Caregiver Perceptions of Social Communication and Interaction: Development and Validation of the SCIPS.

Social communication and interaction (SC/I) skill quality may be influenced by cultural values, norms, and expectations. Because difficulties in SC/I is a core criterion for identifying autism and is a frequent construct of interest in autism research, a measure designed to capture cross-cultural differences in the perspectives of SC/I skills is warranted. To address this need we developed and validated the Social Communication and Interaction Perceptions Scale (SCIPS), a caregiver report measure for children ages 6-18 years, that measures both frequency and perceived importance of various SC/I skills. Results from 401 diverse caregiver participants showed that for both domains (i.e., Frequency and Importance) the SCIPS has good reliability (α = 0.88-0.95) and two factors that examine basic and advanced aspects of SC/I skills. Findings support the use of the SCIPS as a measure of caregiver perspectives of SC/I skills in clinical and research contexts.

Assessing Interdisciplinary Trainees' Objective and Self-Reported Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Confidence in Providing Services.

The importance of accurate identification and high-quality intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is indisputable. Clinicians from multiple professions need adequate knowledge of ASD to make appropriate referrals to specialists, conduct thorough evaluations, and provide effective interventions. ASD knowledge development for many professionals may start at the pre-service training level. An interdisciplinary sample consisting of trainees from Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) across the country (N = 155) was evaluated on their objectively measured ASD knowledge using the ASKSP-R. Self-reported knowledge of ASD and self-reported confidence in providing services to individuals who have ASD was evaluated using a 0-100 scale. Results from an ANOVA demonstrated a significant difference in objectively measured knowledge across disciplines, F(7, 146) = 4.68, p < .001. Specifically, trainees in psychology had significantly higher levels of objectively measured ASD knowledge than trainees in physical/occupational therapy, social work, and non-clinical disciplines. Pre-service and professional development experiences predicted trainees' objectively measured ASD knowledge, self-reported ASD knowledge, and self-reported confidence. Implications and recommendations regarding interdisciplinary training to improve outcomes for individuals with ASD are discussed.

Influences of student race/ethnicity and gender on autism special education classification considerations.

LAY ABSTRACT: Autism prevalence has continued to rise in recent years. However, females and children from Black, Latinx, and Asian backgrounds are often misidentified or identified less often than White males. These identification disparities make it difficult for children to receive appropriate special education and school intervention services. In this study, school psychologists read a vignette featuring a student with possible autism symptoms. The vignette varied by student race/ethnicity and gender. Afterward, participants rated the likelihood that they would classify the student with autism and their confidence in this rating. Student race/ethnicity and gender influenced both classification likelihood and confidence. These results suggest that school psychologists are influenced by implicit bias and do not fully consider cultural factors in school autism evaluations. This may contribute to identification disparities.

Cultural differences in social communication and interaction: A gap in autism research.

Social communication and interaction deficits are a diagnostic criteria of autism and integral to practitioner and researcher conceptualization. Culture is an influential factor in expectations for, and demonstration of, social communication and interaction skills, but there is limited research published in autism journals on this topic. This paucity of autism research examining cultural factors related to social communication and interaction may contribute to known identification disparities for racial and ethnic populations minoritized by systemic factors and research bias. We call for increased commitment from researchers to recruit racially and ethnically minoritized participants, prioritize investigating cultural expectations and perceptions of social communication and interaction, and evaluate measures related to social communication for cultural and linguistic responsivity. LAY SUMMARY: A diagnosis of autism requires the presence of deficits in social communication and interaction. Examples of these behaviors and skills include holding a back-and-forth conversation, the use of nonverbal communicative behaviors (e.g., gestures), and developing and maintaining social relationships. Culture influences the expectations for, and presentation of, these behaviors. However, research on this topic is lacking. Conducting more research related to culture and social communication could help reduce the disparities in autism identification across racially and ethnically minoritized populations.

Interagency Collaboration for Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives of Community-Based Providers.

BACKGROUND: Interagency collaboration between community and school settings is one mechanism to serve the complex needs of pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). PURPOSE: We surveyed a national sample of community-based providers to examine their perspectives on interagency collaboration with school-based providers when serving pediatric patients with ASD. METHOD: Medical and behavioral/mental health professionals practicing in community settings were recruited. Participants (N = 116) completed an online survey about their interagency collaboration experiences with schools. RESULTS: The majority of the sample reported engaging in interagency collaboration with school-based providers; however, the frequency was limited and was associated with the number of years working in the field. Community-based providers wanted more didactic and hands-on experiences in collaboration. Barriers and facilitators were related to schools' administration, school personnels' training in ASD, information exchange, and delineating between identification systems. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of leadership support and the need for innovative training experiences to support school-community interagency collaboration.

Methods for addressing publication bias in school psychology journals: A descriptive review of meta-analyses from 1980 to 2019.

Although meta-analyses are often used to inform practitioners and researchers, the resulting effect sizes can be artificially inflated due to publication bias. There are a number of methods to protect against, detect, and correct for publication bias. Currently, it is unknown to what extent scholars publishing meta-analyses within school psychology journals use these methods to address publication bias and whether more recently published meta-analyses more frequently utilize these methods. A historical review of every meta-analysis published to date within the most prominent school psychology journals (N = 10) revealed that 88 meta-analyses were published from 1980 to early 2019. Exactly half of them included grey literature, and 60% utilized methods to detect and correct for publication bias. The most common methods were visual analysis of a funnel plot, Orwin's failsafe N, Egger's regression, and the trim and fill procedure. None of these methods were used in more than 20% of the studies. About half of the studies incorporated one method, 20% incorporated two methods, 7% incorporated three methods, and none incorporated all four methods. These methods were most evident in studies published recently. Similar to other fields, the true estimates of effects from meta-analyses published in school psychology journals may not be available, and practitioners may be utilizing interventions that are, in fact, not as strong as believed. Practitioners, researchers employing meta-analysis techniques, education programs, and editors and peer reviewers in school psychology should continue to guard against publication bias using these methods.

School-Clinic Care Coordination for Youth with ASD: A National Survey of School Psychologists.

Many youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may benefit from interdisciplinary care coordination. Communication and collaboration between the school and clinic settings is particularly important when youth with ASD are receiving both special education and clinic-based services. The responsibility of initiating coordinated care has historically been with the medical home (e.g., primary care clinicians), however, educational professionals (e.g., school psychologists) are also well positioned to assume a leadership role in care coordination. Little is known about the current state, feasibility, or effectiveness of school psychologists leading care coordination efforts. The current study utilizes a mixed-method approach to understand school psychologists' engagement in interdisciplinary collaboration across settings, a central tenet to coordinated care, in providing services to youth with ASD.

The ASKSP Revised (ASKSP-R) as a Measure of ASD Knowledge for Professional Populations.

It is important for all professionals who work with individuals who have ASD to have sufficient knowledge of the disorder. The development of ASD knowledge may occur during preservice training and/or through professional development. Currently, there is no "gold standard" measure of ASD knowledge. A study focusing on the development of a reliable and valid measure of ASD knowledge for practitioners and preservice professionals is warranted. To address this need, the current study provides preliminary information on the development and preliminary validation of the Autism Spectrum Knowledge Scale Professional Version-Revised (ASKSP-R) with a sample of school-based professionals (N = 427). Results suggest the ASKSP-R is a univariate measure with good reliability. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.