The aim of the present study was to examine characteristics of the understanding of their own character strengths (CS) of late adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to typically developed (TD) people. Questionnaires were completed by 31 people with autism spectrum disorder (23 men, 8 women; ages late teens through 40s, average age 29.8 years) and/or their parents, and 167 typically developed people (104 men, 63 women; average age 22.9 years). It was confirmed that the character strength measurement scale could be applied to people with autism spectrum disorder. According to the relative ranking of 24 character strengths, the respondents with autism spectrum disorder recognized features such as gratitude, humility, and prudence relatively more than the typically developed respondents did. A two-way analysis of variance with disability and mental health as independent variables revealed that for the character strengths characterized by social relationships in which social skills were required, the scores of the respondents with autism spectrum disorder were significantly lower than those of the typically developed respondents. On the other hand, no difference was found between the 2 groups' scores on the character strengths characterized by emotional relationships, such as recognition of support resources. These data enable an identification of strengths of people with autism spectrum disorder, which may contribute to enhanced support for people with autism spectrum disorder.

The present study examined characteristics of the visual search performance of adults with intellectual disabilities on a cancellation task, and assessed developmental trends by comparing their performance with that of typically developed children and university students. From 55 adults with intellectual disabilities (average age 31.7 years; range 19 to 59 years; 38 men and 17 women), those with Down syndrome were excluded, leaving 26 participants with intellectual disabilities (17 men, 9 women; average IQ, 30.5, range 14 to 52; average MA, 62.8 months, range 32 to 110 months), 20 university students, and 198 typically developed children (101 boys, 97 girls; age range 3 to 12 years). Following instructions, the participants performed 3 types of cancellation tasks with 3 types of targets, and also completed a verbal cognitive test (Picture Vocabulary Test―Revised) and a visuospatial cognitive test (Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test). The results for the typically developed children and adults revealed 3 developmental stages: ages 3 to 6, 6 to 10, and 11 to adult. Differences were found between target type 1 and types 2 and 3 at all ages; some differences between target types 2 and 3 were observed in the typically developed individuals over 9 years old. A tendency found in the results from the typically developed children's developmental trends on target types 1 and 2 was also found in the results from the participants with intellectual disabilities. No signifıcant correlations were found between mental age (MA) and any of the target types. However, a correlation was found between the data on cognitive function and the scores on Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test in both the typically developed children and the participants with intellectual disabilities. The results suggest that differences may depend on memory load.

Recently, the number of university students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been increasing. Although university administrators believe that reasonable accommodations should be made for these students, faculty members and other students have complained that these accommodations are unfair to them, making it difficult for accommodations to be introduced. It is not clear how aware other students and faculty members are of the need of students with autism spectrum disorder for such accommodations. The present study investigated students' and faculty members' acceptance of accommodations for students with autism spectrum disorder and the feasibility of such accommodations, compared to accommodations made for students with physical disabilities, such as those with visual impairments or those who are deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, the study investigated differences among the providers of the accommodations, including university administrators, faculty members, and other students. A questionnaire asking about the acceptance and feasibility of accommodations for students with disabilities was completed by 1,149 faculty members and 825 students at a university in Japan. The results indicated that the students were more accepting of accommodations provided for students with disabilities than the faculty members were. In response to questions specifically asking about accommodations for students with autism spectrum disorder, the faculty members reported higher acceptance and feasibility for changing the method of communication in classes, whereas the students reported higher acceptance and feasibility for supports such as preparing the classroom environment and exchanging roles in group work. The discussion deals with the possibility that faculty members and students may play different roles in accommodations for students with autism spectrum disorder.

The present study examined effects of Dohsa-hou (a Japanese psycho-rehabilitative program that includes mental and physical relaxation) on an individual's posture, perception of body scale (size relative to the environment), and spatial cognition. The participant, a female fourth-grade student who was not able to stand or kneel unaided as a result of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, received 38 sessions of Dohsa-hou during a 15-month period. After those sessions, she could kneel unaided for 21 seconds, her standing posture became more upright, and her consciousness of her body became clearer. However, after Dohsa-hou, contrary to the authors' expectations, the unit trajectory length measure of posture stability was longer than before, suggesting postural instability. Her perception of her body scale was measured by evaluation of her behavior, such as stepping over or passing under a bar. The boundary point between stepping over and passing under was 23 cm before the Dohsa-hou sessions, and 54 cm after. The standard deviation of the measurements also decreased, indicating that her judgment had become more stable. Her spatial cognition was measured by the block design subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC); after the training, her score increased by 13 raw points (2 scaled points). These results suggest that the Dohsa-hou sessions altered her self-awareness of her body, her movements, and her posture, as a consequence of which her relation to her self-environment system improved, as indicated by the improvement in her perception of her body scale.

The present qualitative study analyzed characteristics of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) while implementing coaching through e-mail and Skype. The 5 participants had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 2 women, of whom 1 was in her twenties and 1 over 30 years old, and 1 man over 30) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD; 2 men over 30). All but 1 of the men with autism spectrum disorder had graduated from university; the remaining man was a high school graduate. Coding the content of the coaching and e-mails revealed the following 5 elements: technical issues, screen preference, a scene from their daily life, Skype as a tool, and para-languages. The merits and risks of employing Computer-Mediated Communication for coaching are discussed, and some suggestions are offered for future uses of coaching.