By Kris McElroy I wish I could say I go into Autism Awareness Month with joy and excitement. Instead when April 1 hits I see an intense ball of emotions behind my eyes swelling in my body as I look in the mirror and prepare to navigate the stereotypes, the stigma, the messages that have been used to…

This week’s newsletter looks at new paper alerts about neocortical development, double empathy and predicting ‘super responders,’ plus queries for the science Twitterverse. The post Community Newsletter: Tracking cellular origins, autism acceptance, social-communication gains appea…

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 18 April. The post Spotted around the web: Fragile X epigenetics, brain imaging issues, prenatal tests warning appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Black and Hispanic people with autism in North Carolina are 15 and 37 percent less likely, respectively, to receive a Medicaid waiver than their white counterparts are. The post Access to Medicaid waivers varies with race, age, region appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectr…

According to a 2019 research paper, the number of worldwide upper limb amputees in that year was 3 million out of which 2.4 million live in developing countries. Depending on where one lives, getting a functional prosthetic limb could easily go into tens of thousands of dollars and these high costs …

Among people who carry the fragile X premutation, about 14 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls meet the criteria for autism, but the ‘broad autism phenotype’ may be far more common. The post A whisper of autism: Fragile X carriers and the autism phenotype appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Res…

By Alan Schnee, Ph.D, BCBA-D. Roughly 34% of the 50 most common words used in English are pronouns. Yet, with few exceptions, children on the spectrum struggle to use them. Why is it so difficult for children to learn? One likely reason is that the use of pronouns is contextually determine…

Among the millions displaced by the war in Ukraine are children and adults with autism. Many autism professionals are doing what they can to help. The post Researchers, advocates rush to aid autistic Ukrainians appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

The temporary organ may hold clues about the origins of autism and brain development, Anna Penn says — if only researchers would study it. The post The placenta and neurodevelopment: A conversation with Anna Penn appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

The loss of CHD8, a top autism gene, speeds up the production of certain neurons and leads to overgrowth in spheres of cultured brain cells. The post Organoids show how mutations in top autism gene may lead to brain overgrowth in people appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spec…

The experimental compound, called GSK-LSD1, enhances social preferences and reduces repetitive grooming in mice, according to a new study. The post Histone-modifying drug improves autism-like behaviors in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Just yesterday, LATAM, an airline company out of Santiago, Chile, announced that it is working with Autism Double Checked to train and certify its employees in dealing with and assisting families flying with autistic travelers. The purpose of this process is to continue to foster an environment of i…

Twitter toasts two new papers on reprogramming stem cells and searching for autism biomarkers in the brain, as well as incorporating autistic voices to set research and health-care agendas. The post Community Newsletter: Human pluripotent stem cells, a prediction algorithm challenge, autistic perspe…

This April was the seventh anniversary of my becoming a national speaker and author. For Autism Acceptance Month, I decided to reflect back on my journey with autism and the lessons I’ve learned and the hardship I’ve endured. By Ron Sandison Every milestone and major event in my life took me longer…