‘Evidence-based practice’ as initially defined in medicine and adult psychotherapy had limited applicability to autism interventions, but recent elaborations of the concept by the American ...Psychological Association (Am Psychol 61: 271–285,
2006
) and Kazdin (Am Psychol 63(1):146–159,
2008
) have increased its relevance to our field. This article discusses the TEACCH program (of which the first author is director) as an example of an evidence-based practice in light of recent formulations of that concept.
Current understandings of the sexuality of autistic females have been predominantly drawn from qualitative studies. This study aimed to quantitatively examine the sexual functioning of autistic ...females (
N
= 135), by comparing these to the sexual interest, behaviours, and experiences to 96 autistic males and 161 typically developing females. Autistic females reported less sexual interest, yet more experiences than autistic males. More autistic females also reported engaging in sexual behaviours that were later regretted, unwanted, or receiving unwanted sexual advances. Differences between autistic and typically developing females were significant. Results indicate that due to a mismatch between less sexual interest, yet increased sexual behaviours, autistic women are at greater risk of negative sexual experiences including victimisation and abuse than autistic men.
Preliminary research examining sexuality within High-Functioning Autism (HFA) has been yet to consider the impact sex may have on the sexual/romantic functioning of this population. A systematic ...database search was carried out to identify 27 observational and cross-sectional publications meeting predetermined inclusion criteria. Using standardised mean differences, a random-effects meta-analysis pooled data from 9 eligible studies. Exhibiting higher levels of sexual understanding, females with HFA were subject to more adverse sexual experiences than males with HFA and neurotypical counterparts. Males reported greater desire for, and engagement in both solitary and dyadic sexual contact. Findings have provided initial insight into characterising the sexuality of males and females with HFA, yet also necessitated the need for future research in the field.
Background There is growing recognition that autistic females present with more diverse gender and sexual identities than their non-autistic counterparts. Likewise, autistic females are also at an ...increased risk of adverse sexual experiences. As higher rates of sexual victimisation are observed in individuals with diverse sexual identities in the broader population, rates of negative sexual experiences among autistic females remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the representation of gender and sexual diversity within autistic females and examine their rates of regretted, and unwanted, sexual encounters among females with a transgender gender identity and non-heterosexual sexual orientation. Methods Two hundred and ninety-five females completed the Sexual Behaviour Scale-III (SBS-III) online. Self-reported gender identity and sexual orientation were compared between 134 autistic (M.sub.age= 26.2 years, SD = 8.7) and 161 non-autistic females (M.sub.age = 22.0 years, SD = 4.6). Differences in the prevalence of negative sexual experiences were compared across diagnosis and each gender identity and sexual orientation label. Results Autistic females were more likely to identify with a transgender gender identity (p < .05) and non-heterosexual sexual orientation (p < .007) compared to non-autistic females. Autistic homosexual females were more likely to have experienced a range of negative sexual experiences than autistic heterosexual females (OR greater than or equai to 3.29; p < .01) and were more likely to have experienced unwanted sexual experiences than non-autistic females regardless of sexual orientation (OR greater than or equai to 2.38; p < .05). There were no differences in rates of negative sexual experiences between autistic bisexual and both autistic heterosexual and non-autistic bisexual females. Non-autistic bisexual females (OR = 0.24; p = .018) presented with a reduced risk of regretted sexual experiences than non-autistic heterosexual peers. There were no differences in negative sexual experiences across gender identity in the autistic sample. Limitations The use of fixed format response items may have restricted participants' abilities to provide rich responses pertaining to their sexual identities and nature of negative sexual experiences. The small number of participants who identified as transgender (n = 40) limits the reliability of results pertaining to sexual experiences across gender identity. Moreover, although multiple recruitment methods were used in this study, non-representative may bias estimates of prevalence rates. Thus, the data may not be representative of the broader population. Conclusions Results indicate that autistic females present with greater diversity in their sexual identities than individuals without autism, with those with a homosexual sexual orientation being at greater risk of experiencing adverse sexual encounters. Findings suggest the importance of increased clinical attention to this diversity and the need to provide support to facilitate the development of a healthy sexual identity and reduce the risks identified in this study. Keywords: Autism, Autism spectrum disorder, Female sexuality, Gender identity, Sexual orientation, Sexual vulnerabilities
Evidence-Based Practices and Autism Mesibov, Gary B.; Shea, Victoria
Autism : the international journal of research and practice,
01/2011, Letnik:
15, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Interventions for autism are increasing being held to standards such as ‘evidence-based practice’ in psychology and ‘scientifically-based research’ in education. When these concepts emerged in the ...context of adult psychotherapy and regular education, they caused considerable controversy. Application of the concepts to autism treatments and special education has raised additional concerns. An analysis of the benefits and limitations of current approaches to empiricism in autism interventions is presented, and suggestions for future research are made.
Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), have a right and need for appropriate sexuality and relationship education (SRE). These ...individuals often have the same desires as typically-developing people to express their sexuality and form intimate relationships; and may have an increased risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. While there are various materials recommended for teaching SRE to these groups, there is a lack of empirical evaluation of such. A systematic review was carried out on peer-reviewed articles published in English between 1980 and March 2018 to identify what SRE programs have been evaluated empirically, highlighting their content, methods of delivery, efficacy in changing knowledge and behavioural outcomes, and limitations. Thirty-three studies were retained for inclusion which quantitatively evaluated SRE interventions delivered to individuals diagnosed with ID (approximately 63%) and ASD. Most of the studies evaluated stand-alone programs derived from mixed sources within the broader SRE literature. They focused more on biological content (e.g., anatomy, puberty, reproduction) and self-awareness/safety (e.g., boundaries, assertiveness, privacy) than personal sexuality (e.g., sexual orientation, masturbation) and relationships (e.g., dating, emotions, parenting). Most programs improved outcomes, however the overall quality of included studies was poor. Limitations included scant description of theoretical and ethical paradigms within programs and use of non-validated outcome measures. Recommendations for future research and clinical implications are discussed.
The advances in research and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over the past three decades have focused largely on early childhood and school-age years. Although ASD is a lifelong ...condition, there has been relatively little attention paid to ASD during the adolescent and adulthood periods. As the population of those with ASD continues to rise and age, the need to provide research and treatment for this group has become increasingly evident. This paper reviews the current literature available on symptoms, functioning, and treatment of adolescents and adults with ASD, as well as the unique issues that arise for individuals with ASD after childhood. Adulthood outcomes for ASD are generally poor, even for those with average to above average cognitive ability. Further research and additional clinical resources are needed for this rapidly increasing group.
Autistic individuals report similar levels of interest in romantic relationships to their nonautistic peers but experience greater challenges with the initiation and maintenance of these ...relationships. This systematic review synthesizes the factors that contribute to romantic relationship initiation and maintenance among autistic individuals to inform relationship support programs. Both successes (e.g., ability to initiate relationships and maintain a satisfying relationship) and challenges (e.g., relationship dissatisfaction) were investigated. Out of 1403 potentially relevant articles, 11 articles comprising 13 studies met the inclusion criteria (investigated factors of romantic relationship success of challenges, involved participants with a formal autism diagnosis and/or their partners, presented quantitative results in relationship factors, and was available in an English‐language version). Social and communication challenges were studied to the greatest extent and were associated with difficulties in both relationship initiation and satisfaction. Several factors relating to the partner of the autistic individual were associated with successful relationships, including reciprocal liking, partner support, and the ability to meet the autistic partner's needs. Conclusions are limited by the small number of studies but provide initial indications that social and communicative factors, as well as the role of nonautistic partners, are important to the success of romantic relationships for autistic individuals. In keeping in line with the community's preference for identity‐first language (i.e., “autistic individual” rather than “individual with autism”), this language has been used throughout this review.
This study piloted a role play assessment of conversational skills for adolescents and young adults with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome (HFA/AS). Participants completed two semi-structured ...role plays, in which social context was manipulated by changing the confederate’s level of interest in the conversation. Participants’ social behavior was rated via a behavioral coding system, and performance was compared across contexts and groups. An interaction effect was found for several items, whereby control participants showed significant change across context, while participants with HFA/AS showed little or no change. Total change across contexts was significantly correlated with related social constructs and significantly predicted ASD. The findings are discussed in terms of the potential utility of the CASS in the evaluation of social skill.
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