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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion

Conversations on the science of autism research.

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Building bridges: Collaboration across the autism community

by ,  /  24 October 2023

An autistic person and the mother of an autistic child explore partnership in the autism community.

A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation

Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan

by  /  11 September 2023
A new individualized approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation may one day be an effective treatment for social and communication difficulties, if the results from Duan’s small preliminary trial pan out.
Justin West holding his son.

Progress amid setbacks in drug trials for rare forms of epilepsy: Q&A with Justin West

by  /  30 August 2023
Despite grave side effects, it’s vital to keep developing treatments for rare genetic forms of childhood epilepsy, says West, president of the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation and father of a son with the condition.
Young child stacks colored blocks on a table.

High prevalence of developmental delay strains Australia’s support systems

by  /  1 September 2023
The nation needs to build capacity to support the roughly 20 percent of children in Australia who have developmental delay.

Latest Opinion

A preschool-age child plays with a vertical sensory board to which colorful moving objects are attached.

Common sensory response scores may miss important variations

by ,  /  22 February 2024

A person’s “overall” score on sensory-seeking, hyperreactive or hyporeactive tendencies may obscure nuances in their individual sensory experience.

An illustration of a magnifying glass, checklists, and anonymous figures.

‘Prototypical autism’ research is likely a dead end

by , ,  /  25 January 2024

Efforts to define “frank” or “classic” forms of the condition build on several assumptions that the science has not yet borne out.

A person stands in front of a neatly organized dresser drawer

Teasing apart insistence on sameness with Mirko Uljarević

by  /  30 October 2023

The hallmark autism trait has multiple facets, Uljarević and his colleagues have found.

A scientist looks into a microscope

Raising the bar for stem cell research: Q&A with Jack Mosher

by  /  10 October 2023

New quality benchmarks for basic research involving stem cells promise to improve rigor and reproducibility, says Mosher, who helped develop the standards.

A group of elementary school children run toward the entrance of a school, their backs turned to the camera.

Journal club: Why do some children lose their autism diagnosis?

by  /  9 October 2023

More than one-third of a cohort of autistic toddlers no longer meet criteria for the condition at school age, according to a new study, but the findings may not generalize because the cohort is predominantly white and affluent.

A dentist examines a young girl’s teeth.

Easing sensory sensitivities in the clinic: Q&A with Leah Stein Duker

by  /  30 June 2023

Dentist or doctor visits can overwhelm autistic children with sensory sensitivities. Occupational therapy can help, Stein Duker says.

Illustration of a watch with the face taken up by an MRI scan of a brain.

Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults

by  /  19 May 2023

Few studies have tracked how brain structure and function change across adulthood in people with autism. Carper and her colleagues are collecting data to fill this gap.

Three people stand on a staircase and contemplate a maze-like array of paths in the sky before them.

What kind of autism research should we do, and where should we do it?

by  /  3 May 2023

Researchers at INSAR 2023 need to discuss these questions and remember that the purpose of research may be different for different communities.

Autism researcher Veronica Martinez Cereno holds a brain in her lab.

Beyond the bench: At school with Verónica Martínez Cerdeño

by  /  1 May 2023

Spectrum caught up with the University of California, Davis professor about her passion for volunteering in underserved schools, birding and fossil-hunting.

Photograph of a woman in a dim room looking out her window.

Weaponized heterogeneity only harms the most vulnerable autistic people

by  /  17 April 2023

Focusing on aspects of autistic experience that we all share may lead more quickly to our shared goal of improved outcomes for all autistic people.

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