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The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and internal reliability of the Parent-initiated Motivational Climate Questionnaire among 112 boys and 98 girls, young adolescents, and older adolescents. The questionnaire had a meaningful 3-factor structure and showed acceptable internal reliability. There was a significant difference between how boys and girls perceived their parents' reactions to their learning new physical skills. In contrast to boys, girls thought that both their mothers and fathers focused on improvement and self-satisfaction during the learning process and deemphasized learning without effort and worrying about making mistakes. Age did not significantly affect the perceptions the individuals had of their parents' convictions about their learning in the physical domain.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a picture-based communication strategy used to teach communication skills to persons with developmental disabilities including autism. This article systematically reviews 13 published single-subject studies to examine the effectiveness of PECS, the effects of PECS on speech and problem behaviors, generalization beyond training conditions, and social validity of the intervention. The authors also calculated percentage of nonoverlapping data points for all participants to quantify, compare, and analyze results. Results indicate that PECS yielded increases in functional communication in all but 1 participant. Additionally, PECS decreased problem behaviors and increased speech in some individuals. A theoretical framework, analyses of methodologies, and implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Misophonia is a newly recognized condition involving adverse emotional reactions to environmental sounds, most often produced by other people. This study reports results of a survey describing the phenomenology of misophonia based on a large sample.  Survey data were collected from individuals self-identified as having misophonia. A total of 1,061 individuals reported specific distressing reactions to sounds, and responses indicating severity of misophonia and perceived comorbidity. Over 82% of respondents were female. The average age of the study participants was 37.49 years (SD = 12.24; range from 18 to 72). Most respondents reported multiple triggers and adverse emotional reactions, as well as multiple coping responses. The majority of respondents reported comorbid diagnoses. Misophonia severity is described, as well as impact on quality of life. A minority of respondents had some experience with treatment and most reported no change in symptoms.  Treatments reported for misophonia were typically ineffective, and once developed, misophonia symptoms persist. The results of the study showed that misophonia is a newly recognized condition that appears to have important impact on people’s lives. It typically develops in early life, and is associated with a reduced quality of life, substantial comorbidity, negative emotional experiences, and behaviors that are likely to impact interpersonal relationships.