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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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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.

May 2013

How do we take the long view on autism?

by  /  20 May 2013

The precious few long-term studies of autism have produced unique insight into the development and ultimate outcomes of the disorder. How can we encourage more of them?

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Encouraging speech

by  /  14 May 2013

Little evidence supports the use of sign language for nonverbal children with autism, but other therapies show promise, says a review published 24 April in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience.

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How can parents help shape autism research?

by  /  13 May 2013

We check in with the community about building more efficient bridges between families affected by autism and the scientists seeking its cure.

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Photograph of a father measuring his daughter’s height against a doorway.

Long-term studies track how autism changes with age

by  /  13 May 2013

A handful of long-term studies, each including up to several hundred participants, have followed people with autism for close to two decades. As the children in some of these studies come of age, researchers are piecing together the disorder’s trajectories.

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Parents turn their skills to furthering autism research

by  /  9 May 2013

Most parents educate themselves as much as possible when their child is diagnosed with a disorder. A handful of others — in many cases, mothers — have devoted their professional lives to research on autism-related disorders.

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Flora Vaccarino on iPS cells and autism neurobiology

 /  15 May 2013

Watch the complete replay of Flora Vaccarino describing how to model brain development using induced pluripotent stem cells. Submit your own follow-up questions.

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Statins improve symptoms of Rett syndrome in mice

by  /  4 May 2013

Defects in cholesterol metabolism may influence the severity of Rett syndrome, suggesting a treatment for the autism-related disorder, according to research presented Thursday at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

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Risky exposures

by  /  3 May 2013

Two large studies confirm that the use of antidepressants or the epilepsy drug valproate by pregnant women raises the risk of autism in their children.

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Reward study questions autism mouse model’s relevance

by  /  2 May 2013

The BTBR mouse model, an asocial strain often used to study autism, may not be optimal for autism research, suggests an unpublished study presented today at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

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Behavioral therapy normalizes activity in autism brains

by  /  2 May 2013

Pivotal response training, a form of behavioral therapy for autism, alters brain activity in children with the disorder, normalizing it in some regions and triggering compensatory activity in others, according to a small study. The unpublished results were presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

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