Vicki Gibbs

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Head of Research at Autism Spectrum Australia

This research explored ways in which educators within an autism-specific multi-school education provider in Australia first learned about, and then reflected upon, the relevance of trauma-informed education to proactively support learning for cohorts of autistic students, many of whom were described as having complex unmet needs resulting from chil...

Parents/caregivers, educators, and allied health professionals are key stakeholders in supporting positive educational outcomes for autistic students. However, limited research has explored differences in their perspectives regarding the strengths, needs, enablers, and barriers to educational success for autistic students which was the aim of this...

Autistic people often encounter significant barriers when navigating airports, largely due to overwhelming sensory environments, stringent security procedures, and crowded spaces. This study aimed to enhance understanding of airport accessibility by retrospectively analyzing reports from Autistic-led environmental assessments conducted at six Austr...

Receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood can be profoundly transformative, yet many newly diagnosed autistic adults experience a lack of accessible, affirming post-diagnostic support. This study explores how a self-guided, neurodiversity-affirming resource—the “Welcome Pack”—supports newly diagnosed autistic adults in navigating their evolving id...

COMPASS is an educational intervention aimed at supporting individualised goal setting for students on the autism spectrum. Although its effectiveness is supported by quantitative data, little qualitative research has explored the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing COMPASS with community consultants. In the present qualitative study,...

The Zones of Regulation (The Zones) is an 18-lesson curriculum that is aimed at helping students develop an awareness of emotions and skills for regulation. Although used by schools globally, no peer-reviewed evidence currently exists to support the use of The Zones. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of teachers implementing...

This study examines the effectiveness of autism-friendly initiatives implemented at two major Australian airports: Sydney and Gold Coast. As accessible air travel is essential for the social inclusion of Autistic individuals, ensuring that airports meet their specific needs is critical.Focusing on the lived experiences of Autistic adults and parent...

This study explores the experiences and outcomes associated with the use of an autism alert card, developed to assist with the complexities of autism disclosure. A mixed-methods approach was employed, surveying 272 Australian participants, including 136 Autistic adults, 128 parents or caregivers of Autistic children and eight Autistic children. Our...

People thrive in compassionate environments. For autistic people, their environments are often non-conducive to care and support. We propose that cultivating autistic people’s self-compassion may be an antidote to the mental health difficulties arising from environmental causes. The current study aimed to pilot a self-guided online self-compassion...

Research has demonstrated that autistic individuals have higher rates of police contact, however, research has seldom explored the fundamental reasons for these interactions and how this might vary across international contexts. To remedy this, the Global Autism and Criminal Justice Consortium created and disseminated the Global Criminal Justice Su...

Purpose Navigating the banking world may be overwhelming and intimidating for autistic people due to the generally poor accessibility of banks. Banks around the world are starting to improve the accessibility of their services and products to meet the needs of autistic customers better. However, no empirical research has explored autistic adults’ b...

As mental health concerns coupled with inadequate supports have been described as reaching crisis proportions in autistic people, there is a pressing need for accessible and effective support systems. While self-compassion has shown various benefits in the general population, its application in supporting autistic individuals remains limited. This...

Autistic students are educated in Australia across a variety of contexts and almost all educators use individualized goal-setting as a way of ensuring appropriate accommodations and curriculum modifications. Educators experience similar challenges when developing individualized goals for students, including lack of a standardized process for goal s...

BACKGROUND Autistic adults have a strong desire and need for employment that matches their strengths, skills, and interests. Yet, they are more likely to be un- or under-employed than their neurotypical peers. Facilitators to successful employment include positive attitudes towards and awareness of autism in the workplace, and provision of adequate...

Background Adults with autism have a strong desire and need for employment that matches their strengths, skills, and interests. Yet, they are more likely to be un- or underemployed than their neurotypical peers. Facilitators to successful employment include positive attitudes toward and awareness of autism in the workplace, and provision of adequat...

Autism disclosure can be a complicated decision that autistic people experience. Positive outcomes can include feelings of acceptance and support, but negative outcomes can include stigma and discrimination. Although a surge in research on this topic has led to more understanding around autism disclosure, the methodologies used may have limited who...

Engagement in organized physical activities offers numerous benefits for autistic people, yet persistent barriers hinder participation, especially as individuals age. This Australian study employed a mixed methods approach to investigate the experiences of organized physical activities among 103 autistic adults and 169 parents of autistic children....

This article provides a systematic review of the prevalence and risk factors associated with interpersonal violence reported by autistic adults. A systematic search of electronic data bases for peer-reviewed journal articles in English was conducted. The search identified 16 studies that addressed rates and/or risk factors for interpersonal violenc...

Autistic people experience high rates of violence and victimization which is largely due to structural injustices, including stigma and social attitudes. Identifying and addressing systemic and structural factors is vitally important, however effecting change in embedded social structures is likely to take some time, even with concerted efforts. In...

Background: Emotion regulation is one of the key factors that influence mental health outcomes in autistic and nonautistic populations. Recent research has also identified self-compassion as a negative correlate of depression and positive correlate of psychological well-being in autistic adults. Empirical evidence from the general population suppo...

Research has consistently found high rates of victimisation among autistic children. There is emerging evidence that disproportionate victimisation continues into adulthood, however the extent, nature and impact and the mechanisms that underlie high rates of interpersonal violence are not well understood. Here we investigate the nature and impact o...

Autistic people’s perceptions of their interactions with criminal justice professionals are predominantly negative; however, little is known about the state of interactions on a global scale. To further understanding, a comprehensive stakeholder questionnaire was created. Aspects of reliability and validity including evidence for test content and i...

Purpose Many autistic adults experience unemployment, which may impact their financial circumstances. However, no research has examined their personal financial circumstances. Therefore, this study aims to examine the self-reported income, savings and debt of autistic adults living in Australia, as well as the demographic associates and predictors...

Self-compassion is a gentle way of relating to oneself, linked to a host of mental health benefits in non-autistic people. Although many autistic individuals report high anxiety and depression symptoms, no research to-date has examined the self-compassion experiences of autistic individuals and determined if self-compassion is associated with psych...

This study investigated the extent and nature of violence experiences reported by autistic adults. Autistic (n = 118) and non-autistic (n = 110) adults completed a questionnaire about their experiences of sexual harassment, stalking and harassment, sexual violence and physical violence since the age of 15. Autistic adults reported higher rates of a...

Purpose: Employment rates for autistic people are low, despite increasing employment-focused programmes. Given the reported complexities for autistic people in finding and keeping work and flourishing there, further exploration is needed to understand how best to help employers accommodate autistic employees. Material and methods: We assessed 88 em...

Parents whose autistic ¹ child’s needs are not met within mainstream schooling may seek alternative modes of education, such as home or distance education. There is a paucity of research on the delivery of home or distance education programs for autistic students. This study reports on the experiences of parents, students and teachers in the inaugu...

Autistic people are a vulnerable group in the community who are regularly coming into contact with police. This study examined the perceptions of autistic adults and parents of autistic people about the autistic person’s interactions with police using a procedural justice framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 autistic adults...

Background Research has repeatedly demonstrated that people with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, experience violence at higher rates compared to people without disabilities. There have been fewer studies of violence amongst Autistic people with most focused on abuse and peer victimisation during childhood. Many of these studie...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a rapid increase in the use of telehealth to deliver services to autistic individuals and their families. Research into the provision of autism assessments via telehealth is limited and few studies have explored clinician perspectives of conducting diagnostic assessments for autism in this way. The objectiv...

Autistic adults report concerns with social skills and unemployment. Despite anxiety and difficulty with executive cognitive skills being associated with autism, no studies to date have investigated relationships between anxiety or executive cognition with social and work functioning. This study aimed to investigate the associations between perceiv...

Inclusive education has grown as an international movement to not only support students with disabilities, but to promote equitable access, participation, and success for all students. This book will transform the capacity of teachers and specialists working with students and families to effectively support an inclusive approach to education for st...

This study aimed to describe the impact that autistic characteristics (core features of autism and co-occurring conditions) have on interactions with police. Twelve autistic adults and 19 parent/carers were interviewed about interactions with police in the past 5 years. Using content analysis, it was found that in most (92.3%) interactions, autisti...

This study aimed to describe the experiences of autistic people who had interacted with police in Australia in the previous 5 years. Fifty autistic adults and 61 parent/carers completed a questionnaire and 30 participants took part in an interview. Participants were most commonly interacting with police in the context of seeking assistance or as vi...

Background Recent research and high-profile media cases have suggested an association between autism spectrum disorder and violent behaviour. Whilst certain characteristics of autism may make individuals vulnerable to increased involvement with the police, either as a victim or person of interest, evidence regarding this is scant. The present study...

Aim/Purpose Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction and social communication and is associated with restricted and repetitive behaviours and activities. People on the autism spectrum are at higher risk of coming into contact with police and, due to their social difficulties, may be more vulnerable in these situations...

Students on the autism spectrum have unique learning needs which teachers may find challenging to adequately support. This can be an ongoing concern for teachers in rural and remote communities due to geographical isolation and a lack of professional learning opportunities. To meet the learning needs of students on the spectrum in these regions, te...

Background Reliable diagnoses of autism can be made as early as two years of age. Many children in Australia are diagnosed with autism at a later age. Delayed diagnosis can lead to missed opportunities for early intervention. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with age of diagnosis in Australia and to examine where delays are occ...

We present a patient with a behavioral disorder, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder who has a 520 kb chromosomal deletion at 15q26.1 encompassing three genes: ST8SIA2, C15orf32, and FAM174B. Alpha-2,8-Sialyltransferase 2 (ST8SIA2) is expressed in the developing brain and appears to play an important role in neuronal migration, axon guidance and...

We present a patient with a behavioral disorder, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder who has a 520 kb chromosomal deletion at 15q26.1 encompassing three genes: ST8SIA2, C15orf32, and FAM174B. Alpha-2,8-Sialyltransferase 2 (ST8SIA2) is expressed in the developing brain and appears to play an important role in neuronal migration, axon guidance and...

The proposed revision for Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--Fifth Edition (DSM-5) represents a shift from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). As the proposed DSM-5 criteria require a higher minimum number of symptoms to be...

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino and Gruber in Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, 2005) is a commonly used screening tool for identifying children with possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the relationship between SRS scores and eventual diagnostic outcome for...