A systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies (1124 participants) found that mindfulness-based interventions moderately reduce stress, depressive symptoms, distress, and anxiety in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and also improve parent-child relationships. Interventions lasting eight weeks or more and those targeting only parents showed some positive effects on parent-child relationships or stress. The evidence for enhancing parental mindfulness itself remains inconclusive. The authors call for large-scale randomized controlled trials to further assess effectiveness.
By examining Franz Kafka's life and writings as a case study, this analysis suggests that high-functioning autistic individuals may experience and express religious beliefs differently from non-autistic people. Kafka's philosophical-religious texts offer insight into the cognitive inner states associated with autism, potentially revealing distinct patterns in how autistic persons engage with faith and spirituality. This perspective aims to deepen understanding of both the varieties of religious experience and the cognitive style of high-functioning autism, offering new avenues for exploring autism and religion.
A mindfulness-based individual therapy adapted for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows promise for improving emotion regulation. Seven of nine participants improved in at least one area: impulse control, access to emotion regulation strategies, or emotional acceptance. The therapy was feasible based on treatment fidelity and participant satisfaction. The authors recommend further research with more timepoints and a clinical cutoff-derived sample.
Dreaming in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differs from that of typically developed individuals. In questionnaires, adults with ASD reported fewer dream recollections, fewer bad dreams, and fewer emotions than controls. In a sleep laboratory, dream narratives after REM sleep awakenings were shorter for ASD participants, containing fewer settings, objects, characters, social interactions, activities, and emotions. These differences may reflect neurocognitive features specific to ASD.