Sustainable employment depends on quality relationships between supervisors and their employees on the autism spectrum.

PURPOSE: Employment outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum may be contingent upon employers' knowledge of autism and provision of appropriate workplace supports. We aimed to understand the organizational factors that influenced the organizational socialization of autistic employees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We wrote nine case histories based on interviews from managers, autistic employees, and job coaches. Intra-case analysis, then cross-case analysis, provided an understanding of organizational factors that lead to sustained employment of autistic employees. RESULTS: The quality of the relationship between managers and autistic employees was consistently seen as the key facilitator of organizational socialization and positive employment outcomes of autistic employees. These relationships, however, relied on the skilled facilitation of the job coach during each stage of the employment cycle (hiring, on-boarding, training, performance management), as they had an important role in building a mutual understanding between supervisors and employees. As such, our study draws upon and contributes to leader-member exchange theory. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior research, our study shows the importance of high-quality relationships between supervisors and supervisees for positive employment outcomes of autistic employees in organization but adds skilled communication facilitation as a novel antecedent to leader-member exchange, as a potentially key factor for autistic employees. Implications for rehabilitationThe relationship between the a manager and their employee is an important factor in effective organizational socialization and workplace outcomes for autistic employees.Job coaches can play a crucial role in building mutual understanding and high-quality relationships between managers and employees.Job coaches can support the inclusion of autistic employees by illustrating the multi-faceted socioemotional performance benefits over the longer term.

Social support in schools and related outcomes for LGBTQ youth: a scoping review.

Recent research has increasingly focused on positive factors and supports for LGBTQ youth. This scoping review explores existing social support for LGBTQ youth in schools through the Ecological Systems Theory to respond to the following four objectives: (1) define social support systems in schools, (2) identify current research on outcomes for LGBTQ youth, (3) identify barriers to support LGBTQ youth in schools, and (4) identify areas for future research for LGBTQ youth and social support in schools. A systematic search (Arksey and O'Malley in Int J Soc Res Methodol 8(1):19-32, 2005) between 2007 through 2021 resulted in 94 articles. This review gave rise to an organizational framework to consolidate various systems of social support for LGBTQ youth in schools. Social support consisted of seven social support systems (family, curriculum, family, peers, school policies, GSAs and programs, and school climate) that are positively associated with the promotion of positive socioemotional, behavioural, and educational outcomes for LGBTQ youth. Though the literature has been clear surrounding the risks associated with LGBTQ youth, this scoping review provides a positive outlook on LGBTQ youth's school experiences and how these systems of social support allow for LGBTQ youth to act as active participants to foster a positive school climate and sense of safety. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-022-00016-9.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab PCR positivity in COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors.

BACKGROUND: Nucleic acid persists after symptom resolution and infectivity for many viral infections via delayed clearance of nucleic acid fragments, non-infectious particles, or transmissible virus. For Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the relationship between nasopharyngeal (NP) swab positivity, the development of antibodies against COVID-19, and clinical history are unclear. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Individuals who recovered from COVID-19 and volunteered to donate convalescent plasma (CP) were screened by NP swab PCR, responded to a questionnaire, and were tested for anti-COVID-19 antibodies. RESULTS: A proportion of 11.8% of individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by NP swab PCR greater than 14 days after the resolution of symptoms of active disease, including one donor who had asymptomatic disease and tested positive by NP swab 41 days after her initial diagnosis. Clinical history did not show a significant correlation with persistence of NP swab positivity. Also, NP swab positivity >14 days from symptom resolution did not correlate with anti-COVID-19 serology results. IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody strength correlated with hospitalization for COVID-19 using two different assays. Total anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody strength correlated with time from symptom resolution to sample collection and symptom duration. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid is detectable long after the resolution of symptoms in a significant percentage of previously diagnosed individuals, which is important to consider when interpreting PCR swab results. Persistence of PCR positivity does not correlate with antibody strength or symptoms of COVID-19. If anti-spike antibody is used to assess CP potency, individuals who suffered severe COVID-19 disease symptoms may represent better donors.

Results of a RCT on a Transition Support Program for Adults with ASD: Effects on Self-Determination and Quality of Life.

Few evidence-based services exist for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition into adulthood, particularly those that foster appreciation of one's own goals and strengths. We developed a transition service for adults with ASD (without Intellectual Disability), and conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) focusing on self-report of Quality of Life and Self-Determination outcomes. Thirty participants aged 18-29 were randomized to immediate or delayed intervention, with 26 participants analyzed after 4 were lost to follow-up. Curriculum was tailored to participants' self-expressed needs in three areas: social communication, self-determination, and working with others. Groups of four-to-six participants with ASD and two facilitators met weekly for 10 weeks. Positive intervention effects were observed on self-report of Quality of Life; the intervention group scored on average 2 points higher than the control group, 95% CI [-0.2, 3.9]. Positive effects were also observed on the Self Determination Scale (Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving subdomain), where the intervention group scored 2 points higher than control group 95% CI [0.082, 3.4]. In addition, participants rated skills targeted by the curriculum 6 points higher after versus before intervention, 95% CI [3.7, 8.6]. This was echoed by a subset of parents rating their child's skills as seven points higher after versus before intervention, 95% CI [1, 14]. Autism Research 2018, 11: 1712-1728. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: These findings indicate that it is possible to increase Self-Determination and subjective Quality of Life in adults with ASD through a brief group-format service, and provide a model for doing so. Self-Determination abilities are linked to improved adult outcomes in individuals with other disabilities. These often overlooked factors should be incorporated in programming for adults with ASD as they transition to adulthood.

A Point of Departure in the Comparison of Social and Nonsocial Visual Orienting Among Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Endogenous visual orienting among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and among typically developing (TD) children was examined using a Posner-type task that was modified to include social and nonsocial cues and targets to test hypotheses regarding information (social or nonsocial) and cue processing (long or short stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs)). The findings suggest intact endogenous orienting to face and mixed face targets using hand and arrow cues among children with ASDs who were matched to typically developing children (TDC) on the basis of nonverbal mental age (MA) at approximately 8.5 years. The findings from this study challenge the notions of a social orienting impairment and of mechanical social orienting as the children with ASDs in this study demonstrated strong orienting effects in all conditions and social sensitivity in the long stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) condition.

Easing the transition for queer student teachers from program to field: implications for teacher education.

Tensions exist between what some queer student teachers experience in the university setting, their lives in schools during field placements, and upon graduation. We describe a series of workshops designed for queer student teachers and their allies that were conducted prior to field placement. Participants revealed high degrees of satisfaction with the program and increased feelings of personal and professional self-efficacy. Participants reported high levels of experienced homophobia in their academic programs; as such, the workshops were a valuable "safe space." These workshops appear to fill a significant gap for queer students and their allies in teacher preparation programs.

Reduced ratings of physical and relational aggression for youths with a strong cultural identity: evidence from the Naskapi people.

PURPOSE: Minority youth in general, and Aboriginal youth in particular, are at increased statistical risk for being perpetrators or victims of aggression. METHODS: We examined the potential protective aspect of cultural identity in relation to peer ratings of physical and relational aggression and factors typically associated with each among almost the entire cohort of Naskapi youths from Kawawachikamach, Québec. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that a strong identity with their own Native culture predicted less perceived physical and social aggression by their peers. CONCLUSION: These findings are discussed in the context of the role of a positive affiliation with ancestral culture for the diminishment of adolescent aggression and for general adaptive development and well-being.

Modeling pediatric vaccination guidelines in a data warehouse.

Frequent updates and complexity of vaccination schedules can make it difficult for pediatric practices to ensure adherence to immunization guidelines. To address this problem, Partners HealthCare System (PHS) has created a quality reporting utility to manage pediatric immunizations and to support quality improvement initiatives. The rules-based solution uses reference database tables to model the logic for each vaccine.

Deconstructing executive deficits among persons with autism: implications for cognitive neuroscience.

Individuals with autism demonstrate impairments on measures of executive function (EF) relative to typically developing comparison participants. EF is comprised of several processes including inhibition, working memory and set shifting that develop throughout the lifespan. Impairments in EF may appear early in development and persist, or may represent a more transient delay which resolves with time. Given the unevenness of the cognitive profile of persons with autism, understanding the development of EF poses methodological challenges. These issues include those related to matching measures and the choice of comparison participants to which the performance of persons with autism will be compared. In the current review, we attempt to break down the processes of inhibition, working memory and set shifting among persons with autism. We propose to do this within a developmental perspective that highlights how matching measures and comparison participants can affect the interpretation of research findings.

Differences in visual orienting between persons with Down or fragile X syndrome.

The voluntary and reflexive orienting abilities of persons with Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, at average MA levels of approximately 4 and 7 years, were compared with an RT task. Reflexive orienting abilities appeared to develop in accordance with MA for the participants with Down syndrome but not for those with fragile X syndrome. However, both groups showed delayed voluntary orienting. The group differences in reflexive orienting at the low MA level reinforce the practice of separating etiologies and highlight the contribution of rudimentary attentional processes in the study of individuals with mental retardation.

Social perspective-taking skills in maltreated children and adolescents.

The primary goal of this study was to assess the ability of maltreated school-age children and adolescents to understand the thoughts, feelings, and points of view of others. Level of egocentrism and social perspective-taking coordination were assessed in a group of 49 maltreated and 49 demographically matched nonmaltreated children. Twenty-six elementary and 23 high school students in each group were individually interviewed and their responses to hypothetical interpersonal situations coded for egocentricity and level of perspective-taking ability. The findings revealed that maltreated children and adolescents were more egocentric and delayed in their social perspective-taking development than their nonmaltreated peers and that they reported lower levels of global self-worth. However, differences within the group of maltreated children and adolescents emerged with regard to negotiating novel relationships, as those with fewer internalizing or externalizing symptoms exhibited better skills in this area than their peers who displayed more symptoms.

Voluntary orienting among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and MA-matched typically developing children.

A forced-choice reaction-time (RT) task was used to examine voluntary visual orienting among children and adolescents with trisomy 21 Down syndrome and typically developing children matched at an MA of approximately 5.6 years, an age when the development of orienting abilities reaches optimal adult-like efficiency. Both groups displayed faster reaction times (RTs) when the target location was cued correctly than when cued incorrectly under both short and long SOA conditions, indicating intact orienting among children with Down syndrome. This finding is further evidence that the efficiency of many of the primary components of attention among persons with Down syndrome is consistent with their developmental level.

On mosaics and melting pots: conceptual considerations of comparison and matching strategies.

Conceptual and pragmatic issues relevant to the study of persons with autism are addressed within the context of comparison groups and matching strategies. We argue that no choice of comparison group or matching strategy is perfect, but rather needs to be determined by specific research objectives and theoretical questions. Thus, strategies can differ between studies in which the goal is to delineate developmental profiles and those in which the focus is the study of a specific aspect of functioning. We promote the notion of a "mosaic," rather than a "melting pot," approach to science in which researchers communicate conservative and precise interpretations of empirical findings.