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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Science & Society

From funding decisions to scientific fraud, a wide range of societal factors shape autism research.

March 2014

Are girls really protected from autism?

by  /  31 March 2014

Do genetic differences or diagnostic biases account for the gender imbalance in autism? Catherine Lord, David Skuse and Angelica Ronald weigh in.

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New spike in autism numbers may reflect rise in awareness

by  /  31 March 2014

About 1 in 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists from the organization reported Thursday.

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Autism abounds in ‘deprived’ neighborhoods

by  /  28 March 2014

Children living in low-income neighborhoods with high unemployment rates are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than are children who live in high-income communities, reports a large Swedish study published 26 February in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

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Autism characteristics differ by gender, studies find

by  /  27 March 2014

Two studies published in the past month lend support to the notion that autism looks different in girls than it does in boys, making it harder to recognize and diagnose in girls. The studies reflect growing suspicion in the research community that the underlying biology and the experiences of girls with autism may both be distinct.

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Study questions effectiveness of autism screen in toddlers

by  /  24 March 2014

A widely used screen for autism identifies only one-third of children at 18 months who are later diagnosed with the disorder, reports a large Norwegian study published 18 February in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology.

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Rising awareness may explain spike in autism diagnoses

by  /  17 March 2014

Young boys continue to have the highest rate of autism diagnoses, but Danish doctors are diagnosing more girls, teenagers and adults with the disorder than they did in the mid-1990s. That’s the finding from a 16-year study published 20 February in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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School, healthcare costs add up for children with autism

by  /  14 March 2014

Families and schools spend about $17,000 more per year on a child with autism than they do on a typically developing child, reports a study published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

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Genetics: Fragile X mutation leads to syndrome

by  /  11 March 2014

A teenager with fragile X syndrome carries a rare mutation that changes a single amino acid in the FMRP protein, researchers reported 22 January in the European Journal of Human Genetics.

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Girls protected from autism, study suggests

by  /  10 March 2014

It takes more mutations to trigger autism in women than in men, which may explain why men are four times more likely to have the disorder, according to a study published 26 February in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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Sleep, mood woes weigh on obese children with autism

by  /  4 March 2014

Adding to the complications of autism, overweight and obese children with the disorder are prone to a host of other troubles, including depression, anxiety and sleep problems, reports a study published 2 February in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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