Negative misconceptions about the inevitability of declining physical health and cognitive functioning in old age abound in society and the literature on autism and aging. But there is a paradox of aging – most older adults in the general population experience a peak in their life satisfaction and emotional wellbeing in later life that is fundamental to successful aging. Parallel patterns of later life improvement in psychosocial functioning and emotional wellbeing have been found in conditions such as ADHD and schizophrenia which raises the tantalising question: could the paradox of aging be true for older autistic adults too?Contemporary gerontological research on successful aging has reconciled contradictions inherent in this paradox from the perspective of lifespan developmental psychology and its core assumption that aging is a lifelong process of adaptive change. By contrast, and even though global public health responses are shifting towards greater understanding and promotion of successful aging through recovery, adaptation, and growth in later life, there has been no attempt to consider aging in autism from a lifespan developmental psychology perspective.This article addresses this gap in the literature by exploring how lifespan developmental psychology might inform our understanding of the developmental trajectory of autism across the lifespan and in later life. Drawing on analyses of gerontological and autism literature, it proposes lifespan developmental psychology as a novel evidence-based theoretical framework that challenges existing negative expectations and offers an opportunity to reframe future autism research and clinical practice.

A valid and reliable assessment tool is essential for the accurate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which remains a critical need for health practitioners in Indonesia. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC-IND) for screening children with ASD compared to those without the disorder. A total of 82 Indonesian children, aged 14 to 72 months (M = 45.32 months, SD = 14.51), with a range of developmental diagnoses, were assessed using ADEC-IND. An independent clinician, blinded to the ADEC-IND results, provided a separate diagnosis for each child. Concurrent validity, measured using Cohen’s kappa to assess agreement between the ADEC-IND classification and the clinician’s diagnoses, was high (κ = 0.76). Additionally, fifty ADEC-IND assessments were video-recorded, and a second assessor, who reviewed the recordings, provided independent ratings. The inter-rater reliability of ADEC-IND was also high (r =.94, p <.001). Furthermore, ADEC-IND demonstrated strong sensitivity (0.93) and specificity (0.88) in this sample. Overall, ADEC-IND shows promise as a useful tool for supporting ASD diagnosis in Indonesia. However, several important cultural considerations, challenges, and limitations of the study warrant further discussion.

BACKGROUND:Parents of children with developmental disabilities report higher levels of psychological distress. Parenting interventions may reduce parental psychological distress. Our aim was to investigate the psychological distress trajectories of parents receiving a parenting intervention. METHOD:Data were drawn from a state-wide trial of Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) in Queensland and Victoria, Australia (n = 365 parents). Growth mixture modelling was used to describe psychological distress trajectories of parents of children with developmental disabilities and examine associations with the level of SSTP intervention received, child characteristics and financial hardship. RESULTS:Three groups of parents/caregivers were identified, two of which presented a significant decline in psychological distress over time and one group presented no significant change. Additionally, higher child behavioural and emotional problems and lower adaptive skills were associated with poorer parent psychological distress over time. Level 4 of the SSTP intervention was also associated with steeper declines in psychological distress over time. CONCLUSIONS:Over a period of 18 months, with the implementation of the SSTP, parents' psychological distress tended to improve. Distinct groups of parents were identified based on different psychological distress trajectories. Findings indicate the significant role of child behavioural and emotional problems, children's adaptive behaviour and the level of SSTP in parent psychological distress trajectories.

Background: Identifying factors that may contribute to the use of programs following the completion of training by practitioners is of practical and theoretical importance.Aim: This study examined the role of social identity and self-efficacy in contributing to the delivery of an evidence-based parenting program.Methods and Procedures: A sample of 63 multi-disciplinary professionals trained in the Stepping Stones Triple P Positive Parenting Program, for parents of children with developmental disability, as part of a statewide roll-out were interviewed two years after training. Data on the number of hours of delivery during the 2-year period was analysed along with quantitative data obtained during interviews that assessed professionals' self-efficacy and social identity as a Stepping Stones professional. Outcomes and Results: Social identity was associated with the use of SSTP in an independent analysis, but the association was no longer significant when other factors were included in a regression model. Self-efficacy predicted the use of SSTP and was found to be a mediator in the relationship between social identity and use of SSTP.Conclusions and Implications: This first investigation into the role of social identity in the implementation of evidence-based parenting programs showed that social identity could play an important role. The role of self efficacy in predicting program use was further supported in this study and the mediator function of self efficacy is explored. The practical and theoretical implications of the role of self-efficacy and social identity in the training of professionals are discussed.

The current study explored the process of change in Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) using a community-based sample of 891 families of children with developmental disabilities (DD) who participated in an SSTP intervention at a community level. A preliminary analysis of outcome data indicated that SSTP intervention was effective in reducing parental adjustment difficulties, coercive parenting, and children's behavioral and emotional difficulties immediately after the intervention. The effects were maintained at 12-month follow-up. The results also indicated that change in parental adjustment over the course of intervention was significantly associated with a change in parenting behaviors. However, change in parenting behaviors but not change in parental adjustment, predicted children's behavioral and emotional problems following the intervention. The results suggest that positive parenting skills are the most salient ingredient driving the change in child behaviors in SSTP interventions.

BACKGROUND:Explores the validity of the five-item parental adjustment scale, a subscale of the previously validated Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales.AIM:The aim was to assess the factor structure and convergent validity of a measure of parental adjustment within parents of typically developing children and parents of childiren with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.METHODS AND PROCEDURES:Cross-sectional survey data was analysed from Australian parents of children aged 2-12 years who were typically developing children (N = 683) and had developmental and/or intellectual disabilities (N = 756). Confirmatory factor analyses and multi-group structural equation modelling examined if the factor structure performed similarly across the two populations. Convergent validity was assessed.OUTCOMES AND RESULTS:The confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesised one-factor structure for the parental adjustment scale in both populations. Partial measurement invariance confirmed that the scale was structurally consistent within both parent groups. The convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with the DASS-21 in the disability population and the K10 in the typically developing population.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:This brief, easily administered, five-item scale demonstrates strong potential in assessing parental adjustment, within both parents of typically developing children and parents of children with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.

Families often face financial and geographical barriers to services for children with autism. The current study explored the effectiveness of a parent-supported adaptation of the computer game-based social skills program Secret Agent Society (SAS). Seventy child-parent dyads were randomized to SAS (n = 35) or a caregiver-supported cognitive skills training game (CIA-control comparison; n = 35), both completed over 10 weeks. Child participants were on the autism spectrum and aged seven to 12 years (60 boys, 10 girls). SAS participants improved more than CIA participants on parent-rated social skills and problem behaviors and teacher-rated social skills. Findings suggest the intervention may be a convenient, cost-effective therapeutic approach, especially during times of restricted face-to-face service access, such as COVID-19.

BACKGROUND Parents of children with developmental or intellectual disabilities tend to report greater use of coercive parenting practices relative to parents of typically developing children, increasing the risk of adverse child outcomes. However, to date, there is limited research exploring the role and relative contribution of modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors in parents of children with a disability. The present study aimed to explore the role of various modifiable and nonmodifiable parenting, family and sociodemographic factors associated with the use of coercive parenting practices in parents of children with a disability. METHODS Caregivers (N = 1392) enrolled in the Mental Health of Young People with Developmental Disabilities (MHYPeDD) programme in Australia completed a cross-sectional survey about their parenting and their child aged 2-12 years with a disability. Measures covered a range of domains including relevant demographic and family background, use of coercive parenting practices, intensity of child behavioural difficulties and questions relating to parent and family functioning such as parental self-efficacy, adjustment difficulties and quality of family relationships. RESULTS Parents of older children, those who were younger at the birth of their child, and parents who were co-parenting or working reported more use of coercive parenting practices. Greater intensity of child difficulties, poorer parental self-efficacy and parent-child relationships, and more parental adjustment difficulties were also significantly associated with more use of coercive parenting. Examination of the relative contribution of variables revealed parent-child relationship was a key contributing factor, followed by intensity of child behaviour problems, parent adjustment and parent confidence. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight a range of factors that should be targeted and modified through upstream prevention programmes and further inform our understanding of how coercive practices may be influenced through targeted parenting interventions.

Previous research in clinical, community, and school settings has demonstrated positive outcomes for the Secret Agent Society (SAS) social skills training program. This is designed to help children on the autism spectrum become more aware of emotions in themselves and others and to 'problem-solve' complex social scenarios. Parents play a key role in the implementation of the SAS program, attending information and support sessions with other parents and providing supervision, rewards, and feedback as their children complete weekly 'home mission' assignments. Drawing on data from a school-based evaluation of the SAS program, we examined whether parents' engagement with these elements of the intervention was linked to the quality of their children's participation and performance. Sixty-eight 8-14-year-olds (M age = 10.7) with a diagnosis of autism participated in the program. The findings indicated that ratings of parental engagement were positively correlated with children's competence in completing home missions and with the quality of their contribution during group teaching sessions. However, there was a less consistent relationship between parental engagement and measures of children's social and emotional skill gains over the course of the program.

We investigated whether embodied ownership is evident in early childhood. To do so, we gifted a drinking bottle to children (aged 24–48 months) to use for 2 weeks. They returned to perform reach–grasp–lift–replace actions with their own or the experimenter’s bottle while we recorded their movements using motion capture. There were differences in motor interactions with self- vs experimenter-owned bottles, such that children positioned self-owned bottles significantly closer to themselves compared with the experimenter’s bottle. Age did not modulate the positioning of the self-owned bottle relative to the experimenter-owned bottle. In contrast, the pattern was not evident in children who selected one of the two bottles to keep only after the task was completed, and thus did not ‘own’ it during the task (Experiment 2). These results extend similar findings in adults, confirming the importance of ownership in determining self–other differences and provide novel evidence that object ownership influences sensorimotor processes from as early as 2 years of age.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Secret Agent Society (SAS) small group program in improving children’s social skills, social competence and anxiety. Participants included 27 children aged seven to 12 years (20 boys, seven girls) whose parents identified them as experiencing peer relationship difficulties or social anxiety. SAS featured a computer game and other spy-themed activities that children played during nine weekly 90 minute club meetings that were facilitated by University psychology clinic interns. The program also included weekly parent group training sessions, home missions (skills practice tasks) and weekly tip sheets that informed school staff about the skills that children were learning, and how they could support them in applying these skills in the classroom and playground. Program outcomes were evaluated using a range of parent- and child-report measures administered at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at six-week follow-up. Results suggested that SAS led to significant improvements in children’s social skills as reported by parents (Fs (2, 25) ≥ 21.91, ps < 0.0001, partial ɳ2s ≥ 0.46), children’s social competence as reported by parents (F(2, 25) = 17.12, p < 0.001, partial ɳ2 = 0.58), children’s overall anxiety as reported by parents (F(2, 25) = 8.57, p = 0.001, partial ɳ2 = 0.41), and children’s social anxiety as reported by themselves (F(2, 25) = 7.14, p = 0.004, partial ɳ2 = 0.36). All significant treatment effects were maintained at six-week follow-up. These findings suggest that the program holds promise as a community-based resilience program for children, although larger scale controlled trials of the intervention are needed.

Socialization difficulties in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often associated with peer rejection and impaired academic achievement. Schools might appear to offer an ideal setting for social-emotional skills (SES) instruction. However, common challenges to successful implementation of school-based programs include inadequate staffing and resourcing, and a lack of ASD-specific staff training. This paper describes how barriers to program implementation were overcome in a project evaluating the Secret Agent Society (SAS) SES training intervention within Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) specialist classes. Questionnaire data was collected from school staff over a one-year period. Findings supported the effectiveness of the adoption process used, and suggest that SAS was feasible and acceptable to school staff.

BACKGROUND:Children with a developmental disability are three to four times more likely than their typically developing peers of developing significant emotional and behavioural problems. There is strong evidence to suggest that individual biological and psychological factors interact with family functioning to precipitate and perpetuate these problems.AIMS:This study examined the psychometric properties of a brief measure, the Parent and Family Adjustment Scales (PAFAS) for use with parents of children with a developmental disability.METHODS:A sample of 914 parents of children (M=6.27years) with a developmental disability participated in the study. Disabilities included Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability RESULTS: A confirmatory factor analysis supported a 16-item, four factor model of PAFAS Parenting, and an 11-item, three factor model of PAFAS Family Adjustment. The Parenting Scale measures parental consistency, coercive practices, use of encouragement and the quality of parent-child relationship. The Family Adjustment Scale measures parental emotional adjustment and partner and family support in parenting.CONCLUSIONS:The current study indicated that the PAFAS demonstrates promise as a brief measure of multiple domains of family functioning important for families who have a child with a developmental disability.

Understanding parenting risk and protective factors can help clinicians and researchers to develop effective family interventions. To have knowledge of these risk and protective factors, validated assessment tools are required. Validation studies for parenting measures with Indonesian parents are lacking, despite the need for access to parenting interventions among Indonesian families. This study aimed to validate the Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales (PAFAS), a brief parenting and family adjustment measure developed in Australia that has been validated with Panamanian and Chinese parents. A sample of 210 Indonesian parents with children aged 2–12 years old completed the Indonesian version of the PAFAS and Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale (CAPES). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used for analyses. CFA resulted a four-factor PAFAS Parenting scale (15 items) and three-factor PAFAS Family adjustment scale (8 items). SEM analyses with PAFAS and CAPES revealed a good fit of the model of relationships between parent, family and child constructs to the data. The internal consistencies of PAFAS were good or acceptable, with the exception of Parental consistency. Overall, PAFAS had satisfactory psychometric properties. It is a promising measure that can potentially be used to study parenting risk and protective factors among Indonesian families. Item improvement and further validation with more diverse samples are suggested.

In recent years, there has been a worldwide commitment to integrating technology into classrooms to train students in the computer skills they will need to be workforce ready. This chapter provides an overview of the Secret Agent Society – Whole of Class Project: a randomized controlled trial of a gaming-based social skills training curriculum that was conducted in Grade 5 classrooms throughout Australia. The chapter explores the content, structure, and delivery format of the social skills program, together with the design and implementation of an online teacher training course to accompany it. Teacher feedback on the online teacher training course is presented, together with recommendations for enhancing the design, implementation, and evaluation of future online professional development courses for school staff.

Background: Many parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report that they are ill-equipped to support their children's behaviour, and these youths are known to be at substantially greater risk of emotional or behavioural problems compared to their typically developing peers. There is a need for an efficient and tailored parenting program for parents of adolescents with ASD that includes guidance on how to best support these youths' development and well-being. Aims: The current study examined the feasibility of Building Bridges Triple P (BBTP), an eight-week (11.5 h) parenting program specifically targeted to the needs of parents of adolescents with a developmental disability. Methods: A pretest-posttest single group design was used to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of BBTP, and the potential of the program to have desired intervention effects, with nine parents of adolescents with ASD. Results: After participating in BBTP, parents reported significant reductions in their adolescent's behaviour problems, increased parenting confidence, decreased lax and overreactive responding, and decreased symptoms of depression and stress. These effects were mostly observed at post-test but were more pronounced at 3-month follow-up. Parents reported that they were satisfied with the content and format of BBTP. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of BBTP, and that the program has a number of desired intervention effects.

CHILDREN WITH ANGELMAN SYNDROME, 22Q11.2 DELETION SYNDROME AND OTHER RARE GENETIC DISORDERS D. Adams, E. O’Reilly & H. Heussler 1 Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 2 Griffith Institute of Educational Research, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 3 Children’s Health Queensland, Queensland, Australia 4 Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia