Jonathan’s is 6 years old and, according to mom, he shows improvement in his speech, brushing his teeth, getting ready for school and other daily living tasks. Mom is soooo proud of the strides that he has made this school year including fewer meltdowns. Ask Jonathan and he’ll tell you t…

Nongenetic rodent models most relevant to autism tend to be those exposed to environmental agents in the womb or shortly after birth, suggests a ranking of the models. The database catalogs 185 mouse and rat models exposed to one of 70 environmental factors, such as infectious agents, anti-seizure d…

The activity of the brain’s face detector, the fusiform gyrus, in response to faces is greater in adolescents with autism than it is in younger children with the condition. Researchers presented the unpublished results Monday at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Pe…

He speaks eloquently and passionately about a very difficult subject.Source: The Autism Site

Mouse brains exposed to inflammation in the womb become more susceptible to a second challenge, researchers reported today at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington D.C. When briefly deprived of oxygen, mice exposed to maternal inflammation show higher immune activation and s…

Neurons derived from people with a genetic form of autism look and behave differently than those from people with autism of an unknown cause. The cells also show distinct gene expression signatures that mirror some of these differences. Researchers presented the unpublished findings today at the 201…

1st in the new monthly Art of Autism series of ‘Happy Sawyer’ By Nikki Mann My son is sitting next to me as I type this. He is wearing a Thomas the Tank Engine top, holding his favourite Thomas the Tank Engine toy, whilst watching Thomas the Tank Engine tutorials on YouTube. For those of you unfami…

Young adults with autism have an unusual gait and problems with fine motor skills. Researchers presented the unpublished findings today at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Motor problems such as clumsiness, toe-walking and altered gait are well documented in autis…

Spheres of brain cells derived from people and implanted into mouse brains recruit blood vessels and integrate with mouse neurons. The work represents a technical leap in the field of brain organoids, also known as ‘mini-brains.’ It also raises ethical questions. Researchers presented the unpublishe…

Most people with autism have problems falling and staying asleep. And poor sleep can exacerbate behavioral problems, leaving these individuals — and their families — exhausted. The hormone melatonin, sold in the United States as an over-the-counter supplement, is a popular sleep aid. A string of stu…

The post Ethnicity influence; human-brained rodents; graduate drain and more appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

By Khali Raymond Living with Asperger’s is not an easy feat. It never is. Imagine yourself in a room full of people. All of those people are laughing and mingling. Meanwhile, you aren’t. You’re sitting there in the corner all alone, watching everyone make nice with each other. Nobody even ackn…

They may affect up to 80 percent of autistic people. So what on Earth is going on?Source: The Autism Site

By the Harms Family, Happy Hands Toys The Harms family have become experts in all things fidgets. It began when mom and dad discovered that life became better for their son when he was able to “fidget.” Using sensory toys and fidgets as an outlet for his anxiety help him with his daily living and co…