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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Diagnosis

Diagnosing autism is an evolving science but a crucial first step to understanding the disorder.

September 2011

Genetics: Autism genes linked to intellectual disability

by  /  7 September 2011

Two autism-associated genes that function at the synapse, the junction between neurons, are associated with severe intellectual disability, according to a study published 9 August in BMC Medical Genetics.

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Out of Africa

by  /  6 September 2011

The handful of studies of autism in Africa suggest that only the most severely affected children are seen in clinics.

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Clinical research: Autism categories are not clear-cut

by  /  6 September 2011

Collapsing the three core domains of autism — impairments in social interaction, communication deficits, and repetitive and restricted behaviors — into two makes no difference in the accuracy of diagnosis, according to a statistical analysis published 20 August in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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First mouse model of Timothy syndrome debuts

by  /  5 September 2011

Researchers have created the first mouse model of Timothy syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes heart defects and autism. The findings appeared 30 August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Chromosome 16 duplication raises risk of extreme thinness

by  /  1 September 2011

Individuals with a duplication of a chromosomal region associated with autism and intellectual disability are at higher risk for low birth weight, restricted eating leading to extreme thinness, and smaller-than-average head size.

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August 2011

Cognition and behavior: Autism brain patterns inherited

by  /  31 August 2011

Healthy parents of children with autism have an atypical brain response to sound frequency changes that mimics the response of individuals with the disorder.

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Questionnaire rates social skills during play

by  /  31 August 2011

Researchers can use the Manchester Inventory for Playground Observation, a questionnaire that rates children’s interactions with their peers, to reliably measure social skills in children with autism.

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New genetic map of developmental disability

by  /  24 August 2011

By comparing the DNA of thousands of children who have developmental disabilities to that of controls, researchers have identified numerous mutations likely to contribute to disease.

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Cognition and behavior: Autism linked to focused attention

by  /  24 August 2011

Individuals with autism struggle to switch their attention between sounds and pictures, and are less likely than controls to be distracted by a face, according to two studies published this summer.

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Jersey score

by  /  23 August 2011

New Jersey has the highest rates of autism in the U.S., but prevalence is highest in neighborhoods where annual incomes exceed $90,000.

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