Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Autistic people who ruminate, dwelling on feelings of guilt or self-critical thoughts, may be at an elevated risk for depression. Autism
• Neuronal connectivity may be altered more in autistic boys with multiple gene variants than in autistic girls with a similar genetic load. Brain
• Vocalizations made by baby mice that model autism can predict their social behaviors later in development, according to a computational analysis. Molecular Psychiatry
• A balance-training regimen seems to improve balance and postural sway, and reduce autism trait severity, in autistic adolescents. Brain Communications
• In a sample of autistic children without cognitive impairment, 46 percent had extraordinary talents, and another 23 percent had skills that stood out compared with the child’s other abilities. Last month, Spectrum examined autistic strengths and special interests in depth. Autism
• Adverse life events, as well as parental stress and mental health, are risk factors for emotional and behavioral problems in young adults with autism. Autism Research
• Conducting participatory autism research — in which autistic people and allies take part in the process — requires flexibility and relationship-building, and is challenged by limits in time and funding, according to a survey of autism researchers. Autism
• Disparate lines of evidence suggest that a deficiency in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase may be linked to autism. Biochimica and Biophysica Acta – Molecular Basis of Disease
• Brain-activity changes in response to faces may serve as an early autism indicator, showing up in children before core traits emerge; Spectrum reported on related data last month. JAMA Pediatrics

Science and society

• Limited services, cost-conscious contractors, poor communication among agencies and misunderstandings about autism may have contributed to the death of an autistic boy in foster care in Kansas. Kansas Reflector
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a software package to help primary care physicians diagnose autism. Spectrum wrote about an earlier iteration of the app in 2018. Disability Scoop
• Genetics researcher Stephen Warren, known for his work on fragile X syndrome, has died at age 67. Emory University