Expert opinions on trends and controversies in autism research.
My experience at the Autism-Europe International Congress — and as a parent of a child with profound autism — makes me more convinced than ever that we need to bifurcate the diagnosis of ‘autism spectrum disorder’ and add a new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ to better serve this vulnerable population.
My recommendations aim to foster a collaborative relationship between researchers and the Autistic community, resulting in an increase in the availability of genetic data.
The field of ABA needs more compassion and individualization.
Scientists must focus on the importance of representative study samples and of engaging with diverse autism community members.
Among people who carry the fragile X premutation, about 14 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls meet the criteria for autism, but the ‘broad autism phenotype’ may be far more common.
To think that what we are witnessing now in Ukraine is far removed from the world of autism would be a huge mistake.
Without it, autistic adults with high support needs like my son are missing out on treatments that could reduce their suffering and improve their quality of life.
The researchers attempted to retroactively identify signs of autism in people who died by suicide, but their analysis is not convincing.
The paper relied on parent-reported data and adjusted for few potentially confounding variables.
Motor differences are more relevant than has historically been appreciated for understanding, assessing and supporting people on the spectrum.
Autistic adults are especially prone to contracting COVID-19 and to having complications from it. We need mitigation strategies and vaccination policies to better protect them.
