Publisher description

The state of North Carolina has had a longstanding concern and com mitment to the understanding and treatment of autistic, communications handicapped children and their families. This commitment found expres sion in the only comprehensive statewide program for families confronted with this disability, Division for the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren (Division TEACCH). Our program staff has been privileged to respond to this commitment by developing and providing the needed services, and to engage in research informed by our clinical experience. Although many of the problems con cerning these developmentally disabled children remain to be solved, substantial progress has been made during this past decade of collabo ration among professionals, parents, and their government representa tives. The TEACCH staff has resolved to mark the effectiveness of this collaboration by holding a series of annual conferences focused on the several major issues confronting these children and their families. The conferences are held in order to bring together the best research knowl edge available to us from throughout the country, and to encourage par ticipation by the different professional disciplines and concerned parents. In addition these annual meetings form the basis for a series of books based on the conference theme. These books are, however, not merely the published proceedings of the presented papers: some chapters are expanded from conference presentations and many others were solicited from experts in the related areas of research and their service application.

Providing a theoretical framework for the usefulness of the stress construct in understanding and treating autism, this volume's biological, psychological and social perspectives on stress and autism reflect many modes of inquiry and types of information.

This easy-to-use resource is a compilation of theoretical background and concrete approaches designed to increase understanding and outline strategies to support autistic children and young people who experience anxiety in the school environment. This resource also has practical application for parents, carers and professionals across a range of educational and community-based settings. Using real life examples and case studies, the book explains and explores the different forms of anxiety and their impact across the school environment. Each chapter offers practical information and strategies that may help reduce the negative symptoms of anxiety and help support emotional resilience across home and school environments. Key features of this book include: Chapters aimed at enhancing the understanding of anxiety in autism, considering potential triggers of anxiety, discussion on cognitive theories, social communication and means of assessing anxiety. A wealth of downloadable anxiety management strategies and resources that can be adapted and used by a teacher, parent or other professional. This resource has been developed by the multidisciplinary team at Middletown Centre for Autism, and is a useful resource for the busy parent, teacher and other professionals who wish to provide individualised support strategies for anxiety across a range of settings.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is understood to be a behaviourally-defined continuum of characteristics that typically involve social interaction and communication deficits and certain sensory and perceptual experiences. In the present series of studies we investigated the nature of the stressful events and situations (i.e. acute, chronic, and daily hassles) experienced by adults with High-functioning Autism (HFA). Second, we evaluated which aspects of these stressful events and situations were associated with the severity of affective symptoms (i.e. anxiety, depression) in people with HFA. Third, we evaluated the manner in which people with HFA coped with these stressors and how they utilised social support, relative to people without the disorder. Finally, we evaluated whether coping strategy use and social support moderated (i.e. reduced) the association of high stress to worse anxiety and depression, separately in people with and without HFA. Paper 1 aimed to qualitatively examine a sample of adults diagnosed with HFA (N=91), in particular, to ask them about which aspects of the environment were most stressful for them and their psychological response to them. Paper 2 aimed to systematically explore which aspects of the environment are most stressful for people with HFA (N=91) (e.g. social interaction), and which stressor characteristics (e.g. chronicity, severity, relatedness to HFA) will best predict their psychological response (i.e. depression, anxiety) to stress using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS). Paper 3 aimed to evaluate the specific coping strategies used by adults with HFA (N=183) to help them cope with stressful situations including social support utilisation by evaluating a broad range of different coping strategies, functions of coping, and social support utilization, and how they are related to psychological stress, anxiety and depression in adults with HFA compared to adults without HFA (N=424). Paper 4 aimed to evaluate coping strategies and social support utilisation as potential moderators of the high stress to worse affective symptom relationship in people with (N=183) and without HFA (N=424). Paper 5 aimed to utilise the ASD-specific stress measure (The Stress Survey Schedule; SSS) to empirically examine the usefulness of the scale in adults with HFA (N=183) by comparing them to adults without HFA (N=424), so as to better understand the specific psychological needs of this clinical population. The SSS item responses obtained from people with HFA were examined to assess the scale's validity and reliability in this clinical population. The measure was then used to explore the relationship between daily stressors, psychological stress, and affective symptoms in people with HFA. In addition to the SSS, well-established and valid measures of stressors (LEDS), psychological stress, affective symptoms (i.e. Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale; DASS-21), coping (Brief COPE), and social support utilisation (Social Support Questionnaire; SSQ) were used to evaluate the parameters in these studies. In addition, the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC) and the mind-blindness hypothesis of ASD were used to assist in the exploration of these states in people with HFA, and their relationship to stressors, coping and social support.

The research on children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is extensive and growing. Although these conditions are recognized as affecting the entire lifespan, the literature on ASD after childhood is limited and has not been brought together in a single volume in over a decade. Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders fills this knowledge gap by focusing on needs and difficulties unique to these stages of development. Expert contributors offer cogent reviews of complex issues, from education to employment, leisure activities to illegal behaviors, mental health issues to medical health concerns. The latest findings in key areas, such as psychosocial and residential treatments, social skills programs, epidemiology, the impact of ASD on families, are examined in detail. Throughout the volume, coverage focuses on areas requiring improved models of assessment, updated data, new interventions and increased support services. Featured topics include: Transition from high school to adulthood for adolescents and young adults with ASD. Innovative programming to support college students with ASD. Romantic relationships, sexuality and ASD. Treatment of mental health comorbidities. Assessment and treatment planning in adults with ASD. The range of outcomes and challenges in middle and later life. Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders is a must-have reference for a wide range of clinicians and practitioners – as well as researchers and graduate students – in clinical child, school and developmental psychology; child and adolescent psychiatry; social work; rehabilitation medicine/therapy; education and general practice/family medicine. It will also serve as an important resource for parents and caregivers with its focus on translating the current state of knowledge relevant to understanding adolescents and adults with ASD into practical and relevant recommendations on how best to support them.