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100 Autism Research Paper Topics

Careful selection of autism research paper topics is very important. That’s because there are many autism topics that students can research and write about. The topic that a learner chooses dictates the direction that their research and writing process will take. As such, students should select their topic ideas based on their academic goals. Ideally, what a learner opts to write about should help them accomplish their study goals.

Autism can be defined as a spectral disorder that makes a child seem to have a world of their own. Many parents misinterpret this disorder and assume that the child does not notice them. However, this is usually not the case. Parents are the first people to notice this disorder. With more children being diagnosed with this disorder, educators are asking learners to write about autism essay topics.

If you’ve been asked to write about this subject, take your time to research this disorder. You can even read the autobiographies of autistic people. If possible, meet and interact with autistic people before you start writing. This will give you an idea of what this condition is all about. Our psychology topics may also come in handy. In most cases, you will be required to focus your paper or essay on the creation of more autism awareness. This article highlights some of the topics in autism that you can consider for your paper or essay.

Basic Autism Research Paper Topics

Autism is a broad research area. Researchers have delved into this field and came up with different findings. However, you can still pick a topic for your research in this field and come up with new information. Here are some of the most interesting research topics in autism that can form the basis of your academic paper or essay.

• Why some people autistic and others are not?
• Does being autistic have advantages?
• Why is being autistic disadvantageous?
• Some people have a good memory or recall skills, explain why
• Facts that people should know about autism
• Explain the chemical brain differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals
• Discuss some of major breakthroughs in autism research
• Why do people with autism have difficulty socializing with others?
• What can normal people learn from autistic people’s brains?
• What characteristics should a person with autism have?
• How should an autistic person be trained during care provision?
• What should caregivers understand about autism to do their job right?
• Explain the behavior of autistic individuals towards family members
• Provide an average autistic individual’s overview
• How can the social interactions of autistic people be improved?
• Explain what causes autism
• What educational programs do autistic people have?
• How to diagnose autism in the early stages
• Explain the role of music in an autistic person’s life
• Is there a treatment for reducing autistic people’s disadvantages?
• What are the employment limitations and opportunities for autistic people?
• Discuss the major stories about autism that have been shared in the media
• What is yet to be discovered about autism?
• Explain how healthcare workers can help autistic individuals go through their daily life
• Describe the top 5 autistic individuals that are best known in history

These are some of the most interesting autism topics for research paper or essay. However, you should research them extensively before you start writing. That’s because each of these topics requires you to include verifiable facts in your paper or essay.

Strong Autism Dissertation Topics

With so many children being diagnosed with autism, more learners are writing dissertations on this subject. And there are many autism research topics from which a learner can choose. Here are some of the best autism thesis topics to consider.

• Is there evidence to prove that environmental triggers are responsible for rising autism cases?
• Explain the relationship between stimming self-regulator for anxiety and autism
• Why is autism prevalence in western society greater?
• How is autism related to mental health?
• How can family doctors be supported to take care of autistic people?
• Discuss autism and childhood immunization
• Discuss some of the prominent individuals in history that were most likely autistic
• How can autistic people be supported at the workplace?
• How do autistic females differ from autistic males?
• Can autistic children adapt to mainstream education?
• What are the positives and negatives of special education for autistic children?
• Should autistic children attend special schools?
• Why do people consider autism a spectrum disorder?
• What diagnostic changes have raised the concern that Asperger’s Syndrome might no longer exist
• Does lifestyle play a role in autism?

Some of these topics on autism may seem complex to research and write about. However, you can find relevant and sufficient supporting evidence from different sources. You just need the time and resources required to write about any of these topics about autism.

Autism Parent Training Topics

Raising an autistic child is not easy. Parents and caregivers should learn about autism spectrum disorder and its effects on their children. They should also learn how this disorder affects the entire family. It’s for this reason that researchers focus on research topics in autism that educate parents and caregivers about taking care of autistic children. Here are some of the best autism social learning topics.

• How to manage the parenting challenges for people with autistic children
• How to enhance the communication skills of autistic children
• How to enhance the coping skills of autistic children
• How to address the negative behaviors of autistic children
• How to increase the play skills of autistic children
• How to diagnose autism early in children
• How to increase the independence of autistic children
• How to improve self-help in autistic children
• How does autism in one child affect the other family members?
• How to solve the daily problems of autistic children

Each of these topics is meant to produce a paper or essay that can help parents of autistic children cope with the disorder. The information can also help the parents make their children lead a better life despite their condition.

Paper Topics about Autism and Education

Since it’s a complex disorder that affects brain development, autism touches on education as well. Here are some of the good research paper topics on autism and education that you can write about.

• Why is autism worth researching?
• Discuss the causes of autism
• Discuss the development realms that are affected by autism
• What resources do autistic people have access to?
• Explain how autistic children learn
• Explain how autism affects the learning process
• Explain the struggles of autistic students
• Explain parent training autism
• Discuss the major types of autism
• How does learning differ between autistic and normal students?

These topics focus on the relationship between autism and learning or education. Just like the topics in the other categories, they require extensive research to write about too.

Autism Research Proposal Topics

A lot of information about autism is being discussed by researchers across the world. This makes it hard for some learners to pick proposal topics for their autism papers. Here are some of the topics to consider if struggling to pick your proposal topic.

• What is autism therapy?
• Is autism therapy helpful?
• How should caregivers provide care to autistic persons?
• What is the best way to work for an autistic person?
• Working with an autistic person- What are the major challenges?
• How do you cope with an autistic family member?
• How should autistic people be treated in social places?
• What limitations do autistic people have in modern society?
• Is the current society considerate of autistic people?
• How does modern technology benefit autistic people?

If you pick a research topic on autism from this category, take the time to research it extensively to write a brilliant paper or essay.

Thought-Provoking Autism Debate Topics

Perhaps, you want to write a paper or essay that can form the basis of a debate about autism. In that case, consider one of these topics.

• How celebrities and pseudo-scientists have caused serious damage by claiming that autism is related to vaccinations
• How to educate society about autism
• How to change the future of autistic children with early interventions
• How school officials can help autistic children
• How to help autistic kids whose parents are uncooperative or in denial
• How autistic children can benefit from occupational therapy
• Discuss the DSM-V regarding autism
• How educational opportunities for autistic children compare to those of normal children
• How health officials can convince the public that shots don’t cause autism
• Should children that have not been vaccinated because parents believe that vaccines cause autism be taken to school?
• How to support siblings of an individual with autism
• How to transition a person with autism to community-based services from school-based services.
• How to fight for autistic people’s rights
• How to deal with the psychological struggles of autistic children
• How music affects autistic patients
• Social organizations for autistic people
• Why diagnosing autism early is important
• Can autism be prevented?
• How to interact with autistic people
• What employment options do autistic people have?
• How to manage autism in adults
• A brief history of autism
• How living with an autistic person can affect your life
• How genetics affect autism
• Can the environment cause autism?
• Can medical treatment cause autism?
• A review of autism in different countries
• A review of autism in different cultures
• What signs of autism should parents watch out for?
• How to develop a treatment plan for autism

This category has controversial topics autism researchers can explore too. Nevertheless, whether you choose parenting or autism biology topics for research paper, take the time to research extensively before you start writing. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need thesis writing help .

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206 Autism Research Topics & Paper Examples

Are you looking for research topics on autism spectrum disorder for your paper in psychology? You’re at the right place! StudyCorgi has prepared a list of topic ideas and questions you can use for your essay, thesis, debate, dissertation, and other writing assignments. Read on to discover the latest and most interesting autism topics to write about!

🏆 Best Research Topics on Autism

✍️ autism essay topics for college, 👍 good research topics about autism, 💡 simple autism essay ideas, 🎓 most interesting autism research paper topics, 🔥 hot topics in autism for a research proposal, 📌 easy autism essay topics, ❓ autism research questions, 🔎 more research questions about autism, ✅ autism topics for presentation, 🗣️ controversial autism topics for discussion.

• Literature Review on Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review
• Causes and Treatment of Autism in Children
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Autism in the “A Boy Called Po” by Asher
• Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum
• Experience of Work with Children with Autism
• Inclusive Education for Children with Autism The study seeks to establish if some specialized programs can be employed to cater to children who are frequently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
• Autism, Autism Spectrum Sisorder (ASD), and Theory of Mind This paper aims to explore some common features of ASD, its impact on children’s cognitive, social, and physical development, and its relation to the theory of mind.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Communication The study aims to study the communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder by assessing their ability to converse effectively within a dialogue.
• Inclusive Education for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism spectrum disorder has become widely spread in the US today, resulting in developing the debates on the appropriateness of inclusive education for students with ASD.
• Autism: Diagnostics and Treatment Shedding light on the condition, its key symptoms and treatment options will help improve the quality of life in autistic people.
• “Autism: Insight From Inside” Movie Reflection The movie “Autism: Insight from Inside” by Robert Parish reflects the issue of ASD’s effect on people’s lives.
• Autism in Adults: Daily Challenges Siri Carpenter’s article “For Adults with Autism, a Lack of Support When They Need It Most” explores the way adult individuals with autism cope with the daily challenges.
• Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Depending on the situation, the representatives of the general public interact with autists when being at home, in the educational establishment, workplace, or other locations.
• Evidence-Based Strategy in Autism The report discusses the various evidence-based practices that can be adopted in diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder among children.
• A Skill Acquisition Plan for Children with Autism The skill acquisition plan is targeted at teaching a child to ask when he or she wants something. It is a crucial independence skill for kids.
• Autism and Associated Healthcare Issues This paper attempts to understand Autism as a health care issue by studying deeply its causes, characteristics, conditions, treatment options, and who can live with it.
• Contributing Factors of Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition that affects the way a person communicates and socializes.
• Autism Treatment: Natural vs. Medications The purpose of the paper is to prove that natural treatment must be the basis for addressing the autism issue.
• Accessibility For Students With Autism in Education in K-12 For most children and teenagers, K-12 education is the most valuable and influential part of their lives, providing them with many experiences.
• Genetics and Autism Development Autism is associated with a person’s genetic makeup. This paper gives a detailed analysis of this condition and the role of genetics in its development.
• Autism Syndrome Psychosocial Characteristics Autism spectrum disorders present symptoms that may be tricky for the parents to correctly diagnose the condition. The symptoms are sometimes mistaken for other disorders.
• Autism and the Education System Teaching children with autism in the context of their growth and development is one of the urgent issues in the modern education system in the United States.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dialogue Framework The research aims to assess the communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder by assessing their ability to converse effectively within a dialogue framework.
• Functional Communication Training via Telehealth for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Randomized Controlled Trial was employed for the investigation to compare the therapy with Functional Communication Training.
• Autism Causes and Treatment in Childhood Autism spectrum disorder is broadly complicated, and with time and research, it becomes a more significant brain condition.
• Development and Management of Autism The paper examines the causes, development process, and symptoms of autism and describes the ways how the disorder can be manageable.
• Autism and Alzheimer’s Comparison This work is aimed at identifying differences and similarities in the mechanism of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease and autism and consideration of their progression.
• Literature Review: How Can Token Economy Diminish Off-Task Behavior in Students with Autism? The students’ academic success largely depends on their behavior, which is determined not only by the environment but also by psychological states.
• Technical Quality of Autism Test (GARS-3) The work provides a review and analysis of articles devoted to the GARS-3 implication in the early diagnosis of autism among children.
• The Autism-Gender Relationship Analysis This paper examines the relationship between gender and autism, including the possible involvement of various genetic, environmental, and physiological factors.
• Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum The bibliography analyzes educators’ current practices, approaches, tactics, and strategies for teaching students with autism.
• Applied Behavior Analysis with Children with Autism This paper discusses the application of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
• Importance of Learning More About Autism Autism awareness addresses stereotypes and misunderstandings, increases early intervention, and makes society more accepting of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
• Autism Among Kindergartners in Victoria, Australia This paper will postulate two teaching frameworks in an attempt to support previous legislation and policies formulated by different stakeholders.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Analysis Autism spectrum disorder is a collection of neurological conditions in which a person’s speech, motor motions, and social interaction are disrupted.
• Autism: Child and Family Involvement Autism spectrum disorder affects many people aside from its primary target, emphasizing the significance of early identification, and behavioral programs.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Immunization Autism is a more frequently diagnosed ailment than was formerly acknowledged, and much is now being written in the mainstream media.
• Autism and Vaccination: The False Health Claim One of the most popular false health claims concerns the relationship between autism and vaccination, suggesting that the latter causes the former.
• Autism Complementary Treatmen: Diet and Relaxation The following paper proposes diet and relaxation as a form of complementary therapy to the main treatment of autism disorder.
• Correlation Between Vaccines and Autism Before vaccination, large numbers of people with different backgrounds suffered from smallpox and other diseases.
• Dietary and Relaxation-Based Treatment for Autism Exploration studies have been conducted to determine the value of casein/gluten free diets as an intercession to improve cognitive and social functioning of autism patients.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Behavior Analysis The paper assesses the status of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children, treatment approaches, and technological innovations for aiding patients in conquering the symptoms of autism.
• Complementary Alternative Therapy for Autism The report suggests diet and relaxation as the form of complementary therapy to the central treatment of autism disorder.
• Social Skills for Preschoolers With Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder is a family of mental disorders that cause deficits in social awareness, communication skills, and stereotyped behaviors.
• The Effectiveness of Peer-Mediated Intervention for Young Children with Autism Peer-mediated intervention is a prominent technique for developing social skills and fostering involvement in children suffering from autism.
• Sources Credibility: The Case of Autism Attention to sources’ reliability is vital for any realm, including the healthcare system, especially – the evidence-based models.
• The Link Between Epidurals and Autism Spectrum Disorder This study captures the uproar that followed after a recent study attributed autism spectrum disorder to labor epidural analgesia.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Antecedent Manipulation Project L. is a 10-years-old male student, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The student is to be observed, and his parents and educators are to be interviewed.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents Below 18 Years The problem that has been chosen for conducting nursing evidence-based practice is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children and adolescents below 18 years.
• Teaching Communication Skills for Elementary School Students With Autism Documentation by research has shown that non-handicapped youths can be of great assistance in teaching social skills for students with autism.
• Inclusion of Students With Autism in General Education Classrooms The article’s main purpose is to sensitize the need for new strategies that would harness the inclusion of students with ASD into general classrooms.
• Behavior Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders The purpose of the article is to expound on the interfering behaviors in persons with autism spectrum disorders, formulate an approach for preventing them.
• Autism and Other Neurological Disorders Autism and other neurological disorders are defined by characteristics of behavior and are commonly considered to be biological in origin and not caused by improper parenting.
• Biological Bases of Autism: General Analysis The purpose of this paper is to explain the biological bases of the disease while considering specific areas of the brain that are affected together with their associated symptoms.
• Autism as Developmental Medical Condition The paper tries to discuss the meaning of autism, the causes and the possible treatments that have been found to curb the severe symptoms experienced by the victims.
• Autism in Toddler: Effects of Dietary Intervention Rigorous behavioral programs for developing positive behaviors, correcting certain sensory problems, will be the best alternative to control problems caused by autism.
• “Assessing the Value of Token Reinforcement for Individuals With Autism” the Article by Fiske, et al. The article raises the problem of assisting the children with autism with their learning and interaction with a teacher in a classroom.
• Autism Universal Screening: Response to Media Article The paper provides discussion of the article “Why There’s Disagreement over Screening Every Child for Autism?” published in The New York Times.
• Autism Diagnosis Report Example Three children aged between 9 and 11 years are regarded as the ones having ASD, as stated by the licensed psychologist.
• Autism, Myths and Realities Autism belongs to developmental disabilities that are frequently characterized by brain-functioning complications.
• Autist Students Identification: Distinctive Features of Autism In identifying autism, there is the triad of autism which consists of autistic aloneness; speech and language disorder, and obsessive desire for sameness.
• Vaccines and Autism: Does the Controversy Persist? Scientists managed to find quite a few vaccines against various diseases. The connection between vaccines and autism was proposed recently.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Twins: Genetics Study Autism spectrum disorder is a behavioral condition caused by genetic and environmental factors. Twin studies have been used to explain the hereditary nature of this condition.
• Pharma Controversy Presentation: Vaccination and Autism Parents often associate MMR vaccination with autism. No qualitative evidence for the MMR vaccination-autism link.
• Vaccines and Autism Relationship and Debates The link between vaccination and autism is hotly debated in the media despite the fact that the alleged evidence is definitively disproven by the scientific community.
• Diagnosing Adults with Autism There is no single theory which any researcher in the study of autism has found to be convincing in that it thoroughly explains the origin and behavioral attributes of autism.
• Early Social Interaction: Children with Autism This paper analyzes an article addressing how the involvement of parents in the ESI programs affects the outcome of improved social and communication skills among children with autism disorders.
• Pharma Controversy: Vaccines and Autism At the end of the 20th century, Andrew Wakefield conducted his research, revealing the connection between childhood vaccines and autism.
• Autism Ethics: Accept or Cure? The paper considers the debate on whether autistic people should be accepted by the community as a diversity of the society or a cure should be found out and developed.
• Social Science Perspectives on the Autism Spectrum This report will discuss autism, its characteristics, causes, diagnosis, and management. Autism refers to developmental disorder that impedes a person’s ability to communicate and relate to people.
• The Effects of Risperidone on Children with Autism The goal of this paper is to determine if using risperidone can affect cognitive performance in pre-adolescents and adolescents with autism.
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Control and Prevention This paper aims at determining whether television watching by children below the age of two years can lead to the development of autism.
• Teaching Communication Skills for Students with Autism Ehrough games and other forms of interaction with his/her peers, a child with autism disorders is able to develop in his/her areas of deficiency.
• Concept and Cause of Autism: Reports on Autism A recent survey on people’s attitude toward Autism reveals that a significant percentage of parents still believe that the disease is caused by vaccines taken during childhood.
• Childhood Disorders: Autism Spectrum Disorders In case of autism spectrum disorders the presence of other childhood disorders in a patient often complicates the traditional diagnostic procedure.
• Cell Phones May Cause Autism The main idea of the article is the harmful effect of the wireless radiation which ray cell phones in particular.
• Education for Students with Autism in Saudi Arabia Students with autism in Saudi Arabia are secluded from the mainstream learning institutions because teachers lack the knowledge and awareness related to the condition.
• Effects of Music Therapy for Adolescents with Autism Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional.
• Autism and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
• How Autism Affects Regular Brain Functions as Well as Socialization Skills
• Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Similarities and Differences
• How Autism Affects the Person With It and Those Around Them
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Comorbidities
• Music Therapy and Drug Therapy for Children With Autism
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attitudes About Inclusion Teaching
• Psychological and Social Factors in Informed Consent for Patients With Autism
• Autism and Environmental Determinants of Behavior
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Narcolepsy: A Possible Connection That Deserves to Be Investigated
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication: For Students With Autism
• Dietary Patterns Impact Temporal Dynamics of Fecal Microbiota Composition in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism: Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Understanding
• Diagnose Autism Simply With ‘iPad’ Games
• Atypical Resource Allocation May Contribute to Many Aspects of Autism
• Early Behavioral Treatments for Children With Autism
• Children With Autism May Be Especially Susceptible to Bullying
• Autism and the Physiological Effects on the Brain
• Common Chromosomal Abnormalities Associated With Autism
• Parent and School Autism Wars: A Civil Rights Struggle
• Genetics Studies Indicate That Neural Induction and Early Neuronal Maturation Are Disturbed in Autism
• Aberrant Cerebellar Cerebral Functional Connectivity in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Dynamical Methods for Evaluating the Time-Dependent Unfolding of Social Coordination in Children With Autism
• Causal Relationship Between Autism & Vaccine
• China Multi-Center Preschool Autism Project: Design and Methodologies to Identify Clinical Symptom Features and Biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Effective Education Strategies
• How People With Autism Experience the World
• Chromatin Regulators, Phenotypic Robustness, and Autism Risk
• Autism: How Developmental Psychology Can Inform Practice
• Music Therapy Use for Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Individuals With Autism and the Difficulties to Understand Different Emotions
• Asperger’s Syndrome: “The Higher Functioning Form of Autism
• Self Management, Autism, and Skills of Social Interaction Questions
• Are There Cultural Differences in Parental Interest in Early Diagnosis and Genetic Risk Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• Improving Interactive Play for Students With Autism
• Evidence for Brainstem Contributions to Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Early Childhood Education for Children With Autism: How Teacher and Classroom Characteristics Influence Student Learning
• Communication Barriers That Exist With Autism
• Abnormal Functional Connectivity During Visuospatial Processing Is Associated With the Disrupted Organization of White Matter in Autism
• Genetically Modified Foods Cause Autism
• Elevated Plasma Reelin Levels in Children With Autism
• Researchers Are Still Unsure of the Origin and Causes of Autism
• Genetic Causes and Modifiers of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Modern Computer Technologies for Autism
• Dismantling the Presumptions About Autism in the Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
• How Autism Spectrum Disorder Affects Students Reading
• Acoustic Hyper-Reactivity and Negatively Skewed Locomotor Activity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Living With an Autism Spectrum Disorder in Hanoi, Vietnam
• How the Media Perpetuated the Autism-Vaccine Scare
• Living With the Form of Autism Called Asperger’s Syndrome
• Autism and Its Treatment: Applied Behavior Analysis and the Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based Model
• Gluten and Casein Diet for Children With Autism
• Diagnosis, Symptoms, Theories, and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the United States
• Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Fluoxetine but Not Risperidone Increases Sociability in the BTBR Mouse Model of Autism
• Cognitive-Behavioral Approach for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Interpersonal
• Lost for Emotion Words: A Study on Autism Spectrum
• Autism Prevalence, Research, and the Historical Viewpoint
• Families and Therapeutic Goals Regarding Autism
• Increased Awareness Benefits Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Play-Based Therapy for Children With Autism
• Arousal and Attention Re-Orienting in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evidence From Auditory Event-Related Potentials
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Perioperative Management
• Financial Issues Associated With Having a Child With Autism
• Autism Explain the Importance of a Person-Centered Approach
• Genetics and the Possible Causation of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Precentral Gyrus Functional Connectivity Signatures of Autism
• Autism Among Preschool Children and the Interventions to Help Them
• Genetic Syndromes, Maternal Diseases and Antenatal Factors Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Does Autism Really Affect People’s Daily Lives?
• Which Areas of the Brain Are Impacted in Autism and or ADHD?
• Does Autism Spectrum Disorder Affect the Brain Development of a Person?
• How Is the Brain Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• What Is the Mental Age of Someone With Autism?
• Can Brain Scans Identify Autism?
• How Does Autism Affect a Child Intellectual Development?
• When Does the Autistic Brain Stop Developing?
• How Is an Autistic Brain Different From a Normal Brain?
• Can a Child With Autism Go to Normal School?
• What Are the Negative Effects of Autism?
• How Does Autism Affect the Brain and Nervous System?
• Is High Functioning Autism Considered a Disability?
• What Are the Main Difficulties of Students With Autism?
• How Does an Autistic Child Learn Best?
• What Should You Avoid if Your Child Has Autism?
• How Does Autism Affect Regular Brain Functions and Socialization Skills?
• What Is the Hardest Part of Life for a Child With Autism?
• Can Autism Go Away Without Treatment?
• What Does a Psychologist Do for Autism?
• Which Is the Best Therapy for Autism Adults?
• How Do Doctors Test for Autism?
• Does Autism Come From the Mother or Father?
• Can a Child With Autism Live a Normal Life?
• What Jobs Are Good for High-Functioning Autism?
• How does genetics contribute to autism development?
• What are the gender differences in autism prevalence and symptoms?
• What is the role of environmental factors in autism development?
• What social and emotional challenges do people with autism face?
• How can assistive technology enhance communication for people with autism?
• How do cultural beliefs affect autistic children’s parents’ experiences?
• What factors contribute to the burnout of caregivers of people with autism?
• How does nutrition affect autism symptoms?
• What are the long-term psychological effects of growing up with an autistic sibling?
• How does social media foster social connections for people with autism?
• Understanding autism: a condition overview and diagnostic criteria.
• Brain structure and function in autism.
• Strategies for enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication skills in people with autism.
• ABA therapy for autism: principles, applications, and controversies.
• Assistive technologies in autism: applications and latest developments.
• Autism-friendly classroom practices.
• Strategies for reducing sensory overload in people with autism.
• Ways to support autistic adolescents’ transition to adulthood.
• Creating opportunities for autistic people’s participation in sports.
• Sleep problems in autism: causes, effects, and interventions.
• Is there a link between vaccination and autism?
• ABA therapy in autism treatment: is it effective or harmful?
• Inclusive vs. special education for autistic children.
• Alternative and complementary treatments for autism: are they safe?
• Should autism research receive more funding?
• Medications in autism: are they overprescribed or necessary?
• Chelation therapy for autism treatment: is it worth the risk?
• Do parents of autistic children receive enough support?
• Are individuals with autism capable of providing informed consent in healthcare?
• Should teachers be allowed to restrain and seclude misbehaving students with autism?

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StudyCorgi. (2021, September 9). 206 Autism Research Topics & Paper Examples. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/autism-essay-topics/

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StudyCorgi . "206 Autism Research Topics & Paper Examples." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/autism-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "206 Autism Research Topics & Paper Examples." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/autism-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Autism were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 5, 2024 .

165 Autism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Struggle with writing a research paper topics on autism? We’ve got your back covered! Below, you will find a list of 147 topics about autism as well as autism research paper examples!

🏆 Best Research Autism Topics & Essay Examples

👍 good autism essay topics, 💡 psychology research autism topics to write about, ⭐ simple & easy autism essay titles, ❓ research questions about autism.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Autism is a serious disorder that has the potential to disrupt the success of people living with it. This is to mean that the theory of causation regarding autism is not complete as yet.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Child At the moment, M.is more verbal with his parents and siblings and reacts adequately to them, especially in repeated day-to-day situations.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Its Impact on the Family Manning, Wainwright and Bennet argue that children with autism are faced with a big challenge because of the nature of the symptoms the disorder.
• “Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family’s Triumph Over Autism” by Catherine Maurice The book was published in 1994, and it was a success as parents of autistic children were waiting for someone to prove that autism was not an incurable disorder.
• Autism and Educational Process Owing to these adverse effects that can stem from autism and the shear prevalence of the condition in the country’s population, a lot of research effort has been dedicated to the early diagnosis and treatment […]
• Exploring Autism in the Drama Film Rain Man Charlie Babbitt, the brother to Raymond, is the actor who portrays Raymond’s autism on the way to Los Angeles to secure his fair share in the Babbitt’s $3 million fortunes in form of inheritance.
• How Christopher’s Autism Affect His Life In spite of the fact that the issue of autism is not clearly explained in the story, the condition of the narrator is referred to as high-functioning autism or Aspersers Syndrome on the cover of […]
• Analysis of Children Autism in “The Black Balloon” It is imperative to note that Charlie’s emotions are not regulated and as such, manifest in immature behaviors such as flapping of his hands.
• Inclusion Curriculum for Children With Autism In the given paper, the issue of children autism, the developmental issues that autism triggers and the educational prospects for children with autism are going to be considered.
• The Autism-Vaccine Debate, Arguments, and Research Autism is defined by the Autism Society of America as ” a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first 3 years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects […]
• Impact of Autism Disorder on Adolescents This essay discusses the impact of autism disorder on adolescents in the community and a nursing intervention that can be used to assist adolescents in becoming prominent society members.
• Progression of Reading Ability in a Child Diagnosed With Autism The battery of assessments and interviews with parents on the participant’s socialization and early reading ability indicates the study applied the Psychometric and Social Contextual approaches.
• Analysis of Behavior of Preschool Age Child With Autism The child’s behavior in the video differs from that of a mentally healthy child, and these differences lie in the child’s other emotional state and degree of interest in talking to people.
• Autism and Disability Advocacy People with autism can contribute to the diversity of disability culture by expanding understanding of what disability is and how it can be accepted.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis According to DSM-5, to fit the diagnostic criteria for ASD, a child must have evident deficits in three major areas of social communication as well as 2 out of the 4 restricted or repetitive behaviors.
• Thinking in Pictures: Autism and Sensory Problems The chapter “The Squeeze Machine: Sensory Problems in Autism” in Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures presents a series of life perspectives of various individuals, including her own, regarding the sensory problems they experienced. They postulated that […]
• Therapeutic Programs for Children With Autism in K-12 Institutions In the paper, the gaps in the research of effective treatments for children with ASD are explored, after which the efficacy of a multi-system aquatic therapy and standardized equine-assisted therapy program is argued.
• Societal Issue Research Project: Autism Spectrum Disorder The first factor is the significant risk that the genetics of siblings who had ASD diagnosis will increase the chance of the disorder.
• Child-Centered Play Therapy and Autism The purpose of the discussed research was to investigate the effects of CCPT on the sample of children with autism, establishing and describing the connection between CCPT and social and emotional growth.
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Training Program for Caregivers The latter means that many caregivers take care of children with ASD, hence the importance of equipping them with the necessary skills for effective and smooth parenting and coping with various difficulties.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder’s Impact on Child’s Learning In regards to the public-school setting, standardized testing demands youngsters to grasp and react to spoken as well as written communication at an anticipated pace and level.
• Laboratory Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders The purpose of my study is to discover which of these methods is more accurate, with the reason being the importance of early diagnosis of ASD, which leads to better treatment outcomes.
• Autism and Related Cognitive Concepts It has been suggested that children with autism show a general deficit of cognitive skills in multilevel planning and in the regulation of behavior.
• Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder In fact, bullying as a social phenomenon can be characterized as a social and interaction issue; therefore, it is possible to analyze the connection between autism and acts of bullying and inappropriate behavior.
• Aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder Overall, for children with autism spectrum disorder, it is quite complicated to learn the norms within society around them, as they are having difficulties comprehending other people’s emotions and behavior.
• Face Emotion Recognition in Autism Phenotype One critical aspect of social communication is the capability to apprehend the emotions and intentions of another person. In conclusion, Autism Spectrum Disorder makes the interpretation of facial expressions difficult.
• How Does Having a Child With Autism Affects Parents’ Lifestyle? The creation of a system of psychological, pedagogical and social support can reduce the risk of a complete family life dedication to a child with autism.
• Misrepresentation of Autism in the ‘Music’ Film While the film was not centered on the topic of autism as its message, the stereotype-heavy portrayal and a lack of research make it a harmful piece of media.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence and Impact in Society It has therefore been impossible to determine the level of increase in autism cases that is as a result of improved diagnostic measures and that which can be attributed to the real increase in autism […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnosis, Impact, Treatment The main diagnostic element for ASD is the evidence of difficulties, either in the present or past, which are different across the age groups.
• Autism and Vaccination Refusal Management Among Somalian Parents Somalian parents in their community in Minnesota refuse from their children being vaccinated, as they believe that vaccination causes autism.
• Everyone Has the Power to Effect Positive Change Within the Autism Community This paper presents what is autism, how every one reacts to the problem, what is the difference between the rich and the poor in their response towards the problem.”Autism is one of five developmental disorders […]
• Reducing Off-Task Behaviors Using a Token Economy System in Children With Autism Token economy is a strategy of positive reinforcement that can be provided to children in the form of tokens for completing the assigned tasks.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Key Points The requirement to meet these needs is supported by the fact that the rate of students with ASD is high: according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than 83 per cent of […]
• “Theoretical Aspects of Autism” by Helen Ratajczak On the whole, it is possible to say that the standards set by Austin Hill cannot be always met, in part because the physiological aspects of this disease have not been fully investigated.
• Dr. Temple Grandin’s Argument on Visual Thinking and Autism A more in-depth analysis of visual activities can reveal the all imagery can be mentally processed and modified by children so that images are rotated and analyzed to make the brain map expand.
• Intellectual Disability: Autism In their adulthood, and because of the communication issues that most individuals with autism tend to have, they will naturally have difficulty in finding and keeping jobs.
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Children With Autism On the positive side, it fastens the production of different types of reactive oxygen used in the body. It is arguable that the size of the samples used in the study was small.
• Occupational Therapy for Children With Autism The main reason for the appearance of autism is the disturbance of the development of the patients brain which results in the appearance of various symptoms.
• The Mitochondria and Autism – Results and Main Function The results are important in health because children with autism were more probable to have dysfunctions and abnormalities of the mitochondria such as over replication and deletion of mitochondrial DNA compared to those without the […]
• Autism Etiology, Symptoms, Beliefs, and Management To date, debate on the cause or etiology of autism still remains divided, with extant literature demonstrating that “although many hypotheses have been proposed, a singular or specific combination of causes has yet to be […]
• Quantitative Assessment of Neuromotor Function in Adolescents With High Functioning Autism: Critique The study authors did not give the benefits and/or risks associated with the study participation. The authors indicated that the ZNA was appropriate for collecting the data because it could measure the 11 parameters of […]
• Critical Appraisal on the Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders on the Family: A Qualitative Study of Mothers’ Perspectives The study researchers established the significance of the study by outlining the social and financial implications of taking care of children with ASD.
• Autism: External Forces, Causes and Treatment The increasing prevalence of Autism in the United States and across the world is attracting great attention from the healthcare sector to design critical programs tailored to stem the disorder in terms of prevention, treatment, […]
• The Importance of Services for Children With Autism The plea of the majority of Americans for the reverse of healthcare budget allocation is well because it is wrong to interfere with services offered to children with autism. With childcare initiative in place, the […]
• Autism: General Information and Treatment She argues that the treatment of autism is through scientific proven medication that aids in controlling aggressive behaviors and that Trisperidone is the commonly used antipsychotic.
• The Issue of Autism: Task-Group Project The role of B.N.in the meeting can be seen as a summarizer, providing a summary of the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Concepts of Autism and Williams Syndrome The disorder manifests itself in the early years of a child’s life, with long-lasting effects that are not curable but controllable and easy to deal with on condition that, the concerned parties take the necessary […]
• Autism Programs to Enhance Students’ Outcomes In addition to social and behavioral challenges, ASD typically hinders a learner’s ability to gain and process the necessary academic information.
• Autism Program’s Impact Across Contexts In other words, a detailed overview of the issues that administrators face when designing the program and which the teachers have to deal with when addressing the needs of children with autism must be carried […]
• Autism: Teaching Plan for Taking All the Features Into Account For the first child, caregiver training was done at child’s bedroom, and for the second child it was done at living room, and for the third child with severe mental retardation it was carried out […]
• Education Considerations for Students With Autism Two articles under consideration consider the opposite views regarding the education of students with autism; on the basis of the information obtained from these articles, it can be stated that none of the perspectives is […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnostic Procedure In general, this journal is very interesting and it is an important contribution to the development of appropriate screening and identification procedures for children with ASD.
• Developmental Psychology: Autism and Vaccination Vaccination of infants is widely used today as the pattern of endemic diseases can be explained in terms of interplay of social, physical and biological factors in an area that is conducive to a continuous […]
• Social Work Methods to Treat the Child Who Is Suffering From Autism This is a clear indicator that alcohol intake by the family is costing the members and it is an issue that needs to be looked into.
• Proposal for the Organization of the Concert in Autism Support The paper will be focused on the organizational aspects of the autism support concert and the people to be invited to this meeting attendance.
• The Development of Autism Analysis The paper will disclose the interviews of this famous and significant person whom managed to give all her efforts to the development of autism charitable programs and contribute to autism support all over the world. […]
• Autism and Immunization: Vaccines and the Changing Epidemiology The interest and attention invoked by this paper were largely due to the fact that it appeared to provide a biological means through which MMR vaccine resulted in autism.
• Autism. Child and Family Assessment The other common disorder associated with autism is that of mutism whereby it also lies under the category of speech disorder and in many cases it is difficult to be diagnosed and at the same […]
• Autism and False Belief in Psychology The theories are found to be covering the deficits of an individuals’ mind and factors relating to autism, research further indicates that a child’s behavior may be influenced by the executive functions this, therefore, brings […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Interventions However, the negative side of it is that such an intervention is limited to those patients who are verbal and have limited vocabulary.
• Autism: Methods of Diagnosing and Treatment Analysis A malfunction in the neural circuitry of the brain of those with autism is the likely cause of their perceptions regarding social interaction and lack of adequate cognitive abilities.
• Autism: Symptoms, Forms, Diagnostic Instruments Autism is basically a developmental disorder of the human brain that its first symptoms are initially manifested in infancy and it follows a steady cause without relapse.
• Mercury, Vaccines and Autism: One Controversy, Three Histories In due course of time, the emergence of organomercurials as effective agents in combating bacterial contamination of vaccines slowly resulted in the research on and inclusion of thimerosal, a white crystalline powder in the form […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Features in Children One of the causes for the appearance of these issues is an inborn disability that might presuppose the need for specific methods to educate a child and guarantee a chance for integration with society.
• Autism Occurrence by Measles Vaccine Status The organization of information in the text follows a logical format by introducing the background for the vaccine, incorporating the issue of ASD connection, and leading up to the primary research question.
• Parental Report of Vaccine Receipt in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In the introduction, which is the first section, the study’s research problems and their significance to nursing are stated. The discussion section covers how the authors relate the findings to the research objective and the […]
• Teenagers With Autism Disorder Autism is seen as a spectrum disorder since its severity and symptoms vary greatly among affected individuals – from mild and occasional to persistent and interfering with all aspects of life.
• Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders on Life However, between the ages of two and three, his lack of verbal activity and inability to “echo” simple sounds and syllables were found to be very concerning by the family.
• Risperidone in Children With Autism: ANOVA Article The variables used in the article are sufficient for the investigation, and they would not be changed. The study authors assume that risperidone and placebo treatments would have significant variations in the mental abilities of […]
• Autism Should Not Be Viewed as a Disability A good example is that the treatment of autism as a mental disorder makes it possible for pharmaceutical companies and clinics to invent new health systems or procedures that will meet the needs of the […]
• Autism Spectrum and Features of Health Conditions Nevertheless, the manifestations of the autism spectrum also depend on the intellectual abilities of the person and his or her age.
• Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder For instance, the researchers have reviewed the findings by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Government Accountability Office to present the statistics on children with ASD and the increase in the number […]
• Autism: Main Symptoms and Research Major symptoms of the disorder are repetitive behavior, abnormal communication development, and motor skills development. Major symptoms of autism are repetitive behavior, abnormal motor skills, and communication development.
• Autist Student’s Behavior and Remedial Plan In the process of reading, I would pay attention to the student’s concentration and ability to integrate what she was reading. She also took long in doing this and did not want to stop the […]
• Autism Treatment, Its Methods and Results It was appropriate to focus on the use of the DSE intervention and examine if addressed most of the challenges facing many ASD patients.
• The Physiological Impact of Autism on Children and Parents It is possible to speak about the physiological impact of ASD on children and their parents in the UK, and the detailed examination of this issue is required. To review the literature on possible barriers […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Programs Effectiveness The purpose of this PE, therefore, is to evaluate and analyze the efficiency of the programs implemented by the Day Support Services.
• Autism: Characteristics, Prevalence and Interventions The symptoms of autism are noticeable in the early years of childhood. Occupational therapy is one of the non-educational interventions used to assist kids with autism.
• Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders The main goal of this paper is to present a review of relevant literature addressing the issue of helping college students with ASD prepare for workforce readiness and job placement.
• Autism Treatment Network in the PEACE Program In order to use these resources in PEACE, it is necessary to establish a budget that will cover expenditures on training courses for specialists involved in the program, educational materials, seminars, and individual counseling.
• Association Between Vaccination and Autism The study examined whether there is a link between the toxic effects of exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines and the risk of developing ASD.
• Olfaction and Autism Spectrum Disorder Relationship These findings reveal that the sniff test can reveal both the presence and severity of ASD in young children. The link between ASD and olfaction can be used in diagnosing young children with autism.
• Vaccination Contrubution to Autism Development This anxiety has led to a civic health dispute about the civil liberties of parents to decide whether to vaccinate their children, along with the state regulation on vaccinations to guard the wellbeing of its […]
• Abu Dhabi Autism Center The Abu Dhabi Autism Center has to operate within the laws and regulations of the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs.
• Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism It is the most commonly applied autism treatment remedy in the United States and several other countries in the world and the major method that schools and therapists embrace and use.
• Involving Adults With Autism Plus Learning Disability Since the method is interviewing, a particular aspect of the study that should be addressed with attention is the researchers’ perspective.
• Inclusive Education: Child With Autism and Spina Bifida It is worth mentioning that Ted’s mother is willing to cooperate with teachers, and her participation can be of great assistance to the teacher.
• Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism It is possible to state that the book provides rather a high-quality review of the issues about the identification, education, and upbringing of the 2e children.
• Case Law and Case Study of a Student With Autism On reviewing the evaluation results in the presence of the student’s mother, an agreement was reached on the general education placement for the student.
• Children With Autism’ Communication in Saudi Arabia Parents of children with autism in Saudi Arabia have complained that the government has neglected the needs of autistic children by failing to finance their education and research to detect the effectiveness of the digital […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Testing and Measurement It will begin with the rationale that explain why the issues are critical, followed by the reasons for unavailability of the solutions to the issues and the consequences of the issues.
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Educational Interventions From this point, this paper aims to discuss the definition of Autism Spectrum Disorders, examine the etiology and incidence of the disorder, focus on the prevalence of autism, and analyze the effectiveness of the DTT […]
• Autism Expressed: Branding Strategy and Marketing The promise that the brand offers to the public should be in line with the desires of the clients. This firm will need to prepare this branding strategy in a way that will meet its […]
• Vaccines and Autism: Separating Facts From Fiction The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system and responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and […]
• Self-Injury in Autism: Applied Behavior Analysis Applied behavior analysis incorporates the utilization of direct perception, estimation, and useful investigation of the relations in the middle of the environment and conduct.
• Lesson for Learners With Autism: Reflection Observation The essay identifies the instructional methods used by the teacher during the exercise. The teacher also guided the learners to solve the mathematical problems using different visual objects.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Concept Besides, Temple often explores her own experiences and attempts to understand the feelings of others that are unavailable to her by visualizing herself as other creatures people and animals.
• Dubai Autism Center’ Quality Management TQM employs strategies and effective communication within the organization to incorporate the quality principles into the culture and activities of the organization to ensure that all the activities are geared towards satisfying the customers.
• Vaccination and Autism in Children The problem with this case is that while it may be true that the cause for the development of autism in children have yet to be fully determined, the fact remains that there have been […]
• Video Modeling for Individuals With Autism The video model will be developed according to the needs of autistic children, with the focus on the role of visual and auditory stimuli in the teaching process.
• The Effects of Vaccines on Autism From their study, the findings demonstrate that the presence of thimerosal is one of the causes of the disorder. It is imperative to state that they have used many studies that have indicated that there […]
• Vaccination as a Cause Autism This paper borrows on the arguments of Monica Prasad and Washington and Haydn when they argue that the belief about vaccinations as a primary cause of autism stems from emotional, psychological, and behavioral barriers, as […]
• Youth With Autism Disorder: Education and Employment This includes the communication patterns of the teenager, the extent of social relations and the unusual behavioral characteristics of the teenager in the environment.
• Autism Children Education Inclusion Policy in Private Schools: Compulsory Enrollment Policy 2011 The following are the main areas will be addressed by the policy: Prohibited Private schools will be prohibited from ignoring the needs of children suffering from autism; they will be compelled by the act to […]
• Autism: Pathogenesis and Intervention Similarly, a person with autism has to be trained on the process of communicating normally and forming a relationship with objects, events and people in their lives.
• The Real Causes of Autism However, the main problem is that this association or correlation does not imply that autism is triggered by a vaccine. This is the main argument that can be put forward.
• Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism The primary subject of this study is applied behavior analysis while the secondary subject is applied behavior analysis and its effects on autism in children.
• Autism. Sensory Integration. Tactile Desensitization The poor development that is recorded at the early stages in life is likely to affect the development of different skills by the individuals even in the adult stages The signs that are associated with […]
• Autism Effect on Children It is crucial to understand the behavior of children with autism in the school set up in order to understand how autism affects children and their social interactions. It is up to the teacher to […]
• Autism and Its Effects on Social Interaction The article “Social Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” identifies the major challenges facing many people with autism. The authors wanted to examine the social problems and difficulties encountered by individuals with Autism Spectrum […]
• Older Dads More Likely to Have Kids With Autism The author highlights autism as one of the main outcomes of late fatherhood following the release of the results of a study involving the counting of the mutations corresponding to a father’s age at the […]
• Evidenced-Based Practice: Autism Management in Children Autism largely is connected to communication abilities of a child, a situation that later results into the child experiencing disability problems in effectively encoding and decoding communicative messages.
• Miami Dance Project for Autistic Children For me, what the Miami dance project represents is in line with what is known as the concept of confidence building wherein through the development of certain talents children with autism will begin to have […]
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Family Impact One of the greatest fears of a parent with such a child is the fact that such a child would be taken care of until the advanced stages of their lives.
• Program Models in Autism The DTT technique has been designed in such a way as to target the individual behavior of an autistic child using the available curriculum.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Relation to Education Attending to students having ASD in the regular classrooms requires specialized teachers and supplementary staff in order to aid in the realization of the needs of the students having ASD.
• Critical Analysis of Published Articles: Autism It was therefore the goal of the research to find out if the negative attitude of people towards autistic children can be altered to the benefit of the parents.
• Autism in Saudi Arabia This support may come in the form of modification of the curriculum to cater for the special needs of the autistic children.
• Analysis of Autism Disorder This disorder affects the brain of the child during growth so that it does not develop in the right way thus affecting the social and communication skills of the child. This is especially to the […]
• One-To-One Programs: Supporting Autistic Children The purpose of conducting this essay will be to examine the educational intervention of one-to-one support programs during normal school times within a mainstream classroom and also to discuss the challenges faced by teachers and […]
• Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment: An Overview of the Recent Progress and the Current Challenges in Treating Autism in Children In the given paper, the issue of psychological disorders is being addressed in reference to the ideas expressed in Chapter 11 “Psychological Disorders” in Carole Wade and Carol Tavris’s Invitation to Psychology.
• Early Intervention for Young Adults With Autism This is due to unavailability of information on children development stages and the importance of early detection and intervention in the case of autism.
• Different Behaviors in Children With Autism The purpose is to find out whether the co morbidity changes with the environment, and assess the influence that the environment has on the behavior of an autistic child.
• Diagnosis and Treatment for Autism Disorder Children with autism are therefore able to reason and even interpret the feelings of other people but the challenge is to communicate the response to other people.
• Autism: Qualitative Research Design Golafshani continues to argue that the use of the term “dependability” in qualitative studies is a close match to the idea of “reliability” in quantitative research.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder However, the reality is that the number of children with autism and having high intelligence is insignificant. It is apparent that, in autism, a disorder is found in the structure of the brain.
• Treatment of Autism With the Use of the Picture Exchange Communication System There are lots of types of this communication system that may be used with children, who have autism, and one of them is the Picture Exchange Communication System that is characterized by a proper picture […]
• Vaccines and Autism: A Critical Analysis of Thimerosal in Relation to Measles, Mumps, and Rubella The safety and efficacy of vaccines has been the subject of many studies in the medical field. The disorder was observed in one participant from each of the cohorts in the experiment.
• How to Recognize and Teach Students With Autism If these groups of students have to be given directions that are more than three steps, the directions have to be written down due to their inability to remember sequences.
• Autism and Visual Thought Suprisingly the quality of visual thinking according to Bogdashina is dependent on other factors like time and the state the autistic person is in.
• Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Thimerosal is alleged to increase the exposure of mercury in the vaccine to a substantiated high amount. In fact, the amount of antigens between children with autism and without is the same irrespective of the […]
• Language Development Problems in Children: An Indicative Characteristic of Autism This is because it is a time when it is expected that a majority of the kids should be able to talk.
• The Disease of Autism Origin The disorder is one of the new diagnoses of the autism. Other effects of the disorder are constipation and growth failures that may be a problem to the lives of the individual.
• Autism’s Teaching Tips for Children and Adults The present description is concerned with the role of teacher in the better management of Autism in children. Further, assessment of the interactive and developmental skills is on of the important component in the teacher […]
• What Are Autism Spectrum Disorders?
• How Does Autism Affect the Person With It and Those Around Them?
• What Are the Barriers of Learning for a Learner With Autism/Aspergers in Performing Arts?
• Does Gluten Effect Children With Autism?
• What Are the Causes of Autism?
• How Does Autism Affect a Child’s Educational Performance?
• What Can Autism Look Like and Things You Can Do to Spot It?
• Can Children With Autism Develop a Theory of Mind?
• Which Interventions Reduce Anxiety in Autistic People?
• What Influence Has the Development of Autism Had on a Diagnosed Individual?
• How Does Autism Affect the Development of a Child?
• Are Huddles the Missing Piece of the Puzzle in Implementing Clinical Innovation for the Eating Disorder and Autism Comorbidity?
• How Does Autism Start?
• Can Mouse Imaging Studies Bring Order to Autism Connectivity Chaos?
• How Does ‘Fake News’ Affect Autism Policy?
• Are There Any Relationships Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Testosterone Elevation, and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Do People With Autism Experience the World?
• Can Robotic Systems Promote Self-Disclosure in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Did the Media Perpetuate the Autism-Vaccine Scare?
• Are There Cultural Differences in Parental Interest in Early Diagnosis and Genetic Risk Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Can the Therapist Help Autism Children?
• Can Vaccinations Cause Autism?
• Does Autism Spectrum Disorder Affect People All Around the World?
• Is There a Correlation Between Epigenetics and Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How Does Autism Affect Regular Brain Functions as Well as Socialization Skills?
• What Can Responses to Music in Autism Tell Us About the Nature of Musical Emotions?
• Why Has the Incidence Rate of Autism Increased?
• What Are the Most Effective Ways to Support/Provide Social Care For Autistic Adults?
• Which Interventions Are Effective in the Development of Communication/Language Skills in Autism?
• How Can Parents and Family Members Be Supported/Educated to Care For and Better Understand an Autistic Relative?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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144 comprehensive autism research paper topics that will help you.

July 28, 2021

Do you need autism research paper topics that will impress your educator to award you high grades? If yes, this article lists the best 140-plus ideas to consider for your papers and essays.

Simple  Autism Topics for Research Paper 

Perhaps, you want to write a paper about an easy topic. In that case, select the idea to work with from this category. Any of these topics can be a brilliant idea for an autism paper. Nevertheless, take your time to investigate it extensively, gather, and analyze data to develop a winning piece.

• Investigating the autism spectrum disorder’s prevalence
• Autism Diagnostic interview
• What are the primary causes of autism?
• Reasons for the increasing autism cases in children
• Effective learning and teaching methods for autistic children
• Mainstream education and autism
• Are there advantages of being autistic?
• What are the disadvantages of being autistic?
• Why are some individuals autistic while others are not
• Explain why some individuals have a good recall or memory skills
• What should people know about autism?
• Who are the top five most known autistic individuals in human history?
• How healthcare workers assist autistic persons in their daily lives
• What are humans yet to discover about autism?
• Discuss autism stories that people have shared on social media
• Describe the employment opportunities and limitations for autistic individuals
• Describe a treatment that can reduce autistic individuals’ disadvantages
• What is the primary cause of autism?
• What role does music play in the life of an autistic person?
• Explain autism diagnosis during the early stages
• Describe the educational programs for autistic persons
• What’s the average overview of an autistic person?
• Explain ways of improving autistic people’s interactions
• Explain an autistic individual’s behavior towards his family members?
• How the chemical brain of an autistic person differs from that of a non-autistic individual
• What are the most prominent research breakthroughs in autism?
• Why autistic persons struggle to socialize with others
• What normal individuals should learn from the brains of autistic persons
• Describe the characteristics of autistic persons
• Tips for training autistic persons when providing care
• Things caregivers should know about autism to do an excellent job
• How family members should behave towards autistic individuals

Autism Biology Topics Research Paper  Ideas

Students can also write autism biology papers and score top grades. If interested in autism biology, here is a list of topics to consider for your research paper. Any of these topics can be the basis of a debate because people have varying views towards them. You need sufficient and reliable information to support your argument.

• Is there sufficient evidence proving that environmental triggers are responsible for the rising autism cases?
• Why is western society reporting higher autism prevalence?
• Do literature and art help in raising awareness about autism?
• Reviewing films whose basis is an autism spectrum disorder
• How the media portrays autism and its effects
• Prominent public figures that lived with autism for years
• The impact of maternal age on autism
• Asperger’s syndrome and autism- An explorative study
• Analyzing the genome’s dark regions and their effect on autism mutation
• Gene expression control and its impact on autism mutation
• The connection between genetic variants and autism
• Obesity and autism- Is there a correlation?
• How a subtle genetic modification can affect an autistic person
• Autism and fragile x syndrome
• How brain homes affect autism
• Autism and vasopressin- What’s the link?
• Brain signature similarities with autism
• Investigating the unusual sensory response in an autistic person
• The effects of the cerebellum on an autistic person’s social behavior
• Anybody that loves biology will be interested in reading a paper on any of these ideas. However, make sure that your essay is on-point.
• Thought-Provoking Autism Controversial Issues to Write About
• Perhaps, you want to research and write about a thought-provoking topic about autism. In that case, consider one of these issues.
• Is autism a disorder or a difference?
• Timeline and history of autism
• Why are autism rates increasing dramatically?
• Things that scientists have disproven about autism causes
• Questionable and risky autism treatments
• The best autism treatments
• Should autistic children have a unique educational setting?
• Which are the best educational options for autistic children?
• Autistic children should have a unique home
• Autism and vaccinations- Is there any relations?
• Ways to raise autism awareness in society
• Changing the autistic children’s future through early interventions
• How educators can help children with autism
• Ways to help autistic children with uncooperative parents
• Can occupational therapy help autistic children?
• DSM-V and autism
• A comparison of autistic children’s and normal kids’ educational opportunities
• Ways health officials can convince their clients that vaccines don’t cause autism
• Should schools vaccinate children that haven’t received their shots because parents believe they cause autism?

Research Paper Topics Dealing with Autism  and Education

Experts recommend teaching people and caregivers about autistic persons. Through training, educators, parents, and other people can know how to treat autistic persons. Here are good research paper topics on autism and education. These topics relate expert advice with parenting and the daily life of autistic individuals. But like the other ideas, they need thorough research to come up with impressive papers.

• Ways to solve autistic children’s daily problems
• Why is autism research necessary?
• Differences in education among autistic kids and normal children
• Different autism types
• Understanding the struggles of students suffering from autism
• What are the possible autism causes?
• Managing parenting challenges when you have an autistic child
• Ways to improve autistic children’s communication skills
• How to enhance autistic kids’ coping skills
• Addressing negative behaviors among autistic children
• Increasing autistic children’s play skills
• Ways to diagnose autism early in children
• Ways to increase autistic children’s independence
• Effects of autism in a single child on family members
• Improving self-help among autistic children
• How autism affects different developmental realms
• Learning in autistic kids
• Resources available for autistic people
• Effects of autism on the learning process
• Why do parents need training about autism?

Autism Research Analysis Paper Topics 

Perhaps, you want to autism research topics you can analyze extensively in your paper or essay. If so, consider these ideas for your project. You can analyze any of these research topics on autism in your paper with proper references to impress the educator and earn the top grade in your class.

• Qualities of an effective autism treatment plan
• Autism signs that every parent should know
• Reviewing autism in various regions
• Analyzing the probability of medical treatment causing autism
• Analysis of the effects of genetics on autism
• Investigating the impact of an autistic person on a standard individual
• Analysis of autism history
• Ways adult patients can manage autism
• Analyzing the employment opportunities for autistic people
• Exploring parental education benefits in managing autism in children
• Analyzing the variations in social implications depending on autistic spectrum disorder and gender
• Analysis of the support autistic people need at the workplace
• Examining the socio-cultural effects of autism on understanding and behavior
• Do autistic children need special schools?- A detailed analysis
• Investigating the contextual drives affecting autism understanding in society
• Analyzing the peer group role in autism
• Investigating the increasing autism prevalence in western society
• Post-traumatic stress disorder- Analyzing its impact on parents with autistic kids
• Exploring the cross-cultural experiences of autistic persons
• Analyzing the role technology can play in improving autistic people’s social skills

Autism Research Questions 

One of the best ways to develop good research topics is by asking questions about the subject you find interesting. For instance, you can brainstorm autism thesis topics by asking questions about this illness. Here are some of the queries you can ask about autism, which can form the basis of your paper.

• Which is the most accepted theory about autism spectrum disorder’s pathophysiology?
• How can caregivers improve service delivery when dealing with autistic persons?
• How can ordinary people understand sensory processing among autistic persons?
• How can companies encourage ordinary people to support autistic employees?
• How can employers implement person-centered intervention to support autistic employees?
• How can companies maximize the performance and potential of autistic people at the workplace?
• How can hospitals improve autism diagnostic procedures?
• How can hospitals ensure the appropriate diagnosis of autistic adults?
• How can family members and parents provide quality care for autistic kids?
• How can ordinary people support families and parents with autistic kids?
• What support is ideal for autistic children?
• Which environments are suitable for helping autistic persons achieve quality education and life skills?
• How can society help autistic persons get the most from life?
• Which interventions can enhance mental health in autistic persons?
• How can caregiver reduce mental health issues among autistic persons?
• How can caregivers adapt mental health interventions for autistic individuals?
• Which interventions work in developing language skills in autistic persons?
• How can society support social care for autistic adults?
• Which intervention work in reducing anxiety among autistic people?
• Is autism treatable?
• Who suffers more, an autistic child or their family?
• What facts do most people not know about autism?
• Which brain part does autism damage?
• Does autism escalate with age?
• Is autism the same as brain damage?
• How can you tell that your kid is not autistic?
• Can a person inherit autism?
• Does an autistic person have a higher risk of having an autistic child?
• Is autism a disability?
• How does level I differ from level II autism?
• Which questions does the doctor ask during an autism assessment?

Students have many autism spectrum disorder research topics and questions to consider as titles for their papers. However, learners should pick exciting topics to develop outstanding pieces. If you are unable to select a topic and write an essay, seek professional writing help online. Expert writers can help you with topic selection or even write a high-quality, custom paper for you.

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Autism Research Paper Topics: Autism In Children, Adults, and more

Autism is a difficult and painful topic to talk about. According to a  CDC report , every 1 in 44 children has Autism in our time. Disorder of autism is one of the most radical forms of mental illness. Nevertheless, there are a number of types of it, as well as a number of different research topics related to them. Even though there is no cure for this disorder, many efforts have been made to prevent the occurrence of such disorders. All those efforts are necessary to deal with the effects autistic disorders may cause. It is the researchers who deserve the majority of the credit for this achievement. Research into autism is carried out every single day by thousands of researchers around the world. It is important that they play an important role in developing medicines, therapies, and techniques for interacting with people who suffer from autism in order to help them cope with the condition.

You have found your way onto our blog for autism research paper topics. It is safe to assume that you will be one of those researchers. We wish you good luck and a lot of breakthroughs. We are rooting for you to help make this world a better place. After offering you help writing medical papers and PhD research paper writing services for years, we are happy to share all that we know about autism research papers topics.

Table of Contents

Best Autism Research Paper Topics:

Writing a research paper on Autism is a challenging task. The first step towards accomplishing this is to have a brilliant and impeccable topic. Our  research paper writers  have spent days finding relevant and catchy autism research paper topics to help you accomplish wonders. Let’s have a look.

Autism Research Paper Topics For High School

High school students often have to write research papers for high school assignments and grades.  Their limited access to top level neurological disorder always hinder the quest for answering research questions about autism. That’s why students need extra help and hands to make it to the end. Our professional writers have curated some of the best autism topics for high school students. Here we go!

• Social Camouflage in Autistic People
• Are there any high schools for autistic children?
• The case of the near-normal autistic adolescents
• Recent Theoretical Trends and Relevance for Autism
• Programs and rehabilitation in infantile Autism
• Asperger’s Disorder and Criminal Behavior
• Perceptual over-functioning in Autism
• The Level and Nature of Autistic Intelligence
• Living with Autism in developing countries
• Early Childhood Development With Autistic Children
• A study of the most significant scientific discoveries of Autism
• Case of miracle children who recover from Autism
• Autism as a disorder of perception
• Early Intervention For Toddlers With Autism
• Studies struggle to pin down gender differences in Autism
• Autism cases in the same family more often carry different genetic risks
• Autism: An Obstacle To Communication
• The stages of language acquisition in Autism
• Cognitive aspects and intelligence of autistic people
• Anxiety in adults and children with autism spectrum disorder
• Stress coping techniques for people with Asperger’s syndrome
• History, characteristics and origin of autism
• Autism according to psychology
• Childhood autism, its detection, treatment and education
• Advances / setbacks in treatment and educational systems for children with autism
• Role of social and digital media in raising awareness and notion of autism symptoms through graphic campaigns
• A brief history of the pioneers in the study of autism

We hope the topics above answered your autism research questions. For more high school research topics, visit: High School Research Topics

Medical and Autism Research Paper Topics

Autism is a great topic for research in medicine and surgery. Autism is often linked to  medical research topics  as well.

• The link between Autism and the digestive system
• Neuroscientific efforts made regarding Autism
• Autism and neurophysiology of the nervous system
• Safety and health of an autistic person during the COVID 19 Pandemic
• Gastrointestinal problems in autistic children
• The threat of heart diseases/conditions in autistic person
• Genetic variants to Autism and intellectual disability
• Impact of mild mutations on Autism
• Medically and anatomically, understanding how the brain works in individuals with Autism
• Main physical characteristics and health issues of children with Autism
• Impact of autism syndrome on health status
• Clinical descriptions of Autism
• Adaptation of physicians’ practice during the consultation towards people with autism spectrum disorder
• Necessary good knowledge of Autism to provide every physician
• Preparing the autistic child for invasive procedures
• Analytical approach to interactions with autistic people during a visit to doctor’s
• volution of the clinical definition of Autism
• Etiological heterogeneity of Autism
• Autism: clinical issues

Are these topics about autism satisfying your curiosity on this subject? If not, then read the topics for university students they’ll definitely answer the research questions on autism for you. Read on.

Read More:  Accounting Research Topics

Autism Research Topics For University Students

When studying in a university,  writing a research paper  is a compulsory part of almost every faculty.

• Group of symptoms in autism spectrum disorders
• Are ADHD and Autism related? How? Why? Or Why Not?
• Misconceptions and detective errors in the autism diagnosis
• Characteristics of Autism in young children
• Detection of Autism at the early stages
• Reasons behind rising numbers of autism cases
• Abilities and needs of people with Autism
• How can we enable people with Autism to live independently?
• Lifelong care and support for autistic person: A thorough guide
• Evidence-based psychosocial interventions to improve communication and social skills of autistic individuals
• Well-being and quality of life of people with Autism and their caregivers
• Stigma, discrimination and human rights violations faced by autistic people 
• Measures and social initiatives to make the environment more accessible for autistic people
• Hot topics in autism research
• Social work to provide equal access to autism assessments
• Effective autism drugs

Read More:  Biology Research Paper Topics

Autism Paper Topics For Psychiatry

• Assessing the potential of autistic children based on their strengths
• What should define Autism: deficits or abilities?
• Impairment of social reciprocity and how psychiatry can help the autistic person?
• Alteration of non-verbal behaviors with Autism
• The term autistic in psychiatry
• Definition of the Autism Syndrome in light of psychology
• Psychological help with Autism for language functions
• The limits of psychiatric interventions in Autism
• Explanatory psychological theories of autism spectrum disorder
• Socialization problems and inappropriate effects on children with Autism
• Transcultural psychiatry related to Autism
• The psychological effects of Autism spectrum disorder within families
• Biopsychosocial, on married, family, and professional life while living with Autism
• Impacts of autism spectrum disorder on physical or mental health status
• Impacts of Autism on social life
• Role of environmental factors in autistic Development
• The spectrum of social reactions to Autism in the media
• Socially unacceptable or dangerous behavior and invasive psychiatry methods with autistic people
• Autism and memory: discussion and conclusions
• Study of the cognitive, socio-emotional evolution and autistic behaviors of children with Autism
• Classification of mental disorders in children and adolescents associated with autism
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• From autism to pervasive developmental disorders
• Hans Asperger’s Autistic Psychopathy

For more psychology topics, explore Paper Perk’s:  Psychology Research Paper Topics  For 2022

Research Questions Related To Autism

Autism is one of the most popular  research paper topics  in the academic world. Many questions have been asked to contribute to that. Let’s look at one of the most popular questions among them.

• Impaired Development and maintaining relationships: How to provide autistic children with social help?
• How to improve communication in an autistic child at a developmental age?
• What are the major  symptoms of Autism in children at an early age ?
• How do researchers contribute to discoveries related to Autism spectrum disorder?
• Is Autism one of the pervasive developmental disorders?
• What are the types and extent of language disorders in children with Autism?
• What are the theoretical approaches to childhood autism?
• What are the experiences, Issues, And Challenges Of Immigrant Parents Having A Child With ASD?
• What is the description of diagnostic criteria for Autism?
• What is the description of the types of language impairment
• What are the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder that impact the lives of related people?
• What are the collateral factors that parents of autistic children must deal with?
• What are other Related Disorders of Autism?
• What are the political actions around Autism we took last decade?
• What is the social model for autistic culture?
• Is it okay to call someone autistic? Are moral ambiguities concerned with Autism
• How to deal with mood swings in autistic teenagers?
• What are the essentials of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis?
• What are the basics of support for autism spectrum disorder?
• What are the statistical analysis and evaluation methods for infant children?
• Can autistic people understand sarcasm? How can we help them understand and enjoy the comic colors of life?
• What are the main characteristics that can be found in an Asperger’s person?
• How is Rett syndrome relevant to Autism Spectrum Disorders?
• What do we know about the causes and effects of Rett’s syndrome?
• What are the main challenges of early detection of autism in psychiatry?
• What are the risk factors of childhood disintegrative disorder?
• What do we know about Leo Kanner’s Early Infantile Autism?
• Is it possible to have developed autism after childhood?

Read More:  Business Research Topics

Interesting Autism Paper Topics

• Appearance and evolution of the term autism in the 20th century
• Classification and diagnosis of Autism
• Definition of Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• The care pathway for children with Autism and their family
• Cross-cultural practice with immigrant parents who have a child with Autism
• Representations of autism spectrum disorder in immigrants
• Financial stress, lack of knowledge of the services available, and delays in the detection and diagnosis of Autism
• Lack of social and family support networks for people with Autism in developing countries
• Development of Asperger’s symptoms in teenage years
• Development of autistic syndrom over time and in later ages of life
• Difficulties experienced by immigrant parents having an affected child from autism spectrum disorder
• Joint attention in early autism spectrum disorder
• The instruments for measuring parental stress in parents with an autistic child
• Health implications of child autistic children
• Socio-demographic characteristics of families with more than one autistic children
• The role of knowledge in changing attitudes and behaviours with Autism
• Verbal and non-verbal communication disorders
• Imitation and communication in children with Autism
• Pathology of childhood disintegrative disorder and associated disorders
• Repetitive and/or restricted behaviors and activities associated with childhood disintegrative disorder
• A complex and difficult diagnosis of childhood disintegrative disorder
• Comparison between childhood disintegrative disorder and autism

Read More:  Chemistry Research Topics

Best Autism Thesis Topics

• Autism symptoms and parental quality of life
• Autism symptoms and parental stress
• Minor symptoms that autistic adults may have
• Interventions for children with autism disorder
• Contemporary issues of today’s families affected by autism spectrum disorder
• Parental stress, ASD, and attachment
• Quality of the bond of attachment of children with ASD
• Autism experienced daily
• Autism and its communication landscape
• The spectrum of social statuses, designations and qualifiers associated with Autism
• Methodology and strategies for autism effects data analysis
• The portrayal of Autism in media and marginalized populations
• Autistic people and families: from disarray to protest
• The role of the media to reduce and end the stereotypes about Autism Spectrum Disorder
• A theoretical approach to autism spectrum disorders
• Focus on people with Autism without intellectual disabilities
• Associations of parents of autistic children
• Diagnostic assistance for adults with high-functioning Autism
• Mild forms of autism spectrum disorder in adults
• General information on the diagnosis of Autism
• Differentiation criteria in the social representations of autistic children among educators

Research Topics For Different Types Of Autism

• Neuropsychological study of memory in autism
• Studies concerning memory in autism
• Fatigue and fatigability due to a double or multiple task situation with Asperger’s Syndrome
• Enhancing learning social codes and school subjects for persons with Asperger’s syndrome
• Improving life for people with Asperger’s syndrome via social activities
• Social activities to help people with autism spectrum disorder
• Greatest works and achievements about autism research
• Clumsiness, motor coordination problems in autistic people
• Selective silence in people with Asperger’s Syndrome
• Differential diagnosis for Asperger’s Syndrome
• Clinical description of Asperger’s syndrome
• Impairment of conversational skills in people with Asperger’s syndrome
• Disorders of executive functions with Asperger’s Syndrome
• Deficit of conversational skills in Asperger’s Syndrome
• The development of conversational skills in a typical person: How are they different from autistic people?
• Is ADHD somehow related to ASD? How can you prove your stance?
• Peculiarities of functioning of people with Asperger’s Syndrome
• Socialization difficulties: Variations in different types of autism
• General presentation of Asperger’s syndrome
• Is Elon Musk really suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome? What is the truth of it?
• Why Rett’s syndrome mostly affects females?
• Genetic mutations leading to Rett’s syndrome
• Autism spectrum disorder: is it a good thing in anyway?
• What is duplication syndrome and how it is related to Rett’s syndrome?
• What are the major Instruments that assess “autistic traits”?
• Using genetics to support the clinical diagnosis of different types of autism
• How to treat the symptoms of Rett’s syndrome
• Pharmacological approaches to treat autism
• Diagnosis of Rett’s syndrome
• Major symptoms of Rett’s syndrome
• Comparing Ssucharewa, Asperger and Kanner disorder’s
• Prevalence, epidemiology and comorbidities in the autism spectrum disorder
• Adolescence and Asperger’s syndrome
• Reports of behavior in autism spectrum disorder
• Sensory processes in autism spectrum disorder

As someone with the superpower of great research skills, you have a responsibility to use your powers for good. When you’re writing about autism, that responsibility is even greater. You have the ability to change the world for autistic people by nailing the research and providing accurate information. If you need any help with your research, we are more than happy to provide assistance. You can  contact us , or read about us to see what makes us great at helping you with your research problems.

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140+ Top Autism Research Paper Topics for Students

Are you looking for the absolute best autism research paper topics? If you want to get a top grade on your next paper, you should make sure you write it on the most interesting topic possible. Also, you should ensure that nobody else in your class has thought about your idea. In other words, you need to find an original topic to write about. The good news is that we have 144 of the greatest research paper topics dealing with autism right here. You can pick any one of them right now and start writing the essay. And remember to return to this article periodically because we are doing our best to update the topics list as frequently as possible.

Why Choose Our Autism Research Paper Topics?

But why would you choose our autism topics for research paper? Even though there are several websites that list topics related to autism, we can assure you that they are not what you expect. These websites have already been discovered by your classmates, so you risk writing a paper on a topic that’s already been selected.

To make sure we can help as many students as possible, we update our list of topics periodically, as frequently as we can. This means that you can almost certainly get an original topic that nobody has even though of. Moreover, all our topics are free – and will remain free. You can use any one of them as it is or reword it as you see fit. Don’t worry, you don’t have to give us any credit. Here are the topics after the recent update:

Autism Research Analysis Paper Topics

Do you need to write an analysis paper on a subject related to autism? No problem. Take a look at these excellent autism research analysis paper topics:

• Analyze Asperger’s syndrome
• Analyze the Rett syndrome
• Analyze the childhood disintegrative disorder
• Analyze Kanner’s syndrome
• Analyze the pervasive developmental disorder
• Discuss the unusual interest in objects characteristic
• Discuss the overreaction to touch
• Analyze the impaired communication problem
• Stereotyped patterns in autistic people
• Analyze effective interventions

Interesting Autism Topics

We know you want only the best topics. After all, the grade you’ll get on your research paper depends on it. Take a look at these interesting autism topics and pick one now:

• Discuss the overreaction to sight
• Can you be just a bit autistic?
• Analyze the rights of autistic people in the US
• Diagnosing autism early
• Discuss the US DSM-5 in relation to autism
• Is autism related to vaccines?
• Autism rights in Europe vs. China
• Discuss autism therapy
• Increasing the independence of your autistic child
• The importance of coping skills

Good Research Paper Topics on Autism

Some topics are better than others, of course. Here are the ideas we think would make good research paper topics on autism:

• Discuss the overreaction to taste
• Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause autism?
• Uncooperative parents of autistic children
• Educational opportunities for autistic children
• Analyze the behavior of autistic siblings
• The effect of genes on autism
• Autism in Africa
• The limitations for autistic people in society
• Daily problems of autistic teens
• Problem-solving skills of autistic people

Autism Research Topics for High School

High school students get their own list on our website. Below you can find all our autism research topics for high school students:

• Discuss the overreaction to smell
• Effects on social development
• Effects on communication skills
• Effective medication for autism
• Discuss alternative medicine options
• The prognosis for autistic children
• Discuss repetitive behavior
• Analyze less known symptoms of autism
• Autism vs. schizophrenia
• Explain what a neurodevelopmental disorder is

Education and Autism

Education techniques for people with autism are very complex and new techniques are being discovered every year. Take a look at our most interesting ideas:

• Discuss the overreaction to hearing
• Latest developments in autistic education
• Concentration problems with autistic people
• Under reaction to sight
• Best way to teach autistic children
• Teaching strategies for autism
• Special education needs
• Can autistic children focus in class?
• Can autistic children go to school?
• Calming down an autistic child

Autism Research Questions

If you are looking for some awesome autism research questions that will spark your creativity, you have arrived at the right place. Check out these ideas:

• How to tell somebody has autism?
• Is autism affected by age?
• What is Autism level 1?
• Is autism a genetic issue?
• What is a Neurodivergent person?
• What causes autism?
• How can autism be cured?
• Effective education for autistic children?
• Is ADHD autism?
• Does autism cause gender dysphoria?

Autism Biology Topics Research Paper

If you are interested in writing about the biology behind autism, you will be thrilled to find out that we have an entire section of autism biology topics research paper writers will love:

• Discuss the repeated actions of autistic people
• Repeated body movements and their causes
• Serotonin levels in autistic children
• The neuropathology of autistic people
• Social interaction problems caused by autism
• Discuss the need for sameness
• Discuss the temporal lobe anomaly
• Discuss the under reaction to hearing
• Brain connectivity in autistic patients
• Autism and mitochondrial disease

Autism Thesis Topics

Do you want to write your thesis on a topic related to autism? We have plenty of options for you. Here are our most popular autism thesis topics:

• Is autism the same as schizophrenia?
• Screening for autism in the United States
• UK autism screening programs
• Misdiagnosis of autism in the US
• Comorbidities in autistic people
• Remedial education for autism
• Discuss behavior therapy
• The best parent training model
• Prescribing Risperidone for autism
• Effects of antipsychotics on autistic people

Autism Debate Topics

In case you are looking to write a debate paper on autism, we are happy to tell you that you have arrived at the right place. Check out these interesting autism debate topics:

• Most important breakthrough in autism research
• Chemical differences in autistic people’s brains
• Discuss the increase in autism cases in the UK
• Less-known facts about autism
• Music and its benefits
• Autistic personalities in our modern history
• Discuss the increase of autism cases in the US
• Why is autism a spectrum disorder?
• Can autistic people go to work?
• Discrimination at the workplace

Autism Controversial Issues

There are, of course, many controversies surrounding autism. Here are some autism controversial issues (don’t be afraid to write an essay on any one of them!):

• Autism is a curable disorder
• Medication can keep autism under control
• Males are more likely to be autistic than females
• Does autism cause intellectual disability?
• Environmental risk factors that lead to autism
• Is autism a genetically-transmitted disorder?
• The link between vaccines and autism
• Should you get your child vaccinated against COVID-19?
• Does autism affect the IQ of a child?
• Discuss the pathology paradigm
• Discuss the Neurodiversity paradigm

Research Topics on Autism for College

If you are a college student, it usually means you are looking for a more advanced and complex topic to write about. Take a look at these research topics on autism for college students:

• Autism: disorder or difference?
• The main causes of autism
• The best treatments for autism
• Getting support for autistic adults
• Educating autistic children
• Negative effects of behavior therapy
• Negative effects of autistic medication
• How is autism diagnosed?
• Link between autism and epilepsy
• Link between autism and schizophrenia
• Link between autism and diabetes

Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Topics

Do you want to write about the spectrum disorder? Our experienced writers compiled a list of the best autism spectrum disorder research topics just for you:

• What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
• Repetitive patterns of behavior
• ASD and self-harm actions
• Autism versus Asperger syndrome
• Effects on communication and behavior
• Analyze brain development of ASD people
• Social effects of the Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Behavioral challenges for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Skills affected by ASD
• What is a high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• The DSM-5 classification of ASD

Easy Topics Related to Autism

We know there are times when you simply cannot afford to lose much time writing the essay. Just pick one of these easy topics related to autism:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder treatment
• The most effective autism test
• Autistic spectrum disorder treatment
• Does autism run in the family?
• Factors that increase the risk for autism
• Autism in siblings
• Can autism appear in adolescence or adulthood?
• Signs your child may be autistic
• Impact on cognition in adults
• Discuss the Rett Syndrome
• How can ASDs be treated?

Parent Training Ideas

Parents of autistic children need to understand the best ways to deal with this disorder. So, why not write a paper about it? Here are some interesting parent training ideas:

• Autism spectrum disorder checklist
• Education methods for the pervasive developmental disorder
• Changing the negative behaviors of autistic children
• Understanding the way an autistic child thinks
• Differences in IQ and understanding
• Is it stressful to have an autistic child?
• Best way to reward good behavior
• Learn non-verbal cues
• Helping your child recover from autism
• Evidence-based home education methods

Need Our Writing Help?

Writing a great essay usually takes more than a good topic. However, we are here to give you all the writing help you need – when you need it. Our expert writers have written thousands of papers on autism, so they definitely know what they are doing. We are the number one online company when it comes to research paper writing services. On top of this, all our ENL writers hold PhD degrees in various fields. If you need help, you will get assistance from a genuine expert.

Students can quickly get a custom paper written just for them from our professional academic writers. Don’t worry; all essays are edited and proofread before being sent to our clients. We want to assure you that you will get a research paper that will be ready for submission. With us, you don’t have to waste your time editing or proofreading the essay. Give us a try right now and let our experts get you a top grade on your next research paper!

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Autism » Autism Dissertation Topics (27 Examples) For Your Academic Research

Autism Dissertation Topics (27 Examples) For Your Academic Research

Mark May 9, 2020 Jun 5, 2020 Autism No Comments

Autism is a complex developmental disorder. As many children are diagnosed with having autism, it has become a topic of interest for researchers. It is an interesting and sensitive issue, which has caught a lot of attention in the past few years. A list of autism dissertation topics is presented below, which can help you […]

Autism is a complex developmental disorder. As many children are diagnosed with having autism, it has become a topic of interest for researchers. It is an interesting and sensitive issue, which has caught a lot of attention in the past few years. A list of autism dissertation topics is presented below, which can help you in deciding on the topic for your dissertation and project.

We would suggest choosing a research topic on autism or a project topic on autism that you find interesting. We have narrowed down a list of few autism dissertation topics. You can select any topic from the autism dissertation topics list to carry out your academic research.

List of autism dissertation topic

A review of who is suffering more, a child with autism or the child’s family?

The silent treatment and the scrutiny that a person with autism goes through – an explorative analysis.

A literature review of the best and worst stereotypes that can destroy the life of an autistic person.

Studying the legalisation of the experimental drugs that can help people suffering from autism.

Exploring approaches to support young people with an autism spectrum disorder.

To examine the diagnostic tests for autism spectrum disorder in preschool children.

An analysis of transitioning to adult life for the people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A review of the neurobehavioral characteristics of children with autism disorder.

Evidence of the rates of autism in studies of gender diverse individuals.

Exploring the relationship between body perception and autistic behaviour.

Strategies to help parents in coping with children with an autism spectrum disorder.

Estimating the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the UK population.

A study of the animal-assisted interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Identifying, assessing, analysing, and diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in adults.

Examining the knowledge and attitude of families and health care providers towards autism.

What is autism spectrum disorder? – A literature review.

Studying the non-verbal communication skills of children with an autism spectrum disorder.

The importance of an educator’s knowledge and beliefs about teaching children with autism.

Comparing the perspectives of autistic adults, parents and professionals related to autism diagnosis in the UK.

Studying the lived experiences of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Strategies to encourage parents to get their child screened for autism.

Exploring the fun and innovative ways to work with autistic children.

The importance of treating autism with drug medications.

Identifying the methods to encourage autistic children to interact with other children.

Analysing the advancements in the effective screening of autism.

To study the approaches for meeting the learning needs of children with an autism spectrum disorder in elementary education.

Exploring the child-centred play therapy to deal with young children with autism.

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Master Thesis Project Fills Gap in Autism Research

By Molly Loughman

As a graduate student in Communication Sciences & Disorders , Kaya LeGrand, MS ’20 spearheaded a research project to help answer one of many questions surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Which features of autistic children’s language are most useful for their adult language ability?

“What is essential there? Is it the ability to combine words? To use specific types of words? To use social language?” LeGrand asks, through her master’s thesis project. “To our knowledge, we are the first people to have looked into this question.”

Now a speech language pathologist, LeGrand reflects back on her final year at Emerson, a tireless pursuit that ultimately shifted her career trajectory toward research and teaching. “I knew I wanted to do something about language and autism because that was clinically what I was becoming more and more interested in throughout the program,” says LeGrand. 

She received inspiration, advice, and research contributions from Associate Professor Rhiannon Luyster and Lisa Wisman Weil , CSD’s senior scholar-in-residence and Undergraduate Program director. The collaborative effort was based out of the Lab for Infant + Toddler Language at Emerson ( LI+TLE ), where researchers study early language and communication in children. Launched in March 2019, the project came to fruition in June 2021 with the publication of “Identifying Childhood Expressive Language Features That Best Predict Adult Language and Communication Outcome in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder ,” co-authored by LeGrand, Luyster, Wisman Weil and UCLA’s Catherine Lord, in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research .  

THE RESEARCH

LeGrand’s project addressed vague findings first reported in the 1950s— that “the presence of useful speech by age five in kids with autism is very important for later language outcomes.” 

“We didn’t know what ‘useful speech’ meant; it wasn’t very well defined initially, and then every researcher who replicated that finding either defined it a different way or also kind of left it vague,” says LeGrand. 

To clarify the field’s understanding, the team examined a longitudinal data set collected by Lord, who has been studying nearly 200 individuals with autism from age 2, starting in the mid-90s until present day. LeGrand studied  hours of footage from a sample of 29 participants, analyzing their noun and verb diversity (the number of different nouns and verbs a child used), the length of spoken sentences, the ability to combine words, and the proportion of speech motivated by social interaction—all to understand which features best predicted adult language.

LeGrand transcribed and coded footage with help from other graduate and undergraduate students. Lord reviewed the final study; Luyster, Wisman-Weil, and LeGrand devised the coding scheme. Wisman-Weil mentored LeGrand on transcribing and language sampling analysis. And as research supervisor, Luyster acted as a sounding board for any of LeGrand’s thesis problems or ideas.

“I really couldn’t have done this without the help of everyone who was involved,” says LeGrand. “ I really respect Lisa and Rhiannon and the whole faculty. I was able to get close to them during the process. They both have done so much amazing research on  language and autism, so it’s very cool to learn from them. And it was also very cool to work with Cathy, one of the foremost researchers in the field.”

THE FINDING: LeGrand found that the number of different verbs produced by children with ASD is the best predictor of adult language outcomes, followed by the length of sentences they form.

“It’s hard to draw strong conclusions just from one study. Basically, we think that verbs are important and it’s also important to use a variety of verbs — not just to have a large vocabulary or combine words,” says LeGrand. “You need a verb to make a sentence, so technically, they are very important for overall language outcomes.” 

LeGrand’s master thesis was completed in April 2020 and submitted for publication that fall. “I really enjoy organizing data, so this worked out for me. I realized that I much prefer doing research compared to clinical work.​​ It was so helpful to have all the lab community support me throughout the project. It was a nice collaborative experience.” 

LeGrand will begin a PhD program at the University of Connecticut this August. She plans to eventually become a professor researching minimally verbal and nonverbal individuals with autism.

“It is a very understudied group. I think it might be challenging to get into given there is not much research done already in that area.” 

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Autism and Social Interaction: A Discursive Psychological Study

In psychological research, autistic people are generally characterised as possessing disordered social cognition and embodiment in comparison to non-autistic people.

Specifically, a deficit in Theory of Mind (the capacity to think about other people’s mental states in order to understand and predict their behaviour) and altered tactile sensation have been proposed as some significant psychological differences present in autism. Autistic people are characterised as experiencing social interactional difficulties that impact social-emotional reciprocity. Examples of such impact include struggling to approach others to interact or to make personal or relevant contributions to an interaction.

While there is a substantial literature on the cognitive properties of autistic individuals compared to non-autistic individuals and how these impact social psychological phenomena, there is considerably less research that analyses autistic people in their own right as social agents in naturally-occurring, everyday settings. As well, there is a challenge to the ideology behind deficit-oriented frameworks of autism in the form of the neurodiversity movement. This thesis draws on ethnomethodology, discursive psychology, and conversation analysis to contribute to both the naturalistic study of autistic people in social interaction and the development of positive, competence-oriented, and ecological approaches to autism. This will be achieved by analysing the social action, as produced in talk and with the body, of autistic children in interaction with their family members in their homes.

Ten hours of video recordings were collected in the homes of four volunteer families with at least one autistic child member. Recordings were made by the families themselves of the mundane domestic activities they engaged in, including episodes of cooking and mealtimes, members playing together, preparing for school, and discussing the day’s activities. After detailed transcription, instances of the children providing accounts for their own behaviour and embraces (or resistance to them) were collected for and became the focus of detailed analysis. An extended sequence constituting a common parenting activity (directing a child to do something) was also selected. This research takes the domains of Theory of Mind and tactile sensation that are prominent within psychological research on autism and treats them as social interactional accomplishments.

The first empirical chapter examines how children accounted for their own behaviour.

It found that the children’s accounts were oriented toward the displayed expectancies and characterisations of the child and their conduct either in responding to first pair parts (e.g., resisting suggestions with an embedded presumption of the child’s knowledge), or in launching their own first action (e.g., requesting more food). These accounts constitute concern for how the children’s interactants could, or do, treat them in response to their behaviour, accomplishing Theory of Mind embedded in their everyday action.

With respect to tactile sensation, the second empirical chapter analyses embraces.

Embraces occurred within and between a variety of other activities. Analyses showed how both children and parents initiated embraces and many were accomplished as non-problematic by the children. Participants arranged their bodies such that the embrace was coordinated with the talk and ongoing action, and utilised both verbal and embodied resources to initiate and terminate. Children prioritised their ongoing actions, treating some embraces or embrace initiations as interruptive by avoiding, escaping or otherwise misaligning with them.

The third empirical chapter demonstrates how one family’s extended sequence of action directing their child to use the bathroom before bedtime was comprised of a variety of different relational activities. In the process of managing the larger project of the directive, parent and child negotiated complex elements of their relationship including issues of power and responsibility, shared knowledge and experiences, and expectations of group membership.

This thesis offers a critical perspective on the conceptualisation of autism in psychology. It grounds this alternative view of autism based on an empirical analysis of how the autistic children and their family members in the interactions analysed manage complex social psychological matters in the production of their social action. It expands upon discursive psychological research on the accomplishment of social cognition as action produced within talk-in-interaction. It also exemplifies a direction a neurodiversity-sensitive psychology of social action could take and identifies ways that this can be further developed.

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A systematic review of the thesis on language and communication skills of individuals with autism spectrum disorder

This study is a content analysis study in which thesis indexed in YÖK National Thesis Center of Turkey about teaching language and communication skills in autism spectrum disorder are examined in terms of various variables. For this purpose, 17 open-access theses were obtained based on an extensive search and examined. The results of the research were arranged according to sub-problems and presented in descriptive form as frequency and percentage tables. This study aims to determine the current trends in the postgraduate thesis written on teaching language and communication skills to individuals with ASD between the years of 2014 and 2019. The postgraduate thesis were analyzed based on previously determined content analysis criteria including year of publication, thesis level, title of thesis supervisor, university, institute, department, research method, participants, number of native and foreign references, location and research subject. When the needs of families with children with autism spectrum disorder or at risk are considered in our country, it is clearly seen how much work is needed and how important these studies are. Supporting teaching practices that take into account the individual differences of individuals with autism, conducting new researches and comparing the results, will develop new perspectives and contribute to the literature.

Related Papers

Başak Bağlama

Correct teaching methods are techniques that include teaching techniques used in many areas such as functional, academic, self-care and daily life skills of children with special needs. When the postgraduate thesis studies on correct teaching methods with autistic individuals and children are examined in the YÖKTEZ database, it is seen that thesis studies on the types of correct teaching method are carried out and descriptive and meta-analysis studies are carried out for subheadings; but there is no study that examines these theses in detail under the name of correct teaching methods. The aim of this study is to examine current research trends in postgraduate thesis carried out with using errorless teaching methods in the education of individuals with autism spectrum disorder in Turkey. A total number of 9 open-access postgraduate thesis obtained from Higher Education Research Council of Turkey (YOK) as a result of comprehensive survey from the archives and published in the years 2011 and 2019 were included open access within 9 graduate thesis. Document analysis as one of the qualitative research methods was used in the research. When the postgraduate theses in YÖKTEZ related to the thesis related to the errorless teaching methods of students diagnosed with autism are examined, 3 of the theses are about teaching with gradual help, 2 of the theses are about teaching by increasing the clue gradually, 2 of the theses are about teaching with concurrent hints and 2 of them are about fixed waiting period teaching types. Thesis are examined in the field of academic skills, features of the subjects, features of the method, and features of the model, features of the findings.As a result of the YÖKTEZ survey, 8 master and 1 doctoral thesis related to the errorless teaching methods were reached. When the research methods used in theses are examined, it is concluded that single subject research methods are used in 9 theses. According to the purpose of the research, it was determined that the participants used single subject research methods and that the age ranges of the students formed the participants in the dissertations examined were between 3 and 15 years old. The theses were examined in terms of the area of academic skills taught, the characteristics of the subjects, the characteristics of the method, the features of the model, the features of the findings, and the findings were discussed in the light of forward-looking suggestions.

Başak Bağlama , mahide ozcelik

Aim of this study is to examine current research trends in postgraduate thesis carried out with families of children with autism spectrum disorder in Turkey. Document analysis as one of the qualitative research methods was used. The study included 70 open-access postgraduate theses obtained from the thesis archive of Higher Education Council (YOK) of Turkey between 2015-2019. Theses included in the research were analyzed using thesis analysis form prepared by the researchers. In the prepared form, theses were examined according to year, level of thesis, university, institute, department, title of thesis supervisor, research model, participant and number of participants, data collection tool and data analysis method. The results obtained within the framework of the investigation were interpreted with percentage and frequency tables and recommendations were presented for future research.

Rafiq Islam

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) defines autism as " a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally event before age 3, which adversely affects educational performance " (ASHA, 2006, n.p). Language development is one of the most significant processes of early childhood development. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties with communication, behavior or social interaction. Autism affects a person's ability to interact with others. Because the frequency of occurrence of ASD has skyrocketed both in the east and the west, there is a need to develop special curriculum suitable for children with ASD. This paper focuses on developing communication skills among children with ASD.

LINGUISTIK TERAPAN

Romaida Lubis

This research aims to describe the ability of active/expresive language and passive/ reseptive language of an autistic student and the effort to improve the language itself helped by the teacher and the shadow teacher in a non-govermental school in Medan. This research uses qualitative descriptive with study case of an autistic student in primary second grader , his initial is FR. Technique of data collection are observation, interview, and documentation. Technique of data analysis are data condensation, data display and verification and conclusion. The result of research showed that the ability of active/expressive language of FR still had difficulties in pronouncing, unclear articulation for certain letter such as r, n, ny, l, talk simple, unable to have interaction and communication properly, unable to convey the information, requesting what he needed use incomplete sentence when he got depresion, he needed help in writing. And the ability of passive/ receptive FR still have diff...

CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research - Zenodo

Farah Mahadi

International Journal of Research Publications

April Abono

European Journal of Special Education Research

ΜΑΡΙΑ ΚΟΡΕΑ

Communication includes a wide range of difficulties for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from acquisition and processing of information and verbal expression to reading and writing. Therefore, these students face challenges in their school life. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and apply teaching practices for the cultivation of oral and reading skills in students with ASD The methodology used was action research in three general secondary schools and lasted 3 years. The research was conducted in Greece by the second teacher of the class who only supported students with special educational needs. Specifically, we conducted three case studies of students with an average age of 15.3 years. Students were diagnosed with ASD. Qualitative data from the action research were collected through observation methodology with informal pedagogical evaluation in checklists of basic skills. Furthermore, the methodology of the intervention with field notes was applied to the f...

Linguists : Journal Of Linguistics and Language Teaching

Desti Ariani

This study aimed at investigating the realization of English language teaching strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) students, especially in terms of the implementation of teaching strategies. This study took place at SMPLB of Curup, Bengkulu, Indonesia. There was only one English teacher who taught ASD students, and the teacher was involved as the subject of this study. The data were garnered form interviews and document analysis. The data were further analyzed using an interactive model extending to data collection, data condensation, data display, and drawing conclusions. The results showed that the teacher used three strategies in teaching children with autism, namely developing oral language comprehension, echolalia, and communication skills enhancement through the PECS method. In addition, the teacher also modified the form of the strategy according to the needs of students with autism.

ELT Forum: Journal of English Language Teaching

An Autistic child is a child who has special needs and developmental disorders. Therefore, in the teaching learning process, teachers who teach ASD learners need to have some knowledge of students’ needs. The objections of this study are to explain the implementation of English language teaching for ASD learners during the pandemic era and parents’ role in helping ASD learners understand English. This research employed qualitative research. The researchers applied observation, depth interview and documentation in data collection. The results showed that 1) the English language teaching process for ASD at RBA during the pandemic era applied offline and online learning mode. The material of English language teaching for ASD learners was based on the level of ASD diagnosis. The teachers used direct method, TPR, and Lexical method in offline learning, but for online learning, they used Direct and lexical methods. The teachers also utilised pictures or flashcards in offline learning wher...

Vision: Journal of Language and Foreign Language Learning

Vision: Journal for Language and Foreign Language Learning

The opportunity to learn English should be given to all learners since English has been widely spread globally. Learners should be exposed to English as early as possible and be prevalent for all, including disabled students. Students who need special treatment in learning should also get equal opportunity to study, especially English. One type of disabled students who need special attention in English learning is those who have autism. Autistic students are in need of special treatment learning English since they have more difficulties in perceiving and producing language code. Therefore, English teachers should have awareness of the characteristics of autistic students concerning speech difficulties. It is highly necessary for autistic students to have intensive therapy and in other sides, they also have a right to learn foreign languages like English. Speech therapy as one of the therapies used to assist the autistic students in producing language codes is potentially in line with English learning. In this case, speech therapy can be done while teaching English to autistic students because speech therapy often requires graded language teaching. This study focuses on how speech therapy is integrated with English teaching for autistic students in Second Grader of Junior High School students to improve their English proficiency and speech competence as well. The study is an ongoing classroom action research conducted in SMP Sunan Muria in Kudus Regence, Central Java, Indonesia.

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A Qualitative Exploration of the Female Experience of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Victoria milner.

Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK

Hollie McIntosh

Emma colvert, francesca happé, associated data.

Autism spectrum disorder is thought to be a predominantly male diagnosis, however recent research suggests a smaller gender disparity in prevalence than previously assumed. Accounts of the female experience of autism are important to help reduce likely male-bias in current understanding and recognition of autism. Eighteen autistic females and four mothers of autistic females took part in discussions with a topic guide around diagnosis, impact and coping. A thematic analysis was conducted. Five themes were identified: fitting in the with the norm, potential obstacles for autistic women and girls, negative aspects of autism, the perspective of others, and positive aspects of having autism. We hope that greater understanding of the experiences of autistic females may lead to improved awareness, diagnosis and support for women and girls.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10803-019-03906-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The current qualitative study explores female presentation and experience of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD, hence forth referred to as “autism”, is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by persistent difficulties in social interaction, social communication and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, from a young age (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition [ DSM–5 ]; American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2013 ).

A striking feature of autism is the high male to female ratio, which has traditionally been reported to vary across the spectrum; most studies quote 4–5:1, falling to 2:1 where autism is accompanied by significant intellectual disability, and rising to perhaps 10:1 amongst autistic individuals with average or superior intellectual ability (Dworzynski et al. 2012 ). These ratios have been challenged more recently, however, by findings from epidemiological studies with active case ascertainment, which reveal significantly smaller male to female ratios in autism within general population groups (e.g., 2.5:1; Kim et al. 2011 ). A recent meta-analysis (Loomes et al. 2017 ) concluded that the ratio as estimated by methodologically rigorous studies, is likely to be 3:1, and may not change very much across the spectrum or intellectual ability range.

The lower male preponderance in epidemiological studies with active ascertainment, compared to those relying on clinical or educational records, suggests we are under-diagnosing autism in females. A number of reasons for this can be proposed. These include the use of solely male samples in some autism research, which has likely led to a biased understanding of the full spectrum of autism and its manifestations. Lai et al. ( 2015 ) noted that there is an ascertainment gender bias of up to 15:1 in neuroimaging research. Additionally, it has been suggested that recognition of autism and the current methods of diagnosis are based on stereotypes of autism as a male condition (Kopp and Gillberg 1992 ). Extrapolating a largely male model of autism to women and girls could be problematic if, as research suggests, the phenotypic presentation of autism often differs in women (Kirkovski et al. 2013 ). Lai et al. ( 2011 ) investigated behavioural difference in autistic males and females and found that females reported more lifetime sensory symptoms and fewer socio-communication difficulties than males. Furthermore, it has been suggested that compared to autistic males, autistic females are more able to demonstrate reciprocal conversation and are more motivated to initiate friendships (Lai et al. 2015 ). The “special interests” that autistic females adopt may also appear less unusual, focusing on topics similar to those of their neurotypical peers, such as an interest in celebrities or horses; however, the intensity and quality of the interests remain unusual (Gould and Ashton-Smith 2011 ). In addition, consciously copying neurotypical females and employing so-called ‘camouflaging’ may be common amongst autistic women and girls, perhaps contributing to under-diagnosis (Gould and Ashton-Smith 2011 ; Attwood 2006 ). All of these factors may play a part in exaggerating the male preponderance in autism, and result in autistic females not receiving much-needed diagnosis and support, with negative effects on their mental health and well-being (Pellicano et al. 2014 ).

Previous qualitative research into the female experience of autism confirms many of these issues. Bargiela et al. ( 2016 ) conducted a qualitative study with a group of adult autistic women (n = 14, aged 18–35 years) whose autistic tendencies had gone unrecognised up to their late teens. They describe the technique of “masking” as a common but not universal tool, used to disguise autistic traits in order to fit in. For several participants, it involved mimicking (an unconscious attempt) or learning (a conscious effort) socially acceptable behaviour. Generally, this was reported as being due to pressure to meet the expectations a neurotypical world imposes. While the women reported they were often successful at masking, it appeared to be a relatively superficial method of coping, with resultant difficulties ranging from constant exhaustion to one woman describing a loss of her own sense of identity (Bargiela et al. 2016 ). Furthermore, the use of camouflaging behaviours has been linked to increased self-reported stress and anxiety in comparison to those who do not camouflage (Cage and Troxell-Whitman 2019 ; Hull et al. 2017 ).

The desire to fit in with neurotypical peers may also influence the use of camouflaging behaviours. An interview study reported autistic girls (n = 10, aged 13–16) were motivated to make friends, yet often imitated neurotypical peers, and masked feelings of unhappiness and anxiety in social situations to prevent relationship breakdown (Tierney et al. 2016 ). A mixed methods investigation of the social motivation and friendship quality of adolescent autistic boys, autistic girls and their neurotypical peers (n = 46) revealed autistic boys were significantly less socially motivated than all other groups (Sedgewick et al. 2016 ). Interestingly, autistic girls reported similar friendship qualities to girls without autism, except in the area of conflict, where the autistic groups (both male and female) reported less conflict in their friendships than neurotypical peers. However, semi-structured interviews uncovered increased aggression within the friendships of autistic girls, suggesting difficulties identifying and potentially managing conflict within friendships (Sedgewick et al. 2016 ). Additional evidence of social and friendship differences between the genders in autism was reported by Baldwin and Costley ( 2016 ) who conducted a questionnaire study (n = 82) and found differences in social attitudes between the sexes. While autistic girls appeared more content in their own company in comparison to the male group, there was also evidence that autistic females find the demands and disappointments of social endeavours more of a burden on their psychological and emotional state.

Qualitative work with parents of autistic girls has also suggested possible sex-specific challenges for autistic girls including the ability to develop and maintain relationships with neurotypical girls (Cook et al. 2018 ; Cridland et al. 2014 ), masking autistic behaviours (Cook et al. 2018 ; Cridland et al. 2014 ) and coping with puberty and sexual vulnerability (Cridland et al. 2014 ).

The current study aims to add to this small but important body of qualitative research. This study aims to gather information from a range of perspectives, both diagnosed and self-diagnosed autistic females and parents of autistic females. We hope the broad scope of the topic guide (Appendix 1) enables reports of before, during and after diagnosis to be collected, as well as positive aspects of an autism diagnoses. By capturing the females’ first-hand accounts, we hope to improve current understanding of the female experience and to minimize the circularity of male-biased autism research.

The current study is the first part of the third phase of the Social Relationships Study (SR Study), one of the largest population-based twin studies of cognition and behaviour across the full autism spectrum (Colvert et al. 2015 ). The longitudinal study has so far established the autism sample when the twins were aged 12–14 and then followed this group up at age 18 to investigate mental health and well-being in young adulthood. The third phase of the SR Study aims to investigate female autism, in terms of symptomatology and experience. However, prior to this third phase of research, a series of discussions were conducted with autistic women (both undiagnosed and diagnosed) to identify core issues and themes to be measured and avoid the circularity of relying on questionnaires and tasks derived from largely male-biased autism research.

Participants

Participants were 18 females with a clinical diagnosis of autism (n = 16) or self-diagnosed autism (n = 2), and four mothers of autistic girls. Inclusion criteria were: (1) female gender, or parent of a female with an autism diagnosis, (2) living in the United Kingdom. Female participants in the autism group were aged between 11 and 55 years. Both clinically diagnosed and self-diagnosed individuals were invited to take part in the discussions to ensure that the groups were as inclusive as possible; thereby tackling the issue of omitting potentially misdiagnosed or undiagnosed women who have high traits of autism. Participant information can be found in Table  1 .

Participant information

Autistic females and mothers of autistic girls were recruited via four routes: adverts on social media, word of mouth, through contacts at a secondary school and through a tertiary referral autism diagnostic clinic. Participants were invited to attend group discussions at the research centre, but when this was inconvenient for the participant, in-home individual discussions and/or telephone discussions were offered. Both group and individual discussions were offered to ensure as many participants could be included as possible, and to reflect the preferences of the participants themselves.

Information sheets were provided via email and/or in person for those who met the researchers face to face. Consent was obtained either in person or via post for those who completed telephone discussions. Four group discussions were held, three of which had two participants each and were held at the research centre and one with five participants, held at a secondary school, specifically for girls with social and communication difficulties. Seven individual discussions were held, six were held at the individuals’ homes and one at the research centre. Four telephone discussions were conducted. Two researchers were present for the individual and group discussions, with the exception of telephone interviews where one researcher was present. All discussions were audio recorded and transcribed. Ethical approval was obtained from the psychiatry, nursing and midwifery (PNM) research ethics subcommittee (RESC).

A topic guide was used for the discussions and included 15 (for the female autism group) or 16 (for the parents) questions (See Appendix 1), covering three overarching topics: diagnostic pathway, impact of autism, and resilience and coping. The questions were designed by the research team and were guided by previous research, the writings of women on the spectrum, and current hypotheses in the research field. They were designed to be used flexibly, allowing the research team to follow participants’ answers and prompt for more in-depth information as appropriate.

Data Analysis

All discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two members of the research team (VM and HM) then followed Thematic Analysis guidelines (Braun and Clarke 2006 ) to identify themes in the data. Following initial coding, both VM and HM regularly discussed and compared codes to create themes and sub-themes and data to support the themes. The themes were checked to ensure coherence, consistency and clarity. There were no disagreements between the coders, however if disagreements were to arise a discussion was planned to be had with a third coder, until agreement was reached.

Parent discussions lasted on average 55.5 min (range = 33–93 min) and the autistic females’ individual discussions lasted on average 46.8 min (range = 12–82 min). The average duration of group discussions (average = 56.75 min) was longer than individual discussions (average 48.7 min) which is to be expected. There were no differences found in the content of the data gathered from group and individual discussions, therefore the authors collapsed the data. No adverse effects were reported by participants and no discussions were terminated before the end of questioning.

Qualitative Analysis

From an abundance of relevant transcript data, five overarching themes comprising seventeen subthemes were identified and are presented in Table  2 .

Thematic analysis

Whilst some of the themes and subthemes have been identified in current literature, we deemed it important to report them in our paper to support existing findings. There were several unique subthemes revealed in our data, for example ‘living in a neurotypical world’, ‘vulnerability’, ‘feeling different’ and the theme of ‘potential obstacles for women and girls with autism’.

To ensure confidentiality, quotes are labelled with “FP” and a unique code to identify quotes from parents, or “FF” and a unique code to identify quotes from the autistic females themselves.

Theme 1: Fitting in with the Norm

This theme encapsulates the attempts, both successful and unsuccessful, that women and girls make to attempt to fit in with their peers and society. We define “norm” as typical and/or expected behaviours.

Subtheme 1.1: Friendship Motivation, Conflict and Maintenance

Friendship was mentioned by the majority of the women, girls and parents as a difficulty faced by females with autism.

All my life is like I didn’t fit in, like I had friends and they weren’t like my proper friends and I’d fall out with them (FF17)

This 40-years-old woman’s quote reflected the experiences of the majority of the participants and demonstrates that although the women were able to make friends, it often felt as though they were not truly part of the group or the same as their peers. One mother made a poignant comment.

I felt at secondary school that they were kind of the left-over girls […] I did feel that they were girls that kind of drifted together because they weren’t in any other group (FP03)

Conflict within relationships was mentioned by several of the females we spoke to.

I was fed up of like getting into almost fights with people and losing my friends and alienating myself (FF17)

Maintenance of friendships was also highlighted as a problem.

I don’t think I have difficulty making friendships, it’s keeping them maybe (FF18)

The difficulties faced with friendships and fitting in with peers often led to feelings of loneliness.

Sometimes I just feel a bit sort of rejected, I do feel lonely (FF16)

It took months for me to finally get a group of friends, I remember at some points feeling depressed and totally lonely (FF04).

All the participants who discussed friendship felt as though they did want friends, and social motivation was a key theme, with all the women and girls demonstrating some desire to have friendships or social contact; however, the females commented that difficulties in social interaction made friendship building difficult.

she desperately would like to have friends and have friends invite her out and do things with her but they don’t (FP04)

I wanted to join in but I wasn’t sure how (FF02)

Subtheme 1.2: Living in a Neurotypical World

Difficulties with social interaction may also lead to problems in day to day life. Individuals with autism are required to live in a neurotypical world where ordinary life is often not tailored to help with problems with social interaction. Several participants commented on the difficulties they face with trying to cope in neurotypical situations, with one mother saying that, although her daughter has several positive qualities, struggling with the norm was exhausting.

She, when she’s doing her job she’s a very professional lady, but ordinary things, ordinary life exhausts her. She is exhausted just by the business of running an ordinary life (FP03)

The concept of coping with “normal” life being exhausting was mentioned by almost all the women and girls. It was highlighted that autistic females are required to adapt their thinking styles to suit the “norm” and cope with the neurotypical world.

You have a different way of viewing things and a different way of doing things which can make it harder (FF07)

The women interviewed shared a variety of different problems faced due to their autism; however, it was felt by numerous participants that if the neurotypical world had a greater understanding of autism, the problems would be almost eliminated.

If we had an understanding in society, if people respected differences and neurodiversity it wouldn’t be a problem, it really wouldn’t (FF18)

I think people need to you know, talk about it really so you know people can understand and appreciate it, you know they don’t […] people like don’t hold the person’s differences against them they can […] celebrate you know their differences (FF03)

However, one woman felt it is important to remember the unique experience everyone has.

Every girl has a completely different experience with autism (FF05)

Subtheme 1.3: The Concept of Gender

Within society, not just within the autism community, the participants stated that females are pressured to be more social than males, however with the added difficulties of being an individual with autism these social pressures are amplified.

There’s a lot more pressure on girls to be a certain way just in general but I think that especially affects girls on the autistic spectrum because we are more different anyway so it’s more difficult for us to be just the same as everyone else (FF13)

You have all the problems of being on the spectrum and then also all the problems of trying to be a woman on the spectrum, so trying to feel like a normal, um, woman I guess (FF10)

The difference in communication style between men and women was also discussed frequently in the discussions. It seemed that the women we interviewed felt that, in general or stereotypically, both autistic and neurotypical males and females have different styles of communication.

Like socially women just kind of like, gather round and talk and or watch things and chat and gossip, and I, I just don’t really get gossip, gossip doesn’t, I don’t know why it exists, why you do it kind of thing, but, so I always kind of I always got on with boys or men better (FF01)

Women socialise by mimicking and guys socialise by just being themselves […] if you are sort of just a little bit different you get sort of estranged from everyone (FF13)

The participants stated that as a female it was more difficult to be accepted by peers of the same gender than it was for males.

I think it’s harder, much harder as a girl because girl peers are less forgiving of other girls. The girls seem to be very tolerant of the boys with autism and almost mother them (FP04)

An alternative view was proposed by one participant, who suggested that differences are individual and not necessarily related to gender.

I guess no two people are the same are they, whether they’re male or female or both female or both male (FF15)

However, the large majority (all but one) felt there were differences between autistic males and females. It was consistently suggested that autistic males feel less pressure to mask or camouflage their symptoms, and that females were more successful at doing so.

Boys are more content to be themselves and it’s like this is how I am, whereas the girls really want to fit in, um, and I think that makes them unhappier (FP04)

I think with males, they never have this um, it’s like what I get down about is feeling like I should have to interact, and they’re more happy to say like, no I wanna do my own thing (FF01)

Two women also commented that these gender differences in masking may contribute to the different rates of females compared to males being diagnosed with autism.

I think that’s kind of the main difference that girls are just better at hiding their autism and yeah that’s probably why people […] that’s probably why people think it’s more guys who get autism because with boys it’s more obvious however girls like maybe it’s like they can just go under the radar so maybe that’s why people don’t think girls with autism exists […] or why it can take longer to get a diagnosis because again they’re just better at hiding their autism, they’re just better at masking (FF05)

It’s almost like if you put me in a room with 100 different men and some of them are autistic I would probably be able to point out which ones are autistic quite easily whereas with women it wouldn’t be that obvious (FF18)

An additional societal pressure felt by some of the women and girls we interviewed was the concept of gender itself. Gender norms are a binary cultural concept that some chose not to conform to.

gender norms, and stuff like that confuse me (FF10)

One mother stated that her daughter finds it difficult to adopt the idea of being feminine.

She chooses to wear masculine clothes because it’s so much simpler, she doesn’t then have to worry about the intricacies of make-up and things, so I think femininity is a big issue (FP03)

Two other females commented that they felt they didn’t relate to their own gender.

How kind of girls socialise, I never really related to (FF10)

I’m no good at being a girl (FF02)

Overall, the participants highlighted several gender differences and problems associated with these difficulties from the perspective of autistic females and parents.

Subtheme 1.4: Coping Strategies

This sub-theme identifies techniques adopted by the women to cope with their disorder. A range of specific coping strategies were mentioned by the women and girls spoken to, however three prominent mechanisms emerged.

Firstly, nearly all the participants stated that they need time alone so as not to become overwhelmed.

Both at school and at home I try to spend as much time alone as I can cause it really does like it gets me in a very calm state of mind so that when I do need to interact with people I’m willing to talk and socialise and stuff (FF05)

Secondly, the need for routine was commonly discussed.

Structure’s very important so if something like didn’t quite go to plan it would cause a bit, it would like throw me out of sync and I wouldn’t like it (FF03)

Thirdly, problems in terms of coping with “normal” everyday situations led onto the idea of masking and camouflaging autistic behaviour to fit in with a neurotypical world and disguise social interaction difficulties. All except three females reported that they camouflaged their autism symptoms.

Girls are really good at, you know, masking and hiding their autism so that it’s harder to identify an autistic girl that you know needs help with the world (FF05)

The three participants who did not report camouflaging their autism symptoms stated that they felt unable to do so as their autistic behaviour was too obvious to others.

I don’t think I have ever had to mask my autism […] I don’t think I could if I tried, I’m crazy all the way (FF07)

Camouflaged… err I’m not entirely sure that’s possible […] even if I tried it wouldn’t work or […] people would sense something quite off maybe (FF04)

Both the autistic women and girls and the mothers of autistic girls commented that neurotypical behaviour was consciously learned, for example, eye contact, in order to fit in and disguise autistic behaviour.

I didn’t want anything more than just to be normal and to fit in so I, really, really tried and I kept you know imitating and copying and making myself look and appear as normal as I could, but yeah I guess it was almost like a special interest (FF10)

The socialising bit because I was so scared, because I didn’t know what to do, so everything I had to learn by observing (FF18)

You’ve probably noticed she makes eye contact but it’s, it’s a bit clunky you know, but she’s learnt to do that (FP04)

Such masking behaviour can have implications. For example, masking behaviour during diagnostic discussions contributes to misdiagnoses and missed diagnoses.

And then you said that there’s a problem and they don’t believe you because you look fine (FF02)

The problem I’ve found is when I’m in social situations I sort of go onto auto-pilot […] and I’m kind of like polite and very British you know and so I found that in the [diagnostic] interview I was acting you know like nothing was wrong which was obviously the worst thing to do (FF13)

Although learning neurotypical behaviours may allow individuals with autism to appear “normal”, it was evident that behind the masks the women were still struggling; several commented on the immense effort it takes to maintain such behaviours.

It’s kind of like a duck on water you know it’s calm on the surface but sort of paddling really hard underneath (FF13)

Whether the females we interviewed felt they masked their autistic behaviours or not, all women and girls commented on the struggles they experienced whilst trying to fit in with a neurotypical world.

Theme 2: Potential Obstacles for Autistic Women and Girls

This theme uncovers the barriers and difficulties faced by the women and girls. The majority of the females we spoke to had already gained a diagnosis of autism for themselves or their daughters. They discussed the difficulties they faced when trying to get a diagnosis and problems faced in terms of support after the diagnosis was received.

Subtheme 2.1: The Struggle of Getting a Diagnosis

Two of the women we spoke to had not yet received a diagnosis and were unsure whether they would pursue one as they had heard of others’ bad experiences. These negative experiences were reflected by the majority of the women who had been diagnosed as adults.

We headed to the nearest café and cried, cried, cried for a day; […] it was the most awful, awful experience (FP03)

It was quite a drawn-out process and quite a pain in the arse to be perfectly honest (FF13)

Despite some reports of a negative diagnostic process, many participants stated they felt relief after receiving a diagnosis.

Once I had the label that I had, I’m like yay, I’m not so crazy after all, I’m not this weird crazy person, I do fit in somewhere (FF17)

Participants reported feeling as if they understood why they had felt different, that they were relieved it was not a problem they had caused, and that they were not alone.

Fewer females are diagnosed with autism than males, and the woman and girls we spoke to suggested that this discrepancy may be due to the tools used and the design of the diagnostic process. These quotes are connected closely to the previously mentioned subtheme “masking & camouflaging”.

Girls are really good at you know, masking, and hiding their autism so that it’s harder to identify an autistic girl that you know needs help with the world (FF05)

That’s the trouble with female ASD is in that time slot of whether they’re going to say yes or no to your diagnosis you could be performing or camouflaging so well that they’re not going to see that (FF01)

The participants suggested that females are able to disguise their autism symptoms which can mean clinicians often mis-diagnosed or completely missed diagnoses.

When I actually got tested I was on autopilot and it meant that I got misdiagnosed (FF13)

Subtheme 2.2: Lack of Appropriate Support

Once a diagnosis was given, one woman reported that there was no after-care, or support given.

The people handling it were you know fine, were lovely, they listened and stuff but afterwards there wasn’t really any support (FF10)

Two women reported that they experienced poor support in schools, being named a “naughty child” (FF11) or a “slow learner” (FF16). One woman felt cheated by the lack of support given.

She now feels very cheated because she feels she should have had specific help, she now knows there was help she could have had that would have made her life easier (FP03)

Theme 3: Negative Aspects of Autism

This theme explores the difficulties faced by the women and girls that are associated with having autism. Within the discussions, additional problems were discussed that, while related, did not directly involve the core diagnostic features of autism.

Subtheme 3.1: Co-morbid Conditions

Sixteen out of the eighteen females suffered from co-morbid conditions. Often, the women and girls had been suffering from conditions such as anxiety, OCD and depression for many years.

My depression started about 19 […] I’ve had that quite a number of years; too long (FF16)

I remember the anxiety, always the anxiety, always… being in class and thinking I know the answer but please don’t ask me (FF18)

Two women also discussed how they felt they had been misdiagnosed with a co-morbid condition instead of their autism.

I was diagnosed with depression briefly but that was obviously the Asperger’s before and so I did, I was treated for that (FF17)

So, I was really, really good at covering up my, what I thought was anxiety and social anxiety (FF10)

Often, it was these co-morbid conditions that caused the main problems in the females’ lives.

I always say I would never change anything but if I could change something it’d be the obsessive compulsive because I can see it tires her out (FP02)

I think probably the anxiety that stems from it, more than anything else […] I’ve missed out on a lot of opportunity because of like fear (FF10)

Subtheme 3.2: Sensory Sensitivities

Apart from co-morbid mental health conditions, sensory sensitivities were reported to play a large role in eleven of the eighteen females’ everyday lives. These sensory issues ranged from the dislike of loud noises, to powerful cross-modal effects.

When she was younger, if I had lilies in the house she’d almost go deaf…. it was like the sensory overload made something else shut down (FP04)

Although largely problematic, some sensory hyper-sensitivities were reported to be a positive experience.

I have the sensory thing as well, like music for me I feel like more intensely than other people I think; to put headphones in is almost more euphoric than a lot of people would experience (FF01)

The majority of females we spoke to, however, found sensory stimulation overwhelming and debilitating, with eight participants stating that they considered their sensory issues the most debilitating aspect of their lives.

The sensory issues are just, it’s the most difficult thing in the world and it’s so distressing and it really does make a difference between, I think, um having life quality or not for me (FF18)

Subtheme 3.3: Meltdowns and Shutdowns

In reaction to overwhelming emotional and sensory situations, several women and girls reported experiencing what they called “meltdowns” and “shutdowns”.

So, shutdown I associate with myself just going like really quiet, I don’t want to interact, um, a meltdown will be like really tearful, upset, angry, distressed, um it’s kind of cathartic to me sometimes (FF01)

As she got older she would, I can’t explain it any other way, close her face, literally shutdown and if, if confronted, that would lead to, you know, bad tempers, and throwing things, not meltdowns but tempers, you have to wait ‘til it came out (FP03)

Often the women/girls labelled these experiences as “overloads” (FF17).

Subtheme 3.4: Dependence/Vulnerability

The females often discussed feelings of vulnerability and dependence. One woman stated that she was jealous of other students in her class who did not need the help she needed. However, the most common mention of vulnerability was in terms of sexual relationships.

I was kind of naïve or gullible… towards people and they would take advantage or something like that (FF01)

You have to try and think a little bit more carefully when you’re around other people and other men, and… cause sometimes you give out the wrong body signals and people pick it up wrongly (FF16)

Subtheme 3.5: Feeling Different

Participants often commented on their feelings of being different to those around them from a young age.

Very different to most people, or as I like to put it, I’m prey in the world of predators (FF07)

I knew that I was different, all, always knew I was different, always I knew it, in so many ways that it’s just unbelievable (FF18)

It was often reported that the women and girls were frustrated because despite feeling that they were different in some way, they did not understand it themselves and were often misunderstood by others.

I thought I was naughty, I just felt I was very different to other children […] in how my brain processed things, I think, and how I couldn’t do what other children could do (FF11)

I knew at some stage that I was different but never really knew or understood it (FF16)

Some individuals found it frustrating and disliked feeling different from other people.

It’s frustrating for yourself if you don’t know, you know there’s something wrong with you but you don’t know what it is (FF16)

I wish I didn’t have the ASD and I wish I could just do what normal people do um, and it, I find it really hard to live with every day (FF11)

One individual reinforced that, although they might feel different, they did not feel that they were inadequate.

It’s just being different it’s not being less or anything so (FF18)

The women also noted problems they had in terms of social interaction and how frustration with not being able to understand neurotypical interaction could arise.

I certainly remember wondering, feeling like normal people have telepath-, the ability to sort of telepathy, like telling each other in their minds what they had broadcast a telepathic message saying let’s kick this friendship off by going to my house and having a party or something and I’m and it’s like I’m not telepathic, I can’t pick up any telepathic messages (FF04)

It kind of feels like you’re an outsider looking in and like there’s this world that you’re just kind of observing from the outside and when you have to get directly involved in it, it can be a bit hard sometimes (FF05)

The intricacies of social interaction can be difficult to learn and understand. Several participants commented on specific problems including not understanding humour, not knowing when to join or add to a conversation, concerns about coming across as rude, and lack of interest in “small talk”. Many women and girls commented that they preferred acting as a “wall flower” or sitting with adults when they were children, as they found social interaction easier that way. Interestingly, one woman commented that although she preferred not to socialise much, it wasn’t the socialising that troubled her, it was the lack of understanding around social interaction.

It wasn’t the socialising that scared me it was not knowing how to do it so (FF18)

Both parents and the females themselves commented on other people’s awareness, or lack of it, concerning autism.

From birth she was quite plainly different, but I hadn’t had any experience to base anything on until I started to study it myself (FP03)

Several females explicitly stated that they believed other people could notice their autism. However, the parents who commented on noticing their daughter being different said that either they had felt they were doing something wrong to cause their daughter to act differently, or they had thought their child was unique and the differences were not a problem. Two women with autism stated that their parents did not believe either the women themselves, or “in autism”.

Subtheme 3.6: Additional Problems

A range of other negative aspects of life with autism were reported, which did not fit into sensory issues or co-morbid conditions. Two participants commented that they have a bad memory and felt it was related to their autism.

That’s the disadvantage of my autism, I have a terrible memory (FF07)

Three women also commented that puberty and sexual relationships were difficult aspects of their lives.

Puberty, and periods, and relationships and sex and all that kind of stuff, that was incredibly difficult growing up (FF01)

Theme 4: The Perspective of Others

This theme considers how other people, including peers and family members, understand and are impacted by autism. From speaking to mothers of autistic girls, we were able to gain information on the impact autism has on the wider family, not just the individual themselves. The mothers spoke of feeling isolated, family breakdown and narrowed social lives. Two of the autistic females we spoke to also gave insight into running their own families. One stated that being a mother is more important to them than being a autistic woman.

Subtheme 4.1: Girls can be Autistic Too!

The mothers, woman and girls interviewed were very passionate about a need for greater understanding of autism, and in particular autism in females. The lack of understanding of autism in the general population has caused problems for the families interviewed.

It’s almost like, um, it would be contagious or something like that, it’s like ‘keep my children away!’ (FP04)

It feels difficult like other people don’t really understand your needs, so like I’d be having a breakdown in the middle of Costa and people would be like pulling their children away and it’s like they don’t understand, they just think I’m a naughty child (FF06)

Although research is improving in the field of autism, one female expressed the need for a greater understanding of girls with autism.

I think it would be nice for people to realise that autism can affect girls (FF12)

Subtheme 4.2: Parental Attitudes

Mothers of autistic girls discussed their personal feelings towards having a child with autism. One mother commented on the concern they felt about their child achieving the life they anticipated for them.

You grieve for the child that you didn’t know you thought you had…will she ever get married; will she ever go to university… (FP04)

Theme 5: Positive Aspects of Autism

This theme highlights some of the benefits of being autistic and ways females have learnt to understand their disorder. Not all aspects of having autism are negative, as reported by our participants.

Subtheme 5.1: Benefits of Autism

A common positive of having autism mentioned in the discussions was being able to see the world from a different and unique perspective.

I’m starting to appreciate more and more that like the way I see the world is, can be a benefit (FF10)

I’m unique in my own way that makes me feel that I am a unique part of the world (FF07)

Other benefits of having autism ranged from having long attention spans and good memory, to having an improved sense of empathy and greater creativity. Only one woman we asked was unable to think of a positive aspect of having autism.

Subtheme 5.2: Accepting Autism and Understanding Why You’re Different

Importantly, some participants mentioned that having autism is not a definitive feature of an individual’s life.

I know that I am different, and I don’t think it matters to anybody else if I am different because I don’t think autism is a way to define a person, it’s more the way they act, and how they feel (FF07)

Subtheme 5.3: Strong Sense of Justice

Interestingly, several females and parents commented on autistic females having a strong sense of justice.

It’s wonderful that she has this fantastic moral compass and she always wants to stick up for people because she’s had problems and she’s been bullied and she wants to stick up for everyone, but the way in which she wants to do it puts herself at a risk… (FP02)

The need to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves was a recurrent theme.

The current study aimed to minimise the circularity of exploring female autism within a primarily male-biased field. From speaking to the women, girls and mothers, we have gained an insight into the first-hand experiences of females who identify as being autistic and have reported a vast amount of information and a wide range of themes and subthemes.

As our topic guide included a range of open discussion points, our participants had the freedom to discuss their own experiences in depth, resulting in several holistic accounts and an abundance of information to explore. The broad variety of opinions, resulting from including females within a wide age range and stages of diagnosis, gives our project a unique quality. As we have not focused solely on one area, for example friendships or camouflaging, we are able to explore both positive and negative aspects of the female experience, and several novel themes. The experiences of the females we met overlapped considerably and the few contradictions in the data, such as not all women feeling able to mask and/or camouflage their symptoms, are discussed further within this section. Overall, the data was largely cohesive, and as autism is a heterogenous disorder, it is acceptable and expected that some disagreement in subjective experience arose.

The women and girls in this study reported adopting strategies to mask and camouflage their autistic behaviours. During discussions women who believed they successfully masked their symptoms reported how they might learn stock phrases in social etiquette or consciously study the “appropriate” amount of time to maintain eye contact. Similar findings have been found in previous research, for example Dean, Harwood & Kasari ( 2017 ) found that school-aged autistic girls were more likely to adopt compensatory social behaviours than their male peers, which further suggests that females are more likely to be overlooked and potentially have difficulties gaining a diagnosis.

It is unclear whether camouflaging behaviour is a protective or a harmful technique. Many women report negative consequences to this behaviour such as exhaustion and poor mental health (Bargiela et al. 2016 ; Lai et al. 2011 ). We did not include a comparison group of autistic males; therefore, it is unclear whether this strategy could be considered a specific feature of female autism (Bargiela et al. 2016 ). In fact, Hull et al. ( 2017 ) found both males and females report using camouflaging techniques. Interestingly, not all women in our sample felt masking and camouflaging their autism was useful or even possible; it remains unclear what drives and allows individuals to use such techniques.

Evidence from the discussions supports the premise that autistic females struggle to initiate and maintain relationships and resolve conflicts within friendships (Sedgewick et al. 2016 ; Kirkovski et al. 2013 ). A common misconception is that individuals with autism do not desire or seek friendships and social interaction, however, despite our participants reporting difficulties with friendship formation and maintenance, the discussions demonstrated that many autistic females are socially motivated. The women and girls we spoke to all wanted friendships, yet often reported feelings of loneliness. This finding was also reported by Sedgewick et al. ( 2016 ) who interviewed adolescent males and females and found that autistic females were as social motivated as their neurotypical counterparts, while autistic males were less socially motivated in comparison to autistic females and neurotypical males and females. Autism literature supports the idea that females are more interested in social relationships than males, perhaps indicating a somewhat distinct autism phenotype in females.

It is unclear whether the gender differences in nuanced communication and behaviours described by our participants are unique to an autistic population, as we did not compare our volunteers to a neurotypical sample. McVey et al. ( 2016 ) suggested that social nuances in female communication are more complex than those found within male communication. This notion was echoed by one of our participants, who claimed she found it easier to communicate with males because their communication styles were clearer, and they found relationship maintenance less challenging. Kanfiszer et al. ( 2017 ) reported similar findings, with women reporting they felt different to societal gender norms, and felt their interests were more aligned with those of male than female peers.

A general lack of understanding about female autism symptomology, including camouflaging behaviour and interest in social relationships, is suspected to lead to many women receiving a late or delayed diagnosis (Haney 2016 ; Bargiela et al. 2016 ; Gould and Ashton-Smith 2011 ; Giarelli et al. 2010 ). A study investigating maternal concerns also highlighted the impact of delayed diagnosis (Navot et al. 2017 ). Mothers reported a lack of clinician awareness of female autism and difficulties gaining a diagnostic referral despite raising concerns early. This resonates with the reports some of the women and girls in our sample gave of poor diagnostic processes, and further highlights the need for a greater understanding of female autism. Additionally, these findings possibly support the notion that diagnostic tools are biased towards male presentations of autism.

The participants in our study linked masking behaviour to delayed diagnosis and delayed access to support for autistic females. Tint and Weiss ( 2017 ) findings reflect this and go on to discuss various unmet needs including employment support and mental health support. Baldwin and Costley ( 2016 ) found participants who remained undiagnosed up until 18 years of age or after were much less likely to receive adequate educational support than those who received an earlier diagnosis while in education. It has also been reported by parents of autistic females that they’ve felt “at war” with schools in order to gain appropriate support for their child, and even schools not implementing individualized education plans despite the plans being put in place (Mademtzi et al. 2018 ).

Despite a largely negative view towards their experiences of autism, an encouraging finding is that the females identified several positive aspects of being autistic. Although previous research has reported the positive experience of gaining a diagnosis (Bargiela et al. 2016 ), more specific positive aspects such as those mentioned in our data are often underreported.

Study Limitations

This study provides useful information towards improving understanding of the female experience of autism. However, there are some methodological factors that may limit the generalizability of these findings. Firstly, the small sample (n = 22), although typical of qualitative studies, makes it difficult to explore how race, ethnicity, background or social-economic status might affect these findings. Furthermore, as is common with qualitative studies, the small sample size means findings may not be representative of all autistic women.

Whilst the inclusion of self-diagnosed autistic females is a step in the right direction as current research literature highlights the potential for missed or misdiagnosis of females, the small number (n = 2) of participants in comparison to diagnosed females (n = 16) is not ideal. However, as this was a small-scale study, and no differences were found between the responses of self-diagnosed and diagnosed participants, the authors deemed it acceptable to include these participants in the sample. It is not known whether there is a difference between self-diagnosed autistic individuals who actively seek a diagnosis in comparison to those who do not. This would be an interesting area for future research.

Furthermore, a recruitment bias may pertain; participants in the discussions volunteered to take part. It could be argued that individuals “coping better” are more likely to volunteer to speak about their experience, and so we may not gain an accurate perspective for the full spectrum. Individuals on the autism spectrum with intellectual disability and/or minimal language are generally neglected in research and it is important to consider how their views can be gathered and how they can be brought into participatory research models (Chakrabarti 2017 ).

In some of the discussions, there were an equal number of researchers to participants or occasionally more researchers than participants. It is possible that this dynamic influenced the participants’ responses, however no evidence of this was found in the data.

Finally, while gender differences were a topic examined in these discussions, a comparison male autism group was not included and would be useful in future studies.

Implications & Future Directions

The discussions highlighted important themes, including both negative and positive factors that contribute to the experiences of autistic females. We believe this research has several potential implications.

First, the negative accounts of getting an autism diagnosis emphasise the need to adapt diagnostic processes to be more inclusive for females and their families. Future guidelines could include information for clinicians to aid understanding of barriers to diagnosis for females, such as the misconception that autism is a solely male diagnosis.

Topics for future research have been identified: one suggestion is to explore whether camouflaging behaviours are adopted by individuals with a diagnosis other than autism or no diagnoses at all, and whether there is a gender disparity in camouflaging behaviours within these populations.

Finally, for autistic females, having the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives contribute towards viewing autism with a gender balanced lens, rather than the current male focus. It’s hoped that a greater understanding of female autism will allow autistic individuals to receive better recognition and understanding, and thus have a more positive experience.

By capturing qualitative accounts of the female experiences of autism, we hope to contribute to a greater understanding of the obstacles and challenges faced by women and girls at various stages of having an autism diagnosis. We have also reported several positive aspects of autism, which are often underreported in the literature. We hope that the information gathered, and the small glimpse into the lives of autistic females, can influence future research and clinical practice, and has given autistic females the opportunity to share their too-often ignored voices.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the women, girls and families who took part in our project. We would like to thank Clara Martins de Barros for her consultation on early drafts of the paper, and her invaluable insights as an autistic female. FH is part funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.

Author Contributions

FH and EC conceived the study as part of a grant on which they are the principal investigators. VM, HM, EC, and FH planned the study. VM, HM, and EC conducted the interviews and discussion groups. VM, HM, and EC analysed the data and conducted thematic analysis. All authors discussed interpretation of the data. VM and HM wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors contributed to revision and response to reviews. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

This study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number: ES/M011488/1).

Compliance with Ethical Standards

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Ethical approval for this project was obtained by the Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery (PNM) Research Ethics Subcommittee (RESC).

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Ai's quest for a grand unification theory, new research helps framing the very nature of intelligence and reality..

Posted May 19, 2024 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

• AI models may converge towards a unified understanding of reality as they become more advanced.
• This idea, the Platonic Representation Hypothesis, echoes Plato's concept of universal forms.
• The hypothesis has implications for AI's future, reality itself, and the nature of intelligence.

Imagine a future where artificial intelligence (AI) systems, regardless of their specific tasks, all share a common understanding of the world. This is the essence of the "Platonic Representation Hypothesis," a fascinating idea in a recently published paper . The authors suggest that as AI models become more advanced, they start to represent data in increasingly similar ways, hinting at a shared, abstract model of reality. It might be a good idea to put on your thinking cap.

The Platonic Representation Hypothesis: An Overview

The Platonic Representation Hypothesis suggests that as AI models become more sophisticated and are trained on more diverse data, their internal representations of the world will converge toward a unified, abstract model of reality. This shared understanding would transcend the specific tasks or data types the AI models are designed to handle, suggesting a common underlying structure to intelligence and perception.

The Echoes of Plato's Philosophy

The concept of a shared understanding among AI systems is reminiscent of the philosophical idea of platonic ideals. Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, believed that the world we perceive is merely a reflection of perfect, universal forms. Similarly, the researchers propose that AI models, whether they're processing language, images, or audio, are all tapping into a common understanding of the world as they become more sophisticated—in essence, a unified theory of reality.

Implications for AI's Future

If the Platonic Representation Hypothesis proves true, it could have far-reaching implications for the future of AI. A unified understanding of reality could lead to AI systems that are more efficient and adaptable. Imagine an AI that can easily apply what it learned in one domain, like language, to another domain, like image recognition. This would be a significant step forward from the specialized AI systems we have today.

The Limits of Translation

However, the idea of a shared representation is not without its challenges. Some argue that the apparent convergence might be a result of current technological limitations or biases in the data used to train AI models. Others point out that different types of data, such as images and text, may contain unique information that can't be fully captured by a single, shared representation.

AI's Grand Unification Theory

The pursuit of a unified theory of AI bears a striking resemblance to the quest for a grand unification theory in physics. Just as physicists have long sought to unify the fundamental forces of nature into a single, coherent framework, this theory suggests that the seemingly disparate branches of AI may ultimately converge towards a unified understanding of intelligence and reality. If AI models are indeed tapping into a shared, abstract representation of the world, it suggests that there may be fundamental laws or principles that govern all forms of intelligence, whether artificial or biological. These laws could be as profound and far-reaching as the laws of physics, shaping the very fabric of cognition and perception.

Implications for Reality Itself

The Platonic Representation Hypothesis not only has profound implications for the future of AI but also raises intriguing questions about the nature of reality itself. If AI models are, in fact, converging towards a shared representation of the world, it suggests that there may be an underlying structure or order to reality that is independent of any specific observer or mode of observation. This idea resonates with certain philosophical and scientific concepts, such as the theory of objective reality in metaphysics or the search for a unified field theory in physics.

Bridging the Abstract and the Concrete

If proven true, this hypothesis could bridge the gap between the abstract world of mathematics and computation and the concrete world of physical reality, suggesting a deep connection between the two. It may even hint at the existence of a "platonic realm" of pure forms and ideas that exists beyond our direct experience, but which we can access through reason and abstraction.

While these ideas are highly speculative and require further investigation, they demonstrate the interesting philosophical and scientific implications of the Platonic Representation Hypothesis and its potential to reshape our understanding of both intelligence and reality itself. And while the use of "Plato" in the paper's thesis may be a bit of a linguistic stretch, it offers another avenue of thought to understand AI and perhaps even into the very nature of existence.

John Nosta is an innovation theorist and founder of NostaLab.

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