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Autism spectrum disorders news

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.

Autism spectrum disorders

Survey shows only 36% of neurologists identify motor deficits as part of autism diagnosis

A new UCLA Health study highlights concerning gaps in how child neurologists understand and address motor difficulties in children with autism, despite research showing these movement problems affect the majority of autistic ...

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

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 ...

Autism spectrum disorders

HHS clarifies: No new autism registry will be created

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it will not create a new autism registry, reversing an earlier announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Genetics

Predicting how an autistic child will develop cognitively

Will a child who's evaluated for autism later develop an intellectual disability? Can this be accurately predicted? Early-childhood experts in Quebec say they've have come up with a better way to find out.

Genetics

Study reveals new genetic mechanism behind autism development

Scientists from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) have uncovered a genetic link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a rare genetic condition called myotonic dystrophy ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Gut-brain link may affect behavior in children with autism

A new USC study suggests that gut imbalances in children with autism may create an imbalance of metabolites in the digestive system—ultimately disrupting neurotransmitter production and influencing behavioral symptoms.

Neuroscience

Autism: The neural origin of the social bond

From birth, human survival depends on the ability to engage with others. This ability, which is essential for development, seems to be impaired very early on in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who show limited ...

Autism spectrum disorders

CBD could calm kids with autism

A non-intoxicating extract of cannabis appears to help children and teenagers with autism, a new study says.

Autism spectrum disorders

RFK Jr's autism 'epidemic' study raises anti-vaxx fears

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement of a vast study to reveal the cause of a so-called autism "epidemic" has alarmed medical experts, who fear it could rekindle thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Exploring the unique needs and experiences of autistic mothers

An article by researchers at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló published in the journal Autism in adulthood has collected some of the needs detected in autistic women regarding motherhood. Among them, the shortage of professionals ...