Evaluating the Impact of Interventions on Developmental Outcomes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2026 | Viewed by 829

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Social Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, SEARCH Center, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Interests: autism spectrum disorder; neuroscience; electrophysiology; social cognition; social reward; development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, it is important to objectively measure the developmental outcomes associated with interventions. This research is crucial for the continued use and refinement of best practices to support children on the autism spectrum. This Special Issue will focus on the impact of interventions in children with ASD. For this Special Issue, the interventions studied can be medical (e.g., medication trials), behavioral (e.g., individual therapy, group interventions, etc.), or a combination of both. We are interested in manuscripts that report the outcomes relevant to development, including social skills, language development, or academic performance. Manuscripts reporting on neuroscience outcomes are also of interest, provided that there is sufficient justification for the developmental relevance of neural measures/mechanisms. The results of early interventions for children at increased risk for (but not yet diagnosed with) ASD will also be considered if developmental outcomes are reported.

Dr. Katherine Meltzoff
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • autism spectrum disorder
  • intervention
  • outcomes
  • social skills
  • development
  • early intervention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 443 KB  
Article
Febrile Seizures and Subsequent Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study
by Ya-Hsuan Tsai, Go-Shine Huang and Mei-Hua Hu
Children 2026, 13(3), 411; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13030411 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 524
Abstract
Objectives: To access the effects of febrile seizures from coexisting neurodevelopmental conditions that are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder. We examined whether febrile seizures are independently associated with ASD after considering neurodevelopmental comorbidities and seizure-related clinical characteristics. Methods: We conducted a nationwide [...] Read more.
Objectives: To access the effects of febrile seizures from coexisting neurodevelopmental conditions that are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder. We examined whether febrile seizures are independently associated with ASD after considering neurodevelopmental comorbidities and seizure-related clinical characteristics. Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based matched cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. The study included 948 children with FS and 3804 age- and sex-matched controls without FS. Participants were followed longitudinally for incident ASD. Associations were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models with additional analyses restricted to the FS cohort. Neurodevelopmental comorbidities assessed included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, and Tourette syndrome/tic disorder. Results: Among 4752 children followed for more than 10 years, 43 (0.9%) developed ASD. FS were not independently associated with ASD in adjusted Cox regression models. In contrast, ADHD, epilepsy, and Tourette syndrome/tic disorder were strongly and consistently associated with ASD across analytic models. Conclusions: Febrile seizures were not independently associated with autism spectrum disorder. Instead, ASD risk was largely explained by coexisting neurodevelopmental comorbidities, consistent with a shared neurodevelopmental susceptibility framework. These findings suggest that developmental surveillance should prioritize children with neurodevelopmental disorders rather than those with febrile seizures alone. Full article
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