Provider Self-Reported Use and Usefulness of Intervention Strategies for Externalizing Behaviors in Youths with ASD.

OBJECTIVE: To examine predictors of implementation and perceived usefulness of four empirically supported strategies for treating externalizing behavior in youths with ASD. METHOD: Participants were 557 providers in the United States with experience treating externalizing behavior in youths with ASD. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine whether self-reported use and usefulness of four empirically supported intervention strategies (functional communication training, functional behavior analysis, visual tools/supports, token economy) were predicted by key provider characteristics: professional discipline, experience, and practice specialization (across three indices) in ASD. Post-hoc contrasts were performed to identify provider groups reporting the greatest use and usefulness of the four strategies. RESULTS: Strategies were most often used by providers with behavioral backgrounds, though perceived usefulness of strategies varied by providers' professional discipline. Compared to providers with more than 10 years of experience, less experienced providers endorsed the highest average use and usefulness of almost all strategies. Regarding ASD practice specialization, a lower volume of ASD cases, treating fewer youths with ASD over a 5-year period, and having a higher proportion of practice time working with youths with ASD reported were associated with greater use and usefulness of the strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Empirically supported strategies are widely used by and perceived as useful by providers who treat youths with ASD and co-occurring externalizing behaviors. Use and usefulness varies based on provider discipline, experience, and ASD practice specialization.

Validity and reliability of the Body-Esteem Scale among a diverse sample of preadolescent youth.

Researchers have called for more psychometric research on body image assessment measures in children. The Body-Esteem Scale (BES) is a commonly used 24-item measure of self-evaluation of body image in youth, yet only one study has evaluated the psychometric properties of this measure in preadolescent children. The goal of the present study was to replicate and extend the original psychometric work on the BES by examining the factor structure, reliability, and convergent validity in a diverse sample of children ages 9-11 years old. Teachers who taught 4th- and 5th-grade students in the United States were invited to participate. A total of 556 students completed an online survey in their classrooms. Findings indicate a one-factor model best fits the data after eliminating three BES items. The BES had strong scale score consistency. Supporting the convergent validity of the BES, body-esteem scores were positively correlated with general self-esteem and body satisfaction scores, while negatively correlated with body dissatisfaction, engagement in appearance conversations, and social comparison scores. There were no significant group differences on mean BES scores between gender and grade level. Overall, the BES is suitable to assess the body esteem of preadolescent children. Future research needs to replicate these findings and examine the BES's ability to detect a change in body-esteem scores across time in youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A qualitative examination of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents with autism and their parents.

BACKGROUND: The unprecedented challenges introduced by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be amplified for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. AIMS: The current study aimed to describe the experiences of children with ASD and their families during the pandemic and to identify the needs of this community during emergency situations. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants were 122 parents of 122 children and adolescents (aged 3-18 years; one parent per family participated) with ASD living in Arizona, USA who participated in the first time point (July/August 2020) of a larger longitudinal survey study. A qualitative approach based in grounded theory methodology was used to analyze six open-ended survey questions. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The resulting conceptual model included a core category, Longing for Stability, and four main categories: Public Health Measures Yielding New Challenges and Unexpected Gains, Experiencing Abrupt Changes across Developmental Domains, Changing Family Dynamics, and Protective Factors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings add to limited research examining whether, and how, emergency events uniquely impact the ASD community, identifying potential methods by which services can be proactively adapted to best support the needs of children with ASD.

Identifying central symptoms of eating disorders among ethnic and racial minority women.

Experiencing eating disorder symptoms is associated with maladaptive outcomes and impairment in functioning. A paucity of research exists examining eating disorder symptoms among ethnic/racial minority women. Using a network analysis, we evaluated core symptoms of eating disorder psychopathology and the degree of association between eating disorder symptoms in a sample of ethnic/racial minority women. Participants were 296 Black, 261 Hispanic, and 261 Asian American women recruited across the United States to complete an online survey. Inclusionary criteria yielded a sample with high eating disorder psychopathology. The Network Comparison Test was used to identify differences in networks between groups and yielded no significant differences between the three ethnic/racial groups. Thus, one network analysis on the entire sample was conducted in the main analyses. However, separate group analyses are presented in the online supplemental materials. Consistent with the transdiagnostic theory of eating disorders, weight concerns (i.e., strong desire to lose weight and fear of weight gain) emerged as central symptoms. Discrepant from findings with predominantly White samples, purging emerged as a central symptom as well, while shape concerns did not. Interestingly, having to weigh oneself weekly, having a flat stomach, fasting, and compulsive exercising were on the periphery of the network. Findings are discussed in terms of clinical implications and comparative similarities and differences when addressing the existing literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).