder * Eyewitness * Memory * Suggestibility * Interviewing * Credibility, Introduction Eyewitness testimony is central to the criminal justice system, and often includes that given by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). People with ASD comprise approximately 1% of the [...]