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Background: Restricted interests and repetitive behavior are characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The likelihood that persons with ASD will respond adversely to unfamiliar situations is great. The novel coronavirus outbreak has resulted in disruptions to all aspects of routine and behavior. Hence, this study proposed to investigate the impact of the outbreak on the eating behavior and routines of childrenwith ASD in Saudi Arabia through the perceptions of their parents. Method: A cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was utilized to obtain data from 150 parents of children with ASD aged =18 years in Saudi Arabia. The data collected included demographic data of the parents, the ASD status of the family, impact of COVID-19 to the family, eating behavior of the children with ASD, and daily routines of the children with ASD. Moreover, parents were able to provide comments regarding their children's eating behavior or daily routines. Results: The study found that changes in the eating behavior of children with ASD were found to differ significantly (p<0.05) based on the number of children with ASD, the age of the children with ASD, the gender of the children with ASD, and the severity of their ASD symptoms. Moreover, changes to dinner-time routines were found to differ significantly (p<0.05) based on the age of the children with ASD. Also, changes to morning routines were found to differ significantly (p<0.05) based on the age of the children with ASD, their gender, and the severity of their ASD symptoms. Additionally, impact of COVID-19 to the family had a significant impact to eating behavior and daily routines of the children with ASD. Conclusion: This study found that the eating behavior and daily routines of children with ASD in Saudi Arabia have been considerably worsened and changed. The study recommends the collaboration of multidisciplinary teams and parents to modify or design interventions that help to change their eating behavior and routine can be implemented in the home. It also recommends the provision of virtual helplines to aid parents of children with ASD in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: There is a large gap between the needs of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the currently available services in Saudi Arabia. Services are often difficult to access, inconsistent in quality, incomplete, unsatisfactory, and costly. As such, there is a national need for expert consensus on the appropriate standards for the assessment and management of children on the autism spectrum. Methodology: A guideline development group (GDC) was formed by professionals representing all related specialties and institutions involved in the management of individuals on the autism spectrum in Saudi Arabia. They met on a regular basis over 21 months. The guideline development process consisted of five steps starting from reviewing existing guidelines and ending with discussing and writing this manuscript. A formal voting process was utilized and recommendations were discussed until a consensus was reached. Results: There was consensus on the following: A specialized diagnostic assessment needs to be carried out by an experienced multidisciplinary team for children referred to assess for ASD. They should be assessed for medical etiology, their behavioral history carefully reviewed, and symptoms directly observed. Longitudinal assessments are encouraged to reflect the effects of symptoms on the individual's ability to function while with their family, among peers, and in school settings. An additional formal assessment of language, cognitive, and adaptive abilities as well as sensory status is essential to complete the diagnostic process. Interventions should be individualized, developmentally appropriate, and intensive, with performance data relevant to intervention goals to evaluate and adjust interventions. Target symptoms must be identified to address and develop monitoring systems to track change. Conclusion: ASD is a complex condition with widely varying clinical manifestations, thus requiring evaluation and intervention by a range of professionals working in coordination. Behavioral and environmental interventions are the key to optimal outcomes, in conjunction with medications when indicated for specific symptoms. Parental involvement in interventions is vital to sustaining therapeutic gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research indicates that the deficits in social communication and the repetitive, restrictive behaviour of persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can pose challenges to their functioning in different Quality of Life (QoL) domains, leading to lower levels of life satisfaction. Evidence also indicates that various social and family factors, such as the support received in the community/environment and the composition of the family, could impact the QoL of persons with ASD., Aim: To study the factors influencing the QoL of children with ASD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) by investigating the perspectives of their parents., Method: Questionnaires were completed by 110 parents who had a child with ASD. The questionnaire included the 96-item KidsLife-ASD scale to capture parents' perspectives regarding the difficulties experienced by their child, the ASD support received by their families, and the QoL of the child. The data obtained from the questionnaire were statistically analysed using IBM SPSS software., Results: The difficulties experienced by children with ASD and aspects of the support (services and interventions, and challenges) they receive are factors that influence the QoL of children with ASD in the KSA. Moreover, the number of children in the family, the birth order of child with ASD, and the severity of ASD symptoms are factors that influence parents' perceptions of their children's difficulties, family ASD support, and the child's QoL., Conclusions: Saudi parents who have one child with ASD believed that the QoL of their child was high and confirmed that the difficulties experienced by the child and the support received by the family were factors which influenced the QoL of a child with ASD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The author(s) report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Video modelling (VM) has been found to be an effective intervention in supporting the improvement of social capabilities for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the effectiveness using video modelling in developing two specific social skills of four students with ASD in a special boys' school namely, playing with friends and how to greet someone at school. The multiple-baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the video modelling intervention for developing social skills over a period of 18 weeks. The data collected during the study were analysed and discussed in the context of the research questions and literature on the effectiveness of video modelling interventions in developing social skills of children with ASD. The study found that video modelling was effective in developing the targeted social skills in the participating students with ASD and there was evidence that some generalisation of skills had been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience considerable amounts of stress and impaired emotional well-being. Consequently, it is likely that these have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 outbreak due to disruptions to the schedules of children with ASD.Aim: This study investigated the stress and emotional well-being of parents of children with ASD in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.Method: The study obtained quantitative data from 150 parents of children with ASD from different regions in Saudi Arabia using an online survey. The data collected included demographic data of the parents, ASD status of the family, ASD support during COVID-19 pandemic, severity of ASD behaviours in comparison to the pre- COVID-19 status eating behaviour of the child with ASD, Parental Stress, and emotional well-being. The PSI-short form (PSI-SF) (Abidin, 1995) scale was utilised to obtain data related to parental stress and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) (Goldberg, 1992) scale was utilised to obtain data related to parents' emotional well-being.Results: The study found that family ASD status (in particular, age and gender of child with ASD, and severity of his/her symptoms) had a significant impact on parental stress and emotional well-being. Moreover, parental stress and emotional well-being were negatively impacted by the frequency and usefulness of ASD support received during COVID-19 pandemic. These were also adversely impacted by the change in severity of ASD behaviours of the children with ASD. Finally, parental stress was found to have a negative impact on the emotional well-being of parents. Overall, the study found that the parental stress and emotional well-being of parents of children with ASD in Saudi Arabia had been unfavourably impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusions: Overall, the study found that the parental stress and emotional well-being of parents with ASD in Saudi Arabia had been unfavourably impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. This study recommends the involvement of the Saudi Ministry of Health to establish and extend support services to support parents of children with ASD. Moreover, the provision of training programs to help parents deal with the characteristic behaviour of their children with ASD such as, the ability to maintain routines, aggressive or repetitive behaviour, is also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism characteristics in sixty children (aged from 2 to 8) were assed. Their behavioral symptoms were evaluated using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). ATEC has four main domains of autistic disorders (Speech/Language/Communication, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior) in children with clinical diagnosis by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Utilizing ATEC checklist, our study describes significant behavioral observations between autistic children which could effectively contribute to better understanding and treatment during their early intervention stage., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)