Here’s how Brose describes what he’ll discuss during the session: Synapses, the junctions between nerve cells, are the key information processors in the brain. They mediate signaling between nerve cells by the release of chemical messengers — or neurotransmitters — from a sending nerve cell, and the…

Now that researchers have linked hundreds of genes to autism, they face the tricky task of teasing out when and where these genes are expressed in the brain. Two new papers published in Cell last year revealed a powerful shortcut to profiling gene expression patterns that may propel autism research …

I don’t need flowers, candy, cards or a special day to know that I am loved, especially by my son with Aspergers Syndrome. There’s a myth that people with autism can’t show love. But they can. You just have to notice because it won’t be expressed in ways you might expect. It may be subtle but it’s t…

My son’s school is closed for the next few months.  What information should I get from the teacher in order to effectively teach my son, and what can we do to promote carryover from school to home? Answered by Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D As we all kn…

Visual stories by and about people with autism are crucial for raising awareness about the condition. Stock photography, films and television series have started to depict autistic people and characters, but the media landscape remains imbalanced and riddled with damaging stereotypes. New York City-…

Most of the top contenders for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination have released comprehensive plans for disability policies. To a one, the policies call greater attention than in past elections to problems that affect people with disabilities — including those with autism. As of 3 March, fo…

At this years IMFAR autism science conference I saw several presentations on seemingly obvious topics.  For example, one study (DaPaz, University of California at San Francisco) assessed the responses of 89 parents to their children’s autism.  The comments were grouped into three categorie…

The 9-year-old boy was forced to relieve himself in a cup in the middle of the crowded airplane.Source: The Autism Site

Hi there, and welcome to the Spectrum community newsletter! I’m your host, Chelsey B. Coombs, Spectrum’s engagement editor. We used this week to recover from SfN Global Connectome, but that doesn’t mean everyone else stopped posting. Let’s jump in. Our first post of the week comes from Desi R. Jones…

Children with autism pay just as much attention to speech that doesn’t match lip movements as to speech in which sight and sound are coordinated, according to a new study1. Typical children prefer speech in which the sensory cues are in sync. Some people with autism have trouble learning to speak an…

High blood pressure or abnormal bleeding during pregnancy, as well as complications such as cesarean delivery or preterm birth, may all increase the risk of autism, two new studies suggest1,2. And the more difficulties during pregnancy and delivery, the more severe the autism features in the child, …

Signing up for a research study may feel like a short-term commitment. A blood draw or a cheek swab and it’s done. But those specimens and the data they yield last much longer, and might end up in studies that did not even exist when the participants first gave their consent. “Maybe I consented to t…

This month’s ASAT feature comes to us from Shannon Wilkinson, M.ADS, BCBA. To learn more about ASAT, please visit their website at www.asatonline.org. You can also sign up for ASAT’s free newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment, and like them on Facebook! I am a Special Education Teacher at th…

This month’s ASAT feature comes to us from Sabrina Freeman, PhD, ASAT’s Consumer Corner Coordinator. To learn more about ASAT, please visit their website at www.asatonline.org. You can also sign up for ASAT’s free newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment, and like them on Facebook! It’…