Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• A condition characterized by tall stature, developmental delay and intellectual disability is linked to a mutation in gene called NKAP. American Journal of Human Genetics
• A video game in which participants move their bodies appears to promote more social interaction among autistic children than free play does. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Autistic girls display better social-communication skills than autistic boys at young ages, but with adolescence, girls fall behind boys. Frontiers in Psychiatry
• The genetics of a condition called specific language impairment are different from the genetics of autism. Autism Research
• Young autistic adults perform similarly to those with schizophrenia on a wide range of social-cognition skills. Psychological Medicine
• Babies born to women who had extreme nausea and vomiting throughout pregnancy are at an elevated risk for autism. American Journal of Perinatology
• Dysfunction in inhibitory feedback loops boosts seizure activity in an animal model of chronic epilepsy. Journal of Neuroscience
• Autistic adults show different brain-activity patterns upon seeing angry faces than typical adults do. Biological Psychology
• Cognitive behavioral therapy helps autistic children with insomnia sleep better; their parents sleep better, too. Autism Research
• Brain organoids seeded with certain proteins sport blood vessels and develop characteristics of a blood-brain barrier. Nature Methods
• Researchers use virtual reality to assess communication and collaboration among autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Children with fragile X syndrome and autism develop motor skills more slowly than children with fragile X syndrome alone. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Science and society

• Greater awareness and understanding of autism have not improved the lives of autistic people, says autism researcher Simon Baron-Cohen. The Guardian
• Disability services in California are undergoing changes in funding and goals. Forbes
• President Trump has signed the Autism CARES Act, which will dispense $1.8 billion for autism research and support programs. ABC News
• An autistic woman contemplates her life of not fitting in, her late diagnosis and her journey of coming to terms with who she is. Aeon
• An international alliance of scientists is striving to move beyond mapping genes associated with various conditions to understanding how these genes work and how medicines might temper their action. Science
• The U.K. National Health Service has an increasing number of unfilled posts for mental health providers, especially those specializing in children’s health. BBC News
• People whose brains are atypical are at a heightened risk of suicide and self-harm. The New York Times
• Autistic people who have YouTube channels seek to build community and normalize their experiences. The Washington Post
• An autism publication has created a FAQ sheet for reporters. Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism
• Autism researcher Laura Orefice has won the 2019 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology. American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Harvard University has announced a new autism center dedicated to understanding the condition at a molecular level. Harvard University

Autism and the arts

• The Creative Talent Network will feature its training academy for autistic animators at its annual conference. Animation Magazine