Autism research at the crossroads
The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field.
The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field.
Applied behavior analysis, the most common intervention for children diagnosed with autism, is the subject of an intense debate between practitioners and neurodiversity advocates.
The field of ABA needs more compassion and individualization.
People who have ‘profound autism’ — those with severe intellectual disability, limited communication abilities or both — tend to be excluded from research. The Autism Science Foundation seeks to change that.
The findings contradict a previous study, whose design may have been biased to find an effect.
As 2021 comes to a close, Spectrum recaps some of the biggest trends in autism science this year: studies of sex differences, noncoding regions of the genome and points of convergence, as well as efforts to improve screening and participatory research.
Disparities in state services for autism are driving families to relocate. But not everyone can afford to move, and others find that their new home also has faults.
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.
Poor communication skills predict aggression in autistic boys, according to a new study. In autistic girls, communication and aggression may not be related.
Researchers are just beginning to learn what happens in the brains of autistic children during adolescence to explain their unique social, cognitive and emotional challenges.