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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: behavioral interventions

June 2013
Illustration of a fetus in utero.

Clinical research: Placenta’s structure signals autism risk

by  /  7 June 2013

Abnormal cells in the placenta, usually discarded at birth, may be early indicators of autism, suggests a study published 22 April in Biological Psychiatry.

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May 2013

Music for maladies

by  /  31 May 2013

The lack of substantial evidence to support the use of music therapies for autism limits its implementation in schools and clinics, says Anjana Bhat.
 

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How do we take the long view on autism?

by  /  20 May 2013

The precious few long-term studies of autism have produced unique insight into the development and ultimate outcomes of the disorder. How can we encourage more of them?

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Encouraging speech

by  /  14 May 2013

Little evidence supports the use of sign language for nonverbal children with autism, but other therapies show promise, says a review published 24 April in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience.

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Photograph of a father measuring his daughter’s height against a doorway.

Long-term studies track how autism changes with age

by  /  13 May 2013

A handful of long-term studies, each including up to several hundred participants, have followed people with autism for close to two decades. As the children in some of these studies come of age, researchers are piecing together the disorder’s trajectories.

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Behavioral therapy normalizes activity in autism brains

by  /  2 May 2013

Pivotal response training, a form of behavioral therapy for autism, alters brain activity in children with the disorder, normalizing it in some regions and triggering compensatory activity in others, according to a small study. The unpublished results were presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

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April 2013

Infant therapy

by  /  26 April 2013

An intervention designed to help infants at high risk for autism also improves interactions between parents and their children, says a study published 27 March in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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March 2013

Dolphin trainer for a day

by  /  22 March 2013

In a virtual world, children with autism can become dolphin trainers, using gestures to elicit flips and leaps, and perhaps learning to communicate at the same time.

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Horse therapy

by  /  15 March 2013

Riding horses may help children with autism learn to trust others, says a study published 1 February in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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February 2013

Optimal outcome

by  /  15 February 2013

Some children classified as having autism outgrow their diagnosis, but it’s not yet clear why this group does better, says Cathy Lord.

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