Neuroscientists have long ignored the variability in animals’ behavioral responses in favor of studying differences across groups. But work on the brain differences that underlie that variability is beginning to pay off.Source: Spectrum News

By Anika Hoybjerg, PhD, EdS, BCBA-D, LBA and Casey Barron, BCBA, LBA Last week, we shared a blog about how to work with insurance companies and advocate for medical necessity in ABA. This week, let’s take a closer look at how you can work with insurance companies when using our newest asses…

Regulatory T cells in the spinal meninges release endogenous opioids in a sex-specific manner, new work shows.Source: Spectrum News

After more than a month of uncertainty, 30 previously purged employees at the institute no longer face termination.Source: Spectrum News

Beggs outlines why and how brains operate at criticality, a sweet spot between order and chaos.Source: Spectrum News

These data are “virtually mandatory” to advance neuroscience, says Ihunwo, a co-investigator of the Brain Research International Data Governance & Exchange (BRIDGE) initiative, which seeks to develop a global framework for sharing, using and protecting neuroscience data.Source: Spectrum News

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 19 May.Source: Spectrum News

A competition that trains language models on relatively small datasets of words, closer in size to what a child hears up to age 13, seeks solutions to some of the major challenges of today’s large language models.Source: Spectrum News

Apple recently shared some exciting news about powerful new features designed to make their devices even more accessible later this year. These tools aim to help people of all abilities use their iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and even Apple Vision Pro more easily, independently, and productiv…

The human red nucleus may also help coordinate action, reward and motivated behavior, a new study suggests.Source: Spectrum News

By Ashleigh Evans, MS, BCBA In the early 2000s, advocacy efforts pushed forward a medical model of ABA. This model gained momentum as states began passing autism insurance mandates. In 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a bulletin clarifying that Medicaid progr…

The annual meeting brought autism researchers, advocates and clinicians to Seattle to discuss the latest research, including attempts to define subgroups, a potential new CHD8 macaque model and life expectancy gaps.Source: Spectrum News

It’s unclear if the cancellation at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse extends to the fellowships awarded by other institutes within the National Institutes of Health.Source: Spectrum News

Trainees from underrepresented backgrounds are losing pillars of support in the current funding climate. Grassroots mentorship organizations are stepping in to continue championing early-career researchers.Source: Spectrum News