Social inclusion is an important goal for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, service providers, and policymakers; however, the concept of social inclusion remains unclear, largely due to multiple and conflicting definitions in research and policy. We define social inclusion as the interaction between two major life domains: interpersonal relationships and community participation. We then propose an ecological model of social inclusion that includes individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and socio-political factors. We identify four areas of research that our ecological model of social inclusion can move forward: (1) organizational implementation of social inclusion; (2) social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living with their families, (3) social inclusion of people along a broader spectrum of disability, and (4) the potential role of self-advocacy organizations in promoting social inclusion.

Employment is fundamental to the well-being of individuals including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purposes of this review are to provide an overview of employment-related research in individuals with ASD and increase our understanding of the factors that affect the employment situation of this population. Topics explored are employment outcomes revealed from adult outcome studies and national datasets as well as internal and external challenges that people with ASD may face in finding and maintaining employment. Social difficulties, comorbidity, education level, family support, employers' attitudes, access to services, and disability incentives have been implicated as factors that play an important role in predicting employment. Existing research evidence for specific employment training programs and strategies to successful employment are also introduced in regards to supported employment, transition services, assistive technology, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Finally, implications from both clinical practice and research perspective are provided.

Comorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of two or more disorders in the same person (Matson & Nebel-Schwalm, 2007). The current study provides a review of the literature on comorbidity, in relation to comorbid psychiatric and medical disorders in babies and infants, children, adults and across the lifespan. We also examine comorbid conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), epilepsy, gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep problems, feeding problems and toileting problems in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.Keywords: Comorbidity, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), Epilepsy, Sleep problems, Gastrointestinal symptoms.3 Comorbidity in autism spectrum disorder Comorbidity in autism spectrum disorderComorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of two or more disorders in the same person (Matson & Nebel-Schwalm, 2007). A comorbid condition is a second order diagnosis which offers core symptoms that differ from the first disorder. Comorbidity in the assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a topic that has infrequently been addressed (Matson & Nebel-Schwalm, 2007). One of the main difficulties in diagnosing comorbid psychopathology is the lack of diagnostic instruments designed to screen for these disorders in individuals with ASD. Instruments are only recently being developed, piloted and tested for reliability and validity. Instruments designed for assessing comorbid psychopathology in adults with ASD include the Psychopathology in Autism Checklist (PAC) (Helverschou, Bakken & Martinsen, 2009) and the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for Adults (ASD-CA) (Matson, Terlonge & González, 2006). Instruments designed to screen for comorbid psychopathology in children are a more recent development than the instruments designed for adults. Comorbid disorders often are more difficult to diagnose at a younger age. The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT), Part II (Matson, Boisjoli & Wilkins, 2007) was developed to screen for comorbid psychopathology in infants aged 16-37 months and has been psychometrically validated (Matson, Fodstad, Mahan & Sevin, 2009). The Autism Spectrum Disorders Comorbidity-Child Version (ASD-CC) (Matson & González, 2007) is another instrument used to diagnose comorbid psychopathology in children. Leyfer, Folstein, Bacalman, Davis, Dinh, Morgan et al., (2006) modified the existing instrument The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for use with children and adolescents with ASD. The modified instrument, the Autism Comorbidity Interview-Present and Lifetime Version (ACI-PL) was used to research prevalence rates of specific disorders. Comorbid psychiatric and medical conditions 4 Comorbidity in autism spectrum disorder Babies and infantsWhile there is now a great emphasis on the early diagnosis of ASD and the provision of early intensive behavioral intervention programs, there is a lack of research regarding comorbid conditions in very young children. The Baby a...

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