Lacey Chetcuti, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate in the Child Study CenterAbout
Research
Publications
2025
Preferences for Identity-First and Person-First Language: A Systematic Review of Research With Autistic Adults/Adults With Autism
Schuck R, Chetcuti L, Dwyer P, Milosavljevic K, Bury S, Hedley D, Begeer S, Vivanti G, Uljarevic M. Preferences for Identity-First and Person-First Language: A Systematic Review of Research With Autistic Adults/Adults With Autism. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders 2025, 1-15. PMID: 41389164, DOI: 10.1007/s10803-025-07174-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchProcesses Associated with the Development of Depression in Autistic Individuals: A Narrative Review
Wallenberger Y, Uljarevic M, Chetcuti L, Putnam S. Processes Associated with the Development of Depression in Autistic Individuals: A Narrative Review. Healthcare 2025, 13: 3112. PMID: 41373329, PMCID: PMC12692341, DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13233112.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutistic individualsMental health challengesMaintenance of depressionCore autism featuresSeverity of depressionDevelopment of depressionNon-autistic populationRates of depressionHigher rates of depressionDepressive disorderPrevalence of depressionAutism featuresEmotional experienceDepressionAutismNegative outcomesNarrative reviewElevated ratesDiagnostic criteriaConceptual integrationHealth challengesHigher RatesIndividualsConceptual considerationsClinical practiceFactor Structure of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children in a Cohort of Youth With Autism
Baker E, Spackman E, Chetcuti L, Richdale A, Hallmayer J, Gradisar M, Hardan A, Uljarević M. Factor Structure of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children in a Cohort of Youth With Autism. Autism Research 2025 PMID: 41250928, DOI: 10.1002/aur.70140.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFactor structureSleep Disturbance ScaleAutistic youthSleep-wake transition disordersExploratory structural equation modelingSleep disturbanceDisturbance ScaleFive-factor solutionPatterns of associationDisorders of excessive somnolenceDisorders of arousalExternalizing behaviorsStructural equation modelingAutistic individualsFactor solutionAutism researchAutismSleep subscaleCohort of youthSleep problemsPoor sleepDisordersSleep phenotypesUnder-identifiedExcessive somnolenceAdvancing scientific understanding of the drive to socially engage: from broad constructs to transdiagnostic ‘building blocks’
Chetcuti L, Hardan A, Frazier T, Loth E, McPartland J, Youngstrom E, Uljarevic M. Advancing scientific understanding of the drive to socially engage: from broad constructs to transdiagnostic ‘building blocks’. Molecular Psychiatry 2025, 31: 599-609. PMID: 40858780, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-025-03185-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMaximizing accurate detection of divergence from normative expectation in behavioral intervention outcome assessment
Frazier T, Huba K, Frazier A, Womack R, Youngstrom E, Chetcuti L, Hardan A, Uljarevic M. Maximizing accurate detection of divergence from normative expectation in behavioral intervention outcome assessment. Research In Autism Spectrum Disorders 2025, 126: 202646. DOI: 10.1016/j.reia.2025.202646.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderDevelopmental trajectoriesBehavioral interventionsDevelopmental trajectories of individualsAge trendsSymptom reductionOutcome assessmentNormative expectationsSpectrum disorderDevelopmental trendsNeurodevelopmental conditionsNormative dataIntervention contextSkill domainsTrajectories of individualsGroup levelAccurate performanceSymptomsOutcome measuresSkill developmentInterventionAutismSkillsLegacy instrumentsIndividualsTransdiagnostic Examination of Interrelationships Between Anxiety, Insistence on Sameness and Compulsions
Spackman E, Chetcuti L, Baker E, Ferguson E, Yerys B, Herrington J, Frazier T, Leekam S, Hardan A, Harrington J, Uljarević M. Transdiagnostic Examination of Interrelationships Between Anxiety, Insistence on Sameness and Compulsions. Autism Research 2025, 18: 1991-1998. PMID: 40878890, DOI: 10.1002/aur.70096.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchObsessive-compulsive disorderTransdiagnostic natureScreen for Child Anxiety Related DisordersRepetitive Behavior Scale-RevisedAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorderOppositional defiant/conduct disorderAnxiety Related DisordersSample of childrenPatterns of associationTransdiagnostic sampleODD/CD groupADHD groupInternalizing disordersHyperactivity disorderBetween-group comparisonsSingular disordersScale-RevisedWithin-group comparisonsDiagnostic groupsCompulsionAnxietyAutismEffect sizeDisordersBetween-groupAccuracy of a 2-minute eye-tracking assessment to differentiate young children with and without autism
Hudry K, Chetcuti L, Tan D, Clark A, Aulich A, Bent C, Green C, Smith J, Fordyce K, Ninomiya M, Saito A, Hakoshima S, Whitehouse A. Accuracy of a 2-minute eye-tracking assessment to differentiate young children with and without autism. Molecular Autism 2025, 16: 36. PMID: 40640958, PMCID: PMC12247230, DOI: 10.1186/s13229-025-00670-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNon-autistic childrenAutism assessmentAutistic childrenNon-autismGaze fixation durationFixation durationParent-report measuresWithin-group heterogeneityEye-tracking assessmentAutism groupCommunity sampleDevelopmental disabilitiesAutism featuresNon-autism groupFace presentationAutismEye trackingThreshold scoreIndependent replicationYoung childrenOverall trackingChildren groupStimuliSocio-demographic diversityGazefinderFactor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Child Social Preference Scale‐3 in Children With Autism
Chetcuti L, Hardan A, Spackman E, Baker E, Frazier T, Uljarevic M. Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Child Social Preference Scale‐3 in Children With Autism. Autism Research 2025, 18: 1389-1396. PMID: 40415716, DOI: 10.1002/aur.70059.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderGeneral factorFactor structurePsychometric propertiesChild Social Preference ScaleSocial disengagementAdequate internal consistencyPatterns of associationAvoidance motivationBifactor modelSpectrum disorderAutism populationSocial behaviorAutismInternal consistencySubscalesPreference ScaleScale 3Clinical correlatesSocial engagementDisengagementGeneral populationChildrenSex subgroupsBifactorShaping the future of autism care: the need for a precision medicine approach
Uljarević M, Chetcuti L, Loth E, Whitehouse A, Krueger R. Shaping the future of autism care: the need for a precision medicine approach. World Psychiatry 2025, 24: 280-282. PMID: 40371774, PMCID: PMC12079381, DOI: 10.1002/wps.21327.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCharacterizing predictors of response to behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic approach
Chetcuti L, Uljarević M, Schuck R, Hardan A, Gengoux G, Trembath D, Vadgama Y, Varcin K, Vivanti G, Whitehouse A, Helton M, Frazier T. Characterizing predictors of response to behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic approach. Clinical Psychology Review 2025, 119: 102588. PMID: 40347530, DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2025.102588.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPost-intervention outcomesBehavioral interventionsOutcomes of behavioral interventionsIntervention approachesAutism-related featuresAutism spectrum disorderIndependent effect sizesMeta-analytic approachSpectrum disorderAdaptive functioningResponses of childrenAutism spectrumAssociated with outcomeAutismPost-intervention effectsIntervention onsetEffect sizeFamily characteristicsIntervention design factorsChild ageIntervention modelPolicy levelPolicy decisionsMeta-analysisChildren