Building Functional Communication: Empowering Families Through Evidence-Based Caregiver Intervention

Communication is a tool that takes many different forms. When most people hear this word, they think of verbal communication, as used in this article. However, even within verbal communication, there are many ways of expressing ideas, needs, and thoughts. Some of these methods of communication are...

Parent and Adolescent Outcomes Following Participation in the PEERS© Program

As youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) navigate the complex social world of adolescence, they frequently have difficulty forming and maintaining friendships. Past research indicates that adolescents with ASD report lower quality friendships than their typically-developing peers (Bauminger...

Parent Empowerment Among Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed with ASD

Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report high levels of parenting stress and low levels of well-being and parenting self-efficacy (Karst & Van Hecke, a). The process of receiving an ASD diagnosis and accessing services can be particularly difficult and...

Assisting Parents in the Struggle to Access Science-Based Information and Treatments for their Children with ASD

Families of children who receive a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are faced with profound challenges, and many feel a tremendous burden (Mulligan, Steel, Macculloch & Nicholas, 2010). The time of diagnosis may represent a pivotal point for both the child and the individuals...