Psychometric Evaluation of the Affect Regulation Checklist: Clinical and Community Samples, Parent-Reports and Youth Self-Reports.

The Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC) was designed to capture affect dysregulation, suppression, and reflection. Importantly, affect dysregulation has been established as a transdiagnostic mechanism underpinning many forms of psychopathology. We tested the ARC psychometric properties across clinical and community samples and through both parent-report and youth self-report information. Clinical sample: Participants included parents (n = 814; Mage = 43.86) and their child (n = 608; Mage = 13.98). Community sample: Participants included independent samples of parents (n = 578; Mage = 45.12) and youth (n = 809; Mage = 15.67). Exploratory structural equation modeling supported a three-factor structure across samples and informants. Dysregulation was positively associated with all forms of psychopathology. In general, suppression was positively associated with many forms of psychopathology, and reflection was negatively associated with externalizing problems and positively associated with internalizing problems.

Brief Report: Alexithymia Trait Severity, Not Autistic Trait Severity, Relates to Caregiver Reactions to Autistic Children's Negative Emotions.

Alexithymia impacts an individual's ability to recognize and understand emotions and frequently co-occurs with autism. This study investigated the relationship between children's alexithymia, autistic traits, and caregiver reactions to their child's negative emotions. Caregivers of 54 autistic and 51 non-autistic children between the ages of 7 and 12 years rated their child's alexithymia and autistic trait severity and their reactions to their child's negative emotions. Caregivers of autistic children reported greater supportive reactions and fewer restrictive/controlling reactions to their child's negative emotions when their child had more alexithymia traits. This study extends previous research by demonstrating that caregivers of autistic children with co-occurring alexithymia traits represent a specific subgroup of caregivers that respond more positively to their child's negative emotions.

Facilitators and Barriers to Physical Activity Involvement as Described by Autistic Youth with Mild Intellectual Disability.

Objectives: Physical activity involvement among autistic youth and youth with an intellectual disability is significantly lower than the general population. Few studies have included youth with comorbid diagnoses of ASD and intellectual disability. Fewer studies collect information from the youth themselves. This study examined barriers and facilitators to physical activity in autistic youth with mild intellectual disability using semi-structured interviews with youth and through caregiver reports. Methods: Fourteen caregivers and their children ages 8 to 16 years old participated. Caregivers completed a questionnaire about their thoughts on their child's physical activity while their children completed the semi-structured interview. A descriptive phenomenological approach was followed. Results: Four themes were inductively identified: intrapersonal barriers (factors that are within the person which impede physical activity involvement, such as exhibiting challenging behaviors that inhibit engagement), interpersonal barriers (factors external to the person, such as lack of community support), intrapersonal facilitators (factors within the person that enhance physical activity involvement, such as being intrinsically motivated to improve skills), and interpersonal facilitators (external factors such as supports from caregivers). Conclusions: Interviewing youth is important to capture a holistic picture of factors influencing physical activity. Future research may focus on implementing and assessing the efficacy of strategies to address the barriers facing youth diagnosed with ASD and intellectual disability. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41252-022-00310-5.