Lowered expression of a gene called DDHD2 may increase a person’s likelihood of autism, according to a new analysis1. The researchers arrived at this conclusion via a genome-wide association study (GWAS), an approach used to identify common variants — in the form of single-letter changes to DNA that…

It took more than 11 months, around 700 hours of time, and 56,000 legos. Source: The Autism Site

The dog refused to leave the boy's side.Source: The Autism Site

By Megan Amodeo Have you ever been stuck in a never-ending line at the grocery store? Or maybe you were at the DMV waiting to renew your license and the wait far exceeded what most consider humane? We have all been somewhere longer than we want to be at one time or another. “I don’t know about…

A new viral tool can selectively control different types of neurons that dampen brain activity in rodents, monkeys and people1. The ability to manipulate inhibitory cells in such a targeted way may help scientists test these cells’ contributions to conditions such as epilepsy and autism. The techniq…

Autistic people have experienced huge disruptions over the past six months. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all of our lives, but especially so for autistic people, who are often uncomfortable with swift and unexpected change and can struggle with uncertainty about the future. The pandemi…

Over the past decade, autistic people and their families have increasingly experimented with medical marijuana and products derived from it. Many hope these compounds will alleviate a range of autism-related traits and problems. But scientists are still in the early stages of rigorous research into …

Very soon, entire buildings and communities will have the potential to become “Alexa enabled” and enable renters and community members have the smart home experience without having to painstakingly set up each smart device with their own Amazon Echo devices. This could be very helpful for people wit…

Repetitive behaviors are one of autism’s core features and can be sensory or motor based, such as hand-flapping, or more cognitive in nature, such as intensely focused interests. Autistic people may engage in repetitive behaviors as a way to relieve anxiety or for fun — and for this reason, such beh…

The blood pressure drug bumetanide does not uniformly lessen autism traits in autistic children and teenagers, according to a new clinical trial1. The results are at odds with past research that suggested the drug eases autism traits in children on the spectrum. Still, the new study’s data hint that…

Researchers have known that genes contribute to autism since the 1970s, when a team found that identical twins often share the condition. Since then, scientists have been racking up potential genetic culprits in autism, a process that DNA-decoding technologies have accelerated in the past decade. As…

"I feel so independent," the teen athlete said. "I'm gonna conquer the world with him."Source: The Autism Site

The post Webinar: Eileen Crehan on autism and sexuality appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

A new method that suppresses gene expression in the embryos of fish and mice may help researchers study autism genes in early development1. The technique uses a modified version of the gene editor CRISPR to cut up and degrade messenger RNA (mRNA), the cell’s protein-building instructions, thereby cu…