Research roundup

• Using medical claims records, researchers have identified distinct profiles of co-occurring conditions in autistic children. Autism Research
• Mutations in the gene NLGN3, implicated in autism, also affect gastrointestinal function. Autism Research
• Brain astrocytes support neurons during periods of high neuronal activity by taking up and metabolizing toxic byproducts. Cell
• Insurance coverage for autism healthcare in the United States varies widely by state, even with government mandates. PLOS ONE
• RNA sequencing can help doctors diagnose rare diseases caused by single-gene mutations when DNA sequencing is uninformative. Nature Medicine
• Autistic children and adolescents spend more time playing computer games than their neurotypical peers do, and they are more likely to use single-player mode. Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie 
• Half of people with autism taking antipsychotic medications experience side effects, such as increased appetite and weight gain, according to a meta-analysis of clinical studies. Pediatric Drugs
• A new way of modeling autism traits across populations has advantages over previous methods. Molecular Autism 

Science and society

• An inclusion program in an airport that started with autism has expanded to people with mechanical heart pumps. Northern Kentucky Tribune
• One fix for reproducibility problems in research is stating planned methods and statistical analyses ahead of time — but researchers don’t always stick to their plans or disclose their changes. Science
• The drug pitolisant, which treats narcolepsy, seems to normalize the sleep-wake cycles and improve the daily functioning of children with Prader-Willi syndrome. The New York Times
• Native American groups are leery of participating in the National Institutes of Health effort to create a million-person biobank of DNA and health information. Science
• A parent advocate argues that inclusive classrooms benefit both disabled and typical students. Education Week
• Autistic people object to two falsehoods that anti-vaxxers propagate — that vaccines cause autism and that autism is a terrible fate. BuzzFeed News
• Here are four tips for companies aiming to hire and support people with disabilities. Harvard Business Review 

Autism and the arts

• High-tech touchable art, which can make fine art more accessible, was on display this week at the American Alliance of Museums trade show in New Orleans. The Detroit News
• A one-person play called “I, Christopher,” about an autistic man’s struggles in life, premieres this week at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Montreal Gazette