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There are many well-developed screening tools for both intellectual disabilities and autism, but they may not be culturally appropriate for use within Africa. Our specific aims were to complete a systematic review to (1) describe and critically appraise short screening tools for the detection of intellectual disabilities and autism for older children and young adults, (2) consider the psychometric properties of these tools, and (3) judge the cultural appropriateness of these tools for use within Africa. Six screening tools for intellectual disabilities and twelve for autism were identified and appraised using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. We identified two screening tools which appeared appropriate for validation for use within African nations.

In this article, the authors provide their response to the Association for Behavior Analysis International (2022) position statement on the use of contingent electric skin shock (CESS). In this response, we address concerns raised by the task force regarding limitations of the Zarcone et al. (2020) review article in which both methodological and ethical concerns were raised about the quality of research in the use of CESS with people with disabilities in the treatment of challenging behavior. We note that with the exception of the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, no state or country currently supports the use of CESS as it is not recognized as the standard of care in any other program, school, or facility.

The relation between locus control and sexual offending by people with intellectual disabilities is analyzed by placing 41 participants in 3 different groups of sex offenders who had undergone psychological treatment, sex offenders who never had treatment and nonoffenders. There was no significant difference between the three groups on the measure of locus control with all three groups endorsing an external locus of control.

The social climate of two different types of units (open vs. secure) contained with the same South London adolescent medium-secure facility is investigated. The results showed that adolescents and staff would perceive their shared social climate differently, which may have implications for those attempting to develop positive social climates within secure services.

Purpose: Social deficits are central within conceptualisations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and separately linked to offending behaviour. Social problem-solving interventions are often used with offenders, but little research has examined the social information processing (SIP) skills of individuals with ASD and a history of criminal offending behaviours. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper will introduce the SIP model, review SIP research as applied to those with ASD and in forensic populations, and further consider the relevance to the assessment and treatment of offenders with ASD. Findings: Difficulties in all areas of the SIP model are noted in ASD and research suggests these difficulties may be directly linked to behaviour. Practical implications: It is possible that identifying SIP abilities and deficits could improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes for this group. Originality/value: This paper reviews the utility of social information models in the offending behaviour of people with ASD.

Purpose: Individuals with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within criminal justice settings are a highly heterogeneous group. Although studies have examined differences between those with and without ASD in such settings, there has been no examination of differences within the ASD group. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the findings of a service evaluation project, this paper introduces a typology of ASD within forensic mental health and intellectual disability settings. Findings: The eight subtypes that are described draw on clinical variables including psychopathy, psychosis and intensity/frequency of problem behaviours that co-occur with the ASD. The initial assessment of inter-rater reliability on the current version of the typology revealed excellent agreement, multirater Kfree =0.90. Practical implications: The proposed typology could improve understanding of the relationship between ASD and forensic risk, identify the most appropriate interventions and provide prognostic information about length of stay. Further research to refine and validate the typology is ongoing. Originality/value: This paper introduces a novel, typology-based approach which aims to better serve people with ASD within criminal justice settings.