Neural correlates of pain and suffering observation in sexual sadists

No abstract available

An independent process evaluation of Mellow Dads

No abstract available

The contributory role of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomology in offending behaviour

The majority of individuals with ASD are law-abiding (Murphy, 2017, King & Murphy, 2014). However, research has shown how ASD symptomology can contribute to various types of offending behaviour, with those behaviours most associated with ASD including violent behaviour, sexual offending, fire setting/arson, obsessive harassment (stalking), and cyber-crimes (e.g. Baron-Cohen, 1988; Everall & Lecouteur, 1990; Schwartz-Watts, 2005; Mouridsen et al., 2008; Ledingham & Mills, 2015; Allely and Creaby-Attwood, 2016). There is much debate about whether individuals with ASD should be treated exactly the same as the general population in the criminal justice system as currently happens (e.g., Hayes, 2016). As highlighted in the paper by Hayes (2016), not every offence which is committed by someone with ASD is due to their disorder. There are cases involving individuals who have engaged in offending behaviour which have been intentional and voluntary criminal acts (Freckelton, 2013; Berryessa, 2014). The difficulty is trying to identify whether ASD symptomology did in fact contribute or not to the offending behaviour on a case-by-case basis (see also, Allely & Cooper, 2017; Cooper & Allely, 2017)

Case Study : ASD and Viewing Indecent Images of Children

This case study, written by CYCJ Associate Dr Clare Allely (University of Salford), focuses on the importance of considering potential innate vulnerabilities in some individuals with ASD who have been charged with the viewing of Indecent Images of Children (ILOC)

Sexual offending behaviour in young people with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder : autism and the criminal justice system

This conference presentation discusses sexual offending behaviour in young people with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

A Systematic Scoping Review of the Literature on Sexual Orientation Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (SO-OCD): Important Clinical Considerations and Recommendations

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterised by the occurrence of persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted (obsessions), and compulsive actions that the individual feels driven to act on in response to an obsession. These actions are carried out by an individual in order to try and prevent or reduce anxiety or distress, or to prevent something terrible from happening (American Psychiatric Association, APA, 2013). The aim of this review was to identify studies which have explored SO-OCD. Because this is a relatively under-researched field, the decision was made for the present systematic review to take an inclusive approach. A systematic PRISMA review was conducted. A total of eleven studies were identified in this review. Two were cases and nine were empirical studies. Overall, the studies in this review highlight that although relatively common in individuals with OCD, SO-OCD is frequently misunderstood by both clinicians and patients. This emphasises the need for education and training (or they are not even aware of the condition)

Broad Perspectives of the Experience of Romantic Relationships and Sexual Education in Neurodivergent Adolescents and Young Adults

Neurodivergent young people tend to struggle with building and maintaining their romantic relationships. Despite this, there appears to be a lack of appropriate sexuality education delivered to them. This review aims to present and discuss the most current literature (conducted between 2015 and current) on romantic relationships and sexuality education in young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and ASD co-occurring with ADHD. Six internet-based bibliographic databases were used for the present review that followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Thirty-one studies were identified in this review. Twenty-six studies investigated the topic in the autistic young population. Four studies explored qualitatively and 11 quantitatively young people’s perspectives of their romantic relationship experiences. One study investigated qualitatively and three quantitatively young people’s perspectives on sexuality education. One study explored qualitatively and five quantitatively young people’s romantic relationship experiences and two explored qualitatively and three quantitatively sexuality education from caregivers’ perspectives. Five studies (all quantitative, self-reports) investigated romantic relationship experiences in the young population with ADHD. The studies conducted on the topic from the educational professionals’ perspectives were absent in the literature. The literature was also non-existent on the topic in the population with ASD co-occurring with ADHD. To the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first review exploring romantic relationships and sexuality education in three groups of neurodivergent young people (with ASD, ADHD, and ASD co-occurring with ADHD)

Working with fathers of at-risk children: Insights from a qualitative process evaluation of an intensive group-based intervention

This article is based on qualitative research with fathers who attended Mellow Dads, an intensive ‘dads only’ group-based intervention underpinned by attachment theory for fathers of at-risk children. Specifically the article draws on data from a process evaluation of the programme in order to explore the challenges of engaging men in effective family work. The methods used to undertake the process evaluation included participant observation of one complete Mellow Dads course, interviews with fathers and facilitators, interviews with the intervention author and a study of programme documentation. The paper focuses on the theoretical underpinning of the programme, its acceptability to the fathers and the challenges faced by facilitators in delivering the programme as intended. The fathers appreciated the efforts of facilitators to make the group work, valued the advice on play and parenting style as well as the opportunity to meet other fathers in similar circumstances. However, there were obstacles that impacted on the effectiveness of the programme. These included the considerable time required to get the men to attend in the first place and then to keep them coming, the lack of practice of parenting skills when fathers were not living with their children, and the difficulties of sharing personal information. The challenges identified raise questions about how much change can be expected from vulnerable fathers and whether programmes designed for mothers can be applied to fathers with little adaptation. The article aims to contribute to ongoing dialogue about the best way to successfully engage fathers in children’s well-being, and raises the question as to whether working with fathers requires different skill-sets and approaches from the more familiar social work territory of working with mothers