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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Diagnosis

Diagnosing autism is an evolving science but a crucial first step to understanding the disorder.

September 2017
Toddler playing with stacking colorful beads on a toy.

Australia’s new autism diagnosis guidelines may miss the mark

by , ,  /  12 September 2017

The presumption of the new report is that standardizing the method of diagnosis will address the problem of diagnostic uncertainty, but is it asking the right question?

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An Ethiopian family sitting for a portrait.

Studies highlight need to adapt autism tests for African cultures

by  /  11 September 2017

Some of the items on a common diagnostic test for autism do not translate well to African cultures.

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Children in pre-school sitting around a learning circle.

South African children with autism may lack access to schools

by  /  8 September 2017

Only about 0.1 percent of children in the Western Cape province of South Africa have autism, according to a review of school records.

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August 2017
Silhouetted portrait of a young boy

New diagnosis covers ‘borderlands’ of autism spectrum

by  /  28 August 2017

Children with social communication disorder have the same features as children with autism; they just have fewer of the features.

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Large colorful geometric shaped toys with children balancing on them.

What baby siblings can teach us about autism

by  /  16 August 2017

Studies of infants at risk for autism have not yielded a test to predict who will eventually be diagnosed. But they have transformed our understanding of the condition.

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Parents sitting their child down for a serious conversation.

Parental concern may skew scores on autism test

by  /  14 August 2017

A widely used test for diagnosing autism may miss children whose parents are not concerned that their child may have the condition.

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Illustration: a child stands in the center of a crowd, looking confused.

Rethinking regression in autism

by  /  2 August 2017

The loss of abilities that besets some toddlers with autism is probably less sudden and more common than anyone thought.

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July 2017

School survey in India reveals low autism prevalence

by  /  12 July 2017

Roughly 23 of every 10,000 children in India have autism, according to the country’s first rigorous estimate of autism prevalence.

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Illustration: a brightly colored child stands among dark, shadowy figures.

The social ties between autism and schizophrenia

by  /  12 July 2017

Autism and schizophrenia share a long and tangled history. Comparing the social features of the two conditions could lead to better treatments and a deeper understanding of each.

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Regional autism rates point to impact of awareness, training

by  /  10 July 2017

The odds of getting an autism diagnosis depend on where in the United States a person lives.

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