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The role of secondary education is critical to preparing graduates for adulthood. This study explored the transition experiences of high school graduates and factors that impacted their preparation for adulthood. This descriptive study focused on the experiences of degree and non-degree-seeking graduates. Surveys were distributed to students enrolled in a general education course at a state university and marketing research participants not enrolled in post-secondary programs. The survey sought to identify overall preparedness, responsibilities deemed necessary to teach in high school, and influence factors that prepared them for adulthood. The overall findings displayed that graduates seeking degrees felt more prepared for adulthood. While both groups agreed that many adulthood-responsibility topics should be taught, degree-seekers found less value in teaching parenting skills in a high school class despite identifying that parents have a more significant impact on preparing them for adulthood. Researchers recommend that in addition to college and career-ready curricula, instruction should include preparation topics that align with 21st-century markers that better support non-degree-seeking graduates toward successful transitions into adulthood.

This promising practice describes a statewide effort to address the surging youth mental health crisis through the provision of Youth Mental Health First Aid training in West Virginia public schools. Youth Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training for adults who work with youth. This interactive training increases participants' awareness of signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, adolescent development, the prevalence of mental health challenges among youth, and the steps they should take to ensure students with mental health challenges receive timely referral to mental health professionals. Survey data and participant testimonials indicate that this intervention has been highly effective in rural schools in West Virginia. In this article, we describe our work and offer implications for rural schools.

Concerned with the ongoing youth mental crisis in the United States, researchers intentionally planned for positive youth development (PYD) practices in nature. Educators, appreciating the critical importance of youth developing relationships and a sense of belonging, may regard this model as a powerful tool to enhance existing programs. Both youth and parents report this as ahigh quality PYD program, resulting in thriving youth. Youth participants feel welcome, supportively challenged, and passionate about the topic; resulting in a growth mindset, hopeful purpose, and openness to challenge and discovery. The program inspired an affinity for nature in both youth participants and associated adults. 97% of youth and 95% of adult caregivers report being inspired to spend more time in nature as a result of the program. The program also inspired increased youth interest in science college and career opportunities.

Purpose: The paper shows the interpretive impact of different constructions of the point of view available to the reader/viewer in book and animated movie versions of a children's picture book, a novel for pre-adolescents/early teenagers, and a graphic novel for adolescents and adults. Design/Approach/Methods: Excerpts from book and animated movie versions of the same story are compared using multimodal analysis of interpersonal meaning to show how the reader/viewer is positioned in relation to the characters in each version, complemented by analyses of ideational meaning to show the effect of point of view on interpretive possibilities. Findings: Focusing mainly on multimodal construction of point of view, the analyses show how interpretive possibilities of ostensibly the same story are significantly reconfigured in animated adaptations compared with book versions even when the verbal narrative remains substantially unchanged. Originality/Value: The study shows that it is crucial to students' critical appreciation of, and their creative contribution to, their evolving digital literary culture that in this new era of educational technology, attention in literacy and literary education focuses on developing understandings of digital multimodal narrative art, and that animated movie adaptations are not presented pedagogically as isomorphic with, or simply adjunct to, corresponding book versions.

This reflective essay addresses the nexus of two recent events in the United States: (1) the public scrutiny of the relationship between land grant universities and the expropriation of Indigenous lands and (2) the often uncritical and rapid uptake of settler land acknowledgments at public college and university events. We argue that written land acknowledgment statements need to accompany actions that align with declarations of respect and honor. Specifically, we offer readers three concrete ideas through which institutions may further land acknowledgments: challenging their historical legacies, fostering meaningful partnerships with Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and materializing resources for this highly underserved, long-neglected, often ignored community.

The purpose of this study was to describe the association between the learning strategy preference of the learners as identified by "Assessing The Learning Strategies of AdultS" (ATLAS) and the individual personality traits as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The sample was 553 adults in Canada and the United States. Two types of analyses were used to investigate the association between learning strategy preferences and personality traits. First, discriminant analysis explored the interaction of personality traits with the learning strategy preference. Second, analysis of variance measured the association of each personality trait with the learning-strategy-preference groups separately. The findings provided several explicit personality traits associated with each learning-strategy-preference group. These findings support the conclusion that a strong association exists between personality traits and learning-strategy-preference characteristics. Learning strategy preferences and personality traits complement each other. Each clarifies and enriches the other. As a result, teachers have two indicators that can help them personalize the teaching-learning environment for each student. Teachers can use the learning-strategy-group descriptions as guides for organizing each learner's instructional activities and plans and as a cognitive framework for uncovering and monitoring student behaviors and alerting teachers to potential learning difficulties for some students. Students can apply the descriptions of the learning-strategy-preference groups to facilitate self-assessment and metacognition. Theory can be enhanced by considering the two concepts of learning strategy preferences and personality traits coupled and by conducting quantitative and qualitative research to test and expand the generalizability of the learning-strategy-group descriptions. (Permission is granted to use "Assessing The Learning Strategies of AdultS" and the "Personality Identity Estimator" in practice and research. Links to printable copies and online completion are appended.)

Whilst teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) rightly focuses on meaningful and purposeful transactional language use, interpersonal language is often downplayed or given cursory treatment even though it is an equally essential and perhaps even more fulfilling dimension of target language interaction. Interpersonal language as expressed through small talk, for instance, represents an important personal and interactional resource for establishing, developing, and maintaining relationships. However, small talk is often reduced to formulaic categorisation or practised through routinised communicative functions. To understand how foreign language users engage in small talk, a qualitative study was carried out through conducting participation-observations. The results of this study reveal the exploratory, celebratory, and supportive relational dimensions to small talk and illustrate how such insights can be exploited in FL teaching and learning. In this article, we argue that small talk should be appreciated, valued, and accentuated not only for its ability to enhance meaningful and productive communication but also needs to be exploited for its exploratory, celebratory, and supportive interactive function.

This longitudinal case study from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) perspective touches upon an under-researched issue: L1 development over the lifespan. Levinson (1978) predicts three stages in adulthood: early, mid and late, with a decline in late adulthood. We examine Diane Larsen-Freeman's publications over a period of 50 years (from age 27 to 77) and trace seven complexity measures--three lexical (density, sophistication and diversity) and four syntactic (mean length of sentence, finite verb ratio, dependent clause per T-unit and complex nominals per clause)--to investigate whether early, middle, and late stages in adulthood occur as predicted. After employing common CDST methods to find out if there are significant peaks or interactions among the variables over time, we used a Hidden Markov time-series analysis to locate moments of self-organization, suggesting a new stage of development. The HMM shows a clear phase shift between middle and late adulthood when the writer was 63. Her vocabulary became more diversified, but her sentences were shorter, but not less complex. Therefore, we argue that this shift should not be seen as a decline in complexity but a shift in style as more precise words may lessen the need for more words.

The purpose of this research is to examine the psychological resilience levels of adult individuals in terms of demographic characteristics and enneagram personality types. The findings may help experts working in the field and contribute to the literature. The study is an original study that has not been researched before. Participants consisted of parents of students attending a pre-school education center. Data was collected from 252 people, 182 women and 70 men. In order to collect data a "Questionnaire", "Brief Resilience Scale" and "Enneagram Personality Scale" were used to collect data. T-test and analysis of variance techniques were used to evaluate the changes in the level of the resilience with demographic variables. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between resilience and enneagram personality types. Results of the statistical analysis has been determined that resilience levels are higher in men, older individuals, married people, and those with high education and income levels. Additionally, levels of resilience were found to be positively related to enneagram personality types. This relationship was found statistically significant in a total of six personality types: achiever, original, observer, adventurer, leader, and accommodator. This work contributes to the study of resilience and related factors. Similar studies were proposed for the future to bolster the results.

This study aimed to demonstrate sustainable education practices in the field of amateur guitar education during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that all lessons were conducted entirely online. The goal of the study was to enhance economic, social, and environmental performance through a comprehensive approach that assessed the effectiveness of activity-based lesson plans focused on scale, chord, and arpeggio instruction. The lesson plans were designed to include introduction, development, and evaluation sections. The instructional intervention involved five beginner-level students over an eight-week period, with performance data evaluated by three expert evaluators using a 5-point Likert scale. The evaluation allocated 40% weight to theoretical knowledge test results and 60% to performance test outcomes, with student achievement scores ranging from 89.2 to 98.8. The success of the study highlights the potential for sustainable education practices in challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic and serves as a model for others to follow.

The authors discuss how board games offer individuals with autism (who often struggle with social settings and require structured outlets for building relationships) an affordable, naturalistic, collaborative environment that is stimulating, engaging, and educational. Board games, they assert, provide opportunities to practice social skills, including cooperation and social deduction, essential skills for both neurotypical and atypical people. The authors include recommendations for introducing board games into special educational settings.

Research shows that the vast majority of students who are diagnosed with learning disabilities in school are, in fact, dyslexic. Still, many students with dyslexia are not adequately identified, assessed, or supported with research-based interventions. Adults with dyslexia report struggling with reading difficulties from as early as kindergarten which impacts their learning experiences over the life span. Providing evidence-based instruction alongside supplementary digitally-mediated reading tools such as The Noah Text®--New Century program described in this article is critical for improving learning engagement and outcomes among adult learners with dyslexia, especially for the disproportionate number of learners with reading difficulties in incarcerated settings. Significant efforts are now underway to improve methods for diagnosing and treating dyslexia, including at the federal level. For example, in 2018, the First Step Act (FSA) was the first major criminal justice reform to recognize the need to identify and support adult learners with dyslexia as part of a broader effort to reduce recidivism by improving access to evidence-based educational and rehabilitative programming for justice-impacted individuals.

Internationally representative data of middle-aged adults 45 - 65 years old [n(United States) = 2,150; n(Japan) = 2,318; n(South Korea) = 2,800] from the 2012 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies were analyzed to examine the roles of education and literacy in relation to the digital divide. Results from survey-weighted binary logistic regressions showed that both educational attainment and literacy were positively associated with all four measures of information and communication technology (use of the computer, email, online information and transaction) use in all three countries. The middle-aged adults in the United States benefited more from the educational attainment than those in Japan, in terms of email and online information use. The middle-aged adults with lower education and basic skills (i.e., literacy) may benefit from the educational intervention and additional information and communication technology training, and in turn, improve the digital divide in later life, regardless of differences in culture and economy.

This study aims to examine the roles of tactile materials and origami models in the perception of concept definitions and representations in geometry applications of individuals with visual impairments. This case study draws on data from eight individuals with visual impairments selected according to the purposive sampling method in a mathematics village. Video recordings of focus group interviews conducted with tactile materials and origami models were analyzed by content analysis. Tactile materials made it possible for them to perceive concept definitions and visual representations, while the construction of origami models made every component designable, such as the relationship between concepts, visual prototypes and sub-concepts. Individuals with visual impairments have been quite successful in designing different representations and strategies for geometric concepts with perfect folding. Thus, it has been determined that origami is an accessible material for individuals with visual impairments to do geometry with creases and models.

About 20% of the U.S. population identifies as Latine. To engage these audiences, many Extension nutrition education programs have translated curricula and other resources into Spanish. Culturally responsive programs need to move beyond translation and address critical issues and needs specific to Latine audiences. We conducted focus groups with 118 foreign-born Latine adults across one state. Participants were interested in nutrition education programs involving the entire family including children offered by bilingual educators. They also wanted programs that focused on healthy meals that included foods from their culture of origin with common US foods.

This study is a needs assessment of Extension staff in the state of Iowa to implement inclusive programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Electronic surveys were completed by Extension staff on their attitudes and beliefs toward people with IDD, inclusive programming, and training needs. Results showed that Extension staff had positive views, but that staff reporting personal experience with people with IDD had more positive attitudes and beliefs (p < 0.05). The greatest training need was instructional techniques. The study highlights the importance of direct experience in addition to knowledge- based workshops for training Extension staff to implement inclusive programming.

The use of navigation applications changed the way people find their way in an unfamiliar environment. A combination of maps, images and textual route instructions shown (or with audio) on one screen guides the user to the destination but may sometimes be overwhelming. This article investigated the spatial knowledge participants acquired after being presented with different types of route instructions, human and computer-generated, in an online wayfinding task using Google Streetview (without the 2D map) of an unfamiliar environment. The results showed a significant difference in the wayfinding performance for deviations from computer-generated instructions, whilst there was no difference in the time spent and the scene recall. Sketch maps revealed both route-like and survey-like characteristics. But most sketch maps are characterised by high route-likeness. Furthermore, this study showed a significant effect of the environmental layout on the participant's performance based on deviations incurred during wayfinding. The results of this study have implications for improving navigation system instructions and design as well as for learning with geospatial technologies.

Research in validity suggests that stakeholders' interpretation and use of test results should be an aspect of validity. Claims about the meaningfulness of test score interpretations and consequences of test use should be backed by evidence that stakeholders understand the definition of the construct assessed and the score report information. The current study explored stakeholders' uses and interpretations of the score report of a workplace English language proficiency test, the TOEIC[R] Listening and Reading (TOEIC L&R) test. Online surveys were administered to TOEIC L&R test takers and institutional and corporate score users in Taiwan to collect data about their uses and interpretations of the test score report. Eleven survey respondents participated in follow-up interviews to further elaborate on their uses of the different score reporting information within the stakeholders' respective contexts. Results indicated that the participants used the TOEIC L&R test scores largely as intended by the test developer although some elements of the score report appeared to be less useful and could be confusing for stakeholders. Findings from this study highlight the importance of providing score reporting information with clarity and ease to enhance appropriate use and interpretation.

This review study aims to understand the concept of adults' digital health literacy (DHL), a recently emerging significant concept but still confused. For this, we seek to find the core competencies of digital health literacy by comparing those of existing relevant literacy concepts (i.e., health literacy and digital literacy). We identified seven core competencies of DHL across analytical, context-specific, and socioecological aspects: (a) traditional literacy, (b) information literacy, (c) media literacy, (d) health-related literacy, (e) technology literacy, (f) scientific literacy, and (g) socioecological nature. We also found the shared core aspects among DHL and digital and health literacies. The findings of this study contributed not only to grasping the concept of digital health literacy better but also to providing a fundamental basis for programs to enhance the DHL of adults. This article concludes with discussions about the findings and practical and academic implications.

Despite the proven effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness, many individuals, including older adults who are most susceptible to the virus, have opted against vaccination. Various factors could shape vaccination decisions, including seeking health information (HI). The internet is the primary source of HI today; however, older adults are often referred to as those missing out on digital benefits. The study explores the correlations between information and communication technology (ICT) use, online HI seeking, socioeconomic factors, and COVID-19 vaccination readiness among individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia. The survey data were gathered from 501 people aged 50 and older after the first lockdown in 2020. The outcomes revealed that vaccination readiness positively correlated with factors such as higher educational attainment, greater income, male gender, access to ICT, a readiness to employ digital technologies for health-related purposes, a greater demand for HI, and a higher frequency of seeking it online. There was some discrepancy in the preference of HI sources; for example, vaccination consenters preferred online versions of professional press publications and specific health portals. Based on the findings, it is advisable to encourage older adults to utilize the internet and new technology for health-related purposes. This practice expands the range of information sources available to them, ultimately enabling better decision-making regarding their health behaviors.

Although vaccine behaviors differ greatly by gender and age, few studies have examined vaccination at the intersection of gender and age within the Black community. We examined COVID-19 vaccination by gender and age using a survey of over 500 Black adults in Chicago, Illinois, fielded from September 2021 to March 2022. Although 54% had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, the proportion vaccinated was considerably lower for Black men (28%) and women (37%) under 40 years old than Black men (92%) and women (86%) over 40 years (p < 0.001). Concern about vaccine side effects was the most reported barrier for unvaccinated women (56%) and men (38%) under 40 years. Our results suggest that targeted efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the Black community in Chicago after the initial rollout should have focused on young adults, particularly young Black men, with emphasis on addressing concern about vaccine side effects.

This study aimed to understand vaccine hesitancy and confidence toward the COVID-19 vaccines among Latino adults in Arizona. Latinos (n = 71) aged 18 years or older who resided in Arizona participated in 14 focus groups between February and June 2021. Theoretical thematic analysis was used to examine drivers of these two behaviors, namely, vaccine hesitancy and confidence toward the COVID-19 vaccines, using the COM-B model, comprising capability, opportunity, and motivation factors that generate a behavior. Vaccine hesitancy stemmed from the need for vaccine information (capability factor) and fear of the vaccines, religious beliefs, and perceived barriers stemming from government mistrust (motivation factors). Vaccine confidence arose from trust in science and doctors (capability factor), and a fear of getting sick, protection against COVID-19, getting vaccinated as a civic duty, and a desire to return to normal life (motivation factors). The influence of opportunity factors, such as having access to vaccinations, were not discussed as contributing to vaccine confidence or hesitancy. As predicted by the COM-B model, factors reflecting capabilities and motivations contributed to vaccine hesitancy and confidence, all of which need to be considered in public health messaging. These factors can be targeted to facilitate efforts to promote vaccine uptake and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The American Family Health Study (AFHS) collected family health and fertility data from a national probability sample of persons aged 18-49 between September 2021 and May 2022, using web and mail exclusively. In July 2022, we surveyed AFHS respondents and gauged their willingness to become part of a national web panel that would create novel longitudinal data on these topics. We focus on predictors of willingness to participate, identifying the potential selection bias that this type of approach may introduce. We found that efforts of this type to create a national web panel may introduce potential selection bias in estimates based on the panel respondents, with individuals having higher socioeconomic status being more cooperative. Thus, alternative recruitment strategies and re-weighting of the subsample may be needed to further reduce selection bias. We present methodological implications of our results, limitations of our approach, and suggestions for further research on this topic.

Background: Avoidance of colonoscopy is often associated with fear, embarrassment, and disgust aroused in screening procedures. However, each emotion can be linked to different challenges faced by patients. More research is needed to evaluate and address the causes of these respective emotions. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the scales of three negative emotions (i.e., fear, embarrassment, and disgust) caused by specific issues in colonoscopy screening. Method: The measurement items were developed based on multiple common barriers in colonoscopy screening procedures. An online sample of 232 adults aged 45-75 was recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to test the scales. Explorative and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the measurement models. Results: Psychometric evidence demonstrated the factor structures of three negative emotions. Each emotional factor was caused by unique combinations of barriers in the preparation, screening, and recovery stages of colonoscopy. Most of the emotional factors were associated with attitudes and screening intention. Conclusion: This study showed different dimensions of negative emotions and their underlying causes in colonoscopy. These findings will help assess specific causes of negative emotions in colonoscopy and develop effective interventions to improve screening uptake.

It is obvious that current tools in literature that are used to measure female's sexual quality of life focus only on the objective dimension of sexual function, failing to examine quality of life on a multidimensional level. The aim of this research is to examine the validity and reliability of the ADORE for Turkish society. In the methodological research, 500 females were included. The research data was collected with "Descriptive Information Form" "ADORE" and "Sexual Quality of Life-Female (SQOL-F)." ADORE is a five-Likert-type type and 36-item scale that was developed to assess female's sexual quality of life. It has six sub-dimensions. It is stated that ADORE can better evaluate female's sexual quality of life holistically and contextually. The validity of ADORE was analyzed as linguistic, content, and construct validities. In determining the reliability of the scale, item-total score correlation, Cronbach alpha (Cr [alpha]) coefficient, Pearson correlation, split-half analysis, test-retest, and parallel form were used. Content validity index was found to be 0.90. The confirmatory factor analysis was performed for construct validity. ADORE's Cr [alpha] reliability coefficient was determined to be 0.95. According to ADORE test-retest analyses, it was found that there is a positively strong and statistically high significant correlation among scores of the scale. It was determined that there is an acceptable correlation between ADORE and SQOL-F. In determining female's sexual quality of life in Turkish society, ADORE is a valid and reliable scale. It is a useful scale for health professionals working in the clinic to evaluate female's sexual quality of life.

As part of a larger project focused on the intersection of educational and health trajectories over the life course, we use in-depth interviews with 28 adults who experienced multiple non-promotional school changes during the course of their K-12 schooling in three U.S. urban centers to advance understanding of frequent student mobility. Prior research focuses predominantly on isolating the impact of student mobility while saying little about processes through which mobility influences educational trajectories in particular contexts. Frequent student mobility was intertwined with adverse childhood experiences and access to coping resources, and these forces shaped participants' trajectories in patterned ways. Supporting frequently mobile students, almost a third of school-age children in the United States, will require greater attention to the reasons for, processes of, and contexts of student mobility.

In order processing, consecutive sequences (e.g., 1-2-3) are generally processed faster than nonconsecutive sequences (e.g., 1-3-5) (also referred to as the reverse distance effect). A common explanation for this effect is that order processing operates via a memory-based associative mechanism whereby consecutive sequences are processed faster because they are more familiar and thus more easily retrieved from memory. Conflicting with this proposal, however, is the finding that this effect is often absent. A possible explanation for these absences is that familiarity may vary both within and across sequence types; therefore, not all consecutive sequences are necessarily more familiar than all nonconsecutive sequences. Accordingly, under this familiarity perspective, familiar sequences should always be processed faster than unfamiliar sequences, but consecutive sequences may not always be processed faster than nonconsecutive sequences. To test this hypothesis in an adult population, we used a comparative judgment approach to measure familiarity at the individual sequence level. Using this measure, we found that although not all participants showed a reverse distance effect, all participants displayed a familiarity effect. Notably, this familiarity effect appeared stronger than the reverse distance effect at both the group and individual level; thus, suggesting the reverse distance effect may be better conceptualized as a specific instance of a more general familiarity effect.

How do teachers learn about what learners already know? How do learners aid teachers by providing them with information about their background knowledge and what they find confusing? We formalize this collaborative reasoning process using a hierarchical Bayesian model of pedagogy. We then evaluate this model in two online behavioral experiments (N = 312 adults). In Experiment 1, we show that teachers select examples that account for learners' background knowledge, and adjust their examples based on learners' feedback. In Experiment 2, we show that learners strategically provide more feedback when teachers' examples deviate from their background knowledge. These findings provide a foundation for extending computational accounts of pedagogy to richer interactive settings.

Diabetes mellitus is a challenging chronic health condition at the forefront of attention of the healthcare system. Important estimates quantifying how diabetes prevalence varies by age are available for the general population, but these estimates are poorly characterized among autistic adults. Improved diabetes prevalence and likelihood estimates are needed to understand the impact of diabetes on this population. We analyzed IBM MarketScan health claims data from 2019 to 2020 to estimate diabetes prevalence among privately insured autistic (N = 54,500) and non-autistic adults (N = 109,000) and estimate autistic adults' likelihood of diabetes relative to non-autistic adults at 5-year age intervals (e.g. 18-22 to 23-27) when controlling for demographic factors. Diabetes prevalence was 5.15% for autistic adults and 3.07% for non-autistic adults. Autistic adults had a higher likelihood of diabetes than non-autistic adults at most 5-year age intervals, with the greatest difference at ages 23-37 (odds ratio = 2.67; 95% confidence interval = 2.33-3.06). Our findings suggest that autistic adults may be more likely than non-autistic adults to experience diabetes. Thus, development of diabetes support services and programs that accommodate autistic adults' individualized needs are important for future study to promote optimal diabetes outcomes for this population.

Autistic people experience more co-occurring health conditions and, on average, die younger than non-autistic people. Despite growing awareness of health inequities, autistic people still report barriers to accessing healthcare. We aimed to explore the experiences of autistic people accessing healthcare, shining a light on the complex interplay of relevant factors and to explain, at least in part, the possible reasons underling health disparities and adverse health outcomes. This is a qualitative study from an autistic research team. Data were collected from 1248 autistic adults as part of a large, mixed-methods, international survey exploring barriers to primary healthcare. This article reports the qualitative findings, following a thematic analysis. Using our exploratory findings, we then constructed a model to explain the reported experiences. Respondents reported a variety of barriers. Here, our article gives voice to their stories, in their own words. Themes included: early barriers; communication mismatch; doubt -- in oneself and from doctors; helplessness and fear; and healthcare avoidance and serious adverse health outcomes. Our constructed model outlines a chronological journey through which healthcare access barriers may lead to adverse health outcomes. Our findings also build on the double empathy problem, situating this in a medical context, proposing a triple empathy problem.

Intimate partner violence and sexual assault are under-researched experiences in autistic people's lives. Recent research, however, has shown that autistic people are more likely to have been victimized than non-autistic people. This research, therefore, sought to explore the firsthand accounts of a range of autistic people about intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Twenty-four autistic adults with lived experience (6 male, 15 female, 3 non-binary) aged 25-61 years took part in semi-structured interviews online. They were asked about their experiences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, whether and how they felt being autistic interacted with those experiences, and what recommendations they would have for improving education in the future. Almost all participants had repeated experiences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, regardless of gender, and there were clear similarities in their stories. Six themes with subthemes were identified. These were "'experiences of abuse'", "'autism used against you'", "'poor family models'", "'impact of/on friendships'", "'handling trauma'", and "'recommendations for future practice'". Autistic people experience many of the same patterns of abuse as non-autistic people do, but there are unique autism-related vulnerabilities and outcomes. We found that there were a variety of responses to these experiences, and call for greater understanding so that autistic victims can be better supported.

This study presents a strengths-based framework for designing virtual reality experiences tailored to the needs and abilities of autistic individuals. Recognizing the potential of virtual reality to provide engaging and immersive learning environments, the framework aligns the strengths and preferences of autistic users with the affordances of virtual reality platforms. Drawing on the existing literature and empirical findings, the framework highlights key areas of alignment, including visual perception, anxiety management, attention to differences, concrete thinking, and response to positive feedback. The framework emphasizes the importance of involving autistic individuals in the co-design and co-creation of virtual reality technologies to ensure a more tailored and preferred user experience. By adopting a strengths-based approach and actively involving autistic individuals, the design and implementation of virtual reality interventions can better address their unique needs and foster positive outcomes. The study concludes by advocating for continued research and collaboration to advance the field of virtual reality technology for autistic individuals and to work toward shared goals with the autistic community.

Upon hearing a novel label, listeners tend to assume that it refers to a novel, rather than a familiar object. While this disambiguation or mutual exclusivity (ME) effect has been robustly shown across development, it is unclear what it involves. Do listeners use their pragmatic and lexical knowledge to exclude the familiar object and thus select the novel one? Or is the effect, at least in early childhood, simply based on an attraction to novelty and a direct mapping of the novel label to a novel object? In a preregistered online study with 2- to 3-year-olds (n = 75) and adults (n = 112), we examined (a) whether relative object novelty alone (without pragmatic or lexical information) could account for participants' disambiguation and (b) whether participants' decision processes involved reasoning by exclusion. Participants encountered either a known and an unknown object (classic ME condition) or two unknown objects, one completely novel and one preexposed (novelty condition) as potential referents of a novel label. Reasoning by exclusion was assessed by children's looking patterns and adults' explanations. In the classic ME condition, children and adults significantly chose the novel object and both used reasoning by exclusion. In contrast, in the novelty condition, children and adults chose randomly. Across conditions, a retention test revealed that adults remembered their prior selections, while children's performance was fragile. These results suggest that referent disambiguation is not based on relative object novelty alone. Instead, to resolve referential ambiguity, both young children and adults seem to make use of pragmatic and/or lexical sources of information and to engage in reasoning by exclusion strategies.

Based on a complex dynamic system approach, this study examined the dynamic of interactions between adults (a teacher and teaching assistant) and two children with ASD. We observed two preschool classrooms, each containing one child with contrasting ASD characteristics. Child engagement and adult participation during welcome time activities were observed once a month for 9 months; dramatic differences in interaction dynamics between the two classes were revealed. In the class including an autistic child with high support needs and low language ability, the active participation of adults associated with active child engagement gradually increased over the year. In the class including an autistic child with a high level of challenging behaviours (but with low support needs and typical language skills), increased variability resulted in a deep change in the landscape of attractors. Whereas the child was mostly engaged with adult participation during the first trimester, he was actively engaged without adult participation in the final trimester.

This paper, co-authored between three adults and five children aged 8-11, adopts a 'collaborative writing as inquiry' approach to examine and discuss the authors' experiences of a participatory research project through the lens of critical dialectical pluralism. In the original project, children formed two 'young advisory panels', one online, comprising children from all over England, and one in a primary school in a suburban area in North England, informing and collaborating on the creation of 45 educational activities supporting critical digital literacy. Rather than focusing on the original research itself, the paper focuses on making a methodological contribution, through detailed and collaborative reflections on notions such as agency, power and control. Over a period of four 60 to 90 min-long meetings once the actual research was completed, adult and child authors considered their respective roles in the project, as well as detailing their understanding of the project as a whole. In co-framing our perceptions of participatory research, we problematise adult anxieties and highlight the importance of exploring 'silence as voice', arguing for an extension to participatory research projects, going beyond the research itself and creating a 'third space' which is un/familiar to all participants, openly inviting engagement with discomfort and normalising uncertainty.

Objectives: WhatMakesUs is a digital media campaign aimed at reducing mental health stigma in the Greater Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. This study evaluated the campaign's impact at the end of the second year of the campaign by examining different aspects of mental health stigma, including social distance, attitudes, behaviours and self-efficacy, among campaign-aware (CA) individuals and non-campaign-aware (NCA) individuals. The study also explored the campaign's feasibility and potential for adaptation to other parts of the USA. Design, Setting, and Method: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the campaign's implementation area. Respondents were recruited through a panel recruiting company using non-probabilistic methods. Digital metrics from the campaign's social media accounts and website were collected and analysed using Google Analytics. Results: CA respondents exhibited lower social distance and stigmatising attitudes and beliefs, and more positive behaviours and self-efficacy towards people with mental health conditions (MHCs) compared to NCA respondents. A significantly higher proportion of CA respondents reported living with (p = 0.001), working with (p = 0.005), and having close friendships with individuals with MHCs (p = 0.043). CA respondents found therapy and counselling effective treatments for MHCs (p = 0.005), greater comfort in providing support to individuals with MHCs (p < 0.001), pursued steps to improve their own mental health (p = 0.032) and perceived their workplaces taking an active role in their mental health (p = 0.029), when compared to NCA respondents. Digital metrics indicated successful engagement with the campaign's intended audience. Conclusion: Findings highlight the impact of digital campaigns in addressing the stigmatisation of MHCs and provide valuable insights for future campaigns.

The Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire for Adults (RBQ-2A) measures two factors of restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) associated with autism. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provides four criteria for RRBs: repetitive motor behaviours, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, and interest in sensory aspects of the environment (or atypical sensitivity). The current paper aimed to examine whether the RBQ-2A is a psychometrically sound measure of these four factors. Study 1 had university students (N = 368) complete the RBQ-2A and other related measures online and revealed that the RBQ-2A can assess the factors highlighted in the DSM-5 and that these four factors comprise a general RRB construct. Study 2 had individuals disclosing a diagnosis of autism (N = 283) complete the RBQ-2A and other related measures online and supported that this four-factor structure provided good psychometric properties. While the current paper provides findings for an online autistic population, further research is needed to generalize these findings to autistic individuals less likely to partake in online studies (e.g., those with intellectual or language disabilities). Overall, the results suggest that the RBQ-2A reliably and validly assesses RRBs.

Children with neurodevelopmental diagnoses often experience discrimination from their peers at school. This may result from a lack of understanding, and intolerance of differences in their thinking, communication and social interactions. Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) is a teaching programme designed to educate primary school children about the concept of neurodiversity. The LEANS programme was created by a neurodiverse team, using participatory methods. In the current study, we evaluated whether the wider neurodiverse community endorsed the planned design generated by our participatory approach. Respondents (n = 111) rated their support for key elements of the planned LEANS content, via an online survey. Participants were majority neurodivergent (70%), 98% of whom reported moderate-to-high familiarity with neurodiversity concepts. Over 90% of respondents expressed support for the planned content presented, and 73% of respondents endorsed the draft neurodiversity definition provided. A small number of respondents provided open-ended comments giving further detail on their views. Overall, the LEANS programme plan received a high level of support from this independent, neurodiversity-aware sample -- demonstrating the potential of small-group participatory methods to generate wider community support. The completed resource is now available as a free online download.

The purpose of this study is to explore the views of autistic adults on randomised controlled trials, specifically on processes such as randomisation and blinding, to understand the barriers and facilitators for recruiting autistic people to randomised controlled trials involving medications. We conducted one-to-one interviews with 49 autistic adults. Interviews were audio-recorded and analysed thematically. The participants found randomised controlled trial processes acceptable and linked positive attitudes towards randomised controlled trial participation to autistic peoples' heightened sense of fairness and preference for evidence-driven knowledge. However, randomised controlled trial designs may be incompatible with a (1) preference for a controlled predictable world, (2) perceived vulnerability at physical and mental health levels and (3) history of misunderstanding and exclusion, crucially from healthcare professionals. Suggestions that emerged from our findings include efforts to co-produce research to nurture trust and adapting communication practices to improve access to trials. Autistic people are a highly motivated group to work with research teams to mitigate barriers to randomised controlled trial participation. We explored what psychosocial determinants play a role in the acceptability of randomised controlled trials to test interventions to improve quality of life and mental health in autistic adults. The study provides useful information that may help the design and conduct of more accessible trials with and for the autistic community.

Previous research indicates that menopause can be an extremely difficult transition for some autistic people. This study asks how autistic people experience menopause and how they can better access services, support and information; autistic Community Research Associates played an important role in each stage of the research. Online focus groups and interviews were conducted with 24 autistic participants who lived in Canada (n = 13) or the United Kingdom (n = 11) and had experience with the menopausal transition. Transcripts were coded and analysed by four team members using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes and eight subthemes were identified: (1) Complexity, multiplicity and intensity of symptoms (0 subthemes); (2) Life experience and adversity converging at midlife (three subthemes); (3) The importance of knowledge and connection (two subthemes); and (4) Barriers to support and care (three subthemes). Limitations include a potential sample bias towards difficult experiences of menopause. The majority of our sample had a late diagnosis or discovery of autism, and their experiences might not generalize to wider autistic populations. This research may help autistic people prepare for menopause and recognize symptoms earlier. Hearing about the experiences of others may let autistic people who struggle with menopause know they are not alone.