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Self-concept develops during adolescence, but little is known about self-concept in adolescents with autism. This behavioral neuroimaging study investigated (1) self-concept positivity across three domains (academic, physical appearance, and prosocial) and (2) from the perspective of self (direct self-concept) and the perceived perspective of peers (reflected self-concept) in 12- to 16-year-old adolescent males with (n = 35) and without autism (n = 34). These behavioral and neural measures of self-concept were additionally related to autism traits and alexithymia traits across groups. Results showed no general group differences, but more autism traits were related to less positive self-concept ratings in the physical appearance and prosocial domains. More autism traits were also associated with less similarity between direct and reflected prosocial self-concept ratings. Lower self-esteem was additionally explained by alexithymia, specifically the difficulty to identify ones feelings. Participants showed medial prefrontal cortex activation in response to evaluating self-traits in both groups. Region-of-interest analyses revealed that medial prefrontal cortex and right temporal-parietal junction activation were differentially related to alexithymia traits. Together, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of self-concept and self-esteem in adolescents with varying levels autism and alexithymia traits.

Background: Health research is increasingly conducted with the active involvement of the people who are the focus of the research. People with intellectual disabilities also participate actively in research; this is called inclusive research. Collaboration in inclusive research teams requires shared decision-making (SDM). Although inclusive studies frequently refer to decision-making as something the research team does together, the decision-making process is still a black box. This study aims to provide more insight into SDM in inclusive research by reflecting on a 3-year collaboration in an inclusive research team. The research questions are: (1) What kinds of decisions were made by the inclusive research team? (2) How were decisions made by the inclusive research team? (3) What impact did the decisions have on the research project? Methods: To answer the research questions, the inclusive research team members reflected on SDM in their project by looking at the documentation of the inclusive research process and by conducting semi-structured interviews with the team members. Findings: In all research steps, the inclusive research team decided together on the content and procedures of the studies and on role division. Reflecting on SDM resulted in an overview of the types of decisions made, the information needed and the processes involved in making shared decisions. Furthermore, the team provided an account of how SDM positively impacted the quality of the studies and empowered people with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions: This study provides insights into types of decisions, SDM processes and their impact on research. The insights give an overview of opportunities and key components of SDM that can foster conceptual clarity of SDM in inclusive research. In practice, inclusive research teams can use these insights to advance successful ways of sharing power in decision making, having an impact on the quality of research and empowering people with intellectual disabilities.

Although the link between self-esteem and psychopathology has been well established, studies on self-esteem in individuals with autism spectrum disorder are lacking. In this study, we aimed to (1) compare explicit and implicit self-esteem of youth with autism spectrum disorder to typically developing peers and to (2) explore relationships of implicit-, explicit-, and discrepant self-esteem measures with co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems in youth with autism spectrum disorder. For this purpose, 25 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and 24 individuals as age and intelligence quotient--matched controls aged 8-16 years participated in this study. Results showed lower explicit self-esteem in autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing youth and no differences in implicit self-esteem between groups. In youth with autism spectrum disorder, low explicit self-esteem was related to co-occurring depression symptoms, whereas lower implicit self-esteem was related to externalizing symptoms. These results show that youth with autism spectrum disorder are at risk for developing low explicit self-esteem, which appears to be related to often co-occurring internalizing symptoms. This emphasizes the need to focus more on self-esteem in assessment and treatment of youth with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) depend on their environment to live healthily. Asset-based health promotion enhances a settings' health-promoting capacity starting with identifying protective or promotive factors that sustain health. Method: This inclusive mixed-methods study used group sessions to generate and rank ideas on assets supporting healthy nutrition and physical activity in Dutch intellectual disability care settings. Participants included people with moderate intellectual disabilities and family and care professionals of people with severe/profound intellectual disabilities. Results: Fifty-one participants identified 185 assets in group sessions. They include the following: (i) the social network and ways "people" can support, (ii) assets in/around "places," and person-environment fit, and (iii) "preconditions": health care, prevention, budget, and policy. Conclusion: This inclusive research provides a user perspective on assets in the living environment supporting healthy living. This gives insight in contextual factors needed for development and sustainable embedment of health promotion in the systems of intellectual disability support settings.

Background: Inclusive research is studied mainly in short-term collaborations between researchers with and without intellectual disabilities focusing on practicalities. Structural study of long-term collaborations can provide insight into different roles of inclusive researchers, thereby contributing to a collective approach. Method: Interviews with inclusive research team members (n = 3), colleagues (n = 8), and managers (n = 2) and three group discussions within the inclusive research team were held. Data were analysed following membership categorization analysis (MCA) adapted to the needs of the inclusive research team. Results: This MCA provides insight into the complexity of inclusive research, reflected in the multitude of identified roles and activities. Analysis indicates that researchers with and without intellectual disabilities complement each other. Conclusions: The activities identified in this study provide valuable information for discussing roles and responsibilities from the outset, so that dialogue starts at the core of inclusive research: the process between researchers with and without intellectual disabilities.