The thematic issue of the journal Autism and Developmental Disorders — International Research and Experience in Supporting Children with ASD (Issue 2-2025) — has been published. The thematic editors of the issue are Vera Valeryevna Khitryuk, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Director of the Institute of Inclusive Education at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University, Minsk, Republic of Belarus, and Olga Yuryevna Svetlakova, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Head of the Department of Correctional and Educational Technologies at the Institute of Inclusive Education, Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University, Minsk, Republic of Belarus.
In their foreword, the thematic editors emphasise that the issue brings together works “drawing on classical research as well as contemporary approaches and practices, including the use of information technologies,” offering new perspectives on the challenges of education and comprehensive support for children with ASD.
The issue is structured into several sections. The section ASD Research features a theoretical and interdisciplinary analysis of definitions of autism (K. Rebekka) and a study of the behavioural characteristics of a child-centred play therapist (Yu.A. Akhlamova, S.G. Vilkova, A.E. Golubkova).
The section Diagnostic Tools presents a study by V.V. Khitryuk and colleagues analysing parental assessments of the accessibility of educational institutions for children with ASD.
In the section Models of Comprehensive Support, O.Yu. Svetlakova examines the organisation of education for children with ASD, identifying key challenges and potential solutions.
The section Teaching and Support Methods includes a contribution by N. Litaïem describing the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology to enhance the autonomy of adolescents with ASD in everyday life.
Finally, the section Sociocultural Integration and Sport features work by E.F. Legkaya and K.F. Salmanova analysing the potential of adaptive physical education to develop motor, cognitive, and communicative skills, as well as sharing the experience of the Adaptive Sambo Centre in Sochi.
The full contents of the issue are available in the Autism and Developmental Disorders (Issue 2, 2025) section on the PsyJournals.ru