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Handwriting is commonly identified as an area of weakness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but precise deficits have not been fully characterised. In order to address gaps in the ASD/handwriting evidence base, the current study aimed to: (1) further characterise handwriting performance in children with ASD using a series of digitised tasks and advanced quantitative descriptive measures; (2) characterise how children with ASD plan and control their handwriting movements, with particular focus on how this may relate to existing cognitive styles associated with ASD; and (3) examine the relationships between handwriting variables and clinical symptoms, including severity of intellectual, ASD, attention and motor symptoms. Forty-three boys aged between 8-12 years participated in the Hands in Motion research study; 23 with ASD (M=10.58 years) and 20 age-matched controls (M=10.85 years). A series of digitised handwriting tasks were used to quantitatively and objectively assess handwriting performance using a range of advanced descriptive and kinematic measures. Task design and analysis was completed using MovAlyzer software (version 6.1.0.0, NeuroScript Pty Ltd). Taken together, the current study findings indicate that children with ASD have considerable difficulties planning, controlling and regulating their handwriting sequences. Parent reports indicate that handwriting difficulties appear to impact a large proportion of these children on a daily basis, and are significant enough to warrant handwriting intervention. Further investigations of handwriting in ASD revealed that children with more severe ASD, motor and/or attentional symptoms are likely to have a higher incidence of handwriting impairment.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between self-concept and depression in elderly people living in Residential Aged Care (RAC) settings. Forty-five residents, comprising 17 males and 28 females (M = 82.64 years, SD = 8.38 years), were recruited from 10 low-care, RAC facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale - Short Form and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale: 2. The results revealed that all self-concept domains were significantly lower in RAC residents in comparison to norms drawn from community dwelling samples (p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant inverse relationship between depression and self-concept domains (p < 0.05) was observed in RAC residents, with 28.8% of the variance in depression scores accounted for by Physical Self Concept. These findings identify self-concept, particularly physical self-concept, as an important predictor of psychosocial well-being in elderly RAC residents. Further research is needed to examine the efficacy of psychosocial and rehabilitative interventions to optimise self-concept in RAC residents. El objetivo de este estudia fue explorar la relación entre el autoconcepto y la depresión en las personas de edad avanzada que residen en residencias destinadas al cuidado de este tipo de personas. Cuarenta y cinco residentes de esta clase de residencias de bajo cuidado en Melbourne, Australia, 17 hombres y 28 mujeres, (M = 82.64 anos, SD = 8.38 anos) fueron incluídos. Los participantes completaron la forma corta de la escala de depresión geriátrica y la escala de autoconcepto de Tennessee: 2. Los resultados revelaron que todos los items relacionados al autoconcepto fueron significativamente bajos en las residencias mencionadas en comparación a las medias de muestras de habitantes de casas particulares (p < 0.05). Además, una relación inversa y significativa entre la depresión y el autoconcepto (p < 0.05) fue observado en los residentes del primer tipo de vivienda mencionada, con un 28.8% de varianza en los puntajes de depresión obtenidos para el autoconcepto físico. Estos hallazgos identifican el autoconcepto, particularmente el físico, como un importante síntoma de bienestar psicológico en los adultos mayores de residencias especiales destinadas a su cuidado. Es necesaria investigación posterior para examinar la eficacia de las intervenciones de rehabilitación y psicosociales para optimizar el autoconcepto en este tipo de población.