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Transitioning to a new school is often challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder. Few studies have examined the transition needs of students with autism spectrum disorder or the benefits of specific supports. This review synthesizes research findings on the difficulties that school transitions pose for students with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and teachers, and the strategies used to support students and parents during school transition. The review included 27 studies (10 examining the transition to primary school, 17 the transition to secondary school), with data from 443 students with autism spectrum disorder, 453 parents, and 546 teachers, across four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia). Studies reported that children with autism spectrum disorder struggled with anxiety and increased social pressure, their parents felt overwhelmed with complex placement decisions and worried about the well-being of their children, and teachers strove to provide appropriate supports to their students with autism spectrum disorder, often with inadequate resources. Findings indicated that the most useful strategies involved helping the student adjust to the new school setting, individualizing transition supports, clarifying the transition process for parents, and fostering communication both between the sending and receiving schools, and school and home.

Purpose of Review We review original research about services for adults on the autism spectrum published from January 2013 through December 2018. The main aim is to characterize the topical and methodological aspects of research about services. We review research on services related to employment, living in the community, and social participation. We compare our results with those from a similar review published in 2012 to assess progress and identify where new directions in research about services for adults with autism are needed. Recent Findings We found the evidence base about services for adults on the autism spectrum remains very small and highly variable in aims and methods. There is wide variability in methods used to define sampling frames and recruit participants. Most studies focus on employment. Almost no studies examine the overall ecosystem of services serving autistic adults. Few studies use a conceptual framework for understanding access to, or improvement of, services. Summary The small size of the extant research coupled with inconsistent quality prevents the accumulation of new knowledge in ways that would significantly inform the improvement of systems of care for the growing population of adults on the autism spectrum.

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BackgroundThis study examines how system-wide (i.e., region, district, and school) mechanisms such as leadership support, training requirements, structure, collaboration, and education affect the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in schools and how this affects the outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite growing evidence for the positive effects of EBPs for ASD, these practices are not consistently or effectively used in schools. Although special education programs are mandated to use EBPs, there are very few evidence-based methods for selecting, implementing, and sustaining EBPs. Research focuses primarily on teacher training, without attention to contextual factors (e.g., implementation climate, attitudes toward EBPs, resource allocation, and social networks) that may impact outcomes. Using an implementation science framework, this project will prospectively examine relations between system-wide factors and teachers’ use of EBPs and student education outcomes.Methods/designSurvey data will be collected from approximately 85 regional special education directors, 170 regional program specialists, 265 district special education directors, 265 behavior specialists, 925 school principals, 3538 special education teachers, and 2700 paraprofessionals. Administrative data for the students with ASD served by participating teachers will be examined. A total of 79 regional-, district-, and school-level personnel will also participate in social network interviews. Mixed methods, including surveys, administrative data, and observational checklists, will be used to gather in-depth information about system-wide malleable factors that relate to positive teacher implementation of EBPs and student outcomes. Multi-level modeling will be used to assess system-wide malleable factors related to EBP implementation which will be linked to the trainer, teacher, and student outcomes and examined based on moderators (e.g., district size, Special Education Local Plan Area structure, teachers’ ASD experience). Finally, a dynamic social network approach will be used to map EBP-related connectivity across all levels of the system for selected regions. Dynamic network analysis will be used to gauge the degree to which and ways that EBP trainings, resources, and interventions are shared (or not shared) among school staff.DiscussionResults are expected to inform the development of system-wide interventions to improve the school-based implementation of EBPs for students with ASD.

The purpose of this review was to estimate the impact of parent engagement strategies tested with underrepresented families of young children with social, emotional, or behavioral disorders, and describe the combinations in which these strategies are commonly used together. We conducted a systematic review using the PracticeWise Engagement Coding System to identify which strategies had the strongest empirical support for engaging underrepresented (i.e., minority race or ethnicity, or low income) families receiving psychosocial services for their children. Social network analyses were used to identify the frequency of strategy use and how strategies were combined to engage underrepresented families. Linear regression was used to estimate the impact of each strategy on parent engagement, using attrition as a proxy for non-engagement. Thirty-five studies met inclusion criteria. Parent attrition was predicted by larger sample sizes, lower maternal education, interventions that were more community or home-based, less therapist monitoring, positive reinforcement from therapists, and more pairing families with peers. Social network analyses suggested that more effective strategies were more frequently implemented alone and less effective strategies were commonly combined with each other. Our findings suggest that researchers and practitioners require guidance in selecting engagement strategies to reduce attrition of underrepresented families in treatment. Although we identified promising strategies for improving parent engagement in treatment for underrepresented children with social, emotional, or behavioral disorders, the frequent combining of engagement strategies in research means that there is little data on the independent effects of interventions to increase parent engagement for this population.

PurposeThis paper intends to examine the behaviors autistic individuals display during police encounters, determine if there are differences in those behaviors by age and gender, then examine if any behaviors cluster or frequently co-occur.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the Survey of Parents and Caregivers of Individuals with autism spectrum disorder and focusing on a subsample of respondents who report that their autistic loved one has had prior police contact, the authors examine the frequency and clustering of behaviors displayed by autistic individuals during police encounters. The authors use chi-square tests of independence to examine age and gender differences and latent class analysis to assess behavioral clustering.FindingsThe findings show that many behaviors that autistic individuals display during police encounters are associated with social communication and interaction difficulties, such as failure to maintain eye contact and difficulty answering questions. Many of these overlap with police training on deception, compliance and passive resistance. Moreover, the authors find that there are age differences in two behaviors, fidgeting and not responding to one's name. Lastly, the authors find that many of these behaviors cluster in unexpected ways, adding a layer of complexity to encounters between the police and autistic individuals.Originality/valueTraining police officers, autistic individuals and their loved ones on interactions with the police is critical for positive outcomes. Without details on what occurs inside a police encounter, constructing those trainings is difficult. While this study provides only a small glimpse into police encounters with the autistic community, it is a first step toward understanding these multifaceted interactions better.

Introduction: Latino immigrants to the United States experience disproportionate impacts from the syndemic formed by substance abuse, violence victimization, HIV/AIDS, and mental health (SAVAME). This study characterizes resource access for Latino immigrants living in Philadelphia, as perceived by staff at Latino-serving organizations. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of staff at key Latino-serving Philadelphia organizations assessed access to their organization and citywide access to each type of service (substance use, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence [DV], and mental health) for Latino immigrants. Descriptive statistics for organizational access indicators and citywide access scores across four syndemic domains (availability, accessibility, adequacy, and quality) and by syndemic condition were computed. Results: Organizational access and citywide access across HIV/AIDS (mean = 1.94, SD = 0.83), mental health (mean = 1.37, SD = 0.95), substance use (mean = 1.11, SD = 0.74), and DV (mean = 1.49, SD = 0.97) services were perceived as far from optimal. Domain scores were highest for accessibility (mean = 1.66, SD = 1.03), followed by quality (mean = 1.44, SD = 0.79), availability (mean = 1.41, SD = .81), and adequacy (mean = 1.24, SD = .75). Conclusion: Based on findings from a survey of staff working at Latino-serving organizations, this study highlights the lack of support and resources for Latino immigrants, in particular those related to mental health and substance use. Programs and interventions are needed to improve service delivery in Latino immigrant communities.