Development and Validation of the Assessment of Bullying Experiences Questionnaire for Neurodivergent Youth.

Bullying victimization is a prevalent concern for neurodivergent (e.g., autistic, ADHD) youth. Bullying assessment methods vary widely and there is currently no questionnaire specific to neurodivergent youth. The Assessment of Bullying Experiences (ABE) was created to fill this gap. The ABE questionnaire was completed by 335 parents of school-age youth characterized as autistic, having ADHD, or community comparison. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis identified a four-factor solution, aligning with verbal, physical, relational, and cyber victimization. Construct validity analyses indicate the ABE converges with an existing bullying questionnaire and diverges from disruptive behavior or internalizing symptoms. The ABE questionnaire is a valid measure of bullying that furthers understanding of nuance in peer victimization for neurodivergent youth and informs group-specific intervention.

Brief Report: Predictors of School Refusal Due to Bullying in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for bullying victimization. School refusal is a 'red flag' for identification of bullying in children with ASD and/or ADHD. This study examined the impact of diagnoses, demographics, and school variables on school refusal due to bullying. Participants were 97 parents of 154 children with ASD, ADHD, ASD + ADHD, other diagnoses, or no diagnosis. Children with ASD + ADHD were most likely to refuse school due to bullying. Classroom aides and behavior problems were protective and risk factors, respectively. In the final regression model, child diagnosis no longer predicted school refusal. School refusal and problem behavior warrant consideration as a marker of distress for victimized children.

Brief Report: Social Behavior and Special Interests in the Stigmatization of Autistic College Students.

Autistic people, by definition, differ in social behavior from non-autistic individuals. One characteristic common to many autistic people is a special interest in a particular topic-something spoken about with such frequency and intensity that it may be stigmatized by non-autistic peers. We investigated college students' interest in interacting with peers described as behaving in ways characteristic of autism (or not), and additionally described as having a special interest (or not). As expected, autistic characters were more stigmatized, but autistic characters with a special interest were not more stigmatized than those without. Only among non-autistic characters was having a special interest associated with greater stigmatization. Findings give further insight into factors influencing the stigmatization of autistic college students.

Conceptualizing bullying in children with autism spectrum disorder: Using a mixed model to differentiate behavior types and identify predictors.

Children with autism spectrum disorder experience bullying more frequently than their typical peers. Inconsistent definitions for and imprecise measurement of bullying in the literature impede a better understanding of this difference, and multiple types of bullying topographies create additional dimensions for analysis. In this study, participants rated the severity of bullying depicted in written vignettes of child-dyadic interactions. The vignettes varied across child age (4-15 years old) and described either one of four different types of bullying or non-bullying behavior. Participants included teachers and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and community members without an autism spectrum disorder child. Participants' severity ratings of vignettes that described bullying differed by bullying type (i.e. verbal, physical, cyber, and interpersonal). Multilevel modeling revealed that bullying severity ratings are impacted by the age of children in the vignette, being a community member without children, and other demographic variables. These findings have implications for research methodology, assessment, and conceptualization of bullying in typical children as well as those with autism spectrum disorder.

Digital Communication and Records in Service Provision and Supervision: Regulation and Practice.

While the use of computer-based communication, video recordings, and other "electronic" records is commonplace in clinical service settings and research, management of digital records can become a great burden from both practical and regulatory perspectives. Three types of challenges commonly present themselves: regulatory requirements; storage, transmission, and access; and analysis for clinical and research decision-making. Unfortunately, few practitioners and organizations are well enough informed to set necessary policies and procedures in an effective, comprehensive manner. The three challenges are addressed using a demonstrative example of policies and procedural guidelines from an applied perspective, maintaining the unique emphasis behavior analysts place upon quantitative analysis. Specifically, we provide a brief review of federal requirements relevant to the use of video and electronic records in the USA; non-jargon pragmatic solutions to managing and storing video and electronic records; and last, specific methodologies to facilitate extraction of quantitative information in a cost-effective manner.

Keeping Current with the Applied Behavior-Analytic Literature in Developmental Disabilities: Noteworthy Articles for the Practicing Behavior Analyst.

To meet the appropriate standard of care for their clients, practicing behavior analysts must stay in close contact with the scholarly literature. As one step toward this important goal, we provide an annotated bibliography of recent articles that are deemed to have relevance to behavioral practitioners in the area of developmental disabilities.

Behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Early intensive behavioral intervention is the only well-established treatment for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Less intensive behavioral interventions are also effective for targeted concerns with older children and adolescents. This article describes the core features of behavioral treatments, summarizes the evidence base for effectiveness, and provides recommendations to facilitate family understanding of these interventions and identification of qualified providers. Recommendations are also provided for collaboration between pediatric providers and behavior analysts who are serving families of individuals with ASDs.

The impact of labels and behaviors on the stigmatization of adults with Asperger's disorder.

Currently, there is a paucity of literature on stigmatization of adults with Asperger's Disorder (AD). Therefore, this study examined whether young adults hold stigmatizing views towards individuals with AD and if that stigmatization is elicited by behaviors or labels. College students (N = 195) read one of six vignettes. A modified Social Distance Scale (Link et al. 1987) was used to assess stigmatization. A 2 × 3 analysis of variance revealed that the social behaviors commonly observed in AD significantly impacted stigmatization scores, while the label, "Asperger's Disorder," did not. These findings have important implications for future research, educating the public, providing support services, and treatment recommendations for individuals with AD.

An examination of the state of imitation research in children with autism: Issues of definition and methodology.

Several authors have suggested that children with autism are impaired in their ability to imitate others. However, diverse methodologies, contradictory findings, and varying theoretical explanations continue to exist in the literature despite decades of research. A comprehensive account of imitation in children with autism is hampered by the lack of a consistent and operational definition of imitation and other more simplistic forms of copying behavior. Failure to adopt specific definitions of imitative behavior and tasks capable of distinguishing between various types of copying behavior may be at the root of contradictions across studies of imitation and the lack of a unified theoretical account of the "imitation deficit" in autism. The current state of imitation research in children with autism is discussed, and specific recommendations are suggested regarding the adoption of a comparative taxonomy of imitation, a standardized methodology across researchers, and a standardized imitation battery for children with autism.

Commentary on Drash and Tudor: An analysis of autism as a contingency-shaped disorder of verbal behavior.

A critique is presented of the etiological model for autism as presented by Drash and Tudor. The model is rejected based upon conceptual and methodological grounds. The major points raised concern overgeneralization of research findings, limitations of single subject methodology to answer population based questions, current neurobiological research, and the danger of uni-dimensional models. Specific examples of cases that do not fit Drash and Tudor model are presented.