From Early Signs to Outcomes: Screening, Diagnosis, and Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder
A special issue of Disabilities (ISSN 2673-7272).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editors
2. Lab of Applied Psychology—Section of Developmental Psychology, Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: autism spectrum disorder; early screening of autism; early diagnosis of autism; developmental psychology; neurodevelopment disorder; use of technological devices to promote emotional competence in autism; theory of mind in typically and atypically developing children; use of the inclusive sport to improve motor and social skills in children with autism; reaction to the diagnosis in parents and siblings; trust and theory of mind
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Lab of Applied Psychology—Section of Developmental Psychology, Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: autism spectrum disorder; early screening and diagnosis of autism; developmental psychology; use of technological device to promote emotional competence in autism; theory of mind in typically and atypically developing children; theory of mind and attachment bond; use of the inclusive sport to improve motor and social skills in children with autism; reaction to the diagnosis in parents and siblings; trust and theory of mind; trust in typically developing children
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to contribute to this Special Issue of Disabilities, “From Early Signs to Outcomes: Screening, Diagnosis, and Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
In recent years, diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased substantially worldwide. According to international diagnostic manuals (e.g., DSM-5), autism is characterized by challenges in social communication and interaction, together with the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviours.
This Special Issue aims to showcase a collection of high-quality contributions highlighting the most recent advances in autism research during the earliest developmental stages, i.e., infancy and toddlerhood.
Authors are invited to submit original empirical research, systematic reviews, and state-of-the-art theoretical contributions that address a broad range of topics related to ASD, including (but not limited to) early screening; early and differential diagnosis; early intervention and family-centred programmes; development and validation of tools assessing autistic symptomatology or behavioural markers predictive of early detection; longitudinal outcomes of early support.
We believe that the contributions published in this Special Issue will reflect cutting-edge progress in autism research and promote best practices that can meaningfully inform clinical services, education, and family support, ultimately enhancing developmental outcomes for young children on the autism spectrum.
Dr. Annalisa Levante
Dr. Flavia Lecciso
Guest Editors
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Disabilities is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1200 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
- screening
- diagnosis
- intervention
- outcomes
- behavioural predictor
- measures
- screening instrument
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