Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Q&A

Conversations with experts about noteworthy topics in autism.

Previous articles
August 2021
Image shows two young girls, identical twins, covering their faces with leaves while facing each other.

Q&A with John Constantino: Solving the biomarker conundrum

by  /  3 August 2021

Biological factors that reflect autism’s roots may differ from those that influence how severe the condition is. Failure to make a distinction has stymied the search for biomarkers.

Comments
July 2021
Illustration shows certain states with multiple connections to people and other states

Q&A with Matthew Maenner: Estimating autism prevalence quickly

by  /  13 July 2021

A new method to track autism prevalence in 11 U.S. states is twice as fast as the old approach — and yields similar results.

Comments
Brain composed of mulit-colored post-its

Q&A with Richard Bethlehem: What goes into a Brainhack

by  /  9 July 2021

Brainhack conferences offer talks and hands-on tutorials, and unite small groups of interdisciplinary researchers to work on open-source neuroscience projects.

Comments
June 2021
Scientist with diagnostic tool, looking at many different choices, including the number 6.

How two graduate students uncovered a critical error in autism screening guidelines

by  /  22 June 2021

Spectrum spoke to the researchers who uncovered an error in autism screening guidelines that have been in use for nearly a decade.

Comments
Brain and marijuana leaves

Q&A with Eric Hollander: Cannabis treatments for autism

by  /  8 June 2021

As cannabis prohibition slowly lifts in the United States, scientists and families in the autism community are increasingly turning to the drug and its constituent compounds to ease autism-related difficulties, including seizures and irritability.

Comments
May 2021

Q&A with Sébastien Jacquemont and Clara Moreau: Why brain imaging signatures for autism are so elusive

by  /  20 May 2021

The field of neuroimaging will need to combine two strategies before it can find patterns of brain activity or structure unique to autism, the researchers say.

Comments
April 2021
Macaques on dead trees on Cayo Santiago.

Friends of friends: How monkey island’s residents bonded after Hurricane Maria

by  /  13 April 2021

On 20 September 2017, Hurricane Maria passed over Puerto Rico’s Cayo Santiago Island, home to more than 1,500 non-native rhesus macaques. After the storm, the monkeys formed new, unexpected relationships in ways that could offer clues about autism.

Comments
Child in an MEG machine

Making neuroimaging accessible for more autistic children

by  /  6 April 2021

A new protocol aims to help researchers include more autistic people — especially those who are minimally verbal or have intellectual disability — in imaging studies.

Comments
March 2021
Colorful illustration shows two researchers examining messy data.

How to safeguard online data collection against fraud

by  /  30 March 2021

When autism researcher Clare Harrop tried to recruit survey participants over social media, she received hundreds of fraudulent responses. But there are ways researchers can protect themselves from similar experiences.

Comments
Hands of researcher in two colors, one hand with Fragile X and the other with COIVD shapes connected by multicolored dots.

Fragile X researcher takes on COVID-19

by  /  2 March 2021

Cara Westmark has spent the past year building the case that a drug designed for fragile X syndrome might help coronavirus patients, too.

Comments

Browse Articles by Topic

Click on the arrows or swipe to view topics.
  • Genes

    Genes

  • The Brain

    The Brain

  • Diagnosis

    Diagnosis

  • Signs and Symptoms

    Signs & Symptoms

  • Treatments

    Treatments

  • Environment

    Environment

  • Science and Society

    Science & Society