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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Q&A

Conversations with experts about noteworthy topics in autism.

Previous articles
June 2015

Questions for Ari Ne’eman: Partnering with participants

by  /  16 June 2015

Autistic adults should be partners in the research process, not just ‘subjects’ in a study, says Ari Ne’eman.

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Questions for Maureen Durkin: Understanding autism’s rise

by  /  2 June 2015

Autism is undoubtedly on the rise, but we may never be able to fully explain why, says Maureen Durkin.
 

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May 2015

Questions for Miller, Kaplan: New neurons’ role in autism

by  /  12 May 2015

An autism-linked gene controls the number of neurons in the developing brain. Freda Miller and David Kaplan say the finding points to a new role for the gene in the early embryo.

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April 2015

Questions for Katherine Rauen: Cancer pathway’s autism link

by  /  28 April 2015

Clinicians saw autism signs in children with mutations in a cancer pathway long before sequencing studies made the connection, says Katherine Rauen.

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Questions for Larry Young: Oxytocin’s promise for autism

by  /  14 April 2015

Understanding how oxytocin works in the brain will help researchers cut through the hype surrounding the infamous ‘love hormone’ and translate it into a treatment for autism, says Larry Young.

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March 2015

Questions for Eric Klann: Translating treatments for fragile X

by  /  30 March 2015

Treatments for fragile X syndrome may be more successful if they block direct targets of the key missing protein, says Eric Klann.

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Questions for Deborah Fein: Defining ‘optimal outcome’

by  /  3 March 2015

Understanding why some children appear to outgrow their autism diagnosis may provide clues about the biology of the disorder but shouldn’t dictate treatment decisions, says Deborah Fein.

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February 2015
Young girl reading a book

Questions for Elizabeth Berry-Kravis: Measuring drug effects

by  /  17 February 2015

Drugs designed to treat fragile X syndrome have yet to show substantial benefits in people. But rather than abandon them, child neurologist Elizabeth Berry-Kravis suggests a new way to measure their effectiveness.

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January 2015

Questions for David Mandell: Curbing autism’s costs

by  /  20 January 2015

Existing autism therapies do little to lower the lifetime costs of having the disorder, so clinicians should consider more efficient and inexpensive alternatives, says David Mandell.

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Questions for Eric London: Alternative diagnoses for autism

by  /  2 January 2015

Names such as autism, schizophrenia and intellectual disability are ‘umbrella’ terms that muddy the search for the true cause of an individual’s symptoms, says Eric London. He plans to come up with an alternative diagnostic scheme for developmental disabilities over the next two years.

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  • Genes

    Genes

  • The Brain

    The Brain

  • Diagnosis

    Diagnosis

  • Signs and Symptoms

    Signs & Symptoms

  • Treatments

    Treatments

  • Environment

    Environment

  • Science and Society

    Science & Society