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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Signs & Symptoms

Autism’s core symptoms accompany a constellation of subtle signs that scientists are just beginning to unmask.

A person stands in front of a neatly organized dresser drawer

Teasing apart insistence on sameness with Mirko Uljarević

by  /  30 October 2023
The hallmark autism trait has multiple facets, Uljarević and his colleagues have found.
A group of elementary school children run toward the entrance of a school, their backs turned to the camera.

Journal club: Why do some children lose their autism diagnosis?

by  /  9 October 2023
More than one-third of a cohort of autistic toddlers no longer meet criteria for the condition at school age, according to a new study, but the findings may not generalize because the cohort is predominantly white and affluent.
A hand reaches from above to add a pill to a stack that is resting against the x-axis of a graph.

Looking at eye tracking’s potential for clinical trials

by  /  28 September 2023
This month’s Going on Trial newsletter explores how eye tracking might be used beyond helping with diagnosis, among other drug development news.
September 2023
A young boy sits alone on a bench in a playground.

Mental health issues emerge with shifts in autism traits across childhood

by  /  27 September 2023

Anxiety and other challenges autistic children experience may stem from an increase in social-communication issues and a decrease in repetitive behaviors from ages 6 to 11.

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Two mice touching.

‘Social touch’ responses in mice gauged with unprecedented control

by  /  19 September 2023

A new tool could help decipher the brain circuits underlying aversion to social touch, which is common in people with autism.

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Common genetic variants shape the structure of the cortex

by  /  18 September 2023

A genome-wide association study lays a foundation for deeper investigation of these variants in neurodevelopmental conditions.

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Research image of neurons in mice.

Skewed signaling in striatum may spawn repetitive behaviors

by  /  6 September 2023

Synaptic changes in the brain region could drive a core trait of fragile X syndrome, a new mouse study suggests.

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Young child stacks colored blocks on a table.

High prevalence of developmental delay strains Australia’s support systems

by  /  1 September 2023

The nation needs to build capacity to support the roughly 20 percent of children in Australia who have developmental delay.

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August 2023
Research images of protein synthesis in mice.

Neuronal deafness to stress may add to protein surplus in fragile X

by  /  29 August 2023

A protective pathway that pauses protein synthesis is muted in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study.

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Five high-school-aged students sit on a bench looking at notebooks and a laptop.

Social skills decline during adolescence for a sliver of autistic youth

by  /  24 August 2023

Most children with the condition, however, gain communication and social abilities over time.

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July 2023
Illustrated portrait of Amy Wetherby.

Amy Wetherby: Impatient for progress

by  /  26 July 2023

A speech-language pathologist by training, Wetherby has spent more than four decades developing tools to help identify and treat autism early; now her work has taken on a more personal sense of urgency.

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Black and white watercolor-style portrait of Cheryl Dissanayake.

The story of autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake

by  /  25 July 2023

With the help of a generous benefactor, autism research in Australia is gathering critical mass.

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Illustration of half of a brain on the left and half of a heart on the right

Change of heart and mind: Autism’s ties to cardiac defects

by  /  21 July 2023

Children with congenital heart disease have an increased likelihood of autism. Why?

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