The study's findings indicate directions for future intervention programs that will empower autistic people to build social connections and enhance their societal inclusion. We understand that the selection of person-first versus identity-first language is a source of argument and debate. Our use of identity-first language is motivated by two key points. Botha et al. (2021)'s study revealed that autistic individuals overwhelmingly favor the term 'autistic person' over 'person with autism'. During the interviews, participants predominantly used the term “autistic”, second in line.

Playgrounds are instrumental in children's growth and development during their formative years. click here Environmental and societal barriers, despite accessibility regulations, prevent children with disabilities from benefiting from these experiences.
In order to inform the design of evidence-based interventions and advocacy initiatives, research regarding the connection between critical developmental areas and adaptable play spaces for children with disabilities will be compiled and analyzed.
The database search process, on January 30, 2021, included these resources: Academic Search Complete/EBSCO, CINAHL/EBSCO, Education Research Complete/EBSCO, ERIC, OTseeker, and PubMed.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards served as the guide for this systematic review. Peer-reviewed studies on children with disabilities (ages 3 to 12) employed accessible play settings to assess developmental outcomes across various domains of childhood growth. Validated instruments were employed to evaluate risk of bias and the quality of evidence.
The nine articles that satisfied the inclusion criteria included: one Level 3b matched case-control study; four Level 4 cross-sectional studies; three Level 5 qualitative studies; and one mixed-methods study, which leveraged both Level 4 and Level 5 evidence. Despite playgrounds being labelled accessible, eight out of nine studies indicated a negative impact on social participation, play engagement, and motor skill development.
Children with disabilities experience a decline in engagement with activities which cultivate play, social interaction, and motor skills development. Program development, policy formulation, and playground design improvements are essential strategies for practitioners to diminish occupational injustice within playground environments, thereby reducing stigma and increasing accessibility for all. Occupational therapy practitioners, by prioritizing play accessibility, can meaningfully reduce the occurrence of unfair play opportunities. Establishing interdisciplinary teams for accessible playground design locally would empower occupational therapists to leave a positive and lasting impact on the children in their community.
Children with disabilities experience a lower participation rate in activities providing opportunities for play, social interaction, and motor skill improvement. Addressing occupational injustice on playgrounds necessitates a holistic strategy for practitioners, including program development, policy modification, and careful consideration of playground design to increase accessibility and reduce stigma. Play accessibility, when addressed by occupational therapists, can substantially lessen instances of play inequity. Interdisciplinary teams working on accessible playground design locally would offer occupational therapy practitioners an opportunity to leave a lasting and positive impact on the children in their community.

Among neurodevelopmental disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) stands out with its distinctive characteristics, including impaired social interactions, limited verbal communication, repetitive behaviors, narrowly focused interests, and sensory processing differences. There is no information within the knowledge base regarding pain-related sensory variations or irregularities. Analyzing the pain perceptions of autistic people can offer occupational therapists a starting point for identifying areas needing intervention and effective treatments.
Current case-control study evidence on sensory abnormalities and pain experiences in people with and without autism spectrum disorder will be systematically examined and summarized.
Utilizing MeSH terms and broad search terms, a systematic literature review encompassed the CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE (PubMed), OTseeker, and Web of Science databases.
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a search was performed. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale served to assess the risk of bias in the selected research studies.
In a comprehensive analysis, 27 case-control studies, encompassing 865 individuals diagnosed with ASD and 864 control subjects, were integrated. Exploration of pain experiences involved several techniques, such as measuring pain thresholds and pinpointing the point at which pain is perceived.
People with ASD might experience pain in a way that deviates from the norm, as per the observed results. A pain-focused intervention program should be created by occupational therapy practitioners. This investigation contributes meaningfully to the existing research by showing that people with ASD frequently display sensory impairments in their pain experiences. anti-tumor immune response The findings emphasize the importance of centering occupational therapy interventions on the experience of pain.
An unusual response to pain sensations might characterize individuals with ASD, based on the collected data. Pain alleviation should be a primary concern in the development of interventions by occupational therapy practitioners. This article contributes to the existing research, demonstrating that individuals with ASD often experience sensory anomalies related to pain perception. Pain experiences, as revealed by the results, necessitate a focus on occupational therapy interventions.

The social experiences of some autistic adults are frequently associated with feelings of depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety in autistic adults can be addressed through evidence-based occupational therapy interventions that contribute to better social health.
To evaluate the applicability and early impact of the HEARTS intervention, a six-session, group-oriented psychoeducational program designed to foster healthier relationships.
Employing a one-group pretest-posttest design, a three-month follow-up was conducted after the baseline.
Intervention programs, conducted online, are being developed through community organizations in the United States.
Professionally or self-diagnosed autistic adults, numbering fifty-five, with ages spanning from 20 to 43, are capable of independently participating in an online group-based participatory class.
Six weekly sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, were structured for participants to develop healthy relationship skills. The content included recognition of abuse, interaction with others, the maintenance of relationships, setting healthy boundaries, the influence of neurohealth on relationships, and the appropriate conclusion of relationships. recurrent respiratory tract infections Utilizing a psychoeducational model that provided both education and guided discovery, along with strategy acquisition, was the approach.
All measurements were gathered using a self-administered online survey instrument. Depression and anxiety levels were determined by employing assessment tools from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System.
Fifty-five volunteers dedicated their time and completed the intervention. Depression and anxiety levels showed statistically significant improvements following the implemented intervention, according to post-intervention evaluations.
The HEARTS intervention holds promise for mitigating depression and anxiety in autistic adults and deserves further exploration. Autistic adults can benefit from HEARTS, a potentially effective, non-pharmaceutical, psychoeducational group program focused on fostering healthy relationships. Following the guidance of autistic self-advocates (Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 2020; Kenny et al., 2016; Lord et al., 2022), this article uses the identity-first language of 'autistic person'.
To ascertain the HEARTS intervention's value in improving the mental well-being of autistic adults, further investigation is imperative. HEARTS is a potentially effective, non-pharmacological, psychoeducational group program designed specifically to help autistic adults cultivate healthy relationships. In keeping with the expressed preferences of autistic self-advocates (Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 2020; Kenny et al., 2016; Lord et al., 2022), this article employs the identity-first language “autistic person”.

Investigative studies into the factors which foretell the use of occupational therapy services by autistic children are still relatively scant. The reasons underpinning service receipt demand this type of research.
A review of the variables correlated with occupational therapy service use by children on the autism spectrum. We predicted a positive relationship between elevated sensory hyperresponsiveness, increased engagement in sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking, and decreased adaptive behavior, and the level of service utilization.
An analysis of existing data from a longitudinal, prospective survey of children with autism, from 3 to 13 years old, focused on autism symptom severity, adaptive behavior, sensory characteristics, demographic information, and service usage.
A questionnaire for parents regarding child behaviors across diverse daily activities and environments.
From 50 states of the U.S.A., 892 parents of autistic children formed the study's participant group.
To inform our research, we collected data from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-Second Edition, the Social Responsiveness Scale, the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire Version 30, and a demographic survey. We conceived our hypotheses subsequent to data collection, yet prior to its analysis.
Elevated occupational therapy utilization correlated with decreased enhanced perception, diminished adaptive behaviors, increased sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors, younger child age, and higher household income.