Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Understanding the mechanisms of emotion production and emotion processing is important for addressing social communication deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our results suggest that prompted emotional expressions in individuals with ASD are considered less genuinely expressed than those of their typically developing peers. This authenticity is related to neural responses in social processing brain regions. These findings offer insight for OTs to better treat and develop therapies to address social communication deficits in individuals with ASD. Primary Author and Speaker: Emily Kilroy Additional Authors and Speakers: Sharada Krishnan Contributing Authors: Christiana Butera, Laura Harrison, Aditya Jayashankar, Anusha Hossain, Alexis Nalbach, and Lisa Aziz-Zadeh

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The results of this study indicate the need to develop interventions targeting intentional facial emotional expression (EE) abilities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD produce expressions that are perceived as less genuine than those of neurotypical children. Aspects of EE are linked to social communication challenges among people with ASD. Primary Author and Speaker: Sharada Krishnan Contributing Authors: Emily Kilroy, Christiana Butera, Laura Harrison, Aditya Jayashankar, Anusha Hossain, Alexis Nalbach, and Lisa Aziz-Zadeh

Date Presented 03/28/20 The results of this study indicate the need to develop interventions targeting EFP abilities for ASD. Children with ASD showed decreased valence, but not accuracy, of their positive-valence facial expressions. In ASD, there was a negative correlation between EFP accuracy and ASD symptoms related to social functioning. There were no relationships found between affect recognition accuracy and EFP accuracy. Primary Author and Speaker: Sharada Krishnan Additional Authors and Speakers: Emily Kilroy Contributing Authors: Christiana Butera, Laura Harrison, Aditya Jayashankar, Anusha Hossain, Alexis Nalbach, Lisa Aziz-Zadeh

Date Presented 04/06/19 The results of this study potentially provide evidence-based support for the development and testing of therapeutic swimming programs for ASD. Insufficient sleep corresponds with exacerbated ASD symptoms and abnormal connectivity of neural networks. Participants who reported swimming as a preferred sport reported significantly higher sleep hygiene scores than nonswimmers. In ASD, higher sleep hygiene scores were associated with increased neural functional connectivity. Primary Author and Speaker: Christiana Butera Additional Authors and Speakers: Emily Kilroy Contributing Authors: Cristin Zeisler, Sharada Krishnan, Gina Gosparini, Laura Harrison, Lisa Aziz-Zadeh

Date Presented 04/01/2022 High school Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals of 44 diploma-track autistic youth were coded for content. Most goals addressed social-emotional, executive function, and self-advocacy. Sensory processing, daily living skills, and postschool occupations were least addressed but are known challenges for this population. Although OTs rarely provided school services for these youth, these areas are aligned with the scope of OT practice. There is a need to advocate for OT’s role in transition services for this population. Primary Author and Speaker: Sharada Krishnan Contributing Authors: Deborah Greene, Jennifer Chen, Ellen Cohn, Wendy Coster, Gael Orsmond