Research

Many autistic people report feeling lonely – a perceived mismatch between actual and desired social relationships – which negatively effects mental and physical health. Dr. Schiltz authored the first longitudinal study of loneliness in autistic people and identified that loneliness increases as autistic people enter adulthood, and that many of the coping strategies used to address loneliness may not be effective.

Dr. Schiltz lead the creation of a loneliness questionnaire designed specifically for autistic people called the Loneliness in Interpersonal Networks Questionnaire for Autistic Adults; LINQ-AA. She and her colleagues have also created a theoretical framework of loneliness in autism.

• Schiltz, HK, Su, D, Lerner, J, Mazefsky, C, Lord, C. Development of a conceptual model of loneliness in autistic adults using qualitative content analyses. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, In press.

• Su, DJ, Schiltz HK, Lord, C., How autistic adults cope with loneliness: What helps and what doesn’t? Autism in Adulthood, In press.

• Schiltz, HK & Lord, C. Emergence and persistence of loneliness among autistic people: A theoretical framework. Autism in Adulthood, In press.

• Schiltz HK, Gohari D, Park J, Lord C. A longitudinal study of loneliness in autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities: Coping with loneliness from childhood through adulthood. Autism. 2024 Jun;28(6):1471-1486. doi: 10.1177/13623613231217337. PMID: 38153097; PMCID: PMC11132953.

• Schiltz HK, McVey AJ, Dolan Wozniak B, Haendel AD, Stanley R, Arias A, Gordon N, Van Hecke AV. The role of loneliness as a mediator between autism features and mental health among autistic young adults. Autism. 2021 Feb;25(2):545-555. doi: 10.1177/1362361320967789. Epub 2020 Oct 30. PMID: 33126822.

Mental health concerns are unfortunately common among autistic people.

Research has allowed us to identify things that may increase likelihood for these challenges.. Given the negative outcomes related to mental health concerns in autism, including poor quality of life, exacerbated autism features, and suicidality, these findings have significant implications for intervention efforts in this population.

• Schiltz, H.K., McVey, A.J., Lord, C. (in press). Anxiety disorders in autistic people: A narrative review. Psychiatric Clinics.

• Schiltz, H.K., Sterrett, K., Singer, H., Lord, C. (2023). Anxiety, depression, and well-being in autistic adults and adults with other developmental disabilities: A longitudinal cross-lagged analysis. Autism Research, 16(7), 1425–1436. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2967

• Schiltz, H. K., McVey, A. J., Seager van Dyk, I., Adler, E.J., Van Hecke, A. V. (2021).  Brief report: Links between nonconformity to gender norms, autistic features, and internalizing symptoms in a non-clinical college sample. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

• Schiltz, H.K., Swain-Lerro, L., McIntyre, N., Zajic, M., Mundy, P. (2017). The stability of self-reported anxiety in youth with autism versus ADHD or typical development. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Special Issue on Anxiety in ASD, 47(12), 3756-3764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3184-3

Many tools used to assess mental-health and related constructs in autism do not have solid scientific evidence to support their use.

To begin to address this gap, Dr. Schiltz has conducted research on how different measures work when they are completed by autistic people. These results help to build an essential foundation for future research on mental health, quality of life, and broader well-being in autism.

Alongside a team of scholars as part of the PROM Special Interest Group of the International Society for Autism Research, Dr. Schiltz co-led a commentary paper that provides an overview of the scientific state of the field on PROMs in autism and identifies key directions for future research.

• Schiltz, H.K., Williams, Z.J., Zheng, S., Kaplan-Kahn, E.A., Morton, H.E., Rosenau, K., Nicolaidis, C., Sturm, A., Lord, C., Autism PROMnet. (2024). Measurement matters: A commentary on the state of the science on patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in autism. Autism Research.

• Schiltz, H.K., & Magnus, B. (2021). Differential item functioning based on autism features and age on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) among youth on the autism spectrum. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2481

• Schiltz, H.K., & Magnus, B. (2020). Gender-based differential item functioning on the child behavior checklist in youth on the autism spectrum: A brief report. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. OnlineFirst https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101669.

• Schiltz, H. K., Magnus, B., McVey, A. J., Haendel, A., Dolan, B., Stanley, R., Willar, K., Pleiss, S., Carson, A. M., Carlson, M., Murphy, C., Vogt, E. M., Yund, B. D., Van Hecke, A. (2019). A psychometric analysis of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents among youth with autism spectrum disorder: Caregiver-adolescent agreement, factor structure, and validity. Assessment, http://doi.org/10.1177/1073191119851563.

Individual differences emerge and evolve within different contexts over time. Results of research Dr. Schiltz has helped conduct indicate important that there are connections between individual differences and the family system in autism. This tells us that there is a need to attend to people holistically, including their family system, when conceptualizing, assessing, and treating mental health concerns in this population.

• Schiltz HK, Van Hecke AV, Putney JM, Hartley SL. (2024). Predicting longitudinal trajectories of adaptive couple processes in families of autistic children: Applying the Vulnerability Stress Adaptation model. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102468.

• Schiltz HK, Clarke E, Rosen N, De La Rosa SG, Masjedi N, Christopher K, Lord C. (2023). A longitudinal mixed-methods characterization of family support from adolescence to young adulthood in autism and other developmental disabilities.  Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, http://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06070-y. PMID: 37668851.

• Schiltz, H. K., McVey, A. J., Gonring, K., Haendel, A., Murphy, C.,^Van Hecke, A. V., ^Gerdes, A. (2021). Examining differences in parenting stress, parental efficacy, and household context among mothers of youth with autism and/or ADHD. Journal of Child and Family Studies.  

• Schiltz. H.K., & Van Hecke, A. V. (2020). Applying the Vulnerability Stress Adaptation Model of Marriage to couples raising an autistic child: A call for research on adaptive processes. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-020-00332-2.

Many autistic people experience behaviors including behavior problems, aggression, and impulsivity. Such behavioral problems are often core concerns of caregivers and have marked impacts on daily life. A better understanding of these compounding challenges in autism can help to identify routes to support autistic people and their families.

Longitudinal data from early childhood through adulthood has allowed us to examine trajectories over time, providing evidence that many externalizing symptoms continue as people get older.

We’ve also found that behavioral problems have complex links with psychophysiological functioning and sleep problems in autism.

• Gohari D, Schiltz HK, Lord C. (2024). A Longitudinal Study of Aggression in People with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, http://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06559-0

• Rosen, N., Schiltz, H.K., Lord, C. (2023). Teacher- and parent-reported trajectories of maladaptive behavior among individuals with autism. Autism Research, 16(1), 174–189. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2854

• Schiltz, H.K., Fenning, R.M., Erath, S.A., Baucom, B., Baker, J.K. (2022). Electrodermal activity moderates sleep-behavior problem associations in children with ASD. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 50(6), 823–835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00900-w