Research on autism and neurodevelopment. Covers screening and diagnosis gaps, rising diagnoses among girls, prenatal risks, and genomics.
Parents can learn scientifically validated autism therapy through group classes, improving their children's language skills and reducing stress. The treatment involves rewarding the child for trying to talk, with benefits including improved happiness and a sense of community.
Researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles will recruit 120 children with autism who also have chronic constipation for a year-long study. The goal is to determine if successful GI treatment improves behavioral symptoms in children with ASD.
Two major research projects will investigate the microbiome and its impact on autism symptoms, as well as chronic constipation treatment to improve behavioral symptoms. The studies aim to establish clear guidelines for personalized treatments and may lead to stool tests guiding treatments for autism and its associated medical conditions.
Research found links between chromium and styrene exposure and increased risk of autism spectrum disorder, affecting one in 68 children.
The Bertarelli Program has awarded $3.6 million in grants to five research projects focused on diagnosing and treating hearing loss, as well as developing new treatments for blindness. The projects aim to combine technologies and approaches to accelerate the delivery of new treatments to the clinic.
A new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers has found that about 20% of younger siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will develop the condition by age 3. The study identified specific social-communicative behaviors at 18 months that distinguish infants with ASD from their peers.
Researchers at Marcus Autism Center studied delay discounting in parental decision-making, finding that parents' willingness to engage in treatment for their children's problem behavior decreases with longer delay. The study aimed to design treatment programs that families can stick to and help them adhere to.
A chemical derived from broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane, has shown improvements in social interaction and verbal communication in individuals with moderate to severe autism. The treatment demonstrated significant reductions in repetitive behaviors and increased communication skills within four weeks.
The UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities has established a national Health Care Transitions Research Network for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on research to improve physical, psychosocial, educational and vocational outcomes for adolescents and young adults with ASD.
Researchers found daily sulforaphane treatment improved behavioral and communication assessments in participants with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder. The study showed significant improvements in factors such as irritability, lethargy, and communication after 18 weeks of treatment.
Grand Challenges Canada announces funding for 11 innovative projects addressing critical challenges in low-resource settings. The projects aim to integrate screening and services into primary healthcare, improve medication supply, and develop IT technologies to increase access to care.
Researchers found that feeding mice with Rett syndrome a diet supplemented with triheptanoin improved their physical and behavioral symptoms. The oil helped normalize body fat, glucose, and fat metabolism, and increased social interest in other mice. The study offers potential hope for dietary treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
A new study by UCLA researchers demonstrates how maternal inflammation can trigger excessive division of neural stem cells, leading to brain overgrowth and autism-like behavior in offspring. The findings suggest a potential environmental factor contributing to the complex disorder.
A MU researcher has received a $1 million grant from the CDC to enhance prevention efforts for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The goal is to educate healthcare professionals and increase awareness of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.
Researchers at Brown University created a culturally compatible diagnostic approach for autism in Tanzanian children. The approach uses a collection of instruments adapted from established tools, including the Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (CARS-2) and Malawi Development Assessment Tool.
A new OSU study found that children with autism are more sedentary than their typically-developing peers, averaging 50 minutes less a day of moderate physical activity and 70 minutes more each day sitting. Despite this, they perform similarly on fitness assessments such as body mass index, aerobic fitness levels, and flexibility.
Researchers analyzed data from 7,371 children in Finland and found that those conceived less than 12 months after a sibling's birth were 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism. The risk was also higher for those conceived at long intervals, over 40% higher.
Researchers discovered that autism with early language delay is associated with smaller brain volume in key regions and larger brainstem structures. Current language function also impacts grey and white matter volume changes in specific brain areas.
A new study suggests that measuring how fast the brain responds to sights and sounds can help classify people on the autism spectrum and diagnose the condition earlier. The study found a strong correlation between the speed of processing auditory signals and the severity of autistic symptoms.
A study by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute found that mothers of children with autism are less likely to report taking iron supplements before and during pregnancy. The risk is five-fold greater in children whose mothers had low supplemental iron and other risk factors for delivering a child with ASD.
A recent study found that symptoms of autism were unusually common in people with Jacobsen syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 people. The study suggests that knowing this connection can help families investigate early intervention treatments to support their children.
New research from the Copenhagen Centre for Social Evolution and Yale University found a strong link between birth weight and risk of developing mental health disorders such as autism and schizophrenia in adolescence. The study, which analyzed medical records of 1.75 million Danish births, found that smaller babies were at higher risk ...
Researchers at Caltech have discovered a seesaw-like circuit in the mouse amygdala that controls whether animals engage in social or repetitive asocial behaviors. The discovery, led by Weizhe Hong, may have implications for understanding neural circuit dysfunctions underlying autism in humans.
A new grant-funded program seeks to expand a 5-year-old autism early detection model, which assesses toddlers for ASD around their first birthday. The program's goal is to reduce the mean age of ASD diagnosis in multiple cities across the U.S., with potential benefits for children's brain development.
A six-month infant intervention program eliminates symptoms of autism and developmental delay by 3 years old. Parents played a crucial role in the success of this early treatment.
Researchers found significantly decreased estrogen receptor beta expression in autistic male brains, which may explain the disorder's higher prevalence in boys. Estrogen receptor agonists could potentially reverse autism's behavioral deficits, such as reclusiveness and repetitive behavior.
A study found that autistic males have lower levels of estrogen receptors and aromatase, an enzyme converting testosterone to estradiol. This could lead to increased testosterone levels, potentially contributing to the disorder's prevalence in men. The findings suggest a possible reason for the gender bias in autism diagnosis.
Researchers suggest that an injury to the cerebellum during early life may disrupt brain development, leading to cognitive and behavioral symptoms associated with autism. The theory proposes that the cerebellum plays a crucial role in processing sensory information and organizing internal processes.
Recent research highlights the impact of gastrointestinal symptoms on medication absorption and availability in autism patients. Alternative modes of drug administration are needed to provide more effective therapy.
Researchers at USC Viterbi School of Engineering found that socially-assistive robots can improve imitation behavior in children with autism by providing varied feedback. The study used humanoid robots to deliver 'graded cueing' prompts, which helped participants achieve improved or maintained performance.
A study published in the Journal of Medical Genetics found a genetic change in the ADNP gene associated with autism in at least .17 percent of cases. This discovery could provide a definitive clinical marker for some patients' developmental disabilities.
The Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University has received a $600,000 grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau to implement the Autism Plan for Georgia. The plan aims to increase awareness, access, and coordination of services for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan.
A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry found no statistically significant link between prenatal antidepressant exposure and autism risk after accounting for severe maternal depression. However, an increased risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persisted even after controlling for factors related to a mother...
A study found that children with autism have a surplus of synapses in the brain due to a slowdown in synaptic pruning during development. The researchers discovered that administering a drug called rapamycin can improve autistic-like behaviors in mice, even when given after the behaviors have appeared.
A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory developed a new algorithm to analyze genome sequences and pinpoint insertion and deletion mutations involved in diseases. They successfully identified indels associated with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, shedding light on the genetic causes of these disorders.
A study published in Cell reveals that the thalamic reticular nucleus acts as a 'switchboard' directing sensory signals during wakefulness and internal information during sleep. This 'switchboard' is crucial in attention and sleep, with faulty cells potentially disrupting filtering of information in psychiatric disorders.
A recent study by York University researchers found that adults with autism are at a higher risk of sexual victimization due to a lack of sex education. The study highlights the importance of improving interventions that focus on sexual knowledge and skill building.
Researchers developed a new model explaining how autism occurs, with genetically-controlled brain plasticity mechanisms potentially determining autistic capabilities and subtypes. The 'Trigger-Threshold-Target' model suggests focusing on developing children's unique strengths rather than solely correcting behaviors.
A Japanese research group found that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have decreased activity in the extrastriate body area when imitated, indicating a lack of proper understanding of movement. This study provides new insights into ASD and can be used to evaluate behavioral interventions for alleviating the disorder.
A new study from Stanford Medicine found that blood-oxytocin levels are within the normal range in children with autism. The researchers discovered that higher oxytocin levels are linked to better social functioning in all groups, including those with autism, their siblings, and unrelated children.
Valerie Hu, a GW University researcher, has received a $435K grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to investigate how environmental factors affect the gene RORA in individuals with autism. Her research aims to understand how endocrine-disrupting compounds may contribute to increased risk for autism.
Scientists discovered consistent alterations in integrative processing of the insular cortex across autism mouse models, with a disturbed balance between excitation and inhibition. Pharmacological interventions, such as Diazepam, restored sensory integration capacity and reduced stereotypic behaviors.
The study reveals that early neurons make many connections but correct mistakes, while later neurons are highly accurate in their target selection skills. The findings provide insight into normal brain development and have implications for understanding autism and other disorders.
Researchers found decreased structural brain connections in specific sensory regions for children with SPD, differing from those with autism. This study provides new insights into the neural underpinnings of these conditions.
Children with autism have a relatively inflexible brain at switching from rest to task performance, leading to increased restrictive and repetitive behaviors. The study found that autistic brains showed reduced connectivity in key networks compared to typically developing peers.
George Washington University researcher Anthony-Samuel LaMantia will investigate the link between autism and brain development using a valid animal model with a genetic mutation highly associated with autism. The research team will examine connectivity, behaviors related to autism, and their relationship during development.
Researchers have identified two mutations in the CC2D1A gene that prevent its expression, leading to intellectual disability, autism, and seizures. The gene regulates a critical signaling pathway controlling neuronal balance.
Early joint attention before one year is linked to later autism symptoms in high-risk siblings. Babies with lower levels of initiating joint attention without smiling are more likely to have elevated ASD symptoms by 30 months.
A new study doubles the number of documented Christianson Syndrome cases and proposes the first diagnostic criteria for the condition. The criteria include symptoms such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, and hyperactivity, and are based on genetic analysis that reveals distinct mutations in the SLC9A6 gene.
Using new statistical tools, researchers found that about 52% of autism cases are linked to common genes, while spontaneous mutations account for only 2.6%. Inheritability outweighs environmental risk in the disorder.
A recent study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that nearly 60% of autism risk is caused by inherited variant genes common in the population. Rare genetic factors, such as de novo mutations, also contribute to the disorder, but only account for a small fraction of total risk.
Researchers funded by NIH found that common gene variants account for most genetic risk for autism, outweighing other factors. The study used a large Swedish sample and new statistical methods to detect common genetic variation associated with risk.
Neuroscientists report defects in Fatty Acid Binding Proteins (FABPs) may explain pathology in schizophrenia and autism. Genetic disruption of Fabps in mice mimics disease behaviors seen in patients, suggesting a common link underlying these mental disorders.
Researchers have identified a genetic link between the CHD8 mutation and autism, affecting approximately half of those with the condition. The study found that individuals with this mutation often exhibit gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disturbances, and distinctive physical characteristics.
A large Danish population-based cohort study found that children born to women with fertility problems have a higher risk of psychiatric disorders than naturally conceived children. The increased risk persists throughout childhood and into young adulthood.
The study found that the Internet-based trial was a valuable platform for conducting the randomized clinical trial and proved to be both cost and time effective. The researchers successfully enrolled 57 children from 28 states into the trial, which was completed in three months with a high completion rate.
The Meixner Postdoctoral Fellowship program invests in rising talent within the autism research community, focusing on neuroinflammation, genetic interactions, neural biomarkers, and novel intervention programs. The new postdoctoral fellows will advance Autism Speaks' mission to develop effective treatments for ASD.
Autism Speaks has awarded over $1 million in research grants to explore environmental risk factors, whole genome sequencing, and effective early diagnosis programs for underserved communities. The funding will support projects led by researchers at the University of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and other institutions.
Researchers at Drexel University found a significant spike in Google searches for autism in April, with an average increase of 26 percent between March and April. The study analyzed web search trends from 2004 to 2014 and also found a long-term increasing trend for Asperger's disorder searches.
A new study published by Drexel University found significant differences in self-reported driving behaviors and perceptions of driving ability among autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults. Adults with autism reported driving less frequently, restricting their behaviors, and experiencing more traffic violations.