Background/Objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communication challenges and repetitive behaviors. Children with ASD often exhibit selective eating habits that may result in nutritional deficiencies and exacerbate developmental issues. While food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are effective for dietary assessment, the links between food preferences, ASD severity, and developmental outcomes remain underexplored, particularly in Bulgaria. This study examines these relationships using validated tools. Methods: The present report constitutes a pilot, hypothesis-generating substudy of the broader NutriLect project. This substudy involved 49 children aged 2–12 years diagnosed with ASD. Dietary patterns were evaluated with a modified FFQ, while ASD severity and developmental profiles were assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS-2) and the Developmental Profile 3 (DP-3). Results: Among 49 ASD children (mean age = 6.89 ± 2.15 years; 86% boys), 73.4% consumed grains/potatoes daily. Only 34.7% met combined fruit and vegetable recommendations. Only 36.7% met the recommendation for daily milk or other dairy product consumption. Fish was consumed at least twice weekly by only 22,4%. Furthermore, children with more severe autism were approximately 9.4 times more likely to consume grains daily (χ² = 14.319, p = 0.006). Logistic regression analyses indicated that higher cognitive scores were strongly associated with lower grain (OR ≈ 0.044) and other dairy products consumption (OR ≈ 0.337), yet with greater fish intake (OR ≈ 3.317). In contrast, better communication skills corresponded to increased milk consumption (OR ≈ 5.76), and higher physical development scores predicted more frequent egg consumption (OR ≈ 4.40). Conclusions: The pronounced preference for grain and meat products, which are frequently ultra-processed, and avoidance of nutrient-dense foods in children with severe ASD symptoms underscore the need for tailored dietary interventions. These interventions must address sensory sensitivities, nutritional inadequacies, and the risks that selective nutrition can have on the nutritional status and development of the children.

Background. The paper describes ways of diagnosing social and psychological resources of children with special needs. The authors propose to study the diagnostic capabilities of socialization of children with special needs as a unique integrative tool in the work of specialists getting in touch with children with special needs (inclusive education, special education). Two aspects of diagnostics of socialization of preschool children with special needs in Bulgaria and Russia who are provided with inclusive education according to official procedures are considered. The research hypothesis is the assumption of inclusion of multiple characteristics of socialization of preschool children, which can serve as resources for successful social adaptation of children with special needs. The purpose of the study is to structure the review based on the grouping of parameters related to the characteristics of adaptive socialization resources in the context of meeting special needs. Methodology. The study was carried out in accordance with the theoretical and methodological principles of psychology and pedagogy and the special methodology of psychological science (the principle of personal approach), the following methods were used (analysis; synthesis; abstraction and specification; comparison and generalization; method of induction and deduction, method of analogies; modeling). The results are based on introductory studies of official recommendations for research on socialization of children with special needs in earlier studies conducted in both countries. It is shown that most of the target socialization scales are the same and are reflected in the predictive research procedure. In addition, it has been proven that in Bulgaria the scales are more substantive about the child's conditions and developmental situation, while in Russia they refer to the child's personal and socio-psychological indicators. In Bulgaria, there is no tendency to emphasize the functions of socialization areas, while in Russia, a number of diagnostic tests emphasize the socialization areas of the preschool child with special needs. Practical implications. This Russian peculiarity allows us to refer to the method of prediction level measurement as an integral and unique tool which includes socialization parameters through refraction of personal characteristics of a child with special needs in various spheres of his/her relations (parents, adults, peers) and ways of organization of activity (organized and free), i.e. conditions of social development. In conclusion, in both countries it is necessary to redirect diagnostic methods to more integrative methods of work. In Bulgaria, more attention needs to be paid to comprehensiveness, and in Russia, the specificity of developmental disorders must be monitored.

Aggression is one of the most frequently researched topics by a wide range of specialists - psychologists, teachers, sociologists, medical specialists and others at that. Reports on the increase in the frequency of aggressive behaviors are not new, which over time also outlines the tendency to reduce the age of severe aggressive acts and to perceive the aggressive response as the norm for resolving different conflicts. The indifference and the lack of sensitivity to aggression by others become even more disturbing. This leads to changes in the direction of aggression - data from international empirical studies over the past twenty years show a very high frequency of self-aggression during adolescence. This report presents the results of a first of its kind study of the display of hidden aggression and self-harm in teenage pupils from Bulgaria. 454 adolescents, aged 13 to 19, students from 7 to 12 grade from a profiled high school in Shumen are subject to research. The study was conducted on the territory of the school, after informing the Regional Educational Administration and receiving written informed consent from the pupils’ parents. For the purpose of the study, a special methodological tool, ISAS - Inventory of Statements on Self-Injury (Klonsky & Glenn, 2009) was selected. ISAS is a questionnaire consisting of two parts - behavioral and functional, with good psychometric characteristics. The first part of the questionnaire gathers information about whether the subjects injure themselves, the type of the self-injury and the frequency of auto-aggressive behaviors; the second, "functional" part, assesses different functions of self-harming behaviors. The use of ISAS allowed the differentiation of a group of individuals who self-harm from the total number of students (n = 454) - 163 students reported self-inflicted injuries, 58% of them being girls and 42% boys. Factor analysis of the results supported the assumption that auto-aggressive behaviors in adolescence serve primarily to regulate emotions. Over 2/3 (83%) of the adolescents surveyed reported having physical pain and nearly half (46%) were not alone when self-injuring, which is indicative of the fact that these behaviors also serve as a form of communication with others, which must be taken into account due to its destructive and risky nature. Adolescence is one of the most vulnerable periods in life, and adolescents need the support of parents, teachers, peers, consultants, and medical professionals. Self-harm, which is a form of cloaked aggression directed at the personality itself, is seen as a predictor and a risk factor for the most extreme and fatal form of auto-aggression among adolescents - the suicide. The results of the study can be of benefit to all specialists involved in studying adolescent aggression and self-aggression, but also to the planning of evidence-based preventive and therapeutic programs.

The diary has long served as a meaningful tool for psychological transformation. This article examines diary writing as a dynamic space for emotional expression, reflective thinking, and narrative construction. Through a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature, primarily focused on publications from 2010 to 2025, and supplemented by foundational earlier studies, this paper explores the psychological functions of diary and journal writing across domains such as education, mental health, and personal development. Special attention is given to how writing facilitates self-awareness, emotional regulation, and identity construction. A structured search strategy was employed across five databases – Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ERIC – yielding a curated set of 15 empirical studies relevant to the intersection of journaling and personal transformation. These studies were analyzed thematically and grouped into five domains: (1) self-reflection and cognitive integration; (2) emotional regulation and psychological containment; (3) meaning-making in times of disruption; (4) identity formation and personal development; and (5) educational and professional applications. Findings indicate that diary writing is not merely a retrospective activity but a transformative narrative practice, through which individuals externalize experience, process emotion, and shape evolving self-concepts. The integrative function of writing is thus positioned as both a psychological intervention and a personal method for engaging with change.