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Treatments

Efforts to ease the symptoms of autism are beginning to ramp up, with promising candidates in various stages of testing.

Preschoolers with autism get few hours of evidence-based therapies

by Lauren Schenkman / 14 May 2020

Autistic preschoolers may get too little therapy and too much medication, according to a new study.

Telehealth may enable remote participation in autism trials

by Shafali Spurling Jeste / 3 March 2020

Some families do not have the financial ability or time to participate in clinical trials for autism. New technologies may enable them to participate from their homes.

Alzheimer’s protein turns up as potential target for autism treatments

by Laura Dattaro / 2 March 2020

Lowering the levels of a protein called tau, best known for its involvement in Alzheimer's disease, improves behavior in two mouse models of autism.

February 2020

Melatonin may ease autistic children’s sleep troubles

by Laura Dattaro / 27 February 2020

Melatonin appears to be safe for long-term use in autistic children who have difficulty sleeping.

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An illustration with warm colors shows a pill bottle on its side with dice, rather than pills, spilling out of it.

How aripiprazole’s promise for treating autism fell short

by Hannah Furfaro / 19 February 2020

Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

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Sponsors of clinical trials may report data late or never

by Emily Anthes / 10 February 2020

Many clinical trials, including those related to autism, do not report their results within a year of their completion.

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child with someone sleeping in cloud-like brain

Sleep problems in autism, explained

by Hannah Furfaro / 6 February 2020

Many people with autism have difficulty falling and staying asleep, but there may be ways to help them.

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January 2020

Two silhouettes, of child and an adult in a twilight colored setting. We can see inside the brain and interactions with medicine and the brain. The child's head is surrounded by clouds and the adult head is in the clear.

Why serotonin medications may yet help children with autism

by Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele / 28 January 2020

A class of medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder seems to ease compulsive behaviors in adults with autism. Why can’t we tell if these medications work similarly in children with the condition?

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News

Studies find thin evidence for early autism therapies

by Peter Hess / 15 January 2020

Few of the most popular early treatments for autism are supported by strong evidence, according to two new studies.

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PANDAS is a big category with elastic borders absorbing autism and Tourettes syndrome

Features / Deep Dive

How a controversial condition called PANDAS is gaining ground on autism

by Brendan Borrell / 8 January 2020

Some scientists say an immune condition called PANDAS affects as many as 1 in 200 children who have traits similar to those of autism. But many experts contest that figure — and even the condition’s very existence.