Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: motor skills

July 2023
Research image of neurons.

Abundant motor proteins disrupt cries in FOXP2 mice

by ,  /  28 July 2023

Knocking down the gene that codes for the proteins normalizes the vocalizations.

Comments
June 2023
Week of JuneJun
26th
2023

Spotted around the web: Synthetic embryos; Angelman gene therapy

by ,  /  30 June 2023

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 26 June.

Comments
March 2023
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Registered reports; motor measurements; viral DNA

by  /  16 March 2023

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, Spectrum talks with a Nature editor about the journal’s move to publish more null results.

Comments
Photograph of a doctor taking notes on a toddler who is playing with their mother.

Journal Club: Meta-analysis oversells popular autism screen

by  /  14 March 2023

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) accurately flags autistic toddlers, a new systematic review and meta-analysis suggests, contrary to past evidence that the tool’s validity varies depending on a child’s age and traits. Experts weigh in on the discrepancy.

Comments
January 2023
Headshots of Melissa Licari, Somer Bishop, Jana Iverson, Anjana Bhat and Audrey Thurm.

Should motor impairment be added to the diagnostic criteria for autism?

by  /  11 January 2023

In light of growing evidence that motor challenges are common among people with autism, we asked five researchers how these problems fit into the definition of the condition.

Comments
October 2022

Beyond the bench: Mastering meaningful movement with Karen Chenausky

by  /  21 October 2022

The competitive rower-turned-researcher spoke to Spectrum about how trying out for the U.S. national rowing team and a subsequent coaching position shaped her study of speech development.

Comments
Photograph of a mouse nesting in a pile of hay.

Scoring mouse behaviors: Q&A with Michael Sidorov

by  /  17 October 2022

A new analysis package enables researchers to distill multiple measures of Angelman syndrome mice into a single ‘severity score.’

Comments
September 2022
Constantina Theofanopoulou strikes a dancer's pose in her lab.

Beyond the bench: Learning new moves with dancer-scientist Constantina Theofanopoulou

by  /  13 September 2022

Theofanopoulou shares how flamenco stepped up the pace of her social-communication research, and what’s behind the ‘no fear’ ethos in her new lab.

Comments
August 2022
Toddler stepping towards parent, in front of window.

What developmental milestones say about autism research: A conversation with Susan Kuo and Elise Robinson

by  /  10 August 2022

Shifts in diagnostic criteria have only added to the condition’s bedeviling heterogeneity, an analysis of smiling, sitting, walking and other early milestones in more than 17,000 autistic children reveals.

Comments
May 2022
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Sex bias and gender blend

by  /  9 May 2022

In this edition, a diagnostic measure shows no significant differences between sexes, and a survey confirms increased gender diversity among children with autism.

Comments