Research roundup
- Whole-genome sequencing captures a wide range of genetic variation underlying intellectual disability. Genome Medicine
- Researchers have discovered what makes us human by analyzing the genetics of cognitive networks in the brain. Nature Communications
- Mice lacking the gene for fragile X syndrome show alterations in bone and muscle composition. Frontiers in Endocrinology
- Nine adults who received an autism diagnosis after age 50 found relief in re-evaluating their lives in this new context. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
- Researchers have described a range of traits in children with dup15q syndrome, a condition linked to autism. American Journal of Medical Genetics
- The use of simple syllables to communicate appears to predict expressive language skills in preverbal or minimally verbal children with autism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
- Difficulties with executive functioning — planning, mental flexibility and self-control — are correlated with autism traits in young children. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
Science and society
- Health insurer UnitedHealthcare paid a $1 million fine to Pennsylvania for denying customers’ mental health claims, in violation of a law that assures parity with other medical claims. Disability Scoop
- Researchers are recognizing that the brain monitors body movement, even tiny twitches, in sensory regions. Quanta Magazine
- Stem-cell therapies are oversold, underregulated and often harmful. Texas Monthly
- The biomedical news site STAT has announced its latest class of ‘Wunderkinds’ — physicians and researchers expected to be trailblazers. STAT
- Three in four employees at a New York-based engineering startup have autism. University Herald
- Police departments around the United States have started various initiatives to improve interactions with autistic community members. Ozy
- An inclusive preschool in New York state has marked 50 years of putting children of all abilities together in one classroom. Spectrum News
- Kalin Bennett, a first-year student at Kent State University in Ohio, has become the first known autistic athlete to score points in a Division I basketball game. Sports Illustrated
Autism and the arts
- A new exhibit at a Hull, England, art gallery features Nnena Kalu, an autistic artist who creates sculptures with repurposed materials such as old VHS tapes and discarded fabric. The Guardian
Job moves
- Neuroscientist and autism researcher Jonathan Kipnis is moving his laboratory to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Twitter