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Behavioral Sciences
Special Issues
Early Identification and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Early Identification and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders

A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X) belonging to the section "Developmental Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1939

Editor

Prof. Dr. Chongying Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Autism Research Center, School of Sociology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: very broadly on autism spectrum disorder; early identification; biomarkers; cross cultural studies; social-cognitive development; implementing evidence-based interventions; social and psychological support for caregivers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by persistent impairments in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, have become a major public health concern worldwide. Early identification and timely, targeted intervention are widely recognized as pivotal to improving long-term outcomes for individuals with ASD, yet significant gaps remain in clinical practice, research translation, and equitable access to services.

This Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences aims to consolidate cutting-edge research, practical insights, and innovative strategies in the early identification and early intervention of ASD, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers, clinicians, educators, and policymakers.

We invite submissions that address a range of topics, including but not limited to: psychometric properties of early screening tools for ASD across diverse populations (e.g., different ages, cultural backgrounds, comorbid conditions); neural and behavioral markers of ASD in infancy and toddlerhood; family-centered early intervention models; the role of digital technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, telehealth) in enhancing early detection and intervention efficacy; and barriers to, and solutions for, equitable implementation of early ASD services globally. By bringing together empirical studies, systematic reviews, and clinical case studies, this Special Issue seeks to advance theoretical understandings of early ASD development, refine practical tools for early identification, and promote the adoption of evidence-based intervention strategies.

The findings from this Special Issue will not only enrich the behavioral science literature on ASD but also provide actionable guidance for optimizing early care systems, ultimately empowering families and improving the quality of life for individuals with ASD from the earliest stages.

Prof. Dr. Chongying Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • early identification
  • biomarkers
  • early intervention
  • social-cognitive development
  • cross-cultural studies
  • parents/caregivers support
  • digital technologies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 454 KB  
Article
Development and Preliminary Findings of a Modified WHO Caregiver Skills Training Program for Children with Autism in Mainland China
by Rui Meng, Lingyue Kong, WHO CST Team and Chongying Wang
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 1159; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071159 - 9 Jul 2026
Viewed by 600
Abstract
Purpose: Most children with autism live in resource-limited settings with limited access to timely interventions. To address this gap, the World Health Organization developed Caregiver Skills Training (CST) to support caregivers and expand intervention access globally. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary [...] Read more.
Purpose: Most children with autism live in resource-limited settings with limited access to timely interventions. To address this gap, the World Health Organization developed Caregiver Skills Training (CST) to support caregivers and expand intervention access globally. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a modified CST in mainland China. Methods: Using the ecological validity model and qualitative interviews, the CST materials were culturally adapted and modified for the Chinese context. A pre- and post-test controlled trial was conducted with caregivers of children with autism aged 2–9 years, who were assigned to either the CST intervention group (N = 15) or a caregiver education control group (N = 15). Clinical outcomes for caregivers and children were evaluated at baseline and after a 10-week intervention period. Results: Cultural adaptation and modifications focused on language adjustments, localization of case examples and demonstrations, and optimization of teaching methods and training schedules. Supplementary within-group analyses indicated pre–post changes in caregiver knowledge and skills, parenting stress, and selected child outcomes, including speech/language/communication, sensory/cognitive awareness, and overall autism symptoms. However, most between-group differences were not statistically significant after baseline adjustment. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence for the feasibility of culturally adapted and modified CST in mainland China. Given the pilot nature of the study and the absence of statistically significant between-group effects for most outcomes, the outcome findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of efficacy. Further large-scale studies with greater statistical power and objective outcome measures are needed to evaluate effectiveness and implementation feasibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Identification and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders)
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21 pages, 2769 KB  
Article
Remote Sensory–Cognitive Assessment in Children with Autism: Evaluating Feasibility and Performance Outcomes
by Peige Wang, Lakshmi Kannan, Ellie Hodge, Jennie Marie Sanchez-Singh, Audrey Anna Carrillo, Sophia Milla, Katherine Meltzoff and Aaron R. Seitz
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050702 - 4 May 2026
Viewed by 695
Abstract
This study evaluated the feasibility of remotely administered, multi-session digital sensory–cognitive assessments in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Remote assessment in ASD presents challenges, including sustaining engagement across sessions, ensuring task comprehension, and maintaining data quality in home environments. Accordingly, this study [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the feasibility of remotely administered, multi-session digital sensory–cognitive assessments in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Remote assessment in ASD presents challenges, including sustaining engagement across sessions, ensuring task comprehension, and maintaining data quality in home environments. Accordingly, this study quantified feasibility through task engagement and data integrity across a multi-domain assessment battery. A total of 121 children with ASD aged 8–16 years participated. The assessment battery was administered across three remote sessions targeting emotion discrimination, visual and cognitive processing, and auditory processing. Feasibility was evaluated using a structured data-quality coding system integrating trial-level performance with qualitative observations of engagement and data integrity. Across 11 behavioral tasks, an average of 85% of participants produced usable data. Exclusions occurred across most tasks but were broadly distributed, with no single task showing disproportionately elevated failure rates. Among participants with usable data, performance distributions fell within expected ranges. These findings indicate that remote sensory–cognitive assessment is feasible in children with ASD, supporting the scalability of multi-domain digital assessments and providing a foundation for larger studies investigating individual variability across perceptual and cognitive domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Identification and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders)
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