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Spectrum: Autism Research News

WEEK OF
March 25th

Research roundup

Science and society

  • A gallery of images produced by biomedical researchers is on display at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. STAT
  • Board members of an autism charity profit from the unfounded and debunked ‘treatments’ the charity promotes. Jezebel
  • A group of 800-plus scientists call for “the entire concept of statistical significance to be abandoned.” Nature
  • Medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder vary in their propensity to induce psychotic side effects. STAT
  • Scientists find evidence of new neuron growth in human brains, but many remain skeptical. Scientific American
  • Sun bears, which do not live in social groups, use facial expressions to communicate, suggesting the behavior is more widespread in the animal kingdom than scientists thought. The New York Times
  • A new app is designed to help police officers and other first responders know how to interact with people who have disabilities. Saint Cloud Times
  • A U.K. advertising watchdog group orders homeopaths to stop peddling an unproven and potentially harmful autism ‘cure.’ BBC
  • Chinese-American scientists call out scientific and political policies that amount to racial profiling. Science
  • The anti-vaccine movement creates a huge burden for the healthcare system to care for people with illnesses that vaccines prevent. Wired
  • The Trump administration’s budget cuts Special Olympics funding, including a program in which students who have disabilities team up with typical students in various sports. The Washington Post

Autism and the arts

  • The Royal Shakespeare Company continues to sell out its ‘relaxed performance’ shows, which accommodate audiences with autism and learning disabilities. Broadway World
  • Art galleries in a Connecticut town plan to feature autistic artists for World Autism Month. The Westerly Sun

Funding news

  • A U.K. charity evaluates gaps in funding for autism research. Autistica

TAGS:   autism