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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Brendan Borrell

Brendan Borrell is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles, California. His stories have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, OutsideNational Geographic and many other publications. He is the author of “The First Shots: The Epic Rivalries and Heroic Science Behind the Race to the Coronavirus Vaccine,” and he has a Ph.D. in integrative biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Contact Info

[email protected]

June 2020

Study finds little evidence to back cord-blood therapy for autism

by  /  11 June 2020

An infusion of umbilical cord blood does not improve social skills in autistic children, according to results from the largest, most rigorous test of the therapy for autism to date.

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May 2020
Illustration: a person faces a computer screen, away from the viewer, while ominous profiles of people surround them, looking inward.

Radical online communities and their toxic allure for autistic men

by  /  13 May 2020

Isolated from their peers, some autistic men get drawn into extremist views — and, in rare cases, violence — associated with online groups for ‘celibates.’

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January 2020
Illustration shows a large red floating blob that says "PANDAS" while smaller, blue blobs float around it with phrases "autism," "OCD," "ADHD" and "TOURETTE SYNDROME"

How a controversial condition called PANDAS is gaining ground on autism

by  /  8 January 2020

Some scientists say an immune condition called PANDAS affects as many as 1 in 200 children who have traits similar to those of autism. But many experts contest that figure — and even the condition’s very existence.

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December 2019
umbilical cord and placenta

U.S. agency warns company marketing ‘stem cells’ for autism

by  /  12 December 2019

Two agency letters put California-based Liveyon on warning and alert the public to the risks associated with stem-cell based therapies for autism.

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March 2019
Stem cell company

False hope for autism in the stem-cell underground

by  /  27 March 2019

Parents of autistic children are paying tens of thousands of dollars for stem cell therapies that often use medical waste. Despite the risks, regulators have been slow to act.

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May 2018
Photo: Autistic college student Kieran Barrett-Snyder stands in the kitchen area of his dormitory. He has wavy brown hair and is wearing a grey T-shirt.

How colleges can prepare for students with autism

by  /  23 May 2018

Increasing numbers of young adults with autism are pursuing a college education. Many campuses are not ready for them.

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October 2017
Julio Resto, lead caretaker on Cayo Santiago, dumps a bag of monkey chow. The storm leveled feeding corrals on the island.

Researchers rally to save monkeys on hurricane-ravaged island

by  /  5 October 2017

Hurricane Maria pummeled Cayo Santiago, home to more than 1,500 rhesus macaques, including some used for autism research.

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September 2017
Illustration of family approaching home with hope and expectation.

A ‘cure’ for autism at any cost

by  /  20 September 2017

Scores of parents abandon mainstream autism treatments to pursue Son-Rise, an intense, expensive — and unproven — behavioral therapy.

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June 2016

The treasures of monkey island

by  /  22 June 2016

On Cayo Santiago island, scientists track the alliances and power struggles of a colony of feral monkeys — collecting data to generate new insights into the social challenges that people with autism face.

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