Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Autistic children born preterm or full-term have similar fine-motor, visual and language skills. Frontiers in Neurology
• Children with autism in Kenya are typically identified because of a speech delay when they are toddlers, but fewer than half get speech or occupational therapy. African Journal of Health Sciences
• Autistic adults who report a decline in health status over the course of a year also say they need additional health services. Autism
• Oxytocin, encapsulated in nanoparticles and delivered directly into the brain, reduced seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a condition associated with autism. Neurobiology of Disease
• Autistic children in the United States have experienced major disruptions in health services because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey of more than 3,500 parents and caregivers. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Gene networks associated with intellectual disability may also be linked to specific autism traits, such as inflexibility and low social motivation. Molecular Autism
• Adding cannabidiol to ongoing treatment may decrease seizures in people with tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related condition. JAMA Neurology
• Research papers written or co-authored by women are accepted at similar rates to those of men after peer review, according to analysis of 145 scholarly journals. Science Advances
• As autistic children grow, so do their intelligence quotients, even as their autism traits hold steady, according to a new study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Science and society

• A documentary film, “In Silico,” chronicles the rise and fall of the Human Brain Project, a collaborative effort supported by the European Commission and its original director, Henry Markram. Nature
• The chief science officer of the U.S.-based Autism Science Foundation has summarized the research highlights of 2020. Autism Science Foundation
• Inpatient psychiatric beds are being repurposed for COVID-19 patients at many hospitals, even as the need for emergency or long-term mental health care has been increasing. STAT
• A new state policy in Pennsylvania blocks families from using federal aid to pay for applied behavior analysis and may interfere with ongoing therapy for thousands of autistic children. WITF
• An Idaho-based group is offering training for first responders to help them assist people with autism. Firehouse
• A new film, “The Reason I Jump,” explores the lives of five minimally verbal autistic people and is set to open 8 January via the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s virtual cinema portal. Houston Chronicle
• Autistic people appear to have an elevated risk of substance misuse, according to a study of insurance records in Taiwan. The Mighty