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Policy Brief: Autism and Policing (2024)
Report
Ropar, D., & Holloway-George, C. (2024). Policy Brief: Autism and Policing. University of Nottingham

More than one in 100 people in the UK are autistic. Despite the prevalence of autism within society, autistic people face barriers in
their everyday lives. One example of this is within the criminal justice system.

Autistic people are more likely... Read More about Policy Brief: Autism and Policing.

Relationship between autonomic arousal and attention orienting in children and adolescents with ADHD, autism and co-occurring ADHD and autism (2023)
Journal Article
Bellato, A., Arora, I., Kochhar, P., Ropar, D., Hollis, C., & Groom, M. J. (2023). Relationship between autonomic arousal and attention orienting in children and adolescents with ADHD, autism and co-occurring ADHD and autism. Cortex, 166, 306-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.002

Introduction
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be characterized by different profiles of visual attention orienting. However, there are also many inconsistent findings emerging from the literature... Read More about Relationship between autonomic arousal and attention orienting in children and adolescents with ADHD, autism and co-occurring ADHD and autism.

The forensic implications of camouflaging: a study into victimisation and offending associated with autism and pathological demand avoidance (2022)
Journal Article
Trundle, G., Jones, K. A., Ropar, D., & Egan, V. (2023). The forensic implications of camouflaging: a study into victimisation and offending associated with autism and pathological demand avoidance. Advances in Autism, 9(2), 116-131. https://doi.org/10.1108/aia-02-2022-0006

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of social camouflaging on victimisation and offending in relation to autism and pathological demand avoidance (PDA) traits. Camouflaging aims to overcome or conceal difficulties in social and comm... Read More about The forensic implications of camouflaging: a study into victimisation and offending associated with autism and pathological demand avoidance.

Prevalence of Victimisation in Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022)
Journal Article
Trundle, G., Jones, K. A., Ropar, D., & Egan, V. (2023). Prevalence of Victimisation in Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 24(4), 2282-2296. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221093689

Autistic individuals are at an increased risk of experiencing victimisation. Previous reviews have focussed specific types of victimisation. Thus, a clearer picture considering the range of victimisation experiences autistic people face is required.... Read More about Prevalence of Victimisation in Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Trying to solve the ‘worst situation’ together: participatory autism research (2022)
Journal Article
Costley, D., Emerson, A., Ropar, D., Sheppard, E., McCubbing, A., Campbell Bass, S., …Ward Penny, J. (2022). Trying to solve the ‘worst situation’ together: participatory autism research. Educational Action Research, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2021.2019075

The importance of participatory autism research is discussed in relation to a project involving six autistic researchers and five non-autistic university researchers collaborating to investigate anxiety in autistic adolescents. The paper describes th... Read More about Trying to solve the ‘worst situation’ together: participatory autism research.

A pilot study of co-produced autism training for police custody staff: evaluating the impact on perceived knowledge change and behaviour intentions (2022)
Journal Article
Holloway, C., Munro, N., Cossburn, K., & Ropar, D. (2022). A pilot study of co-produced autism training for police custody staff: evaluating the impact on perceived knowledge change and behaviour intentions. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 45(3), 434-447. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-11-2021-0159

Purpose: Autistic people have reported particularly negative experiences in police custody, which can lead to significant long-term personal and legal consequences. Research has suggested providing autism training to police forces would help improve... Read More about A pilot study of co-produced autism training for police custody staff: evaluating the impact on perceived knowledge change and behaviour intentions.

Dimensions of Self-Reported Driving Difficulty in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults and their Relationship with Autistic Traits (2022)
Journal Article
Sheppard, E., van Loon, E., & Ropar, D. (2023). Dimensions of Self-Reported Driving Difficulty in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults and their Relationship with Autistic Traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 285-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05420-y

A survey asked autistic and non-autistic people about the driving difficulties they experience and their autistic traits. Principle components analysis was used to identify how reported difficulties clustered together in each group, and regression wa... Read More about Dimensions of Self-Reported Driving Difficulty in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults and their Relationship with Autistic Traits.

Social context facilitates visuomotor synchrony and bonding in children and adults (2021)
Journal Article
Howard, E. M., Ropar, D., Newport, R., & Tunçgenç, B. (2021). Social context facilitates visuomotor synchrony and bonding in children and adults. Scientific Reports, 11, Article 22869. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02372-2

Interpersonal synchrony is a fundamental part of human social interaction, with known effects on facilitating social bonding. Moving in time with another person facilitates prosocial behaviour, however, it is unknown if the degree of synchronisation... Read More about Social context facilitates visuomotor synchrony and bonding in children and adults.

The anxiety caused by secondary schools for autistic adolescents: In their own words (2021)
Journal Article
Costley, D., Emerson, A., Ropar, D., & Sheppard, E. (2021). The anxiety caused by secondary schools for autistic adolescents: In their own words. Education Sciences, 11(11), Article 726. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110726

Secondary schools are increasingly becoming inclusive of all students whatever their individual needs, but we question whether teachers understand enough about specific needs in order to effectively support all their students. Research indicates that... Read More about The anxiety caused by secondary schools for autistic adolescents: In their own words.

The Relative Contributions of Visual and Proprioceptive Inputs on Hand Localization in Early Childhood (2021)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N., Greenfield, K., Ropar, D., Howard, E. M., & Newport, R. (2021). The Relative Contributions of Visual and Proprioceptive Inputs on Hand Localization in Early Childhood. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15, Article 702519. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.702519

Forming an accurate representation of the body relies on the integration of information from multiple sensory inputs. Both vision and proprioception are important for body localization. Whilst adults have been shown to integrate these sources in an o... Read More about The Relative Contributions of Visual and Proprioceptive Inputs on Hand Localization in Early Childhood.

Neurotype-Matching, but Not Being Autistic, Influences Self and Observer Ratings of Interpersonal Rapport (2020)
Journal Article
Crompton, C. J., Sharp, M., Axbey, H., Fletcher-Watson, S., Flynn, E. G., & Ropar, D. (2020). Neurotype-Matching, but Not Being Autistic, Influences Self and Observer Ratings of Interpersonal Rapport. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 586171. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171

The Double Empathy Problem suggests that communicative difficulties between autistic and non-autistic people are due to bi-directional differences in communicative style and a reciprocal lack of understanding. If true, there should be increased simil... Read More about Neurotype-Matching, but Not Being Autistic, Influences Self and Observer Ratings of Interpersonal Rapport.

Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective (2020)
Journal Article
Crompton, C. J., Ropar, D., Evans-Williams, C. V., Flynn, E. G., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective. Autism, 24(7), 1704-1712. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320919286

Abstract
Effective information transfer requires social communication skills. As autism is clinically defined by social communication deficits, it may be expected that information transfer between autistic people would be particularly deficient. How... Read More about Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective.

‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family (2020)
Journal Article
Crompton, C. J., Hallett, S., Ropar, D., Flynn, E., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family. Autism, 24(6), 1438-1448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908976

Many autistic people are motivated to have friends, relationships and close family bonds, despite the clinical characterisation of autism as a condition negatively affecting social interaction. Many first-hand accounts of autistic people describe fee... Read More about ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family.

Are you watching me?: the role of audience and object novelty on overimitation (2019)
Journal Article
Marsh, L. E., Ropar, D., & De C. Hamilton, A. F. (2019). Are you watching me?: the role of audience and object novelty on overimitation. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 180, 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.12.010

This study tests whether overimitation is subject to an audience effect, and whether it is modulated by object novelty. Eighty-six 4-to-11-year old children watched a demonstrator open novel and familiar boxes, using sequences of necessary and unnece... Read More about Are you watching me?: the role of audience and object novelty on overimitation.

Does stereopsis account for the link between motor and social skills in adults? (2018)
Journal Article
Smith, D., Ropar, D., & Allen, H. A. (2018). Does stereopsis account for the link between motor and social skills in adults?. Molecular Autism, 9, Article 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0234-4

Background: Experimental and longitudinal evidence suggests that motor proficiency plays an important role in the development of social skills. However, stereopsis, or depth perception, may also play a fundamental role in social skill development eit... Read More about Does stereopsis account for the link between motor and social skills in adults?.

Developmental changes in sensitivity to spatial and temporal properties of sensory integration underlying body representation (2017)
Journal Article
Greenfield, K., Ropar, D., Themelis, K., Ratcliffe, N., & Newport, R. (2017). Developmental changes in sensitivity to spatial and temporal properties of sensory integration underlying body representation. Multisensory Research, 30(6), https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-00002591

The closer in time and space that two or more stimuli are presented, the more likely it is that they will be integrated together. A recent study by Hillock-Dunn and Wallace (2012) reported that the size of the visuo-auditory temporal binding window —... Read More about Developmental changes in sensitivity to spatial and temporal properties of sensory integration underlying body representation.

Social seeking declines in young adolescents (2017)
Journal Article
Dubey, I., Ropar, D., & Hamilton, A. F. D. C. (2017). Social seeking declines in young adolescents. Royal Society Open Science, 4(8), Article 170029. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170029

The desire to engage with others is an important motivational force throughout our lifespan. It is known that social behaviour and preferences change from childhood to adulthood, but whether this change is linked with any changes in social motivation... Read More about Social seeking declines in young adolescents.

The integration of occlusion and disparity information for judging depth in autism spectrum disorder (2017)
Journal Article
Smith, D., Ropar, D., & Allen, H. A. (in press). The integration of occlusion and disparity information for judging depth in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3234-x

In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), atypical integration of visual depth cues may be due to flattened perceptual priors or selective fusion. The current study attempts to disentangle these explanations by psychophysically assessing within-modality int... Read More about The integration of occlusion and disparity information for judging depth in autism spectrum disorder.

The Latent Structure of Autistic Traits: A Taxometric, Latent Class and Latent Profile Analysis of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient (2016)
Journal Article
James, R. J., Dubey, I., Smith, D., Ropar, D., & Tunney, R. J. (2016). The Latent Structure of Autistic Traits: A Taxometric, Latent Class and Latent Profile Analysis of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(12), 3712-3728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2897-z

Autistic traits are widely thought to operate along a continuum. A taxometric analysis of Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient data was conducted to test this assumption, finding little support but identifying a high severity taxon. To understand this furt... Read More about The Latent Structure of Autistic Traits: A Taxometric, Latent Class and Latent Profile Analysis of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient.