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Autism spectrum disorders news

Autism spectrum disorders

How autism rates are rising, and why that could lead to more inclusive communities

I can say from personal experience that being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder can feel very isolating. Increasingly, however, it's not unusual.

Health

Texas sues Tylenol makers over alleged autism link

The Texas attorney general announced a lawsuit Tuesday against the pharmaceutical companies behind Tylenol that echoes the Trump administration's allegations linking the painkiller to increased risk of autism.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autistic adults push back on 'fear-based' Trump rhetoric

Composer William Barnett started his YouTube channel as an outlet for his music—but today he also uses it to debunk the steady stream of White House rhetoric on autism while sharing his own experience living with it.

Autism spectrum disorders

FDA and Kenvue say no autism link to Tylenol use during pregnancy

The maker of Tylenol is urging U.S. health regulators not to add an autism warning label to it and other pain-relievers containing acetaminophen, calling the request "unsupported by the scientific evidence and legally and ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Why some autistic people don't speak

Around a third of autistic people—children and adults alike—are unable to share what they want using speech.

Medications

Five things to know about folinic acid and autism

As the Food and Drug Administration moves to make folinic acid an official treatment for a neurological condition associated with autism, parents want to know how it might help children with autism spectrum disorder.

Health

RFK Jr pushes fringe claim linking autism to circumcision

US President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Thursday promoted another fringe theory about autism—this time linking it to circumcision or to pain medication given for the procedure.

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

Using data science for early detection of autism

Autism spectrum disorder can be detected as early as six to twelve months old and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children be screened between twelve and eighteen months of age.

Autism spectrum disorders

More kids with autism may be doing well than thought

(HealthDay)—School-age children with autism may be faring better than commonly thought, with most "doing well" in at least some aspects of development, a new study suggests.

Autism spectrum disorders

Poor judgment of autistic adults

Autistic adults can be wrongly perceived as deceptive and lacking credibility, Flinders University researchers say, with this working against many caught in the legal system.

Autism spectrum disorders

PBS Kids celebrates Autism Awareness Month with new friends

A new child is introduced this month on the animated TV show "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum" who is a little different. He's sensitive to loud noises and he likes doing things his way, in his time.

Neuroscience

Researchers close in on root of slow motor learning in autism

Social deficits attract so much attention in the study of autism spectrum disorder, it's easy to forget there are motor learning deficits during early childhood as well. For autistic kids hoping to throw a ball around the ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Psychologists report an error in the NICE guidelines for autism

Reporting in the Lancet Psychiatry today, psychologists at the University of Bath highlight that a widely used technique for autism screening is being misused, which may have prevented many people from receiving an autism ...

Autism spectrum disorders

A tool for more inclusive autism screening

Screening tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often fail to identify ASD among children from low-income families and racial/ethnic minority groups, particularly when English is not the family's primary language. A new ...

Autism spectrum disorders

A review of how autistic people communicate virtually

Prior to COVID-19, communication via the internet was already a regular feature of everyday interactions for most people, including those on the autism spectrum. Various studies have shown how autistic people use information ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Are there differences in the brains of autistic men and women?

Around three times as many males are diagnosed with autism than females. This suggests that biological sex factors may play a role in the development and presentation of autism. Studies on the neurobiology (brain biology) ...

Autism spectrum disorders

2014 to 2019 saw increase in prevalence of autism in U.S. children

There was a slight increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among U.S. children from 2014 to 2019, with racial/ethnic disparities in trends, according to a research letter published online March 5 in JAMA ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Researchers use machine learning to identify autism blood biomarkers

Using machine learning tools to analyze hundreds of proteins, UT Southwestern researchers have identified a group of biomarkers in blood that could lead to an earlier diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ...

Neuroscience

'Mosaic' gene mutations could explain some cases of autism

The causes of autism remain mysterious. Scientists have linked autism spectrum disorder to a long list of genes, but most children with autism have no known explanation. Two new studies add to the picture, implicating mutations ...

Genetics

'Hidden biological link' among autism genes revealed in study

A new study of autism risk genes by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis—a process in which specialized "progenitor" cells give rise to new brain cells—in the development ...