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Introduction: This study investigated the impact of dog training intervention (DTI) on verbal, non-verbal, and maladaptive behaviors in autistic preschoolers. Previous research has demonstrated the benefits of animal-assisted interventions, but this study specifically focused on changes during the DTI., Methods: We analyzed video recordings of 37 autistic children (mean age 4:7 years, SD = 1:1) from special education preschools, comparing their behaviors during the initial and final intervention sessions. The intervention, consisting of 17 structured stages, progressively introduced the children to dog interactions, ultimately allowing them to act as dog trainers. Behavioral analysis was divided into two main areas: responses to the therapist's instructions and self-initiated behaviors observed in interactions with the therapist and the dog., Results: Post-intervention results indicated a notable increase in non-verbal communication, with more sustained self-initiated eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions and increased verbal commands directed toward the dog. Improvements were also seen in therapist-prompted gestures and joint attention, and question-answer interactions with the therapist. However, a decrease was observed in self-initiated eye contact, duration of eye contact, and verbal sharing with the therapist. Maladaptive behaviors, such as inappropriate physical contact and repetitive movements, decreased. The study found a moderate negative correlation between autism severity and responsiveness to therapist instructions and a moderate positive correlation between IQ and improvements in therapist responsiveness., Discussion: These findings support the growing evidence for the efficacy of dog-assisted interventions and emphasize the importance of tailoring interventions to individual child characteristics., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Polak-Passy, Ben-Itzchak and Zachor.)

Background: Cognitively able autistic adults demonstrate low rates of employment due to social and vocational challenges. The current study aimed to examine changes in various areas among autistic young adults who participated in the 'Roim Rachok' ('Looking Ahead' in Hebrew) Training Course (RRTC). The course prepares young autistic adults for integration into military service as vocational soldiers., Methods: The study included 49 autistic participants who completed the RRTC in one of three vocational fields: Digital ( n  = 19), Technical ( n  = 9), and Visual ( n  = 21). Evaluations at the beginning and end of the course included adaptive behavior (Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale 2 nd Edition [ABAS-II]), autism symptom severity (Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd Edition [SRS-II]), and communication skills (Faux Pas; Empathy Quotient [EQ]; Friendship Quality Scale; Conversation task based on Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol [YiPP])., Results: The results revealed a significant Time effect for the self-reported ABAS-II conceptual, social, and practical subdomains, EQ empathy quotient subdomain, Faux Pas, and SRS-II social communication interaction scores. Accordingly, participants reported increasing their adaptive skills, emotional empathy, and the ability to detect and interpret awkward statements, and decreased in their social communication interaction symptoms, following the RRTC. No significant Time x Group interaction was found for any of the examined measures, meaning similar trends were observed in all three vocational groups., Conclusion: Following the RRTC, participants reported significant improvements in areas essential for their future integration as soldiers in the military and as employees in the vocational world. Implications of the study findings are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Lousky, Selanikyo, Tubul-Lavy and Ben-Itzchak.)

Background: Previous research on autistic students enrolled in university support programs has reported moderate improvement in anxiety/depression or adaptive behavior. However, alterations in autistic traits have not been examined., Methods: This longitudinal study evaluated changes in university students' autistic trait and state/trait anxiety levels. Participants were 24 neurotypically developed (ND) students with high levels of social anxiety symptoms (High SA), 30 ND students with low levels of SA symptoms (Low SA), and 41 autistic students (the primary focus of this study) residing with an ND peer student mentor as part of participating in the university's integration support program. Autism spectrum quotient [AQ and State Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI] data were collected during the first semester of two consecutive academic years (T1, T2), as well as baseline (T1) levels of social anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms., Results: Significant interaction between group and time was observed, denoting a sharp decrease (2.9 SD) from T1 to T2 in the overall autistic trait level among the autistic group (AQ "attention switching" subscale demonstrating the most robust decrease), and a moderate decrease (0.5 SD) among the high SA group. Only for the autistic students were more compulsive symptoms at T1 associated with a lesser decrease in AQ scores (T1-T2), which in turn was negatively correlated with their T1 year-end grade point average., Conclusion: The findings suggest that attending post-secondary education (while partaking in a support/transition program) is followed by a profound change of the individual's subjective experience of autism, characterized by a sharp decline in the level of autistic traits, particularly attention switching. This change is independent of alterations in well-being indices, such as anxiety, that are known to characterize students attending university., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zukerman, Yahav and Ben-Itzchak.)

Narrative impairments are common in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) battery includes a story-telling activity using a picture book called Tuesday . The current study aimed to identify differences between children with ASD and children with typical development (TD) on the production of Tuesday narratives, with a special focus on semantic-pragmatic aspects. Participants were 48 cognitively-able boys, in the age range of 4;10-7;0 years. Twenty-four participants were boys with ASD and 24 participants were TD boys. The semantic-pragmatic analysis included measures of: story details (characters setting, objects, and actions), central ideas, evaluative comments, and unrelated text. Results showed that the narratives produced by children with ASD included fewer central ideas, and fewer settings, characters, and actions, but not objects, as compared with the narratives produced by their TD peers. The number of evaluative comments and utterances that were unrelated to the story did not differ between the groups. A negative correlation was found between the autism severity level and the number of central ideas and number of characters mentioned in the narratives of the ASD participants. Taken together, as a group, these findings point to a semantic-pragmatic impairment in ASD. However, individual analysis revealed heterogeneity within the ASD group in this area. Some of the results may be explained by cognitive deficits in maintaining central coherence (the Weak Central Coherence account). This study has important clinical implications. Defining the specific differentiating measures can maximize the use of the ADOS story-telling activity by clinicians. The association found between the autism severity level and some of the semantic measures can be used in evaluating the severity of the ASD symptoms., (Copyright © 2019 Kenan, Zachor, Watson and Ben-Itzchak.)

High rates of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms have been documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and have been associated with social and adaptive impairments. The study examined the frequency of clinically elevated ADHD and anxiety symptoms in an ASD group in comparison to a non-clinical group, compared the clinical presentation in the ASD group with and without ADHD and anxiety, assessed which child and familial variables add to the severity of Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (HI), and anxiety symptoms, and evaluated whether having clinically elevated ADHD and/or anxiety symptoms adds to the prediction of adaptive functioning in ASD. The study included 260 participants diagnosed with ASD (mean age: 7.5 ± 1.1), using standardized tests. The rate of clinically elevated ADHD and anxiety symptoms in ASD was 62.7 and 44.6%, respectively, and symptom severity was significantly greater than the non-clinical sample. The entire population was divided into four subgroups: ASD alone, ASD+ADHD, ASD+anxiety, ASD+ADHD+anxiety, based on the parental behavioral questionnaire. The ASD alone group showed less severe autism symptoms in comparison to the other groups. Having ASD+ADHD symptoms was associated with greater impairments in socialization adaptive skills. Only the group with ASD+ADHD+anxiety was associated with poorer daily living adaptive skills. Regression analyses for prediction of ADHD and anxiety symptoms revealed that being a female and having lower adaptive skills scores predicted higher Inattention severity; being older, having better cognition, and more severe Restrictive Repetitive Behavior symptoms predicted more severe HI symptoms; being older and having more severe social impairments predicted higher anxiety scores. A regression analysis for the prediction of adaptive skills revealed that in addition to cognition and autism severity, the severity of Inattention symptoms added to the prediction of overall adaptive skills. In light of these findings, clinicians should diagnose these comorbidities in ASD early on, and provide effective interventions to reduce their negative impact on functioning, thereby improving outcome.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders which occurs with numerous medical conditions. In previous research, subtyping in ASD has been based mostly on cognitive ability and ASD symptom severity. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether specific medical conditions in ASD are associated with unique behavioral profiles. The medical conditions included in the study were macrocephaly, microcephaly, developmental regression, food selectivity, and sleep problems. The behavioral profile was composed of cognitive ability, adaptive skills, and autism severity, and was examined in each of the aforementioned medical conditions. The study population included 1224 participants, 1043 males and 181 females (M:F ratio = 5.8:1) with a mean age of 49.9 m (SD = 29.4) diagnosed with ASD using standardized tests. Groups with and without the specific medical conditions were compared on the behavioral measures. Developmental regression was present in 19% of the population and showed a more severe clinical presentation, with lower cognitive abilities, more severe ASD symptoms, and more impaired adaptive functioning. Microcephaly was observed in 6.3% of the population and was characterized by a lower cognitive ability and more impaired adaptive functioning in comparison to the normative head circumference (HC) group. Severe food selectivity was found in 9.8% and severe sleep problems in 5.1% of the ASD population. The food selectivity and sleep problem subgroups, both showed more severe autism symptoms only as described by the parents, but not per the professional assessment, and more impaired adaptive skills. Macrocephaly was observed in 7.9% of the ASD population and did not differ from the normative HC group in any of the examined behavioral measures. Based on these findings, two unique medical-behavioral subtypes in ASD that affect inherited traits of cognition and/or autism severity were suggested. The microcephaly phenotype occurred with more impaired cognition and the developmental regression phenotype with widespread, more severe impairments in cognition and autism severity. In contrast, severe food selectivity and sleep problems represent only comorbidities to ASD that affect functioning. Defining specific subgroups in ASD with a unique biological signature and specific behavioral phenotypes may help future genetic and neuroscience research.