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| Special Interest Group (SIG) Committee |
Most Recent SIGsProfound Autism: Re-imagining Research Priorities A subset of autistic individuals who experience co-occurring intellectual disabilities, significant communication needs, externalizing behaviors, and require high levels of support are described as having profound autism. These individuals have been largely excluded from autism research, resulting in a lack of recommended interventions for this group specifically. This SIG aims to identify research opportunities and develop actionable, collaborative research pathways to address the needs and improve outcomes for individuals with profound autism. Bridging Global Disparities in Autism Care: An ECHO Autism Live Session Following last year’s session success, which addressed broader disparities in autism care, this year’s interactive SIG shifts its focus to behavioral challenges. Modeled on the proven ECHO Autism framework, participants will explore real-world case studies, rapid-fire insights, and collaborative discussions to discover how diverse professionals worldwide are overcoming geographic, economic, and knowledge barriers. Attendees will become empowered to apply this transformative approach in their own communities, creating local capacity and equitable support systems for all. SIG Leader: Kristin Sohl A Global Approach to Reducing Stigma and Enhancing Well-Being through Autistic Strengths and Identity Despite growth in strengths-based approaches to autism research and practice, the stigmatisation, victimisation, and dehumanisation of autistic people remain. This SIG will explore relationships between autism stigma, strengths, and identity to foster well-being through globally-inclusive conversations, with autistic people at the forefront. We will come together as autistic and nonautistic researchers and community members to create future outputs, including an international community symposium and perspective piece to support the well-being of autistic people worldwide. SIG Leader: Jiedi Lei Bridging Silos: Building Collaborative Efforts for Autism Research in Midlife and Older Age Despite a recent increase in autism research focused on midlife and older age, much of the work remains siloed. The objective of this SIG is to host an international opportunity to foster coordinated efforts, promote collaborations across cohorts and samples, and set research priorities to guide the emerging field of aging and autism. The SIG will also facilitate the creation of a global network for researchers and stakeholder interested in ongoing collaboration and dissemination of aging research. SIG Leader: Gavin Stewart Building Capacity to Implement and Evaluate Early Intervention for Young Autistic Children in Underserved Communities Globally This returning SIG will continue developing a collaborative network to strengthen the availability of and access to high-quality interventions for autistic children worldwide. Building on the momentum of the first year’s activities, which engaged diverse stakeholders such as researchers, clinicians, and community advocates, the SIG will harness members’ collective experiences implementing the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training, a low-cost, parent-mediated early intervention delivered by non-specialists, with a focus on addressing barriers in underserved populations. SIG Leader: Sarah Dababnah Improving Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in Autism Research: Bridging the Gap between Advanced Psychometric Communities Globally High quality science relies upon psychometrically valid and reliable measurement, yet very few PROMs have been developed or thoroughly validated for use with autistic people. Continuing in its third year, this SIG aims to disseminate recommendations and resources for rigorous PROM development and validation to improve autism research. An introductory presentation on the SIG’s achievements and future directions will set the stage for small- and large-group discussions. SIG Leader: Hillary Schiltz Indigenous Perspectives on Autism: Navigating Autism Through Culture and Colonialism The INSAR Special Interest Group (SIG) "Indigenous Perspectives on Autism: Navigating Autism Through Culture and Colonialism" focuses on advancing research, understanding, and support for autism in Indigenous communities. It prioritizes culturally grounded approaches, collaborative partnerships, and the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems. The SIG aims to address systemic inequities, promote strengths-based perspectives, and foster global connections to enhance the well-being of Indigenous individuals and families affected by autism. SIG Leader: Grant Bruno Improving Global Autism Research for Multilingual Communities With over 7,100 languages spoken worldwide, and the prominence of multilingualism across the world, it is imperative that autism researchers develop and expand our understanding of multilingualism and autism. The SIG will focus on creating and disseminating knowledge of multilingual practices related to autism across the world, identify ways to improve our tools for multilingual, autistic communities, and identify the strengths and benefits of multilingualism. We will build a community for researchers, professionals, autistic persons, and families to support multilingual practices. SIG Leader: Sandra Vanegas Regression/Loss of Skills in Autism There is a high prevalence of skill loss, or regression, in autistic children. Skill loss can often be distressing to the affected children and their families, yet there has been insufficient clinical and research progress
to enable diagnostic, management and support improvements. Lack of standardized approaches to researching regression has limited translation of prior research. Our SIG aims to create collaborative research pathways
to promote best-practices in regression research and develop research priorities important to those affected. Indigenous Autism in Global Contexts Our aim is to foster collaborative and meaningful conversations with Indigenous peoples and autism from across the globe. The co-chairs will facilitate a circle that allows for discussion among anyone with an interest in autism and Indigenous communities. This circle will engage in cross-cultural dialogue, adapting evidence-based practices to align with Indigenous worldviews, and promoting awareness about autism in Indigenous communities globally. SIG Leader: Samara Toby Building Capacity to Implement and Evaluate Early Intervention for Young Autistic Children in Underserved Communities Globally Few evidence-based, culturally and contextually relevant interventions exist to address the needs of young autistic children and their families globally. This SIG will convene researchers, clinicians, community advocates, and other stakeholders to discuss their experience implementing and evaluating the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training program, a low-cost parent-mediated early intervention that is delivered by non-specialist facilitators. The SIG will build a collaborative network that aims to strengthen the availability of and access to high-quality interventions for autistic children worldwide. SIG Leader: Sarah Dababnah Knowns and Unknowns: Eating in Autistic People Across the Lifespan Eating issues in autism are critically relevant to health and well-being, yet they are understudied and have received limited coverage at INSAR to date. This SIG, now in Year 2, combines nominal group technique and Delphi procedures to generate a consensus research agenda identifying critical gaps in eating-related research and clinical care for autistic people across the lifespan, laying the groundwork for future directions. The resulting manuscript will serve as a touchpoint in the literature. SIG Leader: Emily Kuschner, Greg Wallace Raising the Bar for Quality and Reporting Standards of Autism Intervention Science Although there are clear international standards for intervention science and reporting in healthcare, these have often been poorly taken up within autism intervention research and practice. This SIG in 2023 attracted a wide attendance, including many ECRs. It debated quality standards for autism-focused intervention trials and educational initiatives. It generated an outcome report and submitted consensus commentary. The 2024 follow-on SIG will follow this through into elaborated sustainable actions on Editorial proposals and Educational initiatives. SIG Leader: Jonathan Green Autism Assessment and Diagnosis in Adulthood: Advancing Research and Practice One of the leading challenges in autism assessment and diagnosis in adulthood is the overlapping presenting features between autism and other neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. To address this, we need structured approaches to autism assessment and diagnosis in adulthood, which will also consider assessment and formulation of need across conditions. A transdiagnostic approach would help to identify underlying mechanisms that connect needs across conditions, and guide interventions. This will also lead to more relevant and appropriate supports, and importantly improved outcomes for autistic individuals. SIG Leader: Aspasia Stacey Rabba Improving Global Autism Research for Multilingual Communities With over 7,100 languages spoken worldwide, and the prominence of multilingualism across the world, it is imperative that autism researchers develop and expand our understanding of multilingualism and autism. The SIG will focus on increasing our knowledge of multilingual practices related to autism across the world, identify ways to improve our tools for multilingual, autistic communities, and identify the strengths and benefits of multilingualism. We will develop recommendations for providers and researchers who work with multilingual, autistic persons to improve autism research globally. SIG Leader: Sandra Vanegas Reducing Disparities in Autism Services: An ECHO Autism Live Session Disparities in access to autism care leave many autistic people and their families behind. This interactive SIG, modeled on the successful ECHO Autism framework, tackles this head-on. Through case studies, rapid-fire insights, and collaborative discussions, participants will discover how diverse professionals worldwide are implementing ECHO to bridge geographic, economic, and knowledge barriers. Leave empowered to replicate this transformative approach in your own community, creating equitable support systems for all. SIG Leader: Kristin Sohl, Ramiro Mitre Knowns and Unknowns: Eating in Autistic People Across the Lifespan Eating issues in autism are critically relevant to health and well-being, yet they are understudied and have received limited coverage at INSAR to date. This SIG will combine nominal group technique and Delphi procedure
methods to generate a consensus research agenda identifying critical gaps in eating-related research and clinical care for autistic people across the lifespan, laying the groundwork for future directions. The resulting
manuscript will serve as a citable touchpoint in the literature. OPEN Autism (Obstetrics, Placenta, Epigenetics and Neurodevelopment in Autism) The placenta is under-represented in autism biomarker research. This SIG will build on our first SIG session conducted in 2020 and share our research since then. We aim to have small group discussions on improving the efficiency of research designs in this area. We believe this group meeting involving speakers from India, the US, Indo-Canada Autism Network, and Nigeria can help catalyze efforts towards the development of a bio-repository that can benefit researchers across the world. SIG Leader: Ashok Mysore Autistic Regression or Skill Loss There is a high prevalence of skill loss, or regression, in autistic children. Skill loss can often be distressing to the affected children and their families, yet there has been insufficient clinical and research progress to enable diagnostic, management and support improvements. Progress has been limited by a lack of standardised approaches to researching regression. Our SIG aims to ate collaborative research pathways to promote best-practices in regression research, and develop research priorities that are important to affected children and families. SIG Leader: Katrina Williams Improving Global Autism Research for Multilingual Communities With over 7,100 languages spoken worldwide, and the prominence of multilingualism across the world, it is imperative that autism researchers develop and expand our understanding of multilingualism and autism. The SIG will focus on increasing our knowledge of multilingual practices related to autism across the world, identify ways to improve our tools for multilingual, autistic communities, and identify the strengths and benefits of multilingualism. We will develop recommendations for providers and researchers who work with multilingual, autistic persons to improve autism research globally. SIG Leader: Sandra Vanegas Raising the bar for quality and reporting standards of autism intervention science Although there are clear international standards for intervention science and reporting in healthcare, these have often been poorly taken up within autism intervention research and practice. This SIG proposes a novel forum to debate quality standards for autism-focused intervention trials to generate a list of recommendations for reporting standards and peer-review guides to be put forth in a consensus statement encouraging adoption by autism-specialist journals. SIG Leader: Jonathan Green Improving Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in Autism Research: Bridging the Gap Between Advanced Psychometric Techniques and Stakeholder Priorities High-quality science relies upon psychometrically valid and reliable measurement, yet very few PROMs have been developed or thoroughly validated for use with autistic people. Continuing in its second year, this SIG aims to disseminate recommendations and resources for rigorous PROM development and validation to improve autism research. An introductory talk on the state of PROM science in autism research and Autism PROMnet initiatives will set the stage for small- and large-group discussions. SIG Leader: Hillary Schiltz INSAR 2022 Hybrid Annual Meeting SIG session materials are available to Full, Student, and Affiliate Members of INSAR as a member benefit. Improving Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in Autism Research: Bridging the Gap Between Advanced Psychometric Techniques and Stakeholder Priorities Session Archive (Members Only) Regression or Skill Loss and Autism Transition-Age Autistic Youth: Are we Meeting their Needs? Virtual Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Best Practices and Practical Strategies Advancing Anti-Racist Research and Clinical Practice in the Autism Field Reduction of severe challenging behaviors in children, teens and adults with severe autism INSAR 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting SIG session recordings and materials are available to Full, Student, and Affiliate Members of INSAR as a member benefit. Autism and Schizophrenia: Understanding the Overlap Session Archive (Members Only) Session Archive (Members Only) Session Archive (Members Only) Session Archive (Members Only) Session Archive (Members Only) INSAR 2020 SIGs virtual event archives are available to current Student, Full, and Affiliate members. Improving Health Outcomes Across the Lifespan: Harnessing Data from Individuals on the Autism Spectrum, Families, Clinicians, and Care Systems Autism and Related Disorders in the Context of Humanitarian Emergencies Clinical Strategies for Including Severely Affected Individuals in Neuroscience Studies
Anxiety in ASD
Session Chair: Dr. Jacqui Rodgers Co-Leader: Alana McVey Older adults with ASD: The consequences of aging Session Chair: Hilde M. Geurts Co-Leader: Amanda Roestorf Implementing and Evaluating Community-Based Early Intervention Session Chairs: Kristelle Hudry and Giacomo Vivanti Integrating Autistic Intellect in Autism Research Part 2: Collaborative Problem Solving Session Chair: Dena L. Gassner Co-Leaders: Melissa Maye and Cathy Bent Promoting partnerships between patient advocacy groups and researchers to improve autism research Session Chairs: Alycia Halladay and Shafali Jeste Co-Leader: Charlotte DiStefano Safe and Accessible Transportation for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: Addressing Barriers to Community Participation Session Chair: Amber M. Angell Co-Leader: Cecilia Feeley Suicidality in Autism Spectrum Conditions Session Chair: Sarah Cassidy Co-Leaders: Dr. Gareth Richards and Kathryn Cook Clinical Strategies for Increasing Inclusion in Neuroscience Research Across the ASD Spectrum Session Chairs: Emily S. Kuschner and Christine Wu Nordahl Co-Leaders: Mark Shen and Kevin Stephenson Special Interest Group CommitteeDavid Amaral - INSAR Board LiaisonCommittee Leaders: SIG Submission Reviewers |
1/7/2025INSAR Presidential Message
9/22/2025INSAR 2026: Call for Abstract Reviewers Now Open
9/5/2025INSAR 2026 Call for Abstracts
4/23/2025INSAR Statement
7/29/2024Autism Research Author Interviews