Research roundup

• Mice lacking the cannabinoid receptor CB1R display altered social behavior and communication. Autism Research
• The potential pitfalls of using online surveys to collect data from autistic adults include selection bias and an inability to identify participants. Autism in Adulthood
• Researchers have developed, in insects, an automated method to assess neuronal connectivity, which is thought to be altered in autism. Nature Methods
• Infants’ brain responses to sound seem to correlate with subsequent autism diagnosis. Spectrum reported on similar research last year, and whether an auditory test might serve as an autism screen. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Caregivers observed more disruptive behaviors among their autistic children during the coronavirus pandemic; low-income families reported the largest increases. Journal & Courier

Science and society

• The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a federal panel assigned to coordinate U.S. agencies’ autism policies, is set to meet this month — for the first time in two years. Disability Scoop
• Three new books by autistic authors each take a different perspective on the condition via memoir, essay and policy critique. The Guardian
• New laws in Michigan allow residents with autism or communication disabilities to share information about their disability with police who scan their driver’s licenses. WILX 10