Vasiliki Nanousi

Background: Instruments measuring autism-related knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy are widely used with health professionals, but their measurement properties remain unclear when individual scores are considered separately. Methods: We mapped instruments evaluated in health-professional populations and appraised them using COSMIN, treating each total score, subscale and translation as a separate unit of appraisal. Certainty and recommendation categories were then assigned. Results: Across 126 instrument–property cells for fourteen instruments, the 140 rating codes included eight sufficient, three insufficient, thirty-seven indeterminate and seventy-five not-evaluated codes. All appraised instruments were category B in the primary analysis, indicating that evidence supports neither a positive nor a negative recommendation. A reflective-model sensitivity reading placed the Greek KCAHW in category C. The dominant finding is absence rather than inadequacy: measurement error and responsiveness were examined for none, and cross-cultural validity and test–retest reliability for few. Where a result exists it usually cannot be interpreted, because the dimensionality of the score was never established. Content validity was independently examined for a minority of instruments, addressing expert agreement with answer keys rather than comprehensiveness or comprehensibility. Conclusions: Establishing structural validity in the population of use, and evaluating content validity with intended respondents, would address the principal evidence gaps.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other communication-related conditions may experience substantial emotional demands, yet depressive symptoms have been underexamined in Greek families. This exploratory cross-sectional study assessed depressive symptoms in 164 Greek parents using the Greek-language Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Of the participants, 117 reported having a child with ASD, and 47 reported having a child with another communication-related condition. Mean BDI-II scores were significantly higher among parents of children with ASD than among parents of children with other communication-related conditions (17.65 vs. 9.36; Welch’s t(140.19) = 5.73, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.80). This association remained significant after adjustment for parent-reported functional-speech status and available parent characteristics (B = 8.27, 95% CI [4.73, 11.80], p < 0.001). Parent-reported functional-speech status was also associated with the distribution of BDI-II symptom-severity categories (exact p = 0.002); however, the continuous-score difference and adjusted association for absence of functional speech were not statistically significant (p = 0.086 and p = 0.080, respectively). These findings suggest that parent-reported ASD status was more consistently associated with depressive-symptom severity than functional-speech status in this exploratory sample. Cross-sectional design, convenience sampling, parent-reported child characteristics, and limited measurement of potential confounders warrant cautious interpretation.

Background/Objectives: Adolescence is a critical developmental period during which peer attitudes and school experiences play an important role in social inclusion and academic adjustment. Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common in secondary school populations, adolescents’ own knowledge and attitudes toward ADHD remain underexplored, particularly in non-Anglophone contexts. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes toward ADHD among Greek secondary school students, focusing on awareness of the disorder, perceptions of ADHD-related classroom behaviors, and views on educational support and intervention. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 154 adolescents aged 12–18 years attending Gymnasium (Grades 7–9) and Lyceum (Grades 10–12) in Greece. Data were collected using an anonymous online questionnaire assessing prior awareness of ADHD, perceptions of classroom behaviors associated with ADHD, attitudes toward inclusion and teacher support, and views on educational and therapeutic interventions. Adolescents with and without a self-reported ADHD diagnosis completed different questionnaire sections according to study design. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. Results: Approximately two thirds of participants (66.9%) reported prior awareness of ADHD. Among typically developing adolescents (n = 134), 83.0% recognized distractibility due to external noise, 70.4% noted off-topic interruptions, and 60.0% reported peers getting up without permission. While 75.5% believed students with ADHD can participate in the classroom, 65.9% also reported academic challenges such as incomplete homework or lower performance. Overall, 79.2% of participants stated that school success depends on teacher and specialist support; however, among adolescents with ADHD (n = 20), only 60.0% endorsed this, with 40.0% emphasizing personal effort. Speech-language therapy was viewed as helpful by 55.6% of typically developing adolescents, though 76.9% of adolescents with ADHD reported not receiving such services. Conclusions: Greek adolescents demonstrate moderate awareness of ADHD and generally supportive attitudes toward peers with ADHD, alongside some uncertainty regarding available educational supports. Schools may represent an important context for improving adolescents’ mental health literacy and understanding of ADHD-related support options.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and demyelinating autoimmune disease. MS patients deal with motor and sensory impairments, visual disabilities, cognitive disorders, and speech and language deficits. The study aimed to record, enhance, update, and delve into our present comprehension of speech deficits observed in patients with MS and the methodology (assessment tools) studies followed. The method used was a search of the literature through the databases for May 2015 until June 2022. The reviewed studies offer insight into speech impairments most exhibited by MS patients. Patients with MS face numerous communication changes concerning the phonation system (changes observed concerning speech rate, long pause duration) and lower volume. Moreover, the articulation system was affected by the lack of muscle synchronization and inaccurate pronunciations, mainly of vowels. Finally, there are changes regarding prosody (MS patients exhibited monotonous speech). Findings indicated that MS patients experience communication changes across various domains. Based on the reviewed studies, we concluded that the speech system of MS patients is impaired to some extent, and the patients face many changes that impact their conversational ability and the production of slower and inaccurate speech. These changes can affect MS patients’ quality of life.