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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: gender

March 2014

Rising awareness may explain spike in autism diagnoses

by  /  17 March 2014

Young boys continue to have the highest rate of autism diagnoses, but Danish doctors are diagnosing more girls, teenagers and adults with the disorder than they did in the mid-1990s. That’s the finding from a 16-year study published 20 February in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Girls protected from autism, study suggests

by  /  10 March 2014

It takes more mutations to trigger autism in women than in men, which may explain why men are four times more likely to have the disorder, according to a study published 26 February in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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February 2014
Illustration of brain waves during an epileptic seizure.

Clinical research: Epilepsy and autism share familial risk

by  /  21 February 2014

In families with a history of autism, the affected children are seven times more likely to also have epilepsy than their unaffected siblings, according to a study published 1 December in Molecular Autism. The results suggest that epilepsy and autism share some risk factors.

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Spatial, verbal skills in autism even out with age

by  /  14 February 2014

A rigorous new study confirms that boys with autism tend to score higher on tests of spatial and analytical abilities than on those for verbal skills. But the gap decreases by the time they reach 10 years of age.

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January 2014

Untrained doctors slow autism care in many nations

by  /  31 January 2014

A shortage of trained doctors, lack of awareness and long waiting lists for specialized care delay diagnosis and treatment of autism in many low- and middle-income countries, report two new studies.

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Gut woes may accompany repetitive behaviors in autism

by  /  24 January 2014

Children with autism who have constipation are often also plagued by compulsive or repetitive behaviors, a core feature of autism, finds a study published 29 November in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Clinical research: Extra X increases risk of autism

by  /  7 January 2014

Men who have an extra X chromosome have an elevated risk of developing autism, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

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December 2013

Charting typical brain development

by  /  20 December 2013

How can we characterize what is atypical when we don’t fully understand what typical brain development looks like, particularly under the age of 5? Christine Wu Nordahl explains the importance of scanning the brains of typically developing children.

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November 2013

Television time

by  /  22 November 2013

Teenagers with autism have a penchant for cartoons and first-person shooter video games, but for at least some of them, screen time may translate to a useful social tool, two new studies suggest.

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College course

by  /  19 November 2013

Students with autism tend to succeed in college when they study science, technology, engineering or mathematics, reports a study published 26 October in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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