Research roundup

• Sensory processing skills improve over time in some autistic children and worsen in others; monitoring may help clinicians better understand individual variability. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• Mice lacking the NRXN1a gene, which has been linked to autism, display changes in neuronal function that differ by circuit. Cell Reports
• The BAF complex, which regulates the 3D structure of a cell’s genome and is implicated in autism, may serve as a switch, causing developing brain cells to stop multiplying and start maturing. Genes & Development
• Autistic adults, to an even greater degree than non-autistic adults, have experienced more symptoms of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Molecular Autism
• Evidence for the association between antidepressants and autism is thin, and it seems to hold whether a woman takes the medications prior to or during pregnancy, suggesting the link has little to do with the medications themselves. Current Neuropharmacology
• Increasing numbers of Black children are being diagnosed with autism in the United States, and at a younger age, according to data collected from 2014 to 2019. JAMA Network Open
• Pups born to mice fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy have altered brain function, particularly in reward pathways, that persists into adulthood. Translational Psychiatry
• Toddlers who screen positive for autism but whose parents are young, Hispanic and don’t have private insurance, are less likely to receive a diagnostic evaluation than those with older, non-Hispanic, insured parents. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
• Early diagnosis of autism may occur when children show early communication difficulties, whereas diagnosis seems to be delayed in children with aggressive behaviors. BMC Pediatrics
• Intellectual disability may be the biggest risk factor for dying from COVID-19. NEJM Catalyst

Science and society

• The Ohio Medical Board is considering, for the third year in a row, whether to add autism to the list of conditions approved for medical marijuana use; read more about cannabis and autism in Spectrum’s explainer. Spectrum News 1
• The Autism Society of America has lobbied media outlets to call April “Autism Acceptance Month,” instead of “Autism Awareness Month.” Autism Society
• Easterseals Southern California, an advocacy group for people with disabilities, teamed up with a textile company to create a sensory-friendly face mask for people with autism or other disabilities. Forbes
• A U.S. court has ruled that health insurer UnitedHealth Group broke federal law by refusing to cover applied behavior analysis as a therapy for autism. Reuters