“A meltdown is a highjack of our emotions.” Ron Sandison By Ron Sandison Most neurotypicals pay little attention to their sensory processing. When you feel cold, you put on a sweater. When music is too loud, you turn down the volume. For me and many other people with autism, our senses provide unrel…

Serious differences in autism identification persist, according to an analysis of autistic children in New Jersey over 16 years. The post Racial, economic disparities skew New Jersey data on autism, intellectual disability appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Going on Trial rounds up new developments in autism-related drug trials. This month we’re revisiting decade-old data from a trial of arbaclofen for fragile X syndrome and looking into a new implant-based approach to quelling seizures, among other treatment strategies. The post Going on Trial: Arbacl…

The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field. The post Autism research at the crossroads appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Applied behavior analysis, the most common intervention for children diagnosed with autism, is the subject of an intense debate between practitioners and neurodiversity advocates. The post Divisions over ABA appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Cells from people with fragile X syndrome overproduce — but don’t accumulate — proteins. New work suggests that excessive protein breakdown may account for this discrepancy, and explain some of the syndrome’s traits. The post Missing mechanism helps solve fragile X protein mystery appear…

To include more autistic people in research, here's what scientists need to know about informed consent procedures for study participants who have impaired decision-making capacity. The post Decisional capacity and informed consent, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source…

A free online course called “Overcoming Dyslexia”, offered by Yale University, may be of interest to adults with Dyslexia, teachers and parents of children who have dyslexia, and anyone else who is interested in learning about the extraordinary progress science has made in understanding and clarifyi…

This week, researchers discussed a search for autism biomarkers, a surprising explanation for how the brain organizes spontaneous behavior, and sleep disturbances in children with genetic neurodevelopmental conditions. Also, four new projects on profound autism received funding from the Autism Scien…

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 16 January. The post Spotted around the web: Naturalistic research; AUTS2 gene; cerebellar GABA appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

The questionnaire, designed to screen children for autism, isn’t ready for clinical use without further validation, contrary to what some overblown newspaper headlines reported. The post Tempering tales of a new autism measure: A conversation with Thomas Frazier appeared first on Spectrum | Au…

Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane. The post Mutations in autism-linked gene cause membrane mischief appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

By Ashleigh Evans, MS, BCBA Time is a challenging concept for children to grasp. It is even more difficult for concrete thinkers, as many neurodiverse children are. Children with autism tend to understand concrete concepts better than abstract ones, like time. Visual timers and other supports can…

This edition takes aim at the autism-intervention evidence base with a slew of null results, plus findings that challenge a prevailing autism brain theory. The post Null & Noteworthy: Intervention flops; neural noise; gender care appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spect…