Research Summaries

Dr. Jonathan Weiss and his team are writing summaries of research studies on ASD. Through these summaries, we hope to inform parents, individuals with ASD, clinicians, and the general public on what the research is telling us about ASD and what we can do with this knowledge.

These research summaries, as well as editorials on ASD and mental health are featured on the ASD Mental Health Blog, with new posts each week!

Please see below for a list of research summaries that are freely available to download and share.

 

  • A glutamate receptor may be a target for future treatment of some forms of ASD (PDF)
  • Anxiety treatment made specifically for children with autism works better than other treatment programs (PDF)
  • Anxiety and sensory over-responsivity are related to gastrointestinal problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Attitudes towards the inclusion of college students with intellectual disabilities (PDF)
  • Benefits of cognitive enhancement therapy for verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Benefits of mindful parenting in children with autism (PDF)
  • Bullying and victimization in youth with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Can they see it? Narrower vision in children with ASD (PDF)
  • Caregiver burden for parents of individuals with ASD: Differences across intellectual functioning (PDF)
  • Child behaviour and emotional problems are associated with parent mental health (PDF)
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy may help children with ASD with anxiety (PDF)
  • Community-based respite care may help decrease psychiatric hospitalizations in children with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Defining crisis in families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Differences in gut bacteria composition may contribute to some cases of autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Do gluten-free or casein-free diets relieve autistic symptoms or problem behaviours in children with ASD? (PDF)
  • Early sensory over-responsivity in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders as a predictor of family impairment and parenting stress (PDF)
  • Effects of a cognitive-behavioural therapy on anxiety in children with ASD: A randomized control trial (PDF)
  • Effects of risperidone for children and adolescents with ASD (PDF)
  • Emotional and behavioural problems in youth with ASD and how they relate to mothers' mental health (PDF)
  • Examining the relationships of siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Fathers' verbal responsiveness more impactful than originally thought on language skills of children with ASD (PDF)
  • Feeling different from others may be linked to depression in youth with Asperger syndrome (PDF)
  • Finding support from others - why do parents of children with autism join support groups? (PDF)
  • Group-based social skills training & individual CBT help improve social functioning and reduce anxiety in teens with ASD (PDF)
  • Group CBT for adults with Asperger syndrome and anxiety or depression (PDF)
  • Group cognitive behavioural therapy and group recreational activity are both beneficial for adults with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Grouping genetic differences of autism spectrum disorder with brain imaging (PDF)
  • How can we predict psychiatric symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder? (PDF)
  • How the immune system may play a role in autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Investigating the successful inclusion of children with ASD in community groups (PDF)
  • Loneliness, friendship and well-being in adults with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Maternal origin and ethnicity may be related to risk of developing ASD (PDF)
  • Mindfulness therapy helps adults with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Mothers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and psychiatric disorders may experience high levels of burden (PDF)
  • Oh, Brother: Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder may demonstrate more emotional and behavioural difficulties (PDF)
  • Parental expressed emotion is related to externalizing behaviours in children and adolescents with ASD (PDF)
  • Parent empowerment and acceptance affect parent mental health (PDF)
  • Peer-led interventions can help reduce stress in mothers of children with autism and with other developmental disabilities (PDF)
  • Physician perspectives on providing primary medical care to adults with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Practitioner beliefs about exercise for children and youth with intellectual developmental disabilities (PDF)
  • Predictors of emergency service use in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder living with family (PDF)
  • Psychiatric-related emergency department visits among children with an autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Psychotropic medication use and polypharmacy in children with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Rates and risk factors of psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Separation of parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Sexual behaviours, vocabulary, and orientations in adults on the autism spectrum (PDF)
  • Sexual knowledge and victimization in adults with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • Skills training group for students with autism spectrum disorder: Outcomes of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based program (PDF)
  • Specialized inpatient psychiatry for serious behavioural disturbance in autism and intellectual disability (PDF)
  • Suicide attempts and symptom severity for adults with Asperger syndrome (PDF)
  • Support groups for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: The role of beliefs and coping styles (PDF)
  • Supporting parents of children with autism: Acceptance and Commitment Training (PDF)
  • The Coping Cat Program can help children with autism spectrum disorders and anxiety (PDF)
  • The difficulty of health care transition services for youth with autism and their caregivers (PDF)
  • The effects of an autism spectrum disorder anti-stigmatization program (PDF)
  • The experience of crisis in families of individuals with autism spectrum disorders across the lifespan (PDF)
  • The relationship between maternal well-being and child behaviour problems in autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • The relationship between mealtime behaviour problems and family stress (PDF)
  • The relationship between parent anxiety severity and response to anxiety treatment in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (PDF)
  • The role of positive family processes in change in autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviours in adulthood (PDF)
  • Understanding healthcare challenges of adults with autism (PDF)
  • Video game use is associated with problem behaviours in boys with autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • Vocational support approaches in autism spectrum disorder (PDF)
  • What should autism research focus on? Community views and priorities from the United Kingdom (PDF)
  • What types of activities do young adults with autism spectrum disorders do after high school? (PDF)