Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

topic /

Science & Society

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

October 2012
A white mouse against a blue background.

Catalog of mice cries aids quest to find their meaning

by  /  15 October 2012

One research team is cataloging the vocalizations of 1,000 different mice, and a second group is creating a tool that will allow researchers to distinguish calls made by several mice as they interact, according to two posters presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments

Handwriting study points to motor, memory problems in autism

by  /  15 October 2012

The wobbly handwriting of many children with autism may reflect differences in their brains’ motor and working memory systems, according to a poster presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments

Common variants, en masse, may add up to strong autism risk

by  /  15 October 2012

Individually, common genetic variants confer little risk for autism. But taken together, they may contribute significantly, predicts a statistical analysis published 15 October in Molecular Autism.

Comments

Neuroscience in NOLA

by  /  12 October 2012

After nine long years, the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting is returning to New Orleans. And SFARI.org’s reporters are ready to deliver the best advances in autism research that emerge.

Comments

New technologies may aid early detection of autism

by  /  8 October 2012

Emerging technologies and software may help assess the subtle behaviors, such as gaze or social gestures, that go awry in children with autism, researchers said at the Engineering and Autism conference earlier this month.

Comments

Automated analyses may improve study of social deficits

by  /  5 October 2012

Sophisticated eye-tracking tools and other technologies are making it easier to record and analyze social interactions, and may help researchers study social deficits in children with autism. Researchers debuted some of these tools 28 September at the Engineering and Autism conference in Los Angeles.

Comments

Short screening tool flags children with autism

by  /  3 October 2012

A subset of questions on two behavioral screens can distinguish children with autism from those with other developmental disorders, according to a study published 23 August in Autism.

Comments
September 2012

Economic imperative

by  /  21 September 2012

The cost of caring for individuals with autism increases throughout childhood and adolescence, by approximately five percent with each year of age.

Comments

Crystal ball

by  /  14 September 2012

Want to predict your future? An algorithm promises to foretell your success in five years’ time.

Comments
A person wearing blue jeans and black sneakers walks next to a series of arrows placed on the ground.

Video technology reveals autism gait is symmetrical

by  /  12 September 2012

Researchers have used a motion-capture system to show that children with autism do not rely on one side of the body more than the other when walking. Their findings were published in the 2012 issue of Autism Research Treatment.

Comments