Research by Topic: asf

Podcast: Lordy Lordy it’s One in Forty

Published December 3, 2018

You may have heard the news: The prevalence of autism is 1:40 according to an email survey of parents. However, there’s more information in the study that’s worthy of consideration: The high rate of unmet mental health needs in those with ASD. Learn more on the ASF podcast. Read more about the study.

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Get Ready to Give! Match Extended to November 28! #GivingTuesdayASF

Published November 26, 2018

Help Make the Science Happen! For nearly a decade, ASF has launched, funded, and supported autism research projects to improve diagnosis, develop interventions, and enhance outcomes. This Giving Tuesday, you can help fuel another decade’s worth of critically needed autism research. Donations to ASF not only advance scientific progress, they give families challenged by autism the gift […]

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Podcast: Scientists know in their gut how the GI symptoms are linked to autism

Published November 19, 2018

People with autism have higher levels of GI problems than people without a diagnosis, and the microbiome is associated with GI function. So, is the microbiome linked to autism? Some studies say yes, but this week, studies in China look at non-caucasian people with a different diet. Do the differences still hold? Also, while GI […]

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Podcast: The average age of diagnosis depends on where, when, and how you ask

Published November 13, 2018

While diagnosis before 3 years of age is ideal, circumstances may not always allow the earliest identification and diagnosis. This week’s podcast explores two of the reasons why diagnosis is not always possible before age 3. One is a study from Denmark and one is from members of the Baby Siblings Research Consortium.

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Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder After Age 5 in Children Evaluated Longitudinally Since Infancy

Published November 8, 2018

A new study from the ASF-supported Baby Siblings Research Consortium explains why a few kids with autism do not receive a formal diagnosis until 5 years or later. Read more here.

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Op-Ed: Hyping Autism Research “News” Is a Disservice to People with Autism

Published November 2, 2018

In Scientific American, ASF CSO Dr. Alycia Halladay discusses how autism research gets covered and suggests way to improve the reporting to make sure the news that goes around is legitimate and significant. Read the op-ed here.

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Podcast: From cells to anxiety

Published October 29, 2018

Dr. Inna Fishman from San Diego State University explains how findings from brain tissue helps scientists interpret data which studies how brain regions connect to each other and why this is important for understanding autism subgroups. Also, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet examine ADHD diagnosed in adults, and find it is similar to autism. Listen […]

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Podcast: The waterbed around your brain (and its role in sleep)

Published October 22, 2018

This week, Dr. Mark Shen from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains new findings looking at the fluid around the brain. It’s now seen in families even without a family history of ASD, the finding has now been seen in different independent studies, including those at the UC Davis MIND Institute in […]

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AGENDA’s First Initiative is a Unified Registry of Family Data

Published October 17, 2018

Today, ASF announced that it will be leading the newly-launched Alliance for Genetic Etiologies of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Autism (AGENDA). This alliance is a partnership of research and advocacy organizations focused on improving outcomes of individuals with all forms of autism by fostering a genetics-first approach to autism science. AGENDA will also work to strengthen […]

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Podcast: Super siblings!

Published October 15, 2018

This podcast is dedicated to siblings of people with autism who are typically developing. They play an important and beneficial role in development of socialization of those with ASD. But sadly, they also have issues of their own, such as a high rate of issues like anxiety and depression. Those siblings may be genetic carries […]

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Ride FAR is almost here! Make sure you register now!

Published October 3, 2018

ASF Wall Street Rides FAR 2018 from Autism Science Foundation on Vimeo. Get ready to ride your bike or walk to support autism research! Join to bike the 63, 30, 20, or 4 mile cycling route! Come out to do the new 5k walk! Register now to save time on event day. Come out and join […]

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Podcast: A conversation with Clare Harrop about autism in boys and girls

Published October 1, 2018

Recently, Clare Harrop from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published two papers which help explain the differences between boys and girls with autism, at least in kids and toddlers. She graciously agreed to talk with ASF about these findings and what it means for better identification and diagnosis of girls with ASD, and […]

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Podcast: What is autism? It’s changing

Published September 24, 2018

This week’s ASF podcast focuses on how co-occuring conditions with autism, like anxiety, depression, and OCD, have changed over time. The increase in these conditions may help in defining different subgroups of autism. Listen on asfpodcast.org or on your favorite podcatcher!

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Blog: My Journey to Becoming a Special Education Teacher

Published September 19, 2018

When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” in elementary school, Allyson Schwartzman had one answer – “an autism teacher”. Read about how Allyson made her dream a reality by becoming a special education teacher on the ASF blog.

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Podcast: Just Listen to Nancy Reagan – Say NO to MDMA

Published September 17, 2018

This week’s podcast begins with a comment on the debate over ABA – helpful or harmful? But the big news this week is an analysis of very early, but very published, data on the use of MDMA, also known as “ecstasy” or “Molly”, in people with autism. Called an “empathogen”, MDMA can elicit feelings of […]

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Podcast: Children are not small adults

Published September 3, 2018

Children are not small adults, and this was illustrated this week in two papers studying features of autism across the lifespan. Their symptoms may change, which has implications for treatment – you can’t take an intervention designed for a child and give it to an adult. Hear more on this week’s podcast with an interview […]

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Siblings could shed light on roots of autism

Published August 30, 2018

The Smithsonian Magazine reported on the story of the Bak family and the Autism Sisters Project, an ASF scientific initiative determined to understand the disparity of autism diagnoses between boys and girls and the potential female protective effect. Through the study of the unaffected sisters of people with autism, the goal is to build a […]

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Podcast: Tristram Smith, 1961-2018

Published August 27, 2018

Two weeks ago, the autism research community lost a pioneer, mentor and advocate for the autism community. This podcast only highlights a portion of the enormous contribution he made to autism research and the impact his research had on families with ASD. Also, two people that know him best, one of his current mentees, Suzannah […]

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Podcast: What are PCOS and DDT, and what do they have to do with autism?

Published August 20, 2018

On this week’s podcast, the link between polycystic ovarian syndrome and autism explained and tied in with a new study on the highly toxic chemical DDT. They do have a common link. Research also shows that environmental exposures and maternal medical conditions contribute to a host of outcomes and comorbidities, autism being one of them.

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Podcast: What is happening in research around employment for people with ASD?

Published August 13, 2018

On this week’s podcast, Melissa Scott of Curtin University discusses findings from the first paper out of Curtin’s collaboration with ASF, Stony Brook University, and Karolinska Institutet on an international policy brief on employment for people with autism. Based on a scoping review of existing research on employment practices, the environment was one crucial element […]

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Share your story with ASF

Published August 9, 2018

We’re collecting some background stories on how your child’s restrictive and repetitive behaviors are effecting his/her life and your whole family’s experience. Our goal is to encourage more research in this area. Please share your stories by sending an email to ASF at contactus@autismsciencefoundation.org.

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ASF now accepting applications for 2019 fellowship

Published August 3, 2018

The Autism Science Foundation invites applications for its Pre- and Postdoctoral Training Awards from graduate students, medical students and postdoctoral fellows interested in pursuing careers in basic and clinical research relevant to autism spectrum disorders. You can learn more about the fellowship requirements here. Applications are due December 3, 2018 at 5:00 pm EST.

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Podcast: PMS – It’s not what you think

Published July 30, 2018

On this week’s podcast, highlights from the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation 2018 International Family Conference in Dallas, TX. People with Phelan McDermid Syndrome, or PMS, suffer from seizures and intellectual disability, and about 70% have an ASD diagnosis. This syndrome is caused by mutations of the SHANK3 gene, which is present in about 1% of people […]

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Podcast: Classroom interventions that work

Published July 23, 2018

On this week’s podcast, two studies that used a randomized design to show how interventions can be delivered in the classroom.

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Podcast: Autism diagnosed in school age, and does early intervention make a difference?

Published July 16, 2018

On this week’s podcast, highlights of a new systematic review on Early Intense Behavioral Intervention. Thank you to the ASF community for suggesting this topic for the podcast!

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Three new members of ASF SAB

Published July 16, 2018

The Autism Science Foundation today announced the appointment of Guoping Feng, PhD, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stephan Sanders, PhD, BMBS, of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Robert T. Schultz, PhD, of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). As members of the SAB, the scientists will help […]

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Podcast: If you want to know about people with autism, ask them

Published July 9, 2018

If you want to know about people with autism, ask them. Scientists are working on how they collect information from people with autism in order to better understand individual experiences and produce findings that may help improve services. Listen to the podcast episode here.

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ASF renews grant to expand Baby Sibs research

Published July 2, 2018

ASF is proud to announce continued support for the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC), a network of over 33 research sites around the world studying the younger siblings of people with autism. The Baby Sibs database now tracks over 5,000 younger siblings, with and without autism. The database has been used to develop more sophisticated […]

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Podcast: A tool to describe strengths of people with autism

Published July 2, 2018

For this week’s podcast, Soheil Mahdi of the Karolinska Institutet describes the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), a tool used being used to describe the strengths of people with autism in order to identify opportunities for them. ASF is collaborating with Mr. Mahdi on an employment policy brief.

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Dr. Allison Jack of GWU receives ASF grant

Published July 2, 2018

Allison Jack, PhD, of the Autism and Neurodevelopment Disorders Institute at George Washington University today received a 2018 ASF Research Accelerator Grant. The funding will allow Dr. Jack and her collaborators to analyze epigenetic modifications of the oxytocin receptor in all 250 participants of their current NIH-funded project examining the differences in brain structure between […]

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Podcast: Ode to autism dads

Published June 18, 2018

On this week’s podcast, a special episode highlighting recent research focusing on fathers. This includes genetics, parental stress and quality of life, and broader autism phenotype features. Of note, two new studies that look at antidepressant exposure in father and probability of having a child with autism – a variation on studying maternal exposures.

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ASF’s 2018 summer intern shares her experience

Published June 13, 2018

ASF’s summer intern Seowon Song shared her experience as an autism sibling on the ASF blog. In January 2016, she helped develop a support group for siblings of those with autism in South Korea named “Nanun”. The group published a book of their stories in March 2018. You can read the blog in English and […]

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Podcast: Sobering statistics on suicide

Published June 4, 2018

Suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts have been shown to be increased in people with ASD. Rates are similar to those with bipolar depression and schizophrenia, but are higher even without psychosis. This is shocking and an urgent health issue in the autism community. This week’s podcast summarizes recent data, publications, presentations, and concerns of thought […]

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Podcast: In partial phrase of the DSM 5

Published May 28, 2018

On this week’s podcast, diagnosis with the DSM 5. While much work needs to be done to include individual abilities and disabilities into the DSM5, after the CDC prevalence numbers were published last month, it became clear the old DSM IV was not working. In a replication of a previous finding, it showed that the […]

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Podcast: The sticky subject of cost-effectiveness

Published May 21, 2018

On this week’s podcast, Dr. Tracy Yuen of University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children explains two different analyses of cost-effectiveness which looked at 1) universal screening for ASD and 2) use of genomic sequencing to identify novel variants in people with ASD.

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Podcast: A sampling of science from the International Meeting of Autism Research

Published May 15, 2018

This week’s podcast is a short summary of just a few of the presentations. There was more of an emphasis on what has been called “real life” research questions like employment, quality of life, and relationships. As a result, some of the more basic science questions around autism are now being presented at other meetings. […]

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Podcast: Where the wild new genetic hot spots are

Published May 7, 2018

On this week’s podcast, three genetics papers featuring three ASF fellows! All three deal with using whole genome sequencing (WGS) to study non-coding regulatory regions that may be associated with autism. These regions of DNA do not code for proteins but regulate the regions that do. Mutations in the non-coding regulatory regions that regulate the […]

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5th Annual Day of Learning videos now online!

Published May 1, 2018

Videos of all the presentations at ASF’s 5th Annual Day of Learning held on April 11 are now available online. You can view them here. Topics include gender differences in autism, sleep problems in autism, the potential of medical marijuana as an autism treatment, adult outcomes, the role of dietary interventions, and the perception of […]

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Dr. Paul Offit Receives 2018 Sabin Gold Medal

Published April 25, 2018

The Autism Science Foundation team is proud to announce that ASF Board Member Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia received the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal from the Sabin Vaccine Institute. Every year, the Sabin Vaccine Institute recognizes a distinguished member of the public health community who has made extraordinary contributions in […]

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Podcast: Just to be clear, people with Aspergers are not Nazi’s

Published April 23, 2018

This week’s podcast covers the recent article published in Molecular Autism that looks into the history of Hans Asperger, the eponym of Asperger’s Syndrome and a physician with ties to eugenics in Nazi-era Vienna.

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Podcast: The ASF Day of Learning mini-recap

Published April 16, 2018

This week’s podcast is a mini-recap of the 5th Annual Day of learning. Hear what the speakers distilled in their TED-style talks on topics covered sleep, diet, and medical marijuana as a potential treatment for autism. Plus hear about the most recent ASF grantees.

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Inside Philanthropy covers significance of ASF undergraduate grant

Published April 13, 2018

Inside Philanthropy, a group that urges transparency in philanthropy and tracks philanthropic trends, recognized the uniqueness of the Autism Science Foundation’s undergraduate grants in a recent article. ASF invests in the future by funding young scientists, helping set their careers in autism research in motion, early on. Learn more about what ASF funds here.

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2018 Fellowship recipients announced

Published April 11, 2018

Today, ASF announced the 2018 recipients of its Pre- and Postdoctoral Research Training Awards. The recipients include three graduate students—Amy Ahn, Cara Keifer, and Julia Yurkovic—and five postdoctoral fellows—Joon An, Laurel Joy Gabard-Durnam, Aaron Gordon, Whitney Guthrie, and Christine Ochoa-Escamilla. You can learn more about the recipients and their projects from ASF’s official press release […]

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Podcast: Through the years

Published April 9, 2018

On this week’s podcast, studies tracking changes over time. The British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) tracked changes in adaptive behaviors and cognitive skills in children at low-risk and high-risk of an ASD diagnosis, based on family history. The results point to the value in monitoring siblings of those with autism. Researchers at Kaiser […]

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2018 Undergraduate Summer Research Grant recipients announced

Published April 5, 2018

Today, ASF announced the 2018 recipients of its Undergraduate Summer Research Grants. The recipients include Ethan Gahr, Evan Suzman, Christina Layton, and Ryan Risgaard, who will be conducting research at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Vanderbilt University, the Seaver Autism Center, and University of Wisconsin, respectively. You can learn more about the recipients and their projects from […]

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Autism Sisters Project featured on NBC New York

Published April 2, 2018

The goal of the Autism Sisters Project is to build a large genetic database that researchers can use to explore the sex difference in autism diagnoses between boys and girls and discover how the potential protective factor, known as the female protective effect, can be harnessed to help people with autism of both sexes. NBC […]

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Podcast: Here’s to understanding why people with autism have anxiety in adolescence

Published April 2, 2018

On this week’s ASF podcast: By looking directly at the brains of people with autism, researchers at UC Davis MIND Institute, led by Dr. Thomas Avino and Dr. Cyndi Schumann, show a disruption of neuron number in the amygdala in autism. The amygdala is important because it is linked to emotion, fear and anxiety in […]

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Podcast: Loss of skills in autism partially explained

Published March 19, 2018

On this week’s ASF podcast, regression—what is it and who can see it? Using the right tools, both parents and clinicians can see that many more children with autism than thought show regression, a gradual decline or loss of skills starting at around 12 months of age and showing continual declines until 36 months of […]

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