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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Niko McCarty

Former data reporter

Niko McCarty was Spectrum’s data reporter from 2021 to 2022. He has an M.A. from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. He also has an M.Res. in systems and synthetic biology from Imperial College London, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, and an M.Sc. in bioengineering from the California Institute of Technology. His prior research focused on engineered microbial communities and building CRISPR-Cas technologies.

Contact Info

[email protected]

October 2021
Week of OctoberOct
18th
2021

Spotted around the web: SHANK3 tug of war, motor issues, tenure threat

by ,  /  22 October 2021

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 18 October.

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Colorful illustration in red and bright aqua blue, of a pizza / pie chart with researcher's hand taking a slice.

By the Numbers: Preschool antipsychotics, COVID-19 vaccinations, delayed autism diagnoses

by  /  20 October 2021

In this edition of By the Numbers, we discuss antipsychotic use among autistic preschoolers, coronavirus vaccination rates among autistic Israelis and autism diagnosis timelines.

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Empty conference hall in blue light.

Society for Neuroscience cancels in-person meeting

The decision comes after a Spectrum survey found that most autism researchers did not plan to attend in person.

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Young child at a medical check-up.

Missed check-ups, delayed autism diagnoses among low-income children

by  /  6 October 2021

Autistic children from low-income families are diagnosed about eight months later than their wealthier peers, a new analysis of insurance claims in Virginia shows.

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Photo of empty conference room with empty stage and podium in distance.

Few autism researchers plan to attend conferences in person this year: Survey

by ,  /  4 October 2021

As academic conferences resume the option to attend in person, alongside virtual sessions, many autism researchers say they face a difficult choice.

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September 2021

Q&A with W. David Lohr: Antipsychotics, polypharmacy among autistic preschoolers

by  /  21 September 2021

Hundreds of preschool-aged children in Kentucky began taking antipsychotic medicines in 2012, according to an analysis of Medicaid records. Lohr discusses what it will it take to get them behavioral therapies instead.

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Week of SeptemberSep
13th
2021

Spotted around the web: Shifting sex ratio, autism drugs, neuroscience research inequality

by , ,  /  17 September 2021

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 13 September.

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Playful chart in red and blue patterns

By the Numbers: Machine learning, dementia link, antipsychotics while pregnant

by ,  /  16 September 2021

In this edition of By the Numbers, we discuss machine learning for autism, early-onset dementia, and antipsychotic medicines during pregnancy.

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Week of SeptemberSep
6th
2021

Spotted around the web: PTEN organoids, virtual reality, decolonizing science

by , , ,  /  10 September 2021

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 6 September.

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Colorful image of a composite of multiple brain scans showing communication patterns in different regions.

Autism mouse models cluster by brain activity pattern

by  /  10 September 2021

Four subtypes lend new support to the idea that there isn’t a single ‘hallmark’ type of brain connectivity in people with autism.

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