Lovastatin, a drug that lowers cholesterol levels, prevents memory problems in a rat model of fragile X syndrome, a new study suggests1. The drug’s effects seem to last after treatment ends. The results offer the promise of a treatment for people with fragile X syndrome or, perhaps, autism. The synd…

By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker I have an abacus in my basement. It’s got a wooden frame and is about the height of a Kindergartner. My late mother worked in the school system over 25 years and when the classroom updated their room, my mother took the abacus from the discard pile. When I walk by it t…

Any man can be a father, but it takes a special type of person to be a Dad. On this Father’s Day the Art of Autism shares a TedX talk by one of the most dynamic dads I know – KultureCity founder Dr. Julian Maha, a very special dad, who is creating environments around the world that are …

The post Spotted around the web: Week of 10 June 2019 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

A novel cell culture device enables researchers to grow bundles of nerve fibers from stem cells, mimicking the tissue that connects distant parts of the brain1. These bundles, or tracts, are thought to be altered in autism, so the approach may offer a way to study what goes awry in people with the c…

I live in Melbourne, Australia and have been exhibiting and selling my art since I was 8 years old.  I sculpt, draw and paint.  I love working with foam, pipe cleaners, clay, and plasticine.  I sew dresses for my 3 dimensional figures. My imagination, ideas and thoughts are always so busy in my m…

Only half of autistic people who commit suicide have a diagnosis of depression, and this study sheds some light on why that could be.Source: The Autism Site

Mice that lack a segment of chromosome 22 — a mutation associated with autism — have unusually sparse connections between brain regions, according to a new study1. The missing links result from problems with mitochondria, the minute ‘energy factories’ within cells. The mitochondria in the mutant mic…

The post Straightening out chiropractic’s claim as a treatment for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

There is no excuse for this type of abuse.Source: The Autism Site

After the 4-hour flight, the family and officials spent 3 hours searching before they learned Jack had been left at the airport in Crete.Source: The Autism Site

This month’s ASAT feature comes to us from Karrie Lindeman, EdD, BCBA-D, LBA and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D. To learn more about ASAT, please visit their website at www.asatonline.org. You can also sign up for ASAT’s free newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment, and like them on Facebook! Save …

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel I’m a chameleon — a fly on the wall. I settle into the background of a new environment, observing, taking things in, working to sort out the “expected behaviors” for any given situation, strategically plotting out the rules for conversational engagement in my…

The announcement this week that the U.S. federal government is changing its policy on the use of human fetal tissue in medical research is designed to please anti-abortion groups that have strongly supported President Donald Trump. But it could jeopardize promising medical research and set back atte…