Our research study examines cross-cultural differences in parenting styles and parenting preferences.
Findings will provide important clinical and research implications as to the types of parent-mediated interventions that are socially valid, as well as provide preliminary insight into characteristics that may be associated with greater parental likelihood to use interventions promoting a child-directed parenting style.
In other words, findings may be an important first step in informing culturally-appropriate interventions!
We're currently recruiting for a study on this topic! If you're a parent of an autistic child ages 3-7, you may be eligible. Click here to participate!
Autistic school-aged youth miss high rates of school compared to their non-autistic peers, and school refusal (emotional or behavior distress/avoidance of attending school) is a frequent reason for absences. Recent projects in the AACES lab have focused on child and family characteristics associated with absenteeism and refusal, the role of sleep, executive function, and emotion regulation in school attendance, and approaches to effectively measuring absenteeism and refusal behaviors.
We're currently recruiting for a study on this topic! If you're a parent of a child 5-13 (autistic or nonautistic) who struggles with school attendance and/or refusal, see more info here.
With an increase in attendance of post-secondary education for autistic individuals, better understanding of the experiences of autistic college students is needed in order to develop improved supports. Thus, research in the AACES lab in collaboration with faculty in TLEL and Student Affairs aims to identify barriers to improved quality of life for autistic college students as well as patterns of majors and pathways chosen.
Camouflaging is a phenomenon receiving increasing attention in autism research and is conceptualized as the use of behavioral strategies to reduce the appearance of autism. However, these behavioral strategies may not be specific to autism and may be used to hide social difficulties across conditions, such as social anxiety disorder. Current research in the AACES lab examines who uses these strategies and the contexts in which these strategies are used to improve our conceptual understanding of camouflaging.
In collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership, we conducted a systematic review of evidence-based practices in elementary school general education classes for autistic children. We have also conducted a series of subsequent studies examining knowledge of autism and evidence-based strategies and attitudes toward inclusion in educators in New York state. We recently presented some of this work at the annual conference of the Teacher Education Division of Council for Exceptional Children.
A lack of environmental support has been identified as a barrier to quality of life in both post-secondary and vocational settings for autistic adults. Improving knowledge of peers of autistic adults is crucial to reducing stigma across a variety of settings. Research in the AACES lab aims to develop better measures for autism knowledge and stigma for peers of autistic adults.
In an increasingly digital world, there have been documented risks when browsing online, from financial scams to cyberbullying. However, given the prevalence of online mediums of communication and community, online spaces represent opportunities for social connection. It is imperative that autistic adults have opportunities to engage with online content in a safe and informed manner. Current research in the AACES lab examines online risk factors for autistic adults to identify what aspects of digital spaces present elevated risk for autistic adults.