Feature Channels: Autism

• share
• favorite_border

Photo Gallery: Magnet the Weight of 30 Elephants Lowered Through Roof of USC Stevens Hall for Next-Gen 7T MRI Machine

• share
• favorite_border

Doctor visits can be a challenge for patients with autism, their families and health care providers. Kristin Sohl, associate professor of child health at the University of Missouri, offers several steps providers and families can take to make medical visits more successful. She says that all of them require good communication between the provider and parent before, during and after medical visits.

• share
• favorite_border

The Child Health Institute of New Jersey has been awarded a $5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which will expand and enhance its core mission to improve children’s health through the scientific study of pediatric illnesses, including asthma, type 1 diabetes and autism.

• share
• favorite_border

Adults on the autism spectrum see their interests as possible fields of study and career paths, as well as ways to mitigate anxiety, finds a study by NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is giving researchers a first look at the early stages of brain development in patients with Fragile X syndrome, a disorder that causes mild to severe intellectual disability and is the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have uncovered 30 genes that could, one day, serve as therapeutic targets to reverse Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that affects only girls and is a severe form of an autism spectrum disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

For many families, normal activities, such as going to a large family gathering or an amusement park, can be difficult to navigate with a child with autism, as the child may be act out due to being overwhelmed by extra noises and stimulation. To help families deal with such situations, specialists at the University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders have been successfully integrating applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of understanding why people behave in various ways and how understanding those motivations can shape behavior.

• share
• favorite_border

The latest study released by the Institute for Autism Research (IAR) shows more promise that a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder no longer guarantees a difficult life for children.

• share
• favorite_border

Children with autism may benefit from fecal transplants – a method of introducing donated healthy microbes into people with gastrointestinal disease to rebalance the gut. Behavioral symptoms of autism and gastrointestinal distress often go hand-in-hand, and both improved when a small group of children with the disorder underwent fecal transplant and subsequent treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

Greg Caporaso showed promising research that could lead to a new treatment option for autism spectrum disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

This research stems from one of the largest studies on young children with ASD as they transition into school. Lead researcher Jan Blacher is available for interviews about parent-student relationships, emotional and behavioral challenges, and parental involvement during this time.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

One in 68 American children lives with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these children also have significant gastrointestinal issues, but the cause of these symptoms is unknown. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine suggest that the gastrointestinal issues in these individuals with autism may be related to an increased reaction to stress. It’s a finding the researchers hope could lead to better treatment options for these patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Chicagoland families affected by autism can participate in the nation’s largest study to uncover genetic links to the condition by attending an on-site registration and data collection event in the western suburbs, Saturday, January 14.

• share
• favorite_border

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 45 children is diagnosed with autism. As these children age, experiences such as leaving school, finding jobs and living alone can be stressful for adolescents with autism as well as their caregivers. Researchers from the University of Missouri have conducted the first study analyzing the perspectives of adolescents with autism to identify challenges as they “age out” of services. The researchers say these findings highlight the need for social workers and providers to assist children with autism as they transition to adulthood.

• share
• favorite_border

Results of a new community-based randomized clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Institute for Autism Research (iar) at Canisius College found summerMAX, a comprehensive psychosocial summer treatment, improved the social performance and ASD symptoms of children with HFASD.

• share
• favorite_border

Genes known to be essential to life—the ones humans need to survive and thrive in the womb—also play a critical role in the development of autism spectrum disorder, suggests a new study

• share
• favorite_border

UCLA scientists provides further evidence that the brains of people with autism, despite different causes, tend to have the same molecular “signature.”

• share
• favorite_border

Indiana University psychologists have shown that a baby's most likely first words are based upon their visual experience, laying the foundation for a new theory of infant language learning. The study appears in the journal of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions B.

• share
• favorite_border

Families with a loved one on the autism spectrum now have an opportunity to participate in a landmark study researching the genetics of autism. The national study is the largest autism research project to date.