Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often struggle interpreting and responding to social situations. The present study suggests that an animated, simulation-based assessment approach is an effective way to measure how children with or without ASDs problem-solve challenging social situations. VESIP is an easy-to-use assessment tool that can help practitioners understand a child's particular strengths and weaknesses.

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience disproportionately high rates of psychological problems. Our goal was to examine the clinical utility of psychological screening measures to identify children with such problems in medical settings. Caregivers completed screening measures assessing social-emotional problems, ADHD symptoms, executive dysfunction, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for children with SCD (receiving either chronic blood transfusion or hydroxyurea) and their siblings. Our findings demonstrated that screening measures identified clinically elevated symptoms in children with SCD that had not been previously reported. Scores for siblings were for the most part in the normal range. The number of days hospitalized (but not cerebral infarct status) predicted higher scores, emphasizing the challenges associated with SCD complications. Overall, our findings support the notion that screening measures reduce the need for reliance on medical provider judgment for psychological referrals and increase equitability in access to services. Early identification resulting in early intervention has contributed substantially to improved psychological functioning in many contexts, and it is thus likely that such improvements would also be achieved in this uniquely vulnerable population.

This study used a mixed method, prospective, multi-informant design to (a) identify coping strategies used by youth residing in urban poverty and (b) test whether these coping strategies buffer the effects of stress exposure when adult support is present and when absent. Method: There were 286 youth ages 10 to 16 (mean age at Time 1 ϭ 13; 65% female; 34% male; 1% not identified; 46% African American; 25% Latino; 11% European American; 8% Asian American, 4% Mixed/Biracial, 6% Other) and their parents who participated. Thematic analyses were used to code adolescent interviews about protective factors to identify specific coping strategies used. Hierarchical regression analyses tested whether these coping strategies moderate the association between stress exposure and psychological symptoms for youth with and without adult support. Results: Youth identified multiple coping strategies as protective including Expressing Oneself, Self-Soothing, Seeking Help, Seeking Safety, Distraction, Problem-Solving, Self-Care, and Avoidance. A number of these coping strategies (Expressing Oneself, Self-Soothing, Seeking Help, and Seeking Safety) attenuated the association between stressors and psychological symptoms over time for youth with adult support. For youth without adult support, a number of the strategies they identified as protective (Distraction, Problem-Solving, and Self-Care) accentuated the association between stress exposure and psychological symptoms over time. The only strategy that proved protective for youth without adult support was avoidance. Conclusions: Findings suggest that youth require adult support to effectively make use of a range of coping strategies and that avoidance is the sole effective strategy for youth without support.