A new technique optimizes the production of neurons derived from people with autism-linked mutations for use in high-throughput drug screens. The effort may accelerate the discovery of treatments for autism, the researchers say. Unearthing drugs with the potential to treat autism often involves asse…

Neurona Health, a company in San Francisco, California, began marketing a web-based autism screening service last week that purportedly helps parents determine their child’s chances of having autism. The service — which costs $299 annually and is not covered by health insurance — includes a genetic …

Kennedy Nganga is a disabled artist from the town of Mombasa in Kenya (East Africa). The Art of Autism became aware of him through his posts on his Facebook page. Nganga is a quadriplegic due to a diving accident in a swimming pool at age 16 back in 1992. He has no grip in his fingers, yet is able…

In honor of #BrainAwarenessWeek, we’ll kick off this edition of the Community Newsletter with some tweets about what scientists still need in order to reliably link behavior with brain structure or function. Specifically, Scott Marek, psychiatry instructor at Washington University in St. Louis, Miss…

What started as a casual conversation among a few women is now a reality – a reality that is meant to provide a calm space for autistic individuals. The Autism Nature Trail or “ANT” is a mile long trail situated within Letchwood State Park in Castile, NY. The trail is the brainchild of Lore…

The post Spotted around the web: Global autism prevalence, childhood sensory responses, support for Ukraine appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Pregnant rats deprived of oxygen for short periods during sleep — mimicking a disorder in people called sleep apnea — have an increased likelihood of giving birth to pups with an excess of synapses and autism-like traits, according to a new study. Women who have sleep apnea periodically stop breathi…

Two changes to the criteria for diagnosing autism are slated for release tomorrow in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), published by the American Psychiatric Association. The small changes add clarity and nuance to how the reference te…

By: Nicole Gorden, M.S., BCBA, LBA  This blog post is part 2 of 2. Read part 1 HERE Autism spectrum disorder occurs in individuals from many different cultures and backgrounds. Therefore, cultural competency and sensitivity is imperative for effective delivery of services. To work with aut…

Most neuroimaging studies have too few participants to reliably link complex behaviors to variations in brain structure or function, according to a study published today in Nature. The results point to the importance of large, multisite collaborations and data-sharing to ensure that imaging studies …

In this issue of Spectrum’s data-centric newsletter: Rates of mental health diagnoses have jumped over the past 50 years, and psychotropic drug prescriptions are more common for autistic children taking melatonin. Also, a Spectrum analysis scrutinizes the gender gap in academic publishing. Let us kn…

“Autism has truly become my superpower throughout life.” Britini D’Angelo By Ron Sandison Britini D’Angelo (Niagara Falls, NY), is a teacher, dance instructor, a fourth degree black belt in the Chuck Norris System, and was recently a contestant on Big Brother 23 (CBS). Britini overcame m…

To think that what we are witnessing now in Ukraine is far removed from the world of autism would be a huge mistake. I was fortunate to travel to Ukraine twice to conduct research, train specialists and give lectures about autism. I am fluent in Ukrainian and worked directly with families and profes…

Jiedi Lei kicked off her training in clinical psychology at King’s College London in the United Kingdom in October 2020, seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic. For her entire first year, she assessed patients and provided therapies over the internet. Although many sessions were productive, Lei say…