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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Viewpoint

Expert opinions on trends and controversies in autism research.

Previous articles
April 2020
Family inside house--boy is having a meltdown--parents are watching and mom is making a call for advice or support.

Coronavirus tool kit may aid families with autistic children during lockdown

by ,  /  21 April 2020

To help families cope with the sudden loss of professional support during the pandemic, one team in France has created a set of resources and information.

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March 2020

How to run a lab from home during a pandemic

by  /  31 March 2020

While much of the world’s operations have sputtered to a halt, some labs have found ways to keep science moving forward.

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Caregiver and person with autism are inside a delicate protected sphere, while the COVID19 virus looms all around them.

How governments should maintain disability services during the pandemic

by  /  24 March 2020

People with disabilities are at increased risk of medical and other complications from coronavirus infection. There is a lot that governments can do to help them.

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an onscreen app compares developmental milestones for more accurate early autism diagnosis.

How online training may help detect autism earlier

by ,  /  17 March 2020

Providing training for primary-care clinicians and for families can go a long way to lowering the average age of autism diagnosis and helping children get the services they need.

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Illustration shows classroom scene with adults learning about relationships and sex.

Why adults with autism need sex education

by  /  13 March 2020

Too few students with autism or intellectual disabilities have sex education. That omission may prevent them from forming fulfilling romantic relationships, and it may make them targets of abuse.

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Telehealth may enable remote participation in autism trials

by  /  3 March 2020

Some families do not have the financial ability or time to participate in clinical trials for autism. New technologies may enable them to participate from their homes.

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February 2020

How normative modeling can reframe autism’s heterogeneity

by ,  /  25 February 2020

Normative modeling could capture variability among autistic people and allow for individualized assessments.

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iphone held up to crowd shows MRIs of people nearby

Why concern about facial recognition from brain scans is overblown

by  /  18 February 2020

Can brain scans, in the wrong hands, compromise research participants’ identity? The risk is minimal.

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Female researcher with autism looks at distorted view of herself among scientists papers, flying around the distorted face

Why autism research needs more input from autistic people

by  /  11 February 2020

Too many scientists fail to acknowledge autistic people’s potential contributions to the field. This shortsightedness damages scientists’ ability to help people.

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January 2020
Two silhouettes, of child and an adult in a twilight colored setting. We can see inside the brain and interactions with medicine and the brain. The child's head is surrounded by clouds and the adult head is in the clear.

Why serotonin medications may yet help children with autism

by  /  28 January 2020

A class of medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder seems to ease compulsive behaviors in adults with autism. Why can’t we tell if these medications work similarly in children with the condition?

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