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Background: Teenage youth with co-morbid intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be at higher risk for behavioral and social difficulties than youth with ID only. Methods: Youth aged 13 years were diagnosed with ID (n = 37), ID/ASD (n = 26), or typical development (TD, n = 98). Mothers and teachers completed measures of youth behavior problems, mental health, social skills, friendships, and their own well-being. Results: ID/ASD youth were at heightened risk across almost all measures when compared with TD youth. On 14 of the 38 domains assessed, ID/ASD youth had significantly more difficulties than youth with ID only. Most notably, they scored higher on internalizing problems and lower on friendships and peer acceptance. Their mothers reported lower well-being for themselves. Conclusion: Compared to families of youth with ID only, youth with combined ID/ASD experienced greater psychological and social difficulties and their mothers experienced lower-well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the association between exposure to environmental risks in early childhood and the prevalence and persistence of conduct difficulties (CD) in children with intellectual disability (ID) who did not have autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children. Results indicated that: (1) exposure to risk was associated with elevated prevalence of CD at age three and, for TD children and children with ID, increased risk of CD persisting to ages five and seven; (2) at all levels of risk, children with ASD were more likely to show persistent CD than other children; (3) children with ID were no more likely to show persistent CD than TD children at low levels of exposure to environmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the extent to which child syndromes and observation context related to mothers' parenting behaviors. Longitudinal observations were conducted of parenting behavior across ages 3, 4, and 5 years during structured and unstructured activities. The 183 participants included mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, undifferentiated developmental delay, or typical cognitive development. Negative parenting behaviors were higher in structured activities and higher in mothers of children in all developmentally delayed groups. Positive parenting was higher in unstructured activities and especially high for mothers of children with Down syndrome. Despite differences found through direct observation of parenting children in different diagnostic groups, they are not as strong as syndrome-group differences found through more commonly used self-report questionnaires assessing domains like parenting stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, the importance of telehealth has rapidly increased, in particular as many in‐person clinics have closed. Early intervention is crucial for improving outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As such, the need for timely assessments and diagnoses remains despite COVID‐19‐related closures. This study offers preliminary data collected from 23 children assessed through a no‐cost autism clinic in Southern California using a novel telehealth model. This includes an overview of an adapted, telehealth version of in‐person observational assessment techniques for diagnosing autism. In addition, preliminary data on social validity assessed at two points are presented. Findings suggest that caregivers found the telehealth assessment procedures acceptable and convenient, and overall were satisfied with both the assessment and the written report/verbal feedback. Implications for future uses of telehealth are discussed, including how telehealth can assist with decision‐making around school‐based services and/or placement. KEY POINTS: Validation of telehealth assessments for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is important to increase accessibility and timely diagnosis for families.Preliminary data on social validity suggests that caregivers found telehealth procedures to be helpful, convenient, and useful.A majority of caregivers planned to share the clinical report with their teacher or school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]