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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Sarah DeWeerdt

Contributing Writer, Spectrum

Sarah DeWeerdt is a Seattle-based freelance science writer specializing in biology, medicine and the environment. Her work has appeared in publications including Nature, Newsweek, Conservation and Nautilus. She has been a regular contributor to Spectrum since 2010, writing conference reports, news and Deep Dive articles.

Contact Info

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November 2017
doctor touching male patient's knee

Study bolsters genetic link between arthritis, autism

by  /  16 November 2017

Men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, are at increased risk of having a child with autism.

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child sticking tongue out and making a face while holding chopsticks

In autism, food quirks show up in social brain areas

by  /  15 November 2017

Young adults with autism who have intense sensitivity to taste show increased activation in social areas of the brain when they taste something sweet.

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rat mother with rat pups

Researchers advance models of maternal antibody link to autism

by  /  15 November 2017

Sophisticated animal models — including a new rat model — are revealing how maternal antibodies contribute to autism risk.

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family of monkeys

Social development remarkably similar in monkeys, people

by  /  15 November 2017

Eye-tracking studies cement monkeys’ promise for studying autism and related conditions.

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child with headphones listening to a woman on television with doctor watching

Lab tests may pick up sensory sensitivity in autism

by  /  15 November 2017

A person’s ability to distinguish similar syllables by sight and sound correlates with how sensitive she is to sensory stimuli.

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six scans of brains showing various active regions highlighted

Missing brain wave may explain language problems in nonverbal autism

by  /  14 November 2017

Nonverbal children with autism don't show the typical wave of brain activity involved in linking objects with their names.

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woman looking behind her with fearful expression

Face processing may improve over time in children with autism

by  /  13 November 2017

The activity of the brain’s face detector, the fusiform gyrus, in response to faces is greater in adolescents with autism than it is in younger children with the condition.

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EEG caps, fNIRS

Realistic social test identifies new language area in brain

by  /  13 November 2017

A test designed to capture the dynamic back-and-forth of conversation suggests the existence of a new language area in the brain.

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metronome

Study of recurring beeps supports ‘magical world’ theory of autism

by  /  12 November 2017

Children with autism do not predict repeating sights and sounds, even after experiencing them dozens of times over a few minutes.

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Zebrafish form large groups, called shoals,

SHANK3 zebrafish may be too cool for schools

by  /  12 November 2017

Zebrafish lacking the autism-linked gene SHANK3 show little social interest and other behavioral abnormalities.

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