Clinical trials of autism treatments rarely use a consistent set of tools to measure efficacy, a new study suggests1. Instead, researchers generally design questionnaires specific to their study goals, and 69 percent of these tools are used only once. The lack of consistency could obscure positive r…

For more than five decades, I have studied how our physiology influences mental processes and behavior. During this period, I have studied people — including autistic children — who have trouble regulating their behavior and emotions. Based on my research, I have developed a theory: The neural regul…

By Austin John Jones For me, purpose is subjective; it’s based on how I feel. If I feel like I have a specific purpose in life, that motivates me. But sometimes I think purpose is a human idea someone made up to give me comfort. From what I can tell, people who feel like they have purpose get up eve…

Sadly, things like this are happening every day to people with autism around the world.Source: The Autism Site

He won the top prize, meaning that he was guaranteed 10,000 pounds – when converted equals roughly $12,150 USD – every month for the next 30 years.Source: The Autism Site

By Megan Amodeo Television networks and streaming services have made big bank on seemingly obvious or blatantly literal autistic “characters”. Big Bang Theory and The Good Doctor are just a few of the more popular sitcoms and dramas revolving around autism. Are all autistics like those main characte…

Brain signals measured during a simple visual task could serve as a biomarker for autism, according to a new study published Thursday1. The task tests a person’s ability to perceive a phenomenon called binocular rivalry. This occurs when a person views two images simultaneously — one with the left e…

The levels of four chemicals in the brain may distinguish autism and vary with its severity, according to a new study1. Autistic people tend to have high levels of at least one of these chemicals in their neurons and low levels in the projections from these neurons. Each chemical reflects a differen…

5th in the ‘Happy Sawyer’ series By Nikki Mann In the 6-week break before Sawyer was due to start reception class, I was anxious about how he would cope and whether he would be able to fit in with his peers. Uniform and books started to arrive, along with the stark realisation that I was about to r…

Whether we are at home or work, we don’t really pay attention to the many sounds that surround us, and that we depend on to take action. Think of the microwave beeping – if it beeps, our food is cooked. If an infant is crying, we need to feed her or stop doing what we are doing and atten…

Sometimes service-dog training is more of a treat than a chore.Source: The Autism Site

He had been wandering on the highway for two days and the department would later learn that his dad had recently succumbed to late-stage leukemia.Source: The Autism Site

The post Spotted around the web: Week of 12 August 2019 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

The brain areas involved in mice’s high-pitched squeaks are not the same as those that govern human speech, according to two new studies1,2. Mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations, which people cannot hear. Young mice make them when they are separated from their mothers, for example, and adult mice use …