ABSTRACT
Although augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies are often used by autistic youth, little is known about the use of AAC in inpatient psychiatric settings. This study evaluated how demographic and clinical factors (e.g., language level, IQ) related to AAC use in a well-characterized sample of 527 autistic youth (78.7% male, mean age 12.94) who participated in the Autism Inpatient Collection. AAC use was common, with 42.5% of caregivers reporting at least one form of AAC. White children were more likely to use AAC than non-white children at the bivariate level. In regression analyses, young children were more likely to use AAC than older children. These results suggest the importance of provider training and improved equitable access to AAC.
ABSTRACT
Little is known about the development of self-regulation processes during the preschool period in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). How parental characteristics such as the broader autism phenotype (BAP) relate to children's self-regulation is not well understood. Preschool-aged children with (n = 24) and without ASD (n = 21) completed an inhibitory control task and mothers reported on child emotion regulation and their own BAP traits. Children with ASD had lower emotion regulation, and emotion regulation was a protective factor in the association between ASD and internalizing behavioral concerns. Lability/negativity was highly overlapping with externalizing. Maternal BAP characteristics were differentially associated with all self-regulation outcomes across groups. Parental factors should be considered in emotion regulation interventions for young children with ASD.
