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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.

May 2011

Trendsetters

by  /  6 May 2011

Of 72 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, 7 work either directly on autism or in related areas, illustrating the growing intellectual breadth and depth of the field.

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Unequal rights

by  /  3 May 2011

Things are getting better for women in science, but we are still far from a world in which gender is irrelevant.

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Clinical research: Theater improves social skills in children with autism

by  /  3 May 2011

Children with autism who participate in a specialized drama program show improvements in face identification and theory of mind, the ability to infer what others are thinking, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Family support group urges brain donations for research

by  /  2 May 2011

Family support groups may be the best messengers to convey the urgent need for brain tissue in autism research, say scientists struggling with inadequate resources.

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April 2011

To catch a thief

by  /  29 April 2011

A high-profile autism researcher has been indicted for stealing more than $1 million in autism research money.

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Odd men out

by  /  26 April 2011

Animal research hints that sex hormones may be responsible for the gender bias in autism. More research is needed in people to back this up, says a new review.

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Analysis finds weak evidence for most autism treatments

by  /  25 April 2011

Only a small fraction of autism therapies are supported by robust scientific evidence, according to three reviews published in the May issue of Pediatrics.

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Sudden deaths in autism and epilepsy baffle researchers

by  /  21 April 2011

A mysterious cluster of sudden deaths among young people who had a genetic syndrome is drawing attention to the high rate of unexplained deaths in individuals with autism and epilepsy.

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Social epidemic

by  /  19 April 2011

As awareness about autism has spread in California, lower-income families have become more likely to seek a diagnosis of autism, says a new study.

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Genetics: Small chromosome changes are rare, inherited

by  /  13 April 2011

Small duplications or deletions of DNA regions — called micro-copy number variations — may not lead directly to disease, but could raise the risk of autism when combined with other mutations, according to a study published in March in the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics.

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