Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs), idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1) one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD), to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest (‘HAI’) or High Typically Developing Interest (‘HTD’), and 2) an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male) and 135 typically developing (TD) adolescents (55 male) who rated how much they liked 105 ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ images. Although we found a significant interaction between ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities') showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred ‘HAI’ images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets) may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show interests that overlap with TD adolescents (e.g. video games).

Background: The body of research directed at understanding the strengths and resilience of this population is growing. Research has indicated there are strengths for individuals with ADHD, and found factors important for promoting good outcomes. This study investigates positive qualities by examining the strengths and resilience of children with and without ADHD. Methods: The final sample included 56 children between the ages of 10 and 17 years (ADHD: n = 38; without ADHD: n = 18). Results: Children in both groups tended to report average levels of strengths and resilience except for school functioning, where significant differences were found between groups. Significant correlations between strengths and resilience for both groups were found. Only family involvement was not significantly correlated with resilience for the without ADHD group. Conclusions: Results from this study emphasize the importance of taking a strength-based perspective when working with children diagnosed with ADHD.

No abstract