Maternal disapproval of friends in response to child conduct problems damages the peer status of pre- and early adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Herein, we consider the hypothesis that mothers harm peer relations when they respond to child conduct problems by expressing disapproval of friends, which exacerbates the behavior problems they were presumably attempting to deter. METHODS: A community sample of Lithuanian adolescents (292 boys and 270 girls, aged 9-14 years) completed surveys three times during an academic year. Classmate nominations indexed peer status (acceptance and rejection), self-reports described perceived maternal disapproval of friends, and peer nominations and self-reports separately gauged conduct problems. RESULTS: Over the course of a school year: (a) conduct problems were associated with subsequent increases in perceived maternal friend disapproval; (b) perceived maternal friend disapproval was associated with subsequent decreases in peer status; and (c) low peer status was associated with subsequent increases in conduct problems. Full longitudinal, random-intercept cross-lagged panel mediation models confirmed that mothers who disapproved of friends were sources of peer difficulties that culminated in conduct problems and intermediaries whose response to child conduct problems damaged peer relations. Findings were stronger for peer rejection than for peer acceptance, suggesting that peers actively dislike those with mothers who intervene in peer relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal disapproval of friends in response to child conduct problems damages the child's standing among peers, which then exacerbates behavior problems. This consequential cascade underscores the need for parent education about the potential deleterious consequences of well-intentioned interference in peer relations. Practitioners should be prepared to offer constructive, alternative solutions when youth present behavior problems.

Adolescents' perceptions of privacy violations by parents, siblings, and friends.

Adolescence is a life stage beset by a growing desire for privacy. This study evaluated adolescents' experiences across four types of potentially privacy-invasive behaviors (PPIVBs) and within four different types of relationships. 158 adolescents (Mage = 16.9 years, SD = 1.0; 53.5% female) reported on the frequency of the PPIVBs, perceived control over the behaviors, secret/private information threatened by the behaviors, and feelings of privacy invasion produced by the behaviors. Privacy experiences were more similar across relationships than across types of behavior. Stronger feelings of privacy invasion were reported for PPIVBs involving electronics and information, for behaviors by family members, when behaviors occurred infrequently, when adolescents perceived greater control over whether the behaviors occurred, and when behaviors threated secret/private information.

The benefits of physical exercise on older adults' cognitive function: A cohort study exploring potential mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Despite existing studies showing that physical exercise improves cognitive function in older adults either concurrently or in a delayed manner, studies examining these associations simultaneously are rare. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms in these associations remain incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the concurrent and delayed (two years later) associations between physical exercise and older adults' cognitive function. This study also investigates the mediating roles of three negative physical, psychological, and social resources: limitations in daily abilities, depressive mood, and isolation from friends, as well as the moderating roles of cognitive reserve on these associations. DESIGN: A cohort sample of 6646 Chinese older adults (Mean age = 69.28, SD = 7.03) is obtained from the 2016 and 2018 waves of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Regression analysis was employed to test the concurrent and delayed associations between physical exercise and cognitive function. The bootstrap method was utilized to examine the mediating roles of limitations in daily activities, depression mood, and isolation from friends. Interaction terms were generated to investigate the moderating roles of cognitive reserve. RESULTS: Physical exercise presents concurrent and delayed positive associations with cognitive function. Limitations in daily activities, depressive mood and isolation from friends mediate the above associations. Moreover, cognitive reserve plays a significant role in buffering the concurrent and delayed negative links between depressive mood, isolation from friends, and cognitive function, with larger negative relationships observed for older adults with lower rather than higher levels of cognitive reserve. CONCLUSIONS: This study validates the concurrent and delayed benefits of physical exercise on older adults' cognitive function while elucidating the underlying mechanisms. These findings offer practical implications for health policies and intervention programs aimed at enhancing older adults' cognitive function.

The Dynamic Model of Health Assets: a model development.

AIM: Epidemiological research on resistance and resilience can build on models of health developed in health promotion. Nevertheless, these models need to be adjusted to approaches currently employed in epidemiology; namely, included concepts should be easy to operationalize, and links between them should be simple enough to enable statistical modeling. In addition, these models should include both individual and environmental assets. The objective of this study is to consolidate the current knowledge on health assets, adjust them to epidemiological research needs, and propose a new model of health assets for epidemiological studies on health. DESIGN: The conceptual paper was conducted according to the guidelines for the model development. METHODS: The development of the new model was made from the perspective of salutogenesis - the branch of health promotion studying the origins of health. The analysis of literature on health promotion, public health, and positive psychology was conducted to find the links connecting individual and environmental assets. RESULTS: The newly developed Dynamic Model of Health Assets circularly links individual characteristics, actions, environments, and support. Each preceding component of the model contributes to the following one; each component also independently contributes to resistance and resilience. The new model may guide large-scale epidemiological research on resistance and resilience. The model's components are easy to operationalize; the model allows for constructing multilevel models and accounting for the dynamic nature of the relationships between components. It is also generic enough to be adjusted to studying contributors to resistance and resilience to different specific diseases. CONCLUSION: The new model can guide epidemiological studies on resistance and resilience.

Harm from the drinking of people you know: A range of effects from different relationships.

AIMS: To describe the range of effects experienced due to the drinking of people respondents know and analyze risk and protective factors for harm from the drinking of partners and household members, other relatives and friends and co-workers. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Surveys of 2574 participants' experiences were obtained from two samples: 1000 people responded to random digitally dialled Australian mobile calls and 1574 participants responded from the Life in AustraliaTM panel survey. MEASUREMENTS: Respondents were asked whether they had been negatively affected in the previous 12 months by the drinking of persons they knew who were 'a heavy drinker or drank a lot sometimes' and the nature of these harms. Weighted logistic regressions were used to analyze differences in rates of key negative outcomes from known others' drinking by gender, age and socio-economic status. FINDINGS: Almost two thirds [60.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 57.7%-62.7%] of participants reported having heavy drinkers in their lives and 21.8% (95% CI = 19.8%-23.9%) reported being negatively affected by the drinking of people they knew well in some way. Participants reported a gamut of effects, including, most commonly, adverse social effects: having to transport relatives and friends who had been drinking, role failure and faults, being emotionally hurt or neglected, serious arguments, family problems, having to care for drinkers and verbal abuse. Less commonly, respondents reported physical or sexual harm, property damage, financial stress and threats from others' drinking. Women (odds ratio = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.13-1.95), younger people, rural, Australian-born (vs. respondents born overseas in non-English speaking countries) and more frequent drinkers were more likely to report harm from a drinker they knew than their counterparts after adjusting for other variables in the model. CONCLUSIONS: Australians appear to be commonly adversely affected by the drinking of people they know. Harms from known drinkers are more likely to be experienced by women than men, particularly from the people they live with and other relatives.

The information needs of relatives of childhood cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review of quantitative evidence.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to: (1) summarize the quantitative evidence on the information needs of relatives of childhood cancer patients, survivors, and children deceased from cancer; and (2) identify factors associated with these needs. METHODS: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL were systematically searched. The methodological quality of all included publications was assessed, and the extracted data were analyzed using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Of 5810 identified articles, 45 were included. Information needs were classified as unmet, met (satisfied), and unspecified and categorized into five domains: medical information, cancer-related consequences, lifestyle, family, and support. Most unmet information needs concerned cancer-related consequences (e.g., late effects), while information needs on support were generally met. Migrant background and higher education were associated with higher information needs among parents. Siblings had lower information needs than parents. CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the information needs of relatives in the context of childhood cancer, showing that information on cancer-related consequences is needed most often. The socioeconomic background of the relatives needs continued consideration throughout the cancer trajectory. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings suggest the need for personalized information. Healthcare professionals should adapt their communication strategies to respond to the different and evolving needs of all affected relatives.

Sources of Social Support and Trauma Recovery: Evidence for Bidirectional Associations from a Recently Trauma-Exposed Community Sample.

Although the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social support is well documented, few studies have tested the causal pathways explaining this association at several points in the acute post-trauma recovery period or examined whether the association varies for different sources of social support. To address these gaps, 151 community individuals (mean age = 37.20 years, 69.5% women) exposed to trauma within the previous 6 months were recruited to complete measures of PTSD and social support from intimate partners, friends, and relatives four times in 1 year. In line with recent recommendations for research on social support and PTSD symptoms, random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) was used to examine dynamic changes between PTSD severity and social support over time. The pattern of RI-CLPM cross-lagged coefficients indicated that positive deviations from one's expected stable level of total social support (across all sources) sped up the recovery of PTSD symptoms at the end of the post-trauma year, and more severe PTSD symptoms than expected based on one's expected stable level of PTSD started eroding social support midway through the assessment year. When specific sources of social support were analyzed separately, the association between within-person increases in social support from friends at any given time point accelerated the recovery from PTSD across the entire year. Among participants with intimate partners (n = 53), intimate partner support did not predict PTSD symptoms, but more severe PTSD symptoms at any given time point predicted less support at the following time point. Results from this longitudinal study provide additional support for the bidirectional relationship between PTSD and social support over time and suggest that perceived social support from friends may be especially helpful during trauma recovery.

The social contexts of behaviors and relationships: The relation of classroom and cyber victimization to number of classroom and cyber friends.

Behaviors and relationships exist within a variety of social contexts. More specifically for the current research, victimization and friendships occur in classrooms and, increasingly, in online virtual contexts. The current research examined how the number of classroom friends and number of cyber friends related to the extent of classroom victimization and extent of cyber victimization. Research has demonstrated the importance of face-to-face friendships in relation to being a victim; much less is known about the role of cyber friends in relation to being a cyber victim or how these relationships may play a role in cross-context victimization. Participants were 350 children from Grades 3 through 5 (188 girls and 162 boys). Children indicated classroom friends on a classroom roster, reported the number of their cyber friends, and indicated the extent of their cyber victimization. Peers nominated classmates for classroom victimization behaviors. A path analysis revealed that number of classroom friends was negatively associated with both extent of classroom victimization and extent of cyber victimization. Number of cyber friends was positively associated with extent of cyber victimization and was negatively related to extent of classroom victimization. Discussion of results includes the construction, use, and adaptation of social skills within and between social contexts.

Identifying Social Network Characteristics Associated With Youth Physical Activity Skill Competency at a Summer Care Program.

While literature suggests that youth physical activity (PA) behaviors are affected by network influences, less is known about network influences on perceived skill competency, a component of physical literacy and self-efficacy. This study aims to provide an understanding of potential network characteristics which are associated with youth PA skill competency. Youth (n = 158) between the ages of 8 and 12 years recruited from two summer care programs (i.e., Boys & Girls Clubs) participated in researcher-administered surveys. Youth self-reported their age, sex, involvement in team sports, weekly PA, and skill competency assessed using a version of the PLAYself measure. Youth were also asked to report up to five people in the summer program and five out of the program with whom they interacted the most. Linear regression was used to evaluate associations between skill competency and demographics, PA, and social network characteristics. Skill competency was significantly associated (R2 = .17) with age (ß = -.06, p = .01), sex (ß = -.06, p = .01), sports team involvement (ß = .16, p < .001), and weekly PA (ß = -.20, p < .001). Skill competency was also significantly associated with the number of connections with whom the youth played frequently (ß = .09, p < .001), the number of connections that helped the youth to be active (ß = .18, p < .001), and the heterogeneity of the type of relationships within the youth's network (ß = .11, p < .001). Skill competency scores were significantly associated with both individual variables and social network composition. In addition, youth with networks comprising several types of relationships (heterogeneity) reported a significantly high skill competency. PA interventions can be most effective when considering the reinforcing aspects of networks and skill competency.

Study protocol for the Screen-Free Time with Friends Feasibility Trial.

BACKGROUND: Children are spending less leisure time with their friends in person and an increasing amount of time with digital screens. These changes may negatively affect children's physical and mental health. The Screen-Free Time with Friends Feasibility Trial will test the feasibility, including acceptability and compliance, of an intervention designed to reduce screen media usage and encourage physical interaction with friends during leisure time in 9-11-year-old children. METHODS: A non-randomized single-group feasibility trial will be conducted from March to October 2023 including approximately 75 children (aged 9-11 years) and 75 parents (at least 1 per child) from 3 different schools recruited from 3 different municipalities in Denmark. The Screen-Free Time with Friends intervention is a multicomponent intervention targeting families, afterschool clubs, and local communities. It has been developed using a systematic process guided by the Medical Research Council UK's framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. With a systems perspective in mind, the intervention and implementation approach has been designed to facilitate adaptation to the specific needs of diverse local communities while maintaining the core components of the intervention. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be assessed during the intervention using process evaluation inspired by the RE-AIM framework including questionnaires and interviews with the municipality project managers, research team members, local ambassadors and stakeholders, parents and school, and afterschool club personnel. In addition, participation, recruitment, retention rate, and compliance to the outcome measurements will be investigated and presented. DISCUSSION: The trial will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the Screen-Free Time with Friends intervention, the recruitment strategy, and the planned outcome measurements. This feasibility study will investigate necessary refinements before the implementation of the intervention program in a larger cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate its impact. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, ID: NCT05480085. Registered 29 July 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05480085?cond=Screen+free+time+with+friends&draw=2&rank=1.

Soil exposure modulates the immune response to an influenza challenge in a mouse model.

There is increasing evidence that early life microbial exposure aids in immune system maturation, more recently known as the "old friends" hypothesis. To test this hypothesis, 4-week-old mice were exposed to soils of increasing microbial diversity for four weeks followed by an intranasal challenge with either live or heat inactivated influenza A virus and monitored for 7 additional days. Perturbations of the gut and lung microbiomes were explored through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. RNA-sequencing was used to examine the host response in the lung tissue through differential gene expression. We determined that compared to the gut microbiome, the lung microbiome is more susceptible to changes in beta diversity following soil exposure with Lachnospiraceae ASVs accounting for most of the differences between groups. While several immune system genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed in lung tissue due to soil exposures, there were no differences in viral load or weight loss. This study shows that exposure to diverse microbial communities through soil exposure alters the gut and lung microbiomes resulting in differential expression of specific immune system related genes within the lung following an influenza challenge.

The association between neighborhood-level social fragmentation and distressing psychotic-like experiences in early adolescence: the moderating role of close friends.

BACKGROUND: Early exposure to neighborhood social fragmentation has been shown to be associated with schizophrenia. The impact of social fragmentation and friendships on distressing psychotic-like experiences (PLE) remains unknown. We investigate the relationships between neighborhood social fragmentation, number of friends, and distressing PLE among early adolescents. METHODS: Data were collected from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Generalized linear mixed models tested associations between social fragmentation and distressing PLE, as well as the moderating role of the number of total and close friends. RESULTS: Participants included 11 133 adolescents aged 9 to 10, with 52.3% being males. Greater neighborhood social fragmentation was associated with higher levels of distressing PLE (adjusted ß = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01-0.09). The number of close but not total friends significantly interacted with social fragmentation to predict distressing PLE (adjusted ß = -0.02; 95% CI: -0.04 to <-0.01). Among those with fewer close friends, the association between neighborhood social fragmentation and distressing PLE was significant (adjusted ß = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.03-0.11). However, among those with more close friends, the association was non-significant (adjusted ß = 0.03; 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Greater neighborhood social fragmentation is associated with higher levels of distressing PLE, particularly among those with fewer close friends. Further research is needed to disentangle aspects of the interaction between neighborhood characteristics and the quality of social interactions that may contribute to psychosis, which would have implications for developing effective interventions at the individual and community levels.

How Do Social Relationships Affect Later Life Planning?

Relatively little is known about how social relationships affect later life planning. Our study focuses on an underexamined aspect of social relationships, frequency of contact - not only with family members but also with friends. Using data from a survey of Floridians aged 50 and older conducted between December 2020 and April 2021 (n = 3,832), we examine the association between frequency of contact and five planning types: finances, health care, living arrangements, driving retirement, and end-of-life. We found that more frequent contact was associated with greater likelihood of planning, and this result was largely consistent across types of relationships and types of planning. Our findings suggest that contact with family members and friends may encourage more planning, which could reduce the stress that can accompany later life transitions. Our study offers further evidence of social relationships' centrality to later life well-being and points to the many benefits of enhancing them.

Imported malaria: A 20-year retrospective study from a tertiary public hospital in Brussels, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Malaria continues to cause a significant number of infections in non-endemic regions. In this paper, we describe the epidemiological trend and morbidity of imported malaria diagnosed in a tertiary hospital in Brussels. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study describing a cohort of malaria episodes (in- and outpatients) at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre from 1998 to 2017. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected by reviewing medical files. RESULTS: A total of 1011 malaria episodes were analyzed. Median age at diagnosis was 35 years, and 66 % of patients were men (672/1011). Malaria cases significantly increased over the two decades (from 17 in 1998 to 79 in 2017). Plasmodium falciparum malaria was most often diagnosed (846/935, 89 %), primarily from Central (530/935, 57 %) and West Africa (324/935, 35 %). Many cases (383/764, 50 %) were diagnosed in patients "visiting friends and relatives". HIV-infected and other immunocompromised patients were significantly more likely to present with severe malaria (at least one severity criteria as defined by the WHO) compared to other patients (24/57, 42 % vs 138/732, 19 %, p < 0.01 and 15/21, 71 % vs 147/767, 19 %, p < 0.001). Severe malaria was diagnosed in 16.9 % and the mortality rate was low (5/1011, 0.5 %). CONCLUSION: Imported malaria increased over the years with a large, albeit stable number of cases diagnosed in patients visiting friends and relatives. These findings, along with the high rate of severe malaria in HIV and immunocompromised patients, underscore an urgent need for strengthened malaria surveillance and targeted preventive interventions.

Longitudinal Associations Between Support and Prosocial Behavior Across Adolescence: The Roles of Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, and Friends.

Family members and friends can play an important role in adolescents' prosocial behavior. To better understand the relation between support and prosocial behavior in adolescence, it's important to conduct longitudinal studies that distinguish between within-dyad variance and between-dyad variance. The current study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescents' prosocial behavior, autonomy support, and emotional support from family and friends across adolescence. Across six annual years, 497 Dutch adolescents (284 boys; mean age T1 = 13.03 years, SDage = 0.46), fathers, mothers, siblings, and friends reported on their prosocial behavior. Adolescents also reported on perceived autonomy and emotional support. Between-dyads almost all associations of support and prosocial behavior of family members and friends with adolescents' prosocial behavior were significant, with higher levels of adolescents' prosocial behavior being associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior and support from fathers, mothers and friends. Within-dyads, several concurrent associations were significant, but within-dyads links between prosocial behavior and autonomy support are particularly driven by adolescent-mother or adolescent-sibling effects. This study highlights processes that occurred either at the between-dyad level or at the within-dyad level, but that varied per relationship type and that adolescents are the main catalysts in within-dyads changes in prosocial behavior and support. Preregistration: This study was preregistered on 20 January 2020 at https://osf.io/vxkm3/?view_only=dca87fd1585c444ba5cd5a00c22280ae .

Resistance to peer influence, smoking friends, cigarette and betel nut use, and gender among Pacific Islander youth.

The present study examined the relationships between resistance to peer influence and cigarette and betel nut use, as well as the potential mediating role of friends who use cigarettes and betel nut, among boys and girls in Guam. This study included 673 ethnically diverse students (49% female; M age = 12.7, SD = 0.89) from eight public middle schools. The mediation analysis demonstrated that higher resistance to peer influence for both cigarette and betel nut use was associated with lower cigarette and betel nut use directly and that this association was mediated by friends who used cigarette and betel nut products. That is, low resistance to peer influence for both cigarette and betel nut use was associated with a greater number of friends who smoke and use betel nut, which was linked with more cigarette and betel nut use. The moderated mediation analysis revealed no gender difference in the indirect effect (i.e., the mediation of friends who used cigarettes and betel nut). These findings can be used to inform the design and implementation of intervention and prevention programs for at-risk youth, regardless of gender, who are vulnerable to substance use in the Pacific.

When intergroup contact correlates with gender-prejudice beliefs of emerging adults.

This study examined whether the contact emerging adults have with same-gender and other-gender friends, and other-gender romantic partners is associated with their sexist and gender-inequality beliefs, and whether these associations are moderated by their gender or gender contentedness (feeling content with one's gender). Dutch emerging adults (N = 381, 18-25 years old, 51% female) completed an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that more other-gender contact was associated with less gender-inequality beliefs and with less hostile sexism in people who felt less content with their gender, but with more hostile sexism in people who feel highly content with their gender. More same-gender contact was associated with more benevolent sexism and gender-inequality beliefs, as well as with men's hostile sexism. Contact with romantic partners was not associated with gender-prejudice beliefs. Thus, same-gender contact and other-gender contact with friends each are associated with gender prejudice, depending on gender and gender contentedness.

Coinfections and antimicrobial treatment in a cohort of falciparum malaria in a non-endemic country: a 10-year experience.

INTRODUCTION: Falciparum malaria remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide. In Germany, it is mainly an imported infection among travellers. Rates of coinfection are often unknown, and a clinical rationale for the beneficial use of calculated antibiotic therapy in patients with malaria and suspected coinfection is lacking. METHODS: We conducted an analysis of all in-patients treated with falciparum malaria at a German infectious diseases centre in vicinity to one of Europe's major airports for 2010-2019. Logistic regression and time-to-event analysis were used to evaluate predictors for bacterial coinfection, the use of antibacterial substances, as well as their influence on clinical course. RESULTS: In total, 264 patients were included. Of those, 64% received an additional antibacterial therapy (n = 169). Twenty-nine patients (11.0%) were found to have suffered from a relevant bacterial coinfection, while only a small fraction had relevant bacteremia (n = 3, 1.4%). However, patients with severe malaria did not suffer from coinfections more frequently (p = 0.283). CRP levels were not a reliable predictor for a bacterial coinfection (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94-1.06, p = 0.850), while another clinical focus of infection was positively associated (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.45-11.55, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Although bacterial coinfections were rare in patients with malaria at our centre, the risk does not seem negligible. These data point rather towards individual risk assessment in respective patients than to general empiric antibiotic use.

Peer Influences on (Dis)Engagement in Early Adolescence: the Role of Friendship, Social Status, and Academic Status.

Academic engagement in adolescence is shaped by influences from the peer environment, yet the types of peers impacting engagement remain unclear. This study explores the roles of friends, popular students, and intelligent students in shaping peers' behavioral and emotional (dis)engagement. Data were analyzed from 3409 Flemish eighth-grade students (Mage = 13.48 years, SD = 0.46, 50.09% female), utilizing self-reports and peer nominations to measure (dis)engagement and map friendship, popularity, and intelligence networks in the fall and spring. Longitudinal network analysis revealed that, while accounting for selection and network structure, friends influenced all dimensions of engagement. Popular students influenced emotional disengagement, and intelligent students impacted emotional engagement. These findings underscore the intricate nature of peer dynamics, highlighting the need for a multidimensional approach to studying peer influences on engagement.

A commentary on children's books about autism: What messages do they send about neurodiversity?

The past three decades have seen an exponential increase in the publication of children's books about autism. This increased availability of children's books is exciting because they have the power to promote understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of neurodiversity. However, growing concerns have been raised by both autistic and non-autistic people that some children's books about autism may work against neurodiversity, rather than promoting it. This Commentary discusses the strikingly different ways in which children's books about autism portray key concepts related to neurodiversity, including autistic differences, agency, abilities, and communication. We present concrete examples (including books by autistic authors); highlight the views of autistic and non-autistic parents of autistic children; and discuss how different books may leave readers with different impressions of autism and neurodiversity. Given the vastly different themes that emerge across different books, we conclude that it is important for educators, families, and other members of the autism community to make informed and individualized choices about what books they use for what purpose. We emphasize the need for systematic, high-quality research on children's books about autism, including content analyses and studies that determine what messages these books send to their intended audience: children. It is vital that autistic people continue to shape this conversation, contributing unique insights that inform research priorities and the methodological approaches used to investigate them.