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Despite the high frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a significant impact of these comorbidities on both individuals with ASD and their families, research on the validity of anxiety and depression measures in the ASD population is currently lacking. The aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS; Zigmond & Snaith, ] in a sample of older adolescents and young adults with ASD. One hundred and fifty one participants (UK Transition longitudinal study: N = 106; 75 males, Mage = 16.04 years, SD = 1.28; Longitudinal Study of Australian Schools Leavers with ASD: N = 45, 30 males; Mage = 18.35 years, SD = 2.55) completed the HADS and a range of mental health and well‐being measures. Combination of the Principal Component Analysis and Parallel Analysis indicated two factors as an optimal solution in our sample, accounting for 43.77% of variance with factors being identical in terms of content with the structure found in the general population. Internal consistency was good for the HADS anxiety scale (HADS‐A; .82–.84) and acceptable for the HADS depression scale (HADS‐D; .60–.72). Convergent validity of both HADS‐A and HADS‐D scales was excellent and divergent validity was acceptable. Our study represents a significant contribution to the literature by providing an initial validation of the HADS in older adolescents and younger adults with ASD. Autism Res2018, 11: 258–269. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary: Research on the validity of measurement of anxiety and depression in ASD is currently lacking. The aim of this study was to explore the properties of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in a sample of 151 young people with ASD. Participants completed HADS and a range of mental health and well‐being measures. Encouragingly, our findings suggest that HADS provides a reliable and valid assessment of anxiety and depression in ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01591-1. Anal. and Preven b https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01591-1 In the original online version of this article there was missing information in the third row of Table 4. [Extracted from the article]

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a widespread contaminant, has numerous adverse impacts on human health and ecosystems. Chronic DEHP exposure has been found to accelerate aging; however, its potential threat to age-dependent innate immune decline remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effects of chronic DEHP exposure on innate immunosenescence in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that the length of the exposure period significantly impacts DEHP-induced age-related declines, which is linked to immunosenescence and oxidative stress. We found that the DEHP-caused immunosenescence is accompanied with downregulation of an antimicrobial gene lys-7 as well as an enhancement of the nuclear translocation of HLH-30, an orthologue of mammalian transcription factor EB (TFEB). Moreover, DEHP exposure increases the expression of riok-1 , a human RIO kinase homolog, which is associated with DEHP-induced HLH-30/TFEB translocation. Our findings suggest that early-life and chronic exposure to DEHP, mostly due to parent compound rather than its metabolite mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), may weaken the innate immunity in C. elegans and may enhance susceptibility to infections or promote immunosenescence in aged populations. [Display omitted] • Developmental and exposure period influence the DEHP-induced age decline. • DEHP-induced age declines are associated with immunosenescence. • Chronic exposure to DEHP increases the nuclear translocation of HLH-30. • DEHP-induced gene expression of riok-1 is associated with HLH-30 translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research directly examines the needs of post-secondary students with ASD. The experiences and support needs of 23 students with ASD enrolled in two universities and four colleges, and 15 family members were explored in 15 semi-structured focus groups. Thematic analysis identified five themes: core ASD features, co-morbid conditions, transition, disclosure, and services and support. Most students felt educationally but not socially supported; most families felt support was poor in both areas. Transition from secondary school was often unplanned, and disclosure of diagnosis usually occurred after enrolment, often following a significant problem. Many parents provided substantial student support. Thus disclosure of ASD diagnosis and meeting the individual needs of these students are important considerations as higher education enrolments increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autistic people are a vulnerable group in the community who are regularly coming into contact with police. This study examined the perceptions of autistic adults and parents of autistic people about the autistic person's interactions with police using a procedural justice framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 autistic adults and 19 parents of autistic children and adults who recalled interactions with police in Australia in the previous five years. Content analysis of the descriptions of 39 separate interactions revealed that autistic adults' perceptions of procedural justice were predominantly negative. The majority of accounts given by parents indicated a higher proportion of positive perceptions of procedural justice for their son or daughter. Findings shed light on the barriers to fair and just treatment that may exist for autistic people when interacting with police and ways that police may be supported to respond to autistic people in a procedurally just manner. People who believe that police have treated them fairly are more likely to trust police and follow their directions. Previous research has found that many autistic people are very unhappy with their treatment by police but it is not clear why this is the case. The research found that autistic adults described many instances of unfair treatment by police and many of them no longer trust police. Parents of autistic children and adults also talked about unfair treatment but they also gave examples of times where police were helpful. Positive descriptions often included examples of police changing the way they spoke or did things to take into account the needs of the autistic person. The research recommended that police receive training about autism so that they can have a better understanding of how to talk with and assist autistic people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]