The biological causes of autism are still not understood. A diagnosis of autism is only possible after ages three or four; and the tests are subjective, based on behavioral symptoms. Now, in research that appeared in Neuron, scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of California, San Diego have […]
Researchers now have a much clearer understanding of how mutations in a single gene can produce the complex cognitive deficits characteristic of Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability. As the majority of patients with Fragile X Syndrome also display autism-like symptoms, the findings offer hope for treating both conditions. The […]
Children and adults with social withdrawal due to Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability and the most common known single gene cause of autism, may benefit from an experimental drug under study by pediatric neurologists at Rush Children’s Hospital at Rush University Medical Center. Rush is the only site in […]
An experimental drug to treat social withdrawal in children and young adults with autism is being studied in a clinical trial at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Juvenile Research. Children with autism – or autism spectrum disorders – often have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. Although behavioral and psychological interventions are […]
Siblings of people with autism show a similar pattern of brain activity to that seen in people with autism when looking at emotional facial expressions. The University of Cambridge researchers identified the reduced activity in a part of the brain associated with empathy and argue it may be a ‘biomarker’ for a familial risk of […]
Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, especially during the first trimester, is associated with a modest increase the risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, according to a report published Online First in the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The research was conducted by Lisa A. Croen, Ph.D., of Kaiser […]
Autism Speaks Weatherstone Pre-Doctoral Fellows M. Ali Bangash, a 2009 fellow, and Mehreen Kouser, a 2010 fellow, recently published new findings in the journal Cell that shed light on the biology of autism. Their research is based on a mouse model that mimics a human mutation of a gene that is known to be associated […]
Autism Speaks, the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism have joined HP’s “Hacking Autism” initiative, which seeks new ideas for touch technology applications beneficial to people with autism. “Hacking Autism” will crowd source ideas for applications from all across the autism community, including families and practitioners, […]
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