Psychosocial Outcomes in Autistic Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic children’s psychosocial outcomes have shown mixed results. In the current study we aimed to gain a better insight into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing psychosocial outcomes collected pre-pandemic with data collected during the pandemic. We used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to examine change over time in psychosocial outcomes of autistic children from pre-pandemic (T0) to lockdown I (T1) and lockdown II (T2) in the Netherlands. We expected a deterioration in psychosocial outcomes. There were 224 participants in T0 and T1, of which 141 also participated in T2. The results showed a surprising improvement in psychosocial outcomes from T0 to T1. Special education and female gender were associated with increased difficulties over time, while higher age was associated with decreased difficulties. At the subdomain level we found that emotional problems remained stable, while hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems decreased, and prosocial behavior increased. Attending special education predicted increased peer problems over time, while higher age predicted both decreased conduct problems and increased prosocial behavior over time. The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily improved the fit between the psychosocial needs and the environment for children with autism in the Netherlands.</p

First-Year Progression and Retention of Autistic Students in Higher Education:A Propensity Score-Weighted Population Study

Background: Autistic individuals’ enrollment in universities is increasing, but we know little about their study progress over time. Many of them have poor degree completion in comparison to students with other disabilities. However, longitudinal studies on study progression over time of autistic students (AS) in comparison to their peers are absent. It is essential to study AS outcomes during the first year, controlling against the results of students without disabilities. Methods: This preregistered population study examined first-year progression and retention within the same area of study of autistic bachelor students (n = 96; age M = 20.0 years, 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.0–21.0) in comparison to students without disabilities (n = 25,001; age M = 19.0 years, 95% CI 18.0–20.0), enrolled in the same area of study at a major Dutch university. To control for substantial differences in sample sizes and differences in demographics or prior education, we applied propensity score weighting to balance outcomes. We analyzed progression and retention, examining the average grades, the number of examinations, resits, no shows, the credit accumulation in each period, and the average retention after the first year. Results: Over the course of the first bachelor year, AS received grades similar to students with no disabilities. We found no statistical differences in the number of examinations, resits, and no shows. Credit accumulation was generally similar during the academic year except for one of seven periods, and retention within the same area of study revealed no differences. Conclusions: This study shows that AS have similar success rates compared with students with no disabilities but could benefit from additional support on test-taking. Improved insights can enable universities to develop appro- priate and timely support for often-talented students, improve first-year retention, and advance degree completion

Brief Report: Examining the Link Between Autistic Traits and Compulsive Internet Use in a Non-Clinical Sample

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders or autistic traits may profit from Internet and computer-mediated interactions, but there is concern about their Internet use becoming compulsive. This study investigated the link between autistic traits and Internet use in a 2-wave longitudinal study with a non-clinical community sample (n = 390). As compared to people with less autistic traits, people with more autistic traits did not report a higher frequency of Internet use, but they were more prone to compulsive Internet use. For women, more autistic traits predicted an increase in compulsive Internet use over time. These results suggest that, despite its appeal for people with autistic traits, the Internet carries the risk of compulsive use

Brief Report:Gender Identity Differences in Autistic Adults: Associations with Perceptual and Socio-cognitive Profiles

Prior research has shown an elevation in autism traits and diagnoses in individuals seen for gender related consultation and in participants self-identifying as transgender. To investigate this relationship between autism and gender identity from a new angle, we compared the self-reported autism traits and sensory differences between participants with autism who did or did not identify with their assigned sex (i.e. cisgender or trans and non-binary, respectively). We found broad elevation of most cognitive autism traits in the trans and non-binary group (those who identified with a gender other than their assigned gender), and lower visual and auditory hypersensitivity. We contrast these data to existing hypotheses and propose a role for autistic resistance to social conditioning

Brief Report: Additive and Subtractive Counterfactual Reasoning of Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

The development of additive (‘If only I had done…’) and subtractive (‘If only I had not done….’) counterfactual reasoning was examined in children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HFASD) (n = 72) and typically developing controls (n = 71), aged 6–12 years. Children were presented four stories where they could generate counterfactuals based on a given consequent (e.g., ‘you left muddy footprints in the kitchen. How could that have been prevented?’). Children with HFASD increasingly used subtractive counterfactuals as they got older, but controls showed an increase in additive counterfactuals, which may be linked to their growing adaptive and flexible skills. Children with HFASD likely develop different strategies for their counterfactual reasoning. The role of IQ and ideational fluency will be discussed

Study progression and degree completion of autistic students in higher education:a longitudinal study

Individuals with autism increasingly enroll in universities, but researchers know little about how their study progresses over time towards degree completion. This exploratory population study uses structural equation modeling to examine patterns in study progression and degree completion of bachelor’s students with autism spectrum disorder (n = 101) in comparison to students with other recorded conditions (n = 2,465) and students with no recorded conditions (n = 25,077) at a major Dutch university. Propensity score weighting is applied to balance outcomes. The research shows that most outcomes (grade point average, dropout rates, resits, credits, and degree completion) were similar across the three groups. Students with autism had more no-shows in the second year than their peers, which affected degree completion after 3 years. The overall performance of autistic students appeared to be adequate and comparable to their peers. However, addressing participation and inclusivity is vital to improve academic support for students with autism. These insights can enable universities to develop appropriate and timely support for all talented students to progress in their studies and complete their degrees.</p

Children with autism spectrum disorder from China and the Netherlands:Age of diagnosis, gender and comorbidities

Background: In recent years, an increasing number of studies have highlighted progress in ASD clinical practice and scientific research in China (Zheng & Zheng, 2015). However, little is known about the differences between clinical or scientific approaches to ASD between China and other countries. In our study we explored the impact of gender, comorbidity, parental educational and vocational status on the age of diagnosis in two samples of children with ASD from China and the Netherlands. Method: 433 children with ASD aged between 6 to 14 from China and 492 age matched children with ASD from the Netherlands were investigated based on national databases on individuals with ASD. Results: We found a lower diagnosis age in China compared to the Netherlands. The Chinese sample showed a higher male/female ratio and a higher proportion of co-morbid ADHD diagnoses, but lower age of first concern, diagnosis age and shorter delay from first concern to diagnosis. In the Dutch sample only, co-morbid ADHD resulted in lower age of first concern. The differential impact of comorbidity and gender across both countries may be related to cultural and clinical variations. Conclusions: This study may help us understand ASD from a cross-cultural perspective

Theory of Mind Training in Children with Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) participate in social skills or Theory of Mind (ToM) treatments. However, few studies have shown evidence for their effectiveness. The current study used a randomized controlled design to test the effectiveness of a 16-week ToM treatment in 8–13 year old children with ASD and normal IQs (n = 40). The results showed that, compared to controls, the treated children with ASD improved in their conceptual ToM skills, but their elementary understanding, self reported empathic skills or parent reported social behaviour did not improve. Despite the effects on conceptual understanding, the current study does not indicate strong evidence for the effectiveness of a ToM treatment on the daily life mindreading skills

Psychometric characteristics of the AQ-Adolescent in autistic and non-autistic adolescents

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) measures autistic traits in children and adults. The adolescent version of the AQ is understudied. We analyzed the factor structure, informant- and sex differences, and clinical utility of the AQ adolescent in 1) parent reports from adolescents in the general population (GenPop; AQ50; N = 465), parent reports from autistic adolescents (Netherlands Autism Register, NAR; AQ28 [Hoekstra et al., 2011]; N = 284), and parent- and self-reports of autistic and non-autistic adolescents (MATCH; AQ50; N = 84). The tested AQ-Adult factor models (Hoekstra et al., 2011; Murray, Allison et al., 2017; Murray, McKenzie et al., 2017; Russell-Smith et al., 2011), showed an acceptable fit in the GenPop sample, and the bi-factor AQ28-Hoekstra (Murray et al., 2011) fitted the NAR sample acceptably. On the AQ28-Hoekstra, autistic adolescents scored lower whereas non-autistic adolescents scored higher than their parents (MATCH), and males scored higher than females on several factors (GenPop, NAR). Moreover, this factor model appeared invariant among autistic and non-autistic groups. Two cut-off scores were evaluated with ROC analyses for parent reports. Given the informant differences, these cannot be applied to self-reports. In conclusion, the AQ28-Hoekstra reliably measures autistic traits in adolescents with and without autism. Combining parent and self-report seems most informative