Autism News & Features

Very few people with autism receive two recommended genetic tests, a new study finds.

The coronavirus pandemic can be especially difficult for children and adults with autism and their families, experts say.

A child with an uncle or aunt with autism appears to have a more than doubled risk of being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder themselves, a new U.S. government-funded study reports.

The study didn't identify a heightened risk for autism per se among boys, but rather a "small" increase in the chance for developing certain autism-related traits by age 3 or 4.

If replicated in future trials, the drug treatment might be a breakthrough, since current treatments for autism in preschool kids are mainly behavioral -- therapies such as using play and activities with parents to improve a child's language, social and thinking skills.

The study, involving over 50 centers around the globe, identified 102 genes associated with ASD -- including a few dozen that had not been recognized before.

The study found that the brain waves of children with autism are, on average, 25% weaker (shallower) than those of children without autism.

The new guidelines reinforce the importance of routinely screening 18- and 24-month-olds for the condition, which now affects one in every 59 children.

New research shows that women who took  acetaminophen, best known as Tylenol, at the end of their pregnancies were much more likely to have child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism.

The study randomly compared use of the drug to a placebo over 16 weeks. In the end, the researchers saw no meaningful clinical benefits from the drug.

PRT is a set of behavioral techniques for motivating kids with autism to interact and communicate with other people during play activities and daily routines.

Prior studies had already implicated higher uterine concentrations of male sex hormones -- androgens -- in increasing the odds for an autism spectrum disorder.

A new study finds atypical eating behaviors -- such as hypersensitivity to food textures or pocketing food without swallowing -- in 70% of kids with autism. That's 15 times the rate typically found in children.

he largest study of its kind, involving more than 2 million people across five countries, finds that autism spectrum disorders are 80% reliant on inherited genes.

Researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine in Orlando found that high levels of propionic acid (PPA) -- used in processed foods to extend shelf life -- change nervous system development in the fetal brain

Parents of kids with autism should wait for more data before trying to treat them with medical marijuana, warned the lead researcher on the study.

In the study, young children whose normal development started to slip behind that of other kids appeared to be more likely to be later diagnosed with autism.

Two new studies focused on vasopressin, a hormone that has been implicated in the brain's ability to manage social behavior.

The gut-brain axis is a link that's getting more attention, said the study’s lead author, Ruth Ann Luna, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

All the children in the study had severe digestive issues, so once they were more comfortable perhaps they were better able to focus and learn. Healthier microorganisms in the gut also may send chemicals to the brain that help children learn and make connections.

Studying kids who have varying social and emotional processing skills may help identify the types of social situations that are more challenging for children with autism, the researchers said.

The study highlights the promise of digital technology in supporting face-to-face therapies for autism, experts said.

The study corroborates and builds on previous work, but it also suggests that not all children who are exposed to the same pesticides will go on to develop autism, one expert noted.

Doctors have known for decades that a small number of young children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder seem to outgrow it. The vast majority continue to face challenges and need support, said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Shulman.

Researchers found that kids with autism spectrum disorder were more than twice as likely to have serious problems getting quality sleep as kids without autism symptoms.