Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. People on the autism spectrum may have difficulties with social communication, social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests.
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders)
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Cognitive inflexibility contributes to both externalising and internalising difficulties in ASD
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience internalising and externalising symptoms, but the underlying cognitive mechanisms are unclear. In their latest study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Ann Ozsivadjian and colleagues examined the role of three cognitive factors that might contribute to these difficulties.
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How effective is medication for ADHD symptoms in children with ASD?
Clinically significant attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are common and impairing in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).1 Moreover, ADHD is the most common co-occurring mental health diagnosis driving increased rates of medication use in children with ASD.
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Do children with social anxiety disorder benefit from social skills training?
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) in children can be difficult to treat, as evidenced by the varied outcomes reported post-treatment.1,2 Although childhood treatments for SAD commonly involve at least some social skills training,3 it isn’t clear whether children with SAD have particular difficulties with social skills. There is therefore a need to better establish whether social skills are an effective target for treating SAD.
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Do ADHD and ASD symptoms have similar characteristics in childhood and young adulthood?
Lucy Riglin and colleagues in the UK have investigated whether ADHD and ASD traits in young adulthood show similar characteristics to those reported in childhood.
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Are autistic behaviours a trait or a state of anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to co-occur more frequently than would be expected by chance.1,2 Yet because most studies investigating the nature of this co-occurrence have used a retrospective design, where the data are prone to recall bias, we don’t know whether the elevation of autistic traits in AN is present from childhood or rather from AN onset.
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FREE webinar ‘OpenHouse on Autism’ – How to help schools help your autistic child
Join our host Dr. Lucy Sanctuary, Autism Specialist with Clinical Partners, as she looks at how you can help schools help your autistic child.
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Do sex differences affect ASD symptom severity scores?
Researchers in the USA have investigated whether standard diagnostic assessments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are biased against girls.
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Is brain circuitry linked with early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder?
Researchers in San Diego, USA, have studied the relationship between brain network connectivity and emerging autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in toddlers aged 17-45 months with (n=24) or without (n=23) ASD.
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Enhancing young people’s mental wellbeing through digital technology
Now more than ever we need to be considering the impact of digital media on the mental health of young people, both positive and negative, and how we can support them. We will discuss the key challenges faced in relation to child and adolescent mental health in the fast-paced digital environment.
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What mechanisms underlie reduced social attention in people with ASD?
A key predictor of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis is attenuated attention to social stimuli. Thus far, the reasons underlying this abnormality are unknown: some have hypothesized reduced social motivation while others have suggested aberrant oculomotor function in affected individuals.
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