Fragile X syndrome is a leading genetic cause of autism. About one in three people with the syndrome also has autism. But even those who do not have autism often share certain autistic traits, such as avoidance of eye contact and difficulties in social situations. Mutations in the gene FMR1, which c…

TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors. by W.E.Powers A seven-year-old girl sits in her tree house mending a Barbie who has just suffered catastrophic injuries. Plastic army men, following the orders of her two young…

Drumming helps improve rhythm and dexterity, but could it improve social interactions too? Source: The Autism Site

Autism features vary considerably from one person to the next. One of the biggest challenges in autism research is to break down the autism spectrum into subtypes, each characterized by a distinct set of biological mechanisms that we can target with specific treatments. Autism’s strong heritability …

By Morgan Giosa What do I think of when I think of the phrase “outside the box”? I think of a desire – be it intentionally or not – to go against the grain in a creative process which might deviate from conventionally acceptable norms. I think of the painting technique my art…

"No more Velcro. No more stuffing your feet into shoes. Step in unobstructed, be empowered, and live your story as it is meant to be told."Source: The Autism Site

Care-taking is good for you, when it’s not overwhelming and a chicken can provide an "un-anxious example of how to live without worry."Source: The Autism Site

Traits linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to co-occur even in adulthood, according to one of the first studies of the traits in that age group1. The results extend support for the idea that autism and ADHD are intrinsically linked — a notion that is largely bas…

The crime took place mere weeks after the center opened its doors.Source: The Autism Site

In 1987, psychologist Ole Ivar Lovaas reported that he had created a therapy that would make the behavior of some autistic children indistinguishable from that of typical children by 7 years of age1. His approach, applied behavioral analysis (ABA), involves hours of drills each day, in which childre…

By Baylie Nixon Since my first post to “The Art of Autism,” I was requested to write another article about how I was diagnosed and how I found out roughly a decade later of said diagnosis. In my last entry, I mentioned I was diagnosed as a toddler, but found out about my diagnosis when I was a teena…

The post Spotted around the web: Week of 1 October 2018 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Two new methods for building ‘mini-brains’ may help researchers study how early brain development differs in people with autism. One method enables scientists to recreate specific brain regions rather than an entire brain1. The other reduces the time and cost to make a mini-brain, promising to boost…

If you’ve met one person who is a runner, you’ve met one person who is a runner. By Tracey Cohen Without a doubt, running, like autism, can be full of challenge, even painful at times. But the willingness to embrace difficulty is giving oneself the opportunity to flourish, to live a fulf…