Feature Channels: Autism

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An Indiana University physicist and neuroscientist who studies how physical movement can be used to detect autism in children and adults has received support from the National Science Foundation. The $750,000 NSF grant to IU scientist Jorge V. José and collaborators will be used to apply analytical methods pioneered at IU and Rutgers University toward diagnosing, and possibly treating, a wider range of learning disabilities.

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Cornell University researchers have confirmed a genetic link between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed on from the mother, and some forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Pediatric researchers report that children with ASD may mistakenly be diagnosed with ADHD because they have autism-related social impairments rather than problems with attention. This is important for understanding what are the right services and treatments for a child.

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Research by a Texas Tech University behavioral analyst who works with therapy dogs suggests using canines as a reward for completed tasks could be useful.

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Scientists, led by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have linked mutations in a single gene to autism in people who have a rare tumor syndrome typically diagnosed in childhood. The findings, in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), may lead to a better understanding of the genetic roots of autism in the wider population.

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New research led by UC San Francisco scientists has revealed that mutations in a gene linked with brain development may dispose people to multiple forms of psychiatric disease by changing the way brain cells communicate.

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A fully-automated rat maze built by Technion researchers could help scientists better understand how individuals cooperate, and how this process may go awry in the brains of people with disorders ranging from autism to schizophrenia.

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A new study finds that children and teens with autism spectrum disorder may be more likely to be obese and stay obese during adolescence than their peers without autism spectrum disorder.

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Naomi was diagnosed at age 2 with Rett syndrome, a rare, debilitating disease in which patients progressively lose brain function and the ability to walk. While she laughs, smiles and toddles around like most 3-year-olds, Naomi’s repetitive hand behaviors offer clues to her condition.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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Experts give advice on parents coping with a child of autism

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