Autistic children show a distinct pattern of resting-state brain activity, and how that pattern relates to behavior differs between autistic boys and girls, according to a new study. Previous analyses suggest that autism characteristics differ between boys and girls. But fewer girls are diagnosed wi…

A few universities in the midwest have started offering degrees to students with intellectual disabilities with focus on providing skills that encourage independent living, prepare students for employment and instill lifelong learning. Traditionally,  these students have not been able to meet a…

A modified version of an existing brain-imaging technique creates crisp, three-dimensional renderings of neurons communicating in living mice1. Researchers can use the technique to home in on delicate neuronal structures. Scientists can track brain activity in living mice by engineering the animals …

Deleting one copy of a gene called MVP, or major vault protein, impairs the brain’s ability to adapt to changes in the environment. MVP is located within the chromosomal region 16p11.2, which is strongly linked to autism. The unpublished findings, presented yesterday at the 2016 Society for Ne…

As the party fast approaching, she saw that only one classmate had RSPV'd. Lindsay figured that most people were too busy to RSVP and that many of his buddies would still attend. But she quickly realized that many of the kids were intentionally not accepting the invitation after noticing how they in…

 There are lots of people with paralysis, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities that make them have limited or no movement in their hands. What that means is that communicating using a phone for them can be challenging, and in quite many cases, not possible, since a touch…

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, …

The post Spotted around the web: Week of 17 June 2019 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

The post Spotted around the web: Week of 15 July 2019 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel I’m always in motion, rocking, bouncing, singing, humming, flapping, and making random sounds. I’m a stimmy human, but for almost thirty years, I had been stimming without really understanding or thinking about why. Being diagnosed autistic in my late twentie…

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-…

The holiday season is approaching! What better way to celebrate than to take 20% off our collection of toys and games? This week only, use promo code “holiday20” at checkout! The post Pick of the Week: 20% Off Toys and Games appeared first on Different Roads to Learning Blog. Source: Dif…

Alexa Bjornson sent a note with her son to help explain his condition, but she still worried his seatmate might be annoyed by him.Source: The Autism Site

The ability to learn from social experiences wanes by adulthood, a study in mice suggests — but the recreational drug ecstasy may bring it back1. The loss of this ability seems to stem from neurons within a reward hub in the brain, the study found. Similar changes might explain why some autistic peo…