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Autism spectrum disorders news

Neuroscience

Study links gene-regulating brain circuit formation to autism and seizures

The gene neuropilin2 encodes a receptor involved in cell-cell interactions in the brain and plays a key role in regulating the development of neural circuits. Neuropilin2 controls migration of inhibitory neurons as well as ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Study shows autistic individuals enrolled in Medicaid and receiving federal housing support grew 70% from 2008–16

Affordable and stable housing is critical to improving health across a person's lifespan. People with disabilities, including autism, comprise a significant share of people in need of housing assistance. However, the intersection ...

Genetics

New findings expand genetic knowledge of autism underpinnings

Hundreds of novel genetic variants across an ancestrally diverse cohort of 195 families, including 222 people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have been identified by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, expanding ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Autism diagnoses rising among U.S. children, adults

Big surges in new autism diagnoses among young adults, as well a rise in diagnoses for girls and young women, have driven a near-tripling of U.S. autism cases in just over a decade, researchers report.

Autism spectrum disorders

How autism is diagnosed

According to the advocacy group Autism Speaks, one in every 36 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Autism spectrum disorders

Study reveals microbiome changes linked to autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by decreased social communication and repetitive behaviors, has long intrigued scientists seeking to unravel its underlying mechanisms. Researchers ...

Autism spectrum disorders

New UK report reveals autism assessment and support crisis

A report published today (Friday 2 February) by the Child of the North initiative—led by the N8 Research Partnership and former Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield's new Center for Young Lives think tank, reveals a crisis ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Clues to autism's causes may lie in the gut

Professor Alessio Fasano, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, has several relatives and friends raising children with autism—a neurological disorder characterized by impaired social behavior—so ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Identifying the barriers to communication in children with autism

Approximately 30% of individuals with autism do not develop speech that is sufficient for meeting the communication demands of everyday life. People with autism and little to no functional speech rely on augmentative and ...