Gene-editing technique CRISPR can delete DNA linked to autism and schizophrenia from mouse brain cells. The technique may eventually be suitable for treating brain conditions in people.
#SfN19
We're looking for stories describing your experiences with autism around the world. We primarily want to hear from autistic people, but we're also interested in stories of families who have an autistic child who may not be able to speak for herself. community
@spectrumnews
.org
More and more autism researchers are starting to realize: When it comes to autism's core features, people on the spectrum may in fact be the best judges of their experience.
After decades of exclusion from decision-making in research, some autistic people are fiercely fighting for a seat at the table. But the issue is more complex than just a power struggle.
New mouse brain atlas allows scientists to simultaneously compare cell types, the connections between neurons and neuronal activity, and mark the boundaries of different brain regions.
Autistic people are four times as likely to experience depression over the course of their lives as their neurotypical peers. Yet researchers know little about why, or how best to help.
#SpectrumDeepDive
#FromTheArchives
A special announcement: When referring to people on the spectrum, our style has been to use person-first language. However, we’ve decided to start using person-first and identity-first language interchangeably. Learn more about this change:
#autism
"Pretending people with profound autism don’t exist by eliminating language to describe their symptoms is itself ableist," writes
@alisonsinger
in this Viewpoint.
@AutismScienceFd
Autistic writer Yuval Levental argues that medical disabilities such as seizures and gut problems are integral to many autistic people’s lives and neurodiversity advocates should not disregard them.
"Andrew Whitehouse never expected his work as an autism researcher to put him in danger. But that’s exactly what happened soon after he and his colleagues reported in 2020 that few autism interventions used in the clinic are backed by solid evidence."
Focusing on aspects of autistic experience that we all share may be more fruitful and lead more quickly to our shared goal of improved outcomes for all autistic people, writes Mary Doherty in this Viewpoint.
@AutisticDoctor
Some autistic people who have high IQs have trouble with basic tasks, such as loading a dishwasher. Which begs the question: Is it time to abandon the label 'high functioning autism?' A new study suggests yes.
@discoslimjim
@UncleChaps
@corncobTV
Hi there! We're sorry Spectrum canceled Corncob TV and the network’s number one show, Coffin Flop, but we are an autism research news site. Have a good day!
Viewpoint: Repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping and spinning may give
#autistic
people a sense of control; instead of discouraging these behaviors, therapists should address triggers upsetting to autistic people.
Study:
#Autistic
people do just fine navigating social interactions with other autistic people, in part because of their mutual acceptance of unconventional approaches.
Right now, training for interacting with people on the spectrum isn’t mandatory for many police officers. However, some departments are leading the change.
#autism
#autismawareness
Neuroscientist Gül Dölen experienced an existential crisis early in her career, but a breakthrough pulled her out. Read more about her work with psychedelic medicine and the octopus brain.
By
@PeterNHess
.
#neurotwitter
#medtwitter
#womeninmedicine
@EricIdle
@GetSpectrum
It’s okay. We forgive you, but mainly because one of the favorite movies of the person behind this account is The Meaning of Life :)
Congratulations to all of the researchers who are featured in this year's 40 under 40 list. Are there any not on our list whom you would have nominated?
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is tomorrow, 11 February. In celebration of the day, Spectrum is highlighting 31 women making a mark on autism research.
#February11
@WomenScienceDay
An intranasal form of the hormone oxytocin is no more effective than placebo at increasing social behaviors in autistic children, according to what may be the largest clinical trial of the treatment to date
Girls with
#autism
have a narrower range of restricted interests than
#autistic
boys do, and their interests have a more socially oriented focus — such as people or animals — researchers report.
‘Autistic burnout' is the intense physical, mental or emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by a loss of skills, that some adults with autism experience
A woman diagnosed with
#autism
in adulthood writes that executive function difficulties are her biggest problem — and they often seem invisible to others.
“Unfortunately, head motion is correlated with all sorts of variables of interest — almost all of them, including all neurological and psychiatric conditions,” says
@ndosenbach
.
By
@JefAkst
.
@biorxivpreprint
Last year,
@deevybee
retired from her position as a neuropsychology professor at Oxford, but she is still hard at work investigating unethical behavior in scientific research.
Canadian health officials are fighting back against homeopaths who claim to offer "complete elimination" of
#autism
and those who tout the myth that vaccines are linked to autism.
@CBCNews
reports.
Spectrum is proud to debut the first-ever global map of
#autism
prevalence! The interactive map provides a clear look at the distribution of studies on autism prevalence over time and space.
There is a missing generation of
#autistic
adults who have never been formally diagnosed.
#Autism
diagnosis involves navigating unique challenges — and a certain level of privilege.
@slooterman
explains how the system is failing adults who seek diagnosis.
For decades,
#autism
research focused primarily on children. Now, there's growing recognition of the fact that these children grow up. For
#TBT
, we're taking a look back at one of our first in-depth stories on
#autistic
adults.
“We can’t find biological signatures for these different conditions."
Two studies find that the brains of
#autistic
children show few differences from those of children with
#ADHD
, or even of controls.
A developmental neurobiologist argues that the neurodiversity movement, which calls for inclusion of autistic people, marginalizes those with more profound difficulties.
An analysis of whole-genome sequences from thousands of families — one of the largest such studies to date — has linked 163 new genes to autism. The study appeared today in Nature Genetics
Many girls hide their autism, sometimes evading diagnosis well into adulthood. These efforts can help women on the spectrum socially and professionally, but they can also do serious harm.
An autism journal retracted a paper due to methodological issues and undeclared conflicts of interest. The retraction comes two years after Spectrum reported on the initial backlash from researchers: .
By
@callimcflurry
.
#Autistic
people are four times as likely to experience depression over the course of their lives as their neurotypical peers. Yet researchers know little about why, or how best to help.
A new technique allows scientists to activate a single neuron with a pulse of light — an approach that could illuminate how neuronal circuits function.
Is Ehlers-Danlos, a syndrome involving hypermobility, related to autism? And could the biology of Ehlers-Danlos shed light on autism? From scientist with hypermobility
@EmLyWill
Mounting evidence over the past decade has pointed to a role for the cerebellum in cognition and social skills.
There's also increasing support for the idea that problems with the cerebellum contribute to autism.
Autism may occur as often in girls as it does in boys, according to a new study that tweaked common clinical tools to minimize their sex bias and tracked babies with a family history of the condition over five years, reports
@PeterNHess
"If you need time to adjust to the limits and demands of sheltering in place, your autistic loved ones need even more time. Do not expect them to immediately take to new routines, such as online learning, or being housebound," writes
@shannonrosa
Call for submissions: Spectrum is seeking photographs of
#actuallyautistic
people on the job. We plan to feature these pictures in a piece highlighting employment of
#autistic
people. Please send your high-res photos to nicholette
@spectrumnews
.org
“It’s like Yelp for sensory inclusion. Families will be able to know that they can travel to these places and their children or loved ones will be accepted.”
A parent of a nonverbal autistic child writes in
@guardian
about why they are weary of the stories about successful autistic people and sensory-friendly spaces.
"Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder individually and those with co-occurring ADHD and ASD experience higher rates of total anxiety and psychiatric comorbidities," write the authors of this study.
Autistic people are four times more likely than neurotypicals to experience depression over the course of their lives, although scientists are unsure why. And the consequences for many autistic people are dire.
Greta Thunberg's autism serves her incredible climate activism, with such attributes as persistence, bluntness and distaste for hypocrisy, author
@stevesilberman
writes.
The largest placebo-controlled clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for autism to date showed no meaningful benefits, which raises questions about the rationale for Kobinia’s team’s approach
Are p-values really on their way out?
Via
@nature
— A group of 800-plus scientists has called for “the entire concept of statistical significance to be abandoned."
Autism therapies denoted as “evidence-based practice” are too often based on poor-quality research, writes Kristen
@KristenBott
in this
@journalautism
editorial: .
Spectrum reported on this issue last year.
The animosity between some
#neurodiversity
advocates and parents of severely affected
#autistic
children has reached vitriolic levels — so much so that it could detract from what both sides want: Society's acceptance of
#autism
and accommodations.
Researchers should monitor short-term and long-term adverse effects of behavioral interventions for autism, autism experts
@autismcrisis
and
@SueReviews
argue in a commentary.
@SAGEJournals
See more in Spotted:
Commentary:
Greta Thunberg's autism serves her incredible climate activism, with such attributes as persistence, bluntness and distaste for hypocrisy, author
@stevesilberman
writes.
New ‘prime editing’ CRISPR-based tools might be used to modify autism-linked mutations and ease some of the condition’s traits, says Yang Yang.
By
@cqchoi
.
@davidrliu
@JerzySzablowski
"Why is depression in
#autism
overlooked? ... There is a critical need for tools for diagnosing depression that have been validated for use in
#autistic
people."
Autistic people have varying attitudes regarding autism terminology, and they generally agree that personal preferences should trump all, according to a survey of English-speaking autistic adults.
Link to paper in Autism Research: .
Young people on the spectrum's reports of their own anxiety about their social issues seems to correlate with the size of a specific brain signal, report researchers.
#autism
Autistic women and girls experience more frequent and more disabling pain than autistic men and boys do, according to new unpublished research
#INSAR2021