Nursing Care for Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Nursing".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 July 2025) | Viewed by 718
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In autism healthcare, outcome measures are critical for assessing functional abilities, support needs, and progress across the lifespan. These tools guide clinicians in tailoring interventions and allow researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments through observational and experimental studies. However, significant variability exists in how these measures are selected, adapted, and validated across different cultural and healthcare contexts. While such diversity reflects the wide range of autistic experiences, it complicates clinical decision-making, limits cross-study comparability, and hinders large-scale research synthesis.
To advance both clinical practice and research, there is a pressing need for standardized, culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, and neuro-affirmative assessment tools that genuinely reflect autistic individuals' lived experiences from early childhood to older adulthood. High-quality psychometric research on the validity, reliability, and cross-cultural applicability of these tools will benefit autistic individuals, families, clinicians, and researchers alike.
This Special Issue invites contributions that address these gaps, including systematic reviews, validation studies, psychometric evaluations, comparative assessments, and the development of new instruments informed by neuro-affirmative frameworks. We seek to foster evidence-based recommendations that enhance autism assessment practices worldwide while honoring the diverse experiences of the neurodivergent community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ferran Marsa-Sambola
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder
- neurodevelopmental disabilities
- outcome measures
- psychometric validation
- cross-cultural adaptation
- lifespan assessment
- neuro-affirmative healthcare
- functional assessment
- quality of life and evidence-based practice
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