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This research used an alternating treatment design to investigate the relative effectiveness of participant specific social stories delivered using two distinct formats (i.e., technology-based, paper/book), on increasing the frequency of initiations and responses of two adolescents with ASD. Visual analysis of baseline, intervention, maintenance, and generalization data results indicated the intervention increased the frequency of initiations and on-topic responses regardless of delivery format; however, calculation of Percentage of Nonoverlapping Pairs and TAU-U for both formats indicated variable levels of effectiveness for each condition, with ranges of 43-86% and 0.02381-0.76190 respectively. Finally, despite varied results, both participants preferred the technology-based social story format and parents of both participants agreed the social story intervention increased communicative skills.

This paper used Social Security Administration program data from 2005 to 2019 to examine national- and state-level changes in the number of new adult supplemental security income (SSI) awardees on the autism spectrum relative to awardees with intellectual disability and other mental health disorders. We identified three main findings: the number of autistic awards increased between 2005 and 2019 when awards for all other mental health disorders declined; roughly nine out of every 10 autistic adult awardees were between ages 18-25 years; there was variation in the growth of autistic awards across states. These findings support the need to consider geographic and age differences in SSI program participation among autistic adults and determine the underlying causes.

To present interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) as foundational to effective assessment for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This conceptual paper encourages IDTs by (a) presenting practice guidelines and research supporting effective IDTs; (b) describing vital team characteristics; (c) introducing a new model of teaming practices with a clinical case example; and (d) discussing IDT implementation barriers and recommendations specific to professionals supporting students with ASD. IDT members (e.g., school psychologists, teachers, behavior analysts, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists) should use assessment results to navigate goal-setting and intervention planning allowing students with ASD to benefit from several therapeutic and educational approaches. Skilled professionals support a student's educational trajectory, increasing the likelihood of meeting developmental and academic milestones, and, ultimately leading to better life opportunities.

School psychologists familiar with the autism evaluation process have an awareness of the complexity of this school-based process. This paper provides school clinicians with an introduction to a visual framework and descriptive language to think and talk about the complex students they evaluate in positive, nuanced, and accessible terms. This framework shifts the way in which school psychologists describe students during the autism assessment process away from the reductive language of deficits to the expansive language of describing individualized patterns of strengths and differences. The shift away from labeling behavioral deficits to describing patterns of behavioral differences leads to a positive narrative and creative ways to develop supports and interventions for students across age and ability levels. The use of this strength-based language supports parents, teachers, and students in their development of an individualized understanding of the diagnosis, promoting resiliency in the individual and in their support systems. Readers are provided with a student sample case to show how using this visual framework provides a way to describe individual students using a behavioral profile of strengths and differences, linking those profiles to positive behavior supports.

The intersection of children identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children within the foster care system who have experienced trauma can complicate timely assessment and eligibility for special education services, creating health disparities for this group of students. As students with ASD are over three times more likely to be involved in the foster care system than typically developing peers, school psychologists must be equipped to assess for ASD in this population. The complex clinical presentation of students with ASD within foster care contributes to delays in identification and access to special education services. In particular, schools may struggle to disentangle the symptoms of ASD from the consequences of trauma exposure that often accompanies foster care placement. This paper reviews the relation between students in foster care and those with ASD, outlines the similarities and differences in developmental profiles of these students, and provides recommendations for school practitioners associated with assessment practices, prevention strategies to reduce the risk of trauma subsequent foster care placement for students with ASD, as well as needed advocacy efforts and future research.

Limited interventions exist that support student's school participation. This paper describes a theoretical model of school participation and the iterative process that led to the development of an intervention that aims to improve the school participation of students on the autism spectrum and their typically developing peers. Literature on autism, school participation and intervention research were integrated to develop a theoretical model. Focus groups, a Delphi study, online surveys, and reference group consultation helped to develop and refine the intervention. A novel school-based intervention was developed. The impetus to develop interventions with a strong theoretical rationale is discussed.

Providing high-quality services to autistic students and their caregivers requires interprofessional collaboration. This paper highlights the importance of collaboration between clinical and school settings to promote integrated and comprehensive care for autistic students and their caregivers. First, we present how autistic students are identified and diagnosed in school and clinical settings, with particular attention to how these processes impact access to services. Next, we present interprofessional collaborative practice (IPC) as a framework to facilitate increased collaboration between school and clinical providers working with autistic students. Key tenets of IPC that address barriers to collaboration and several examples of IPC are outlined. To assure readiness to engage in collaborative practice, we discuss graduate interprofessional education (IPE) as a means to train emerging professionals in IPC for autistic students. Finally, we highlight several examples of IPE training programs specific to autism and related developmental disabilities.

Adaptive behavior skills are often delayed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and these behaviors are significantly associated with poor outcomes in adulthood, especially for autistic individuals that have no cognitive and/or language delays. Therefore, despite having the capacity to be self-sufficient, the vast majority of autistic adults fail to obtain successful levels of employment, independent living, and interpersonal relationships. Given that more than 60% of autistic individuals have intact cognition and language, adaptive behavior skills need to be appropriately assessed as part of the diagnostic process of ASD, and profiles of delays and deficits need to be accommodated throughout development. This paper provides guidelines for conducting adaptive behavior assessments as part of a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for ASD, which is now considered standard practice. The history and definition of the construct of adaptive behavior are discussed, and considerations for the administration of various measures, interpretation of results, and translation of findings into intervention strategies are provided.

In public schools, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students are overidentified with autism (AU) but are underrepresented in other special education categories. Such patterns may be result, in part, from overaggregation of data from students representing diverse AAPI ethnic groups. Yet, professionals' implicit biases, limited cultural responsivity in evaluation and research, and structural and systemic racism also likely contribute to the pervasive AU disproportionality in school-based identification. To improve accuracy of AU identification and appropriateness of school services and programming, the current paper aims to enhance school psychologists' (SPs') awareness and knowledge about AAPI cultures and to improve their efforts in conducting culturally responsive evaluation with AAPI students suspected of AU. An overview of historical and current anti-AAPI issues and AAPI cultural perceptions of AU are provided. Then, through the lens of sociocultural theory and using a framework of cultural humility, specific suggestions for culturally responsive autism assessment approaches are offered for SPs working with AAPI students and their families.

Autistic individuals often struggle to successfully navigate emerging adulthood (EA). College is an increasingly common context in which individuals learn and hone the necessary skills for adulthood. The goal of this paper is to systematically review and assess the existing research on college as a context of EA development in autistic individuals, particularly in terms of understanding whether and how this context might be critically different for those who are typically developing or developing with other disabilities. Our findings indicate that ASD college students report feeling prepared academically, but exhibit weaknesses in daily living and social skills. Interventions largely focus on social skills, and rarely evaluate outcomes relevant to college success or longer-term emerging adulthood independence. We conclude with hypotheses and recommendations for future work that are essential for understanding and supporting ASD students as they navigate potentially unique challenges in college and their transition to independence during EA.

The assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is based on semi-structured procedures addressed to children and caregivers. Such methods rely on the evaluation of behavioural symptoms rather than on the objective evaluation of psychophysiological underpinnings. Advances in research provided evidence of modern procedures for the early assessment of ASD, involving both machine learning (ML) techniques and biomarkers, as eye movements (EM) towards social stimuli. This systematic review provides a comprehensive discussion of 11 papers regarding the early assessment of ASD based on ML techniques and children's social visual attention (SVA). Evidences suggest ML as a relevant technique for the early assessment of ASD, which might represent a valid biomarker-based procedure to objectively make diagnosis. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

This paper systematically identifies, maps and evaluates specific types of provision for autistic students published on university websites at 120 institutions throughout the UK. Within these data we identify trends in relation to geographical region, university group, and the Teaching Excellence Framework rating. We employ Nancy Fraser's theory of social justice to unpack the reasons that underlie the differentials in provision across UK higher education institutions. Findings identify eight categories of provision tailored specifically for autistic students from 'supporting transition to university' to 'social groups' and suggest that there are institutions across the UK with evidence of more developed provision. Our data show, however, that resources and provision are not distributed equitably, raising implications for autistic students' parity of participation in higher education.

Affective prosody recognition is an important area of research in autism spectrum conditions where difficulties in social cognition have been frequently observed. To probe into the mixed results reported in the literature, we conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis and examined potential factors that could explain the inconsistent results. Our literature search included six electronic databases for studies that compared the affective prosody recognition performance in individuals with autism spectrum condition with typically developing participants, which yielded 23 papers eligible for quantitative synthesis. Using a random-effects model, we obtained a moderate-to-large pooled effect (Hedges' g = -0.63) for the overall affective prosody recognition performance of autism spectrum condition participants, which, however, reduced substantially (to -0.26) and became non-significant after the correction for publication bias. The number of answer codes was found to be a significant moderator for the effect estimate, whereas the number of speakers was not. Moreover, the magnitude of the pooled effect estimate varied across emotions. The findings suggested moderate differences in affective prosody recognition ability between autism spectrum condition and typically developing individuals, which reduced to marginal difficulties for autism spectrum condition when the impact of publication bias was taken into account. Diversity in the number of answer codes could have differential effects on affective prosody recognition performance in autism spectrum condition, which varied across emotions. The present review and meta-analysis demonstrated the insufficiency of research on affective prosody recognition in autism spectrum condition, highlighting a need for further exploration of the contributors and underlying mechanisms for specific affective prosody recognition difficulties.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Griffin et al.'s paper, "Positive family connections: Co-producing a virtual group programme for family carers of children with learning disabilities or who are autistic". Design/methodology/approach: This is a commentary on co-production, drawing on Griffin et al.'s paper and the values base of the field. Findings: Co-production is a valuable approach which seeks to empower and include key people in research. As suggested by Griffin et al., disseminating learning about co-production is an important additional principle of co-production, which demonstrates a values-based commitment to co-production. Originality/value: This commentary is aimed at professionals and researchers working in the field of learning disabilities who are keen to learn about and do co-production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of 'clinically significant impairment' (American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Author, 2013) to the diagnostic criteria for autism in DSM-5 attempts to establish a threshold for the condition. However, the increased prominence of the neurodiversity paradigm and social model of disability runs counter to the idea that characteristics of autism are fundamentally impairing. Consequently, diagnostic criteria for autism are becoming misaligned with the contemporary views of 'disorder' and 'disability'. In this commentary, we outline six clinical issues that arise from this misalignment during diagnostic assessment for autism, and the tension this creates in making diagnostic decisions. We conclude by considering ways the 'clinically significant impairment' criterion could be changed, and the implications this would have on clinical practice, and the concept of autism.

There is limited research examining the inclusion of autistic people in their local communities. This paper reports on two Australian studies which explored this gap, focusing on both autistic people's experiences and non-autistic people's attitudes towards autistic individuals. Study One was conducted with primarily non-autistic people (n = 2,383), and Study Two with primarily parents and carers of autistic people (n = 1,297 people). The majority of non-autistic adults perceived discrimination against autistic people in the community; consistent with the experiences of autistic people and their carers. Of particular concern was more negative attitudes towards, and experiences of, autistic adults. There is an urgent need to improve society's acceptance and inclusion of autistic people of all ages.

This study explored youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) learning social competence in the context of innovative 3D virtual learning environment and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The empirical study retrospectively compared the social interactions of 11 adolescents with ASD in game-and nongame-based 3D collaborative learning activities in the same social competence training curriculum. We employed a learning analytics approach - association rule mining to uncover the associative rules of verbal social interaction and nonverbal social interaction contributors from the large dataset of the coded social behaviors. By comparing the rules across the game and nongame activities, we found a significant difference in youth with ASD's social performance. The results of the group comparison study indicated that the co-occurrence of verbal and nonverbal behaviors is much stronger in the game-based learning activities. The game activities also yielded more diverse social interaction behavior patterns. On the other hand, in the nongame activities, students' social interaction behavior patterns are much more limited. Furthermore, the impact of game design principles on learning is then discussed in this paper.

A global pandemic has significantly impacted the ability to conduct diagnostic evaluations for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the wake of the coronavirus, autism centers and providers quickly needed to implement innovative diagnostic processes to adapt in order to continue serve patient needs while minimizing the spread of the virus. The International Collaborative for Diagnostic Evaluation of Autism (IDEA) is a grassroots organization that came together to discuss standards of care during the pandemic and to provide a forum wherein providers communicated decisions. This white paper is intended to provide examples of how different centers adjusted their standard approaches to conduct diagnostic evaluations for ASD during the pandemic and to provide insight to other centers as they go through similar challenges.

The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) attending institutions of higher education continues to increase while typical accommodations provided by campus disability service offices often remain unchanged. Based on the unique characteristics associated with ASD, the need for supports and "soft accommodations" continues to rise at an alarming rate. The purpose of this paper is to describe how one program used peer mentoring as an intervention to increase student success for university students with ASD. With these identified areas of need, Transition to Healthiness, Resourcefulness, Independence, Vocation, and Education (THRIVE) was created in early 2012 to provide supplemental supports, including mentoring, for degree-seeking students with ASD attending a 4-year university. Specific strategies such as peer mentoring, mentor selection, and mentor training are discussed. Data results for 18 First Time In College (FTIC) new participants in the THRIVE program during the 2018-2019 year indicated increased student GPAs from 1st semester to 1st year with an average GPA of 3.36 after one year (Fall + Spring + Summer semesters). Additional results include reported positive social interactions and high levels of student engagement with peer mentors. One major finding of the data analysis includes identification of peer mentoring as an effective resource for university students with ASD. Development of similar mentor programs in higher education are discussed.

This paper reported the quality of life (QoL) of 260 Malaysian parents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and factors which influencing it. About half of these parents reported to having good QoL. The factors identified in the double ABCX model showed that perceived social support and sense of coherence (SOC) were mediated by coping strategies and had a positive direct and indirect effect on parents' QoL. These findings reiterate the importance of social support, coping skills, and strong SOC reflection skills in influencing the QoL of parents with ASD child. We therefore suggest parents to utilize the widely available social and organization supports to gain good QoL, which is also important for the wellbeing of their child.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often at greater risk of experiencing stress and lower quality of life, in comparison to parents of typically developing (TD) children and other developmental disabilities. Despite vast literature on parental experiences in Western countries, little is known about this topic in Eastern Europe. Thus, we aimed to map studies that addressed parental experiences of children with ASD in Eastern Europe using the Double ABCX theoretical framework. The Double ABCX Model of family adaptation describes how families responds to stressors over time, based on the intercorrelation of available resources, coping mechanisms and appraisal of stressors. Following a scoping review methodological framework, we conducted a comprehensive search of three databases. We ultimately included 15 peer-reviewed studies in the review. Within each study, we examined Double ABCX Model factors. The studies were conducted in nine Eastern European countries and included parents of children and adults with ASD. Consistent with studies conducted in Western countries, parents of children with ASD expressed more personal and family challenges and greater maladaptation compared to parents of TD children. Moreover, families reported lower satisfaction with quality of life and more health problems. The small number of included papers from nine countries suggests that parental experiences of children with ASD in Eastern Europe are overlooked in the literature. Future research should explore findings from this review that differed from the Western literature, including contributing factors to parental adaption in families in Eastern Europe.

This paper evaluates literature surrounding the effectiveness of Precision Teaching (PT) for improving the skill acquisition of children with autism. PT's aim is the attainment of behavioural fluency across educational and social contexts, as well as potentiality to enhance the learning of pupils with autism. This review evaluates the existing literature in which PT interventions have been implemented to improve the skill acquisition of children with autism. Relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria include: peer-reviewed articles written in English after 2005, participants being children aged two to 12 with a diagnosis of autism; and PT used as an intervention to improve performance of a directly observable skill with use of pre- and post-intervention data. Results indicated that PT may effectively increase a variety of component skills for children with autism; including emotion identification, storytelling, sight word reading, foundational motor skills, and intraverbal responding. Recommendations for teaching and learning for children with autism and implications for educational psychology practice are posited.

This paper is a methodological reflection drawn from a study on the transition from school into young adulthood in Aotearoa New Zealand. During this process, the personal priorities of young adults with significant disabilities often becomes overpowered by those involved in their post-school planning. Through the experiences of young adults living this experience, empirical considerations are offered on the topic of agency. "Agentic ethnography" combines inclusive ideologies and research methods with theoretical underpinning of the capability approach. The product is adapted interview formats used to develop agentic participation in research to foster inclusive knowledge on the topic of transition. Practical implications for research and the educational field are provided to illustrate collaborative processes and products that not only collect 'voice' but importantly, have it be heard.

In this paper we introduce Ashworth's lifeworld fractions as a methodological framework for inclusive research with autistic people 'with profound learning disabilities'. We first define the fractions and then evaluate their potential for enabling research within the 'third space' of inclusive research. Fundamental to the third space is the inclusion of the social and support circles of people with profound learning disabilities within research. Using the example of a recent study we illustrate how the fractions are a useful enabler of this. We conclude by suggesting that a key value of the fractions is in how they take the research collective beyond the elements of experience that most obviously confront them to consider its full breadth and effects. We argue too that the fractions support the management of the collation and analysis of the copious amounts of data that are generated through qualitative research. We conclude by offering a new and critical dimension to the fractions through presenting them as a means through which those involved in the third space -- autistic people, their social and support circles, and researchers -- can come to more emic understandings of lived experience.

Use of face masks is one of the measures adopted by the general community to stop the transmission of disease during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This wide use of face masks has indeed been shown to disrupt day-to-day face recognition. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have predisposed impairment in face recognition and are expected to be more vulnerable to this disruption in face recognition. Here, we recruited typically developing adult participants and those with ASD, and we measured their non-verbal intelligence, autism spectrum quotient, empathy quotient, and recognition performances of faces with and without a face mask covering the lower halves of the face. When faces were initially learned unobstructed, we showed that participants had a general reduced face recognition performance for masked faces. In contrast, when masked faces were first learned, typically developing adults benefit with an overall advantage in recognizing both masked and unmasked faces; while adults with ASD recognized unmasked faces with a significantly more reduced level of performance than masked faces--this face recognition discrepancy is predicted by a higher level of autistic traits. This paper also discusses how autistic traits influence processing of faces with and without face masks.

In this paper we review the impact of DSM-III and its successors on the field of autism--both in terms of clinical work and research. We summarize the events leading up to the inclusion of autism as a "new" official diagnostic category in DSM-III, the subsequent revisions of the DSM, and the impact of the official recognition of autism on research. We discuss the uses of categorical vs. dimensional approaches and the continuing tensions around broad vs. narrow views of autism. We also note some areas of current controversy and directions for the future.

Over the past four decades there have been significant advances in our understanding of autism, yet services for autistic adults continue to lag far behind those for children, and prospects for employment and independent living remain poor. Adult outcomes also vary widely and while cognitive and language abilities are important prognostic indicators, the influence of social, emotional, familial and many other factors remains uncertain. For this special issue marking the 40th anniversary of DSM-III, the present paper describes the changing perspectives of autism in adulthood that have occurred over this period, explores individual and wider environmental factors related to outcome, and suggests ways in which services need to be changed to improve the future for adults living with autism.

There are three branches of science of behavior analysis [i.e., experimental analysis of behavior, behavior analysis, and applied behavior analysis (ABA)]. ABA can be defined as a systematic approach to understanding behavior of social interest. For the past 40 plus years, researchers have evaluated ABA and ABA based procedures (e.g., behavioral intervention) as they relate to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and have implemented behavioral intervention in clinical settings for individuals diagnosed with ASD. In this paper, we discuss some of the pivotal contributions in the field of ABA in research and clinical practice. Additionally, we provide recommendations for the science and clinical practice of behavioral intervention in the next 40 years.

Understanding the instructional role of tablet devices while teaching a group of learners diagnosed with autism was the purpose of this research study. Five children diagnosed with autism participated in activities involving traditional paper and pencil and tablet devices. Observations and interviews with learners and one teacher were conducted. The case study provided an understanding of the motivational impact tablet devices potentially have on learners on the autism spectrum concerning engagement and participation in learning activities. The study also revealed that technology in general and tablet devices, in particular, are used in the classroom as reward mechanisms and entertaining strategies to seize and retain the learners' attention to achieve instructional goals.

The purpose of this practice paper is to promote the teaching of learners with neurodevelopmental conditions from a neurodiverse perspective. The challenge teachers face in having to draw on up-to-date research evidence and theoretical perspectives, and align these with practical considerations to generate contextualised teaching strategies, are addressed with the introduction of a three-factor model. The utility of considering pupil assessment data gathered from a strengths-based perspective is positioned as a central component to bridging the gap between the incipient neurodiversity literature and the realities of applied teaching practice. Two case examples have presented that draw on the proposed three-factor model to demonstrate how teachers can assess and teach learners from a neurodevelopmental perspective. These case studies focus on supporting learners with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a secondary setting.

Measurement-based care (MBC), an evidence-based approach that has demonstrated efficacy for improving treatment outcomes, has yet to be investigated in clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The current paper investigates the use of MBC in autistic (n = 20) and non-autistic (n = 20) clients matched on age, sex, and presenting problem. Results of change score analysis indicated that utilizing routine symptom monitoring can enhance treatment evaluation. Autistic clients participated in significantly more sessions, made significantly less progress, and were less compliant with MBC than non-autistic clients. Though hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated no significant differences in treatment slope, results indicated moderate effect size. These results inform the use of MBC in community clinics, highlighting policy implications and need for targeted measurement.

This paper presents two studies that explored community attitudes to autism in Australia; and autistic people and their families' perspectives of community attitudes. In Study One 2424 (primarily non-autistic) people completed a survey on autism-related knowledge and attitudes; identifying a number of misperceptions and knowledge gaps in the general community. In Study Two 1353 people (primarily parents and carers of autistic people) completed a survey on autism-related experiences; identifying that the community's awareness of autism does not appear to extend to understanding how to support autistic people. There is a need for more research which integrates the perspectives of both autistic people and the broader community; and the development of communication and education interventions, "with" rather than "about" autistic people.

Social engagement, pretend play, and concern for another's distress represent fundamental features of typical social-emotional development in the second year. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display delays and deficits in these areas, and research on toddlers at heightened risk for ASD (HR; younger siblings of children with ASD) indicates these deficits may be apparent in toddlerhood. Prior research has examined these aspects of social-emotional development individually in HR toddlers. The present paper examines them jointly as predictors of ASD. We show that social engagement, pretend play, and empathic concern at 22-months each contribute uniquely to predicting later ASD diagnosis with high specificity and moderate sensitivity. Results have important implications for early diagnosis and intervention in young children with ASD.

Longitudinal studies have generally reported poor outcomes in adulthood for the majority of individuals (c.50-60%) with autism. Several factors putatively predict outcome (e.g. IQ), but findings remain mixed. This paper presents an updated meta-analysis of autism outcome studies and extends previous findings with additional analyses (including meta-regression). A total of 4088 records was screened and 18 studies, involving 1199 individuals, were included in the quantitative analysis. Estimated percentages indicated that 20.0% of participants were rated as having a good outcome, 26.6% a fair outcome, and 49.3% a poor outcome. Meta-regression indicated that lower IQ in adulthood was predictive of poor outcome; other meta-regression models did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Overall, outcomes for autistic people are on average poor, and higher IQ appears to be protective against having a poor outcome. The limitations of current constructs of outcome are discussed.

Aims: 'I am…' Digital Stories are short videos designed to provide a holistic, strengths-based representation of the child through enabling them to contribute their perspectives to transition planning. Digital Stories have potential during periods in which professionals are unable to physically visit settings or spend time getting to know a child. This paper describes the use of Digital Stories in two contexts: (1) being shown at the beginning of person-centred planning meetings focusing on the transition to primary school; and (2) as a tool to support educational psychologists conducting Education, Health, and Care Needs Assessments for preschool children during COVID-19. Method: Data was collected via seven semi-structured interviews, 15 feedback forms, and videos of four meetings. Participants comprised six parents/carers, five nursery practitioners, three school staff members, and six educational psychologists. Thematic analysis resulted in five main themes: thinking differently; a wider conversation; more than words; seeing what they see; and potential barriers to making Digital Stories. Limitations: Children were not able to make their own Digital Stories, which could have influenced their representation within the videos, transition meetings and assessments. However, children's body worn camera footage was included, enabling a perspective on their interactions and preferences that was closer to the child's worldview than other observational methods. Conclusions: Digital Stories have a variety of benefits to practice, including being useful to educational psychologists during assessments, and have the potential to facilitate successful transitions from nursery to primary school.

Aims: Digital living is now an integral part of many children and young people's (CYP) everyday experience. Practitioners who work with them are increasingly focused on effectively deploying technology to help those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. Throughout all aspects and phases of work, practitioners must adhere to legal and professional best practice standards in involving service users, person-centred working and in enhancing accessibility for all. Methods: Measures introduced to reduce the spread of COVID-19 triggered significant service delivery change in a specialist multi-disciplinary child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) team. The majority of assessment and intervention work moved to an online audio and web conferencing platform. A shared decision-making approach was developed to support service user understanding of online appointments and to giving informed consent, in line with the i-THRIVE Framework for system change (Wolpert et al., 2019). Three Guides were developed and distributed ahead of online appointments: written, easy-read and video. Findings: Data collected within a Quality Improvement (QI) framework indicated that the Guides supported practitioners to prepare service users, as well as themselves, for digital working. The Guides supported service access, collaborative decision-making and increased CYP autonomy. Their introduction also led to conversations about equity and cultural responsiveness, as well as serving as a model for the development of aids to support shared decision-making for autism diagnostic assessments. Limitations: This paper outlines the first phase of the QI project with a small participant sample and requires further engagement with service users to review the use of Guides and shared decision-making decision aids. Conclusions: Digital approaches present new possibilities and are rapidly changing service delivery across CAMHS. The importance of involving service users in shared decision-making when developing digital practices must be held in mind as part of this change process.

The use of auditory stimulation to decrease vocal stereotypy in individuals with autism spectrum disorder has been the focus of several studies in recent years. Some of these studies investigated the use of auditory stimulation in the form of music, some evaluated the use of other interventions in tandem with auditory stimulation, and others examined emergent behavior that increases as vocal stereotypy decreases. The purpose of this review and discussion paper is to synthesize information from several of these studies in order to suggest best practices for using auditory stimulation to decrease vocal stereotypy based on these empirical evaluations and provide clinical recommendations for working with children with autism spectrum disorder who engage in vocal stereotypy.

Scores derived from intelligence instruments predict many important outcomes in life, so it is not surprising that researchers and clinicians seek out interventions aimed at increasing these scores. Dixon et al. (J Behav Educ, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09344-7) recently investigated the relation between instruction based on relational frame theory programming and intelligence and found resulted in addition gains. Nonetheless, there are some conceptual and methodological concerns with Dixon and colleagues' study that makes the interpretation of their findings unclear. In this commentary, we address some of these concerns and re-analyze Dixon and colleagues' data. We conclude that while their intervention may have potential, more investigation is needed to support the claim that it can increase intelligence. [For Dixon et al.'s "Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of ABA Content on IQ Gains in Children with Autism," see EJ1307558.]

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to place on record the impact made on government policy and research by Autism Cymru, a small charity that existed in Wales between 2001 and 2014. The success of Autism Cymru resulted directly from philanthropic funding, applied with strategic vision and genuine ambition. Design/methodology/approach: A retrospective, chronological viewpoint highlighting the creative process, drawing upon records held by the charity. Findings: Autism Cymru initiated the concept and played a crucial role in steering the development of government policy for autism in Wales between 2001 and 2011. The charity also drove forward the initiative, which led to the establishment of the Wales Autism Research Centre at Cardiff University in 2010. This paper demonstrates that with astute philanthropic support, small learning disability/autism charities can elicit structural and sustainable change at the national level, leading to wide-ranging benefits for the communities they represent. Originality/value: The strategic approach taken over 20 years ago in Wales by Autism Cymru, which led to the Welsh Government's ASD Strategic Action Plan for Wales (Welsh Government, 2011), set in place a national policy model, which was then followed by The Scottish Strategy for Autism and the Northern Ireland Autism Strategy (Department of Health, 2013>; Scottish Government, 2011). The insightful and tenacious method used by Autism Cymru remains relevant today, demonstrating that any small charity supported by shrewd philanthropic funding can punch well above its weight by taking a planned, ambitious and strategic approach to policy, research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]