An Introduction to ASD
If you're interested in autism, a great place to explore is the "resources for parents" published by the Child Mind Institute. Some highlights include articles like:
What should an evaluation for autism look like?
What is applied behavior analysis (ABA)?
Autism and medication
There's also a section addressing parenting children with autism and helping children with autism perform well in school.
The Early Signs of ASD
Although ASD is usually not diagnosed until much later, the early signs of ASD can often be seen in infancy. This excellent video from the Kennedy Krieger Institute compares one-year-old children with and without ASD. Notice how the children differ in many behaviors mentioned in the textbook such as shared attention, social orientation, and pretend play.
Autism and Acetaminophen?
In September 2025, the White House issued a statement claiming that acetaminophen use among pregnant women may cause long-term neurological effects in their children, including autism. What is the evidence for this belief? A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examining almost 2.5 million children found a slight increase in the risk for autism among the children of mothers who used acetaminophen during pregnancy. However, this increased risk disappeared when the researchers examined full sibling pairs. These findings suggest that acetaminophen does not cause autism and that any apparent association is probably attributable to other factors such as maternal health.
Autism and the MMR Vaccine?
This PBS News Hour video provides a summary of events leading to concerns that the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. Fears were initially spread by a problematic journal article which was later retracted. For the past 25 years, studies have shown no association between autism and the MMR vaccine. You can read a summary of the research here.
Theory of Mind
Most children develop theory of mind between 3 and 5 years of age. However, children with autism usually have delays mastering theory of mind. This video shows how theory of mind can be assessed using a false belief task.
Discrete Trial Training
Behavior therapy for children with ASD usually relies on discrete trial training. Each discrete trial has three parts: (1) a discriminative stimulus or command; (2) and response from the child or prompt from the therapist; and (3) positive reinforcement to strengthen the behavior. This video provides examples of discrete trial training. Other chapters focus on reinforcement, prompting, and generalization.
TEACCH
TEACCH is an evidence-based approach to teaching children with ASD in a structured classroom setting. Children's environment is organized to minimize distractions and to provide clearly designed work areas. Children use visual schedules and other cues to help them be productive. They also have choices in how they complete work and how they are reinforced.