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Autism spectrum disorders news

Autism spectrum disorders

'Three-hit model' involving genes and environment describes possible causes of autism

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Autism spectrum disorders

Treating adults with autism: Clinical center offers national blueprint for care after pediatric transition

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often lose access to specialized care once they age out of pediatric services.

Neuroscience

Protein abnormality illuminates communication struggles in autism

A DGIST research team identified that the mutation of the collybistin protein found in autistic patients weakens the brain's inhibitory synaptic function and leads to communication deficiencies. The results of this research ...

Neuroscience

Study maps brain wiring differences in youth with autism

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have uncovered new insights into how brain wiring differs in children and young adults with ...

Autism spectrum disorders

What to know about the CDC's baseless new guidance on autism

The rewriting of a page on the CDC's website to assert the false claim that vaccines may cause autism sparked a torrent of anger and anguish from doctors, scientists, and parents who say Health and Human Services Secretary ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Vaccines 'don't cause autism': How scientists figured that out

In the late 1990s, a theory gripped parents around the world: What if childhood vaccines—particularly the combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine—cause autism? Nearly three decades later, the debunked theory has gained ...

Medications

Q&A: Autism and Tylenol

The federal administration offered health guidance at a press conference this week, urging pregnant women to avoid using the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen, marketed in the U.S. as Tylenol, saying use of the medication ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Identity distress fuels mental health issues in autism

A new study from the Department of Psychology at Durham University has found that identity distress (difficulty forming a cohesive identity) could be behind the higher rates of poor mental health experienced by autistic people.

Autism spectrum disorders

What research really says about autism

About two to three percent of all Americans—including adults and children—are autistic. With recent reports that autism rates are rising, potentially due to improved diagnosis, there's a lot of conflicting information ...

Neuroscience

IQ appears to affect ability to listen in noisy settings

You're in a bustling café with a friend. The din is making it hard to tune in to the conversation. The scenario might suggest you'd benefit from a hearing aid. On the other hand, new research suggests that speech-perception ...

Medications

White House autism-Tylenol link leads to confusion

President Donald Trump's announcement advising Americans against taking acetaminophen during pregnancy to avoid the chance of autism was met with pushback from some lawmakers, including a key GOP health figure.

Autism spectrum disorders

WHO sees no autism links to Tylenol, vaccines

Neither the painkiller Tylenol nor vaccines have been shown to cause autism, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, following comments from the US president and his administration to the contrary.

Autism spectrum disorders

Does taking paracetamol while pregnant cause autism? No, experts say

There is no scientific evidence showing that pregnant women taking the painkiller paracetamol causes autism in their children, medical experts and drug regulators have emphasized after Donald Trump claimed the two were linked.

Autism spectrum disorders

Trump ties autism risk to Tylenol as scientists urge caution

US President Donald Trump on Monday vehemently insisted that pregnant people should "tough it out" and avoid Tylenol over an unproven link to autism, and urged major changes to the standard vaccines administered to babies.

Medications

Trump administration to link Tylenol to autism

On Sept. 22, Trump administration officials plan to link the active ingredient in Tylenol to autism, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Autism spectrum disorders

Trump autism 'announcement' expected Monday

US President Donald Trump was expected Monday to deliver what the White House called "an announcement" about autism, having long voiced concern about the condition's prevalence and potential causes.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autism is lifelong. Here's what support looks like in adulthood

The government plans to redirect some children off the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and onto a new program called Thriving Kids. When announcing the change last month, health and disability minister Mark Butler ...