Autism’s largest scientific conference kicks off Wednesday in Montreal with a formidable challenge: pleasing its diverse mix of attendees, with their radically different agendas. The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) has inadvertently become the nexus of debate on autism’s most divis…

Although the number of people diagnosed with autism is on the rise, the proportion with severe features has declined since 2000, according to a study of children in Western Australia1. The findings, published 19 January in Autism Research, highlight a shift in the perception of autism. Until the 199…

By Megan Amodeo Ever since a was a little girl, I have dreamed about living in a world that accepts everyone. I know that sounds extremely cliché, but for me it’s true. I wasn’t diagnosed with autism until my mid-thirties, but from my earliest memories I remember being different. I was always the qu…

Here's how 6-year-old Olivia Anders ran a lemonade stand in Troy, Michigan, to meet her fundraising goal for an autism service dog.Source: The Autism Site

A new technique reveals how mutations on the X chromosome, including those associated with Rett syndrome, alter the function of various types of brain cells1. The findings could shed light on the biological pathways underlying Rett syndrome, a condition related to autism that is seen primarily in gi…

'The Doctors' weighed in on a new study that focuses on how screen time impacts the psychosocial development of children.Source: The Autism Site

A new analysis of nearly 40,000 people pinpoints 48 genetic variants that may determine the volume of certain brain areas1. The findings could help reveal the genetic roots of brain conditions such as autism. Brain areas that lie beneath the cerebral cortex are involved in a variety of processes, fr…

We could all stand to be a little kinder to each other.Source: The Autism Site

"Once he was diagnosed, it dawned on me how funny it was, because all of the characteristics that make it clear that he's on the spectrum are all of the reasons that I fell madly in love with him."Source: The Autism Site

“It was so amazing to see the smile on his face and just how excited he was."Source: The Autism Site

The post Trump change; fact finders; Oscar nod appeared first on Spectrum. Source: Spectrum News

In the late 1990s, while working to identify the gene that causes a neurodevelopmental condition known as double cortex syndrome, Christopher Walsh noticed something odd: The gene mutation he thought was responsible, which he had observed in two siblings with the condition, was also present in their…

Discussion on Twitter this week swirled around the evidence base for autism interventions, a new tool for visualizing cells, and the relationship between attention problems and repetitive movements. The post Community Newsletter: An evidence problem; cells’ interior design; repetitive movements appe…

A new web-based atlas maps the myriad contacts among human proteins1. The tool contains twice as many connections as the next-largest resource, and could help scientists better understand the protein networks involved in autism. Many proteins perform their functions with help from one or more partne…