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Two Philadelphia Autism Research Centers Join National Consortium to Study Baby Teeth for Clues to Environmental, Chemical Risks Associated with Autism

Researchers from 10 autism research centers nationwide will collaborate on a study using new technology to look at the baby teeth of children who have siblings with autism — considered high-risk already — to determine if they’re more likely to develop the disorder if exposed to chemicals in the womb.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Awarded $95 Million NIH Grant

The National Institutes of Health today announced that the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, along with the research firm RTI International, will receive a seven-year, $95 million grant to analyze the data from its new Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, an initiative designed to understand how the environment influences health beginning in the womb.

Presidential Debate: Expert Panel Gives Scientific Analysis of Candidates' Performances

Four expert panelists each day will present their analyses and answer your questions live and face-to-face. This event will be virtual. You can attend with any device -- PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device (with a webcam) – anywhere with good bandwidth. To participate (ask questions) in the meeting, you must be on video, just as a normal news conference. Register below for guaranteed seating; there is limited seating in the virtual room. Eight experts (four at each event) will present their analyses. The diverse expert team (7 universities and an institute) will analyze both candidates during the debates for their gestures, facial expressions (including smiles--number, type, appropriateness, etc.), posture, language, including sentiment, tone, inflammatory language, repetition, vocabulary, sentence structure, metaphors, framing, themes, suggestions, subtlety, nuance, honesty (deceit/lies—explicit and implicit), transparency, gender issues, and more...

Study: Virtual Reality Training Improves Social Skills of Individuals on the Autism Spectrum

New research from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas shows that children with autism spectrum disorder, who participated in a virtual reality training program, improved social cognition skills and reported better real-world relationships. Neurocognitive testing showed significant gains in emotional recognition, understanding the perspective of others and the ability to problem solve.

New Explanation Offered for Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome

A new explanation for some of the symptoms of fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, has been proposed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Their explanation suggests new targets for treatment.

Biomarker-Based Test Delivers Precision Medicine to Children with Complex Neuropsychiatric Illnesses

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Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health, have developed the first-of-its-kind biomarker test to help identify autoimmune-induced neuropsychiatric disorders.

Mouse Model Points to Potential Drug Target for Increasing Social Interaction in Autism

A study of a new mouse model identifies a drug target that has the potential to increase social interaction in individuals with some forms of autism spectrum disorder.

Genetic Intersection of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Shared Medical Conditions

Researchers at the Institute for the Developing Mind at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have analyzed current gene-disease findings to understand why people with neurodevelopmental and mental illness often have physical disorders.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Could Be Key for Children with Autism Getting Enough Sleep

Experts from the University of Missouri believe that a family-based cognitive behavioral therapy may be the key for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have problems sleeping.

Case Western Reserve University Scientists Uncover Common Cell Signaling Pathway Awry in Some Types of Autism

The researchers discovered that cells derived from autistic donors grew faster than those from control subjects and activated their genes in distinct patterns.

How a Family Comes to Terms with a Diagnosis of Autism

Experts give advice on parents coping with a child of autism

‘Alone in the Middle of 30,000 People’ No More

Project CASE at Texas Tech University provides support, advising and avenues to success for students with autism.

Georgia State Center for Leadership in Disability Receives Grant for Autism Research

The Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) at Georgia State University has won a federal grant to study the relationship between nature walks and behaviors associated with autism stress responses in children.

Unlocking the Languages of Autistic Children in Families

Researchers at the University of Kent are arguing that creativity and intermedial languages can be used as a bridge to communicate with autistic children.

Photos Capture Challenges for Teens with Autism, Show Animals as Resource

New studies from the University of Missouri, found that through use of photographs, adolescents with ASD were able to share their accounts of difficulties transitioning out of school, their struggles with socialization and how they use animals as a source of companionship.

Experts: Summer Camps Help Prepare People with Autism for Success

Mini-Brain Model of Idiopathic Autism Reveals Underlying Pathology of Neuronal Overgrowth

The majority of cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are unknown. In a paper published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues across the nation and world, have created a “mini-brain” model, derived from persons with a particular form of idiopathic ASD characterized by over-sized brains, revealing a defective molecular pathway during brain development that results in early neuronal overgrowth and dysfunctional cortical networks.

Insurance Mandates Lead to More Children Diagnosed and Treated for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Penn Study Finds

State mandates requiring commercial health plans to cover the cost of services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have resulted in an increased number of children being diagnosed and treated for ASD, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings will be published in the July 11th issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

Helping Kids with Brain Tumors Recover Beyond the Disease

Social strains and lack of social competence are common in children recovering from malignant brain tumors. A Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey behavioral scientist and colleagues from across the U.S. and Canada, examined a peer-mediated intervention at the survivor’s school and found it was feasible to carry out in the public school setting and was acceptable to the survivor’s family.

New Grant From Department of Education Will Support 45 Teachers to Advance Their Careers in High-Needs Disability Education

GW’s Online Master’s Program Will Increase Number of Special Education Teachers Focused on Brain Injury and Autism Education