Developing a Faculty Roles Crosswalk for Health Sciences Librarians.

Many Health Sciences Librarians (HSLs) affiliated with academic health centers in the US have faculty status. Faculty status enables HSLs to collaborate with their health sciences faculty colleagues as peers. Translating HSL faculty responsibilities into terms their faculty counterparts can understand represents an ongoing challenge for HSLs. This translation process becomes crucial when HSLs with faculty status seek a promotion or wish to secure tenure. The authors used job analysis to clarify faculty roles for HSLs to create a "Crosswalk" that enables the reader to identify an HSL role and find an equivalent health sciences faculty role.

Parent-Researcher Perspectives on Role Intersectionality Related to Autism Research.

Although parents of children with autism who are also experts in a related profession have been instrumental in shaping current practices, there is little known about parent-researchers and the benefits and obstacles to including individuals with these intersectional identities on autism focused research teams. The following study used collaborative autoethnographies from three parent-researchers hired for a large scale, federally funded project. The parent-researchers, and co-authors, collaborated on all phases of the reported study. Common themes generated from the shared perspectives included: prioritizing children and professional sacrifices; professional training as an asset for parents; potential bias toward parents in professional contexts; assets as parent-professionals; and obstacles for maintaining intersectional roles of parent-professionals. Recommendations for autism researchers and considerations for employing and supporting parent-researchers are discussed.

Exploring Extracurricular Clubs for Building Social Competence of Students With Autism.

Individuals with autism experience challenges in social communication that directly impacts in-school and post-school performance. A growing number of these students are taught in general education settings in public high schools, where creating opportunities for practice of social communication skills is frequently a challenge. This exploratory, mixed methods pilot investigation explores existing and potential opportunities for high school students with autism to practice 21st century skills, including communication, in extracurricular club environments. Findings indicate that extracurricular club settings are rich environments in which all participating students, including those with autism, have opportunities to practice critical 21st century skills in a context related to their interests.

Educational Interventions for Children and Youth with Autism: A 40-Year Perspective.

Commemorating the 40 th anniversary of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) III, the purpose of this commentary is to describe school-based and school-relevant interventions and instructional approaches for children and youth with autism that have been developed and employed during that time period. The commentary begins with a brief description of foundational research that provides an historical context. Research themes shaped by science, ethics, social policy, and the changes in the DSM provide an organization for describing the evolution of intervention and instructional practices over the four previous decades. The commentary concludes with a discussion of school-contextual variables that influence implementation and the promise of the "iSciences" for closing the research to practice gap in the future.

Sex Differences in Social Participation of High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There is lack of consensus in the literature regarding sex differences in social outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum. Furthermore, little research has focused on the social experiences of high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the school day. Using a large racially/ethnically diverse sample of high school students with ASD receiving special education services (n = 547; 76 females, 471 males), we examined sex differences in social interactions of youth both during and after school. We also tested for sex differences in background and phenotypic characteristics including autism severity, IQ, adaptive behavior, and mental health. Results indicated few statistically significant differences between males and females in social interactions and phenotypic characteristics (including raw scores of autism symptom severity). However, analysis of standardized scores of autism symptoms suggested that symptom scores for females with ASD diverged more from same-sex peers in the normed sample than scores of males with ASD. Lack of sex difference in social participation for youth with ASD in this study stands in contrast to patterns of sex differences in the general population. Findings suggest that few differences between males and females with ASD, both in social participation and autism symptom severity, might result in females with ASD being more dissimilar to their same-sex peers than males with ASD. Implications of findings for understanding sex differences in ASD across the life course are discussed. LAY SUMMARY: The present study examined sex differences in social participation in a large, diverse sample of high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Males and females were very similar in their social interactions both at school and outside of school, based on reports by teachers and parents. Level of autism symptoms was also similar for males and females. However, standardized scores of autism symptoms, which take into account age and sex specific norms, suggested that females with ASD may have behaviors that are more divergent from their same-sex peers than males with ASD.

Implementation Science, Behavior Analysis, and Supporting Evidence-based Practices for Individuals with Autism.

Although applied behavior analysis researchers have created efficacious treatment and intervention practices for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a gap between research and practice. Implementation Science (IS) and Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), based with Applied Behavior Analysis, are two parallel fields that could close this gap. This paper provides descriptions of both IS and OBM, highlighting their commonalities and unique featuers. The paper concludes with examples of how researchers have used IS and OBM to promote practitioners' use of evidence-based practices and services for children and youth with ASD.

Student, Educator, and Parent Perspectives of Self-Determination in High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Self-determination refers to an individual being a causal agent in their daily activities, including the ability to express their own needs, interests, and wants, make choices, and set goals. Self-determination is critical during adolescence and has been linked to positive educational outcomes in individuals with disabilities. Few studies have characterized the measurement of self-determination in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to (a) examine the agreement across the American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale (Wolman et al., AIR Self-determination scale and user guide. Palo Alto, CA: American Institute for Research, 1994) student, educator, and parent forms for high school students with ASD, and (b) examine student and family predictors of self-determination. Participants included adolescents with ASD (N = 547, mean chronological age = 16.1 years, SD = 1.4 years), their parents, and educators. Student reports did not correspond to parent or educator reports, and parent and educator reports were in moderate agreement. Adaptive behavior was a significant predictor of self-determination across reporters, highlighting the significance of adaptive behavior skills during high school. In addition to promoting adaptive behavior, supporting family empowerment, and reducing family burden may help to increase self-determination in high school students with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: Self-determination refers to the abilities and opportunities for students to make choices, plans, and set goals. The current study examined self-determination from multiple perspectives in a large, diverse sample of high school students with ASD. Students, parents, and their teachers each completed a questionnaire on self-determination and had little to some agreement across reporters. Providing support to families and help for students to increase independent skills may promote self-determination.

Quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.

The purpose of the study was to examine the quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale-Middle/High School was used to rate the quality of programs for students with autism spectrum disorder in 60 high schools located in three geographic locations in the United States (CA, NC, and WI). Findings indicated that the total quality rating across schools was slightly above the adequate criterion. Higher quality ratings occurred for program environment, learning climate, family participation, and teaming domains. However, quality ratings for intervention domains related to the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (e.g. communication, social, independence, functional behavior, and transition) were below the adequate quality rating level. Also, quality ratings for transition were significantly higher for modified (primarily self-contained) programs than standard diploma (primarily served in general education) programs. School urbanicity was a significant predictor of program quality, with suburban schools having higher quality ratings than urban or rural schools, controlling for race, school enrollment size, and Title 1 eligibility status. Implications for working with teachers and school teams that support high school students with autism spectrum disorder should include a targeted focus on transition programming that includes a breadth of work-based learning experiences and activities that support social-communication domains.

Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness in New Mexico: opening a local conversation by hosting a national traveling exhibit.

BACKGROUND: The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center hosted the National Library of Medicine's Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness traveling exhibit. The authors' goal was to promote local interest in the Native Voices exhibit, with an emphasis on making the exhibit content and materials available to American Indian communities throughout rural New Mexico. CASE PRESENTATION: We convened a daylong summit to highlight the exhibit and encourage discussion among 30 American Indian community health educators. The summit prompted the compilation and distribution of descriptions of 23 community projects that promote health and wellness. We also took a scaled-down version of the exhibit to 4 rural college campuses around the state that serve significant Native American student populations. Approximately 140 students and faculty interacted with the exhibit materials, and all 4 sites incorporated the exhibit into curriculum activities. CONCLUSIONS: A hosted national exhibit developed into a multifaceted, funded project that engaged with American Indian communities. We demonstrated successful field deployment of a downsized, portable version of the full traveling exhibit to make meaningful connections with members of our outreach population.

Rural providers' access to online resources: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The research determined the usage and satisfaction levels with one of two point-of-care (PoC) resources among health care providers in a rural state. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, twenty-eight health care providers in rural areas were stratified by occupation and region, then randomized into either the DynaMed or the AccessMedicine study arm. Study participants were physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. A pre- and post-study survey measured participants' attitudes toward different information resources and their information-seeking activities. Medical student investigators provided training and technical support for participants. Data analyses consisted of analysis of variance (ANOVA), paired t tests, and Cohen's d statistic to compare pre- and post-study effects sizes. RESULTS: Participants in both the DynaMed and the AccessMedicine arms of the study reported increased satisfaction with their respective PoC resource, as expected. Participants in both arms also reported that they saved time in finding needed information. At baseline, both arms reported too little information available, which increased to "about right amounts of information" at the completion of the study. DynaMed users reported a Cohen's d increase of +1.50 compared to AccessMedicine users' reported use of 0.82. DynaMed users reported d2 satisfaction increases of 9.48 versus AccessMedicine satisfaction increases of 0.59 using a Cohen's d. CONCLUSION: Participants in the DynaMed arm of the study used this clinically oriented PoC more heavily than the users of the textbook-based AccessMedicine. In terms of user satisfaction, DynaMed users reported higher levels of satisfaction than the users of AccessMedicine.

Evaluation of comprehensive treatment models for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Multiple dimensions of comprehensive treatment models (CTMs) for learners with autism were evaluated in this study. The purpose of the study was to provide evaluative information upon which service providers, family members, and researchers could make decisions about model adoption, selection for a family member, or future research. Thirty CTMs were identified, with the majority based on an applied behavior analysis framework, although a substantial minority followed a developmental or relationship-based model. As a group, CTMs were strongest in the operationalization of their models, although relatively weaker in measurement of implementation, and with notable exceptions, weak in evidence of efficacy.