Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

topic /

Treatments

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

March 2021
Hands of researcher in two colors, one hand with Fragile X and the other with COIVD shapes connected by multicolored dots.

Fragile X researcher takes on COVID-19

by  /  2 March 2021

Cara Westmark has spent the past year building the case that a drug designed for fragile X syndrome might help coronavirus patients, too.

Comments
February 2021

Advancing early interventions for autism

by  /  9 February 2021

Some therapies use play and other activities to reinforce skills that autistic children often find challenging. Trials show these methods can change a child’s trajectory for the better, but the evidence base remains thin.

Comments
January 2021
Pills spilling out of falling prescription bottle.

Spectrum reporting prompts new review of common drug

by  /  29 January 2021

Aripiprazole, an antipsychotic medication marketed as Abilify, eases aggressive behavior in autistic children, but questions remain about its side effects.

Comments

Method may improve safety of gene therapies targeting the brain

by  /  28 January 2021

A new approach for delivering gene therapy to the brain reduces nerve damage in primates and could help make gene therapies for conditions related to autism safer.

Comments

New gene therapy methods deliver promise

by  /  14 January 2021

Two unpublished studies detail improved techniques for delivering gene therapies to the brain.

Comments
Two mice in a rotarod machine

Mouse study sounds note of caution for Rett syndrome therapies

by  /  13 January 2021

Treatments for Rett syndrome that aim to boost levels of the protein MECP2 may not help everyone with the condition.

Comments
two mice interacting.

Mice show brain, behavior changes weeks after oxytocin treatment

by  /  11 January 2021

Intranasal oxytocin may spur new neuron growth and changes in social behavior after a few weeks.

Comments
December 2020
Protein in brain

Drug helps mice with autism-linked mutation recognize others

by  /  21 December 2020

Mice that model 22q11.2 deletion syndrome lack social memory, but that trait can be reversed using a drug that targets the flow of potassium ions in neurons.

Comments
November 2020
Owen leaving his home for a bike ride, followed by his therapists and teachers.

Owen’s odyssey: A year and a half after an autism diagnosis

by  /  25 November 2020

This is part 2 of Owen’s story. It tracks his early progress in treatment for autism. Part 1 described his difficult path to a diagnosis.

Comments
Young boy looking upset, sits on couch with crossed arms.

Errors of omission: Why we are deeply concerned about research on autism therapies

Studies of autism treatments rarely report adverse events, and the scientists involved often fail to disclose their conflicts of interest.

Comments