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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Laura Dattaro

Senior News Writer

Laura Dattaro is a senior reporter for Spectrum, where she covers genetics, mental health, public policy and other areas of autism research. She proposed and writes the Null and Noteworthy newsletter, a monthly recap of studies with null results and replications. She joined Spectrum in 2020. Dattaro has worked as a science journalist and editor for 10 years and has written for the Columbia Journalism ReviewPopular MechanicsSlate and The New York Times, among other publications. Before joining Spectrum, she also worked as associate producer for the World Science Festival. Dattaro has an M.A. in science and health journalism from Columbia University and a B.A. in English and music from the University of Delaware. You can find her on Twitter at @LauraLauraDat or reach out to her at [email protected].

Contact Info

[email protected]

July 2022
A mother holds her son while on a video call with a doctor.

Access to virtual autism therapy in U.S. could narrow post-COVID

by  /  15 July 2022

When the federal public health emergency expires, so too could temporary insurance coverage of applied behavior analysis conducted remotely. A proposed rule could block those changes, however, at least for people with public insurance.

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Figure in space heads towards unknown, dark area.

The final frontier: Autism geneticists take on the noncoding genome

by  /  12 July 2022

The vast stretches of DNA that don’t code for proteins could fill key knowledge gaps about autism genetics. But making sense of it all won’t be easy.

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Evidence for remote autism assessments trickles in

by  /  8 July 2022

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging data support the remote tactics that kept autism diagnosis going during lockdowns.

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June 2022

Mice without DDX3X are slow to grow neurons

by  /  17 June 2022

The gene helps neurons exit the cell-maturation cycle during fetal brain development, a new study shows. But male and female mice respond differently to DDX3X loss.

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Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: INSAR keynote, typical cerebellums, social subdomains

by  /  9 June 2022

In this edition, researchers sink a purported link between cerebellar volume and autism and buoy a theory about measuring social behaviors.

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a grid of 9 brain maps showing activity in different areas of the brain

Brain networks diverge in autism by toddlerhood

by  /  8 June 2022

By as early as age 2, autistic children appear to have a smaller salience network and a larger default mode network, among other differences, than children without the condition.

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A street crowded with pedestrian traffic

Spectrum of variants contribute differently to autism traits

by  /  3 June 2022

Different combinations of common, rare, inherited and spontaneous mutations may explain why traits vary so widely among autistic people.

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Unlocking the mitochondrial genome for autism research

by  /  1 June 2022

The DNA specific to mitochondria is difficult to access, but new methods place its secrets within reach.

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May 2022
people stand in as the base pairs in a DNA helix.

Spectrum 10K gets green light from ethics agency

by  /  27 May 2022

After a months-long review, the United Kingdom’s Health Research Authority upheld an earlier ethics approval for the embattled autism genetics study.

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Ultrasound in black and white shows a pattern.

Heart anomalies abound in mouse models of autism

by  /  23 May 2022

Of nine genetic models examined in a new study, all had some incidence of cardiac abnormalities. But the problems varied widely depending on the affected genes.

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