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Background: Physican activitiy (PA) benefits people of all age groups. PA can improve not only physical fitness, but also social skills, behavior as well as psychological well-being in neurotypican populations. Social skills and well-being are essential elements for life. Autistic children face deficits is both these apsects. Since positive effects regarding social skills and well-being have been found in TD population, positive benefits fllowing participation in PA may also be found in children with austism. Aim: This systematic literature review aimed is to identify how participation in PA affect social skills and well-being in autistic chlidren. Method: A literature search was performed in five databases to find peer-reviewed studies identifying effects of physical activities on social skills and well-being. Nine studies met the predefined selection ciretria. Results: Several types of physical activities improved various social skills and decrease challenging and adaptive behaviors in preschool and school aged autistic children. Promising findings were found regarding well-being aspects, relationships with peers and motor skills. Conclusion: Physical activity can improve social skills, behavioral problems and adaptive behaviors in preschool and school aged autistic children while results on well-being, peer relationships ans motor skills look promising.

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The temperament literature available that involves children with communication impairments is limited but promising. The purpose of this study was to investigate the temperamental profiles of children with autism spectrum disorders, primary language impairments, phonological/articulation impairments, and combined phonological and language impairments. Participants included 38 children who attended the East Tennessee State University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at the time of the study or in the past 10 years. Parents of eligible participants were asked to complete demographic and temperament questionnaires about their children. Results indicated that the temperamental profiles of children with communication impairments differed significantly from typically developing children in terms of the superdimensions Negative Emotionality, Effortful Control, and Sociability/Affiliation. Temperamental differences were also noted between diagnostic groups. While the results of this pilot study are promising, further research is necessary to investigate the intricacies of the relationships identified in this study.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder associated with altered neural connectivity and deficits in self-monitoring, response inhibition, and planning. One promising avenue of research to improve understanding of the symptoms and heritable nature of ASD may be the identification of neural endophenotypes of ASD. The error-related negativity (ERN) and post-error positivity (Pe), scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), reflect performance monitoring processes and may qualify as candidate endophenotypes of ASD. We collected ERP and behavioral data (error rates, response times) from 18 ASD probands and their families (mother, father, sibling) and 38 control youth and their parents to examine the utility of the ERN and Pe as endophenotypes of ASD. In order to examine differences based on group (ASD vs. control) and kinship (proband, sibling, mother, father), we conducted separate multiple regression analyses on behavioral and ERP data with group and kinship as predictors and families as clusters. We hypothesized that ASD probands would display reduced-amplitude ERN and impaired behavioral performance relative to control youth but no differences in Pe amplitude and that families of ASD probands would display reduced error minus correct (ΔERN) amplitudes and impaired behavioral performance relative to control families but no differences in ΔPe amplitude. We did not observe significant ERN amplitude group differences among ASD probands relative to control youth. Likewise, control youth did not differ from ASD probands on behavioral measures or Pe amplitudes. Analyses by family revealed that group and kinship did not significantly predict ΔERN amplitudes. However, fathers of ASD probands displayed significantly reduced ΔPe amplitudes relative to control fathers and parents displayed significantly larger ΔPe amplitudes and better performance than youth. Together, results do not provide sufficient evidence to support the ERN or Pe as an endophenotype or biomarker of ASD. These findings add to an overall heterogeneous literature on performance monitoring in ASD and point to the need for additional research to understand the state-related or trait-related factors that may contribute to ERN amplitudes in ASD.

The present study used a mixed methodology approach to understand factors that predict and promote health related quality of life (HRQOL) for parents of youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The first component of the study used quantitative analyses to determine the extent to which study variables predict HRQOL for parents of youth with ASD (N = 365). Findings show that HRQOL is positively impacted by increased total annual household income, increased age of the child with ASD, male gender, and tangible support. HRQOL was negatively impacted by increased age of the parent, increased parental perceptions of burden, and use of maladaptive coping strategies. The second phase of the study incorporated qualitative methodology to describe the lived experience of parents (N = 8). Qualitative interviews solicited perceptions of parents regarding HRQOL. Further, qualitative analyses identified sources of parental support, how parents feel about support from varying professionals, and potential supportive interventions toward which they are amenable but cannot currently access. Directions for future research and implications for improving HRQOL for parents of youth with ASD are discussed. The results of the current study can be used to guide and inform supportive services targeted at parents of youth with ASD to improve their HRQOL.

A qualitative study was conducted investigating the perceptions of seven parents of high functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) regarding incidents of bullying in which the child was involved. Results of the study indicated that all of the children had been bullied at one time or another, and that the majority had difficulty in demonstrating appropriate social skills. The parents viewed supportive peers to be a positive factor, fostering the children's satisfactory social adjustment. Parent interventions for their child included social skills instruction and empathy training. Research implications for educators included the need to establish systemic organized school-wide support to benefit all students. Findings substantiated previous literature in regard to the importance of positive social skills, social support, and parent support for promoting children's resiliency and social growth when faced with bullying. In the current study results were reflective of proactive parents' involvement as advocates for their child. A high level of parental involvement paired with supportive school personnel created an ideal partnership between home and school in developing and implementing both proactive strategies and interventions that supported adolescents with ASD.