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Research by Topic: science
Podcast: Lordy Lordy it’s One in Forty
Published December 3, 2018You 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.
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, featured, mental health, parent report, podcast, Prevalence, research, science, survey, unmet needs
Get Ready to Give! Match Extended to November 28! #GivingTuesdayASF
Published November 26, 2018Help 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 […]
Filed under: 2018, ASD, asf, Autism, Autism Science Foundation, CauseVox, charity, donation, event, featured, fundraising, Giving Tuesday, global, matched, matched donation, research, science
Podcast: The average age of diagnosis depends on where, when, and how you ask
Published November 13, 2018While 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.
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Baby Siblings Research Consortium, BSRC, Denmark, Diagnosis, featured, podcast, research, science
Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder After Age 5 in Children Evaluated Longitudinally Since Infancy
Published November 8, 2018A 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.
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Baby Siblings Research Consortium, BSRC, Diagnosis, featured, research, science
Podcast: Why can’t we all just get along?
Published November 5, 2018This week, ASF wants YOUR feedback on a new paper in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, which suggests that the reason there is so much discord in the autism community is that people with autism are just too different and have difficulties understanding each other’s perspective. Is this true? What do you think? […]
Filed under: ASD, Autism, community, differences, disability, featured, perspectives, science
Op-Ed: Hyping Autism Research “News” Is a Disservice to People with Autism
Published November 2, 2018In 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.
Filed under: Alycia Halladay, asf, featured, health, news, research, science, Scientific American
Podcast: From cells to anxiety
Published October 29, 2018Dr. 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 […]
Filed under: ADHD, Adults, ASD, asf, Autism, brain, Diagnosis, featured, Inna Fishman, Karolinska Institute, podcast, research, San Diego State University, science, SDSU
Podcast: The waterbed around your brain (and its role in sleep)
Published October 22, 2018This 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 […]
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Biomarkers, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, Chapel Hill, featured, Mark Shen, podcast, research, science, UC Davis MIND Institute, UNC
AGENDA’s First Initiative is a Unified Registry of Family Data
Published October 17, 2018Today, 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 […]
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, collaboration, database, dup15q, Dup15q Alliance, featured, fragile X syndrome, FRAXA, FRAXA Research Foundation, genetic, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, Phelan-Mcdermid Syndrome Foundation, PMSF, registry, research, Rett Syndrome, Rett Syndrome Research Trust, RSRT, science, SFARI, Simons Foundation, Simons VIP, subtypes, TSA, Tuberous Sclerosis, Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
Podcast: A conversation with Clare Harrop about autism in boys and girls
Published October 1, 2018Recently, 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 […]
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, boys, Chapel Hill, children, Clare Harrop, Diagnosis, featured, girls, podcast, research, science, sex differences, Toddlers, UNC, University of North Carolina
Podcast: What is autism? It’s changing
Published September 24, 2018This 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!
Filed under: anxiety, ASD, asf, Autism, comorbidity, depression, featured, mental health, OCD, podcast, research, science
Podcast: Just Listen to Nancy Reagan – Say NO to MDMA
Published September 17, 2018This 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 […]
Filed under: ABA, ASD, asf, Autism, Behavior, drug, Emory University, featured, Lawrence Scahill, MDMA, neurotoxin, podcast, research, science, social anxiety, therapy
Registration for 13th Annual Rockland Symposium now open!
Published September 13, 2018Online registration for the 13th Annual Rockland County Autism Symposium is now open. The symposium will include three hour-long discussions and three breakout sessions with the presenters. Presenters include Katrina Roberts, MS, BCBA; Erin Richard White, PhD, BCBA-D; Declan Murphy; Peter Troy, MBA; Jill Harper, PhD; and Shawn Quigley, PhD, BCBA-D. The event will be […]
Filed under: ASD, Autism, autism symposium, featured, New York, research, Rockland County, science
Podcast: Children are not small adults
Published September 3, 2018Children 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 […]
Filed under: adolescents, Adults, ASD, asf, Autism, children, development, featured, outcomes, podcast, research, science
Siblings could shed light on roots of autism
Published August 30, 2018The 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 […]
Filed under: adult outcomes, ASD, asf, Autism, Autism Science Foundation, Autism Sisters Project, Diagnosis, Diagnostic Disparities, featured, female protective effect, Genetics, research, science, Smithsonian Magazine
Podcast: Tristram Smith, 1961-2018
Published August 27, 2018Two 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 […]
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Behavior, children, families, featured, podcast, research, science, therapy, Treatment
Podcast: What are PCOS and DDT, and what do they have to do with autism?
Published August 20, 2018On 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.
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Columbia University, DDT, featured, PCOS, podcast, polycystic ovarian syndrome, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, research, science, University of Cambridge
Podcast: What is happening in research around employment for people with ASD?
Published August 13, 2018On 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 […]
Filed under: asf, best practices, Curtin University, employment, Environment, featured, INSAR, Karolinska Institute, Melissa Scott, podcast, policy brief, research, science, Stony Brook University
Dr. Tristram Smith of the University of Rochester passes away at age 57
Published August 8, 2018It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr. Tristram Smith passed away suddenly Monday morning. He was a hero—quietly changing the face of evidence-based interventions for autism and giving families both hope and plans for how to get there. Our sincere condolences to his family and his colleagues at the University […]
Filed under: advocacy, Autism, children, families, featured, hope, interventions, research, science, services, Tristram Smith, University of Rochester
Podcast: PMS – It’s not what you think
Published July 30, 2018On 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 […]
Filed under: asf, Autism, children, Family, featured, intervention, outcomes, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, PMS, podcast, research, science, support
Podcast: Classroom interventions that work
Published July 23, 2018On this week’s podcast, two studies that used a randomized design to show how interventions can be delivered in the classroom.
Filed under: asf, Autism, classroom, featured, intervention, podcast, research, science, students, teachers
Podcast: Autism diagnosed in school age, and does early intervention make a difference?
Published July 16, 2018On 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!
Filed under: asf, Autism, Early Intense Behavioral Intervention, Early Intervention, EIBI, featured, podcast, research, review, science
Podcast: If you want to know about people with autism, ask them
Published July 9, 2018If 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.
Filed under: asf, Autism, featured, individual experiences, podcast, research, science, self report, services
ASF renews grant to expand Baby Sibs research
Published July 2, 2018ASF 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 […]
Filed under: asf, baby siblings, Baby Siblings Research Consortium, Baby Sibs, Behavior, BSRC, collaboration, consortium, early diagnosis, Early Intervention, Family, featured, genes, intervention, research, science, sex difference, Siblings
Podcast: A tool to describe strengths of people with autism
Published July 2, 2018For 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.
Filed under: asf, employment, featured, ICF, International Classification of Functioning, Karolinska Institute, opportunity, podcast, policy brief, research, science, strengths
Dr. Allison Jack of GWU receives ASF grant
Published July 2, 2018Allison 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 […]
Filed under: Allison Jack, asf, Autism, Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, award, featured, funding, Grants, research, research accelerator grant, science, The George Washington University
New IAN article on epigenetics and autism
Published June 5, 2018The Interactive Autism Network published an article explaining the latest epigenetics research in autism. It highlights how environmental factors, both internal and external, affect genes and influence an individual’s development. Including findings made from Autism BrainNet tissue resources, research is demonstrating how epigenetics may play a role in the development and severity of autism. Read […]
Filed under: Autism, DNA, Environment, Epigenetics, featured, genes, IAN, identical twins, Interactive Autism Network, research, science
Podcast: A sampling of science from the International Meeting of Autism Research
Published May 15, 2018This 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. […]
Filed under: asf, conference, featured, INSAR, International Society for Autism Research, podcast, research, science, services, support
5th Annual Day of Learning videos now online!
Published May 1, 2018Videos 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 […]
Filed under: adult outcomes, ASD, asf, Ashura Buckley, Autism, Day of Learning, Diet, featured, gender differences, intervention, John Spiro, Julie Lounds Taylor, medical marijuana, Michelle Failla, New York University, NIMH, nutrition, Orrin Devinsky, pain, Perception, research, science, Simons Foundation, Sleep, Somer Bishop, Susan Hyman, UCSF, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University
Podcast: Clinical trials talk with Tom Frazier from Autism Speaks
Published April 30, 2018On this week’s podcast, two chief science officers! Dr. Alycia Halladay interviewed Dr. Thomas Frazier of Autism Speaks on what’s needed to improve clinical trials and drug intervention for autism. The two CSOs also discussed other important in ASD research, including disclosure of a diagnosis, sex differences, and some of the newest more exciting findings.
Filed under: ASD, Autism, Autism Speaks, clinical trials, Diagnosis, drugs, featured, intervention, research, science, sex differences, Thomas Frazier
Spring 2018 Autism BrainNet newsletter available now
Published April 27, 2018The Spring 2018 issue of the Autism BrainNet newsletter is out now! Among other news, it highlights recent research using its donated brain tissue resources in autism genetics and neuroanatomy, the science campaign Brain Awareness Week, and outreach efforts through Autism Speaks walks around the country. You can view and read this issue here.
Filed under: ABN, advocacy, Autism, autism brainnet, brain, Brain Awareness Week, brain tissue, donation, featured, Genomics, research, science
Autism Sisters Project featured on NBC New York
Published April 2, 2018The 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 […]
Filed under: ASD, asf, Autism, Autism Sisters Project, Diagnostic Disparities, featured, female protective effect, Mount Sinai, NBC New York, research, science, Seaver Autism Center, sex difference
Podcast: Why the Environmental Protection Agency is important for autism
Published March 26, 2018On this week’s podcast, highlights of a new study led by Dr. Amy Kalkbrenner of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee published in Environmental Health Perspectives—certain air pollutants from cars and coal burning plants were associated with autism risk and severity. This scientific evidence supports policies which keep U.S. Environmental Protection Agency infrastructure intact to monitor […]
Filed under: air pollution, Amy Kalkbrenner, Autism, clean air, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, featured, podcast, research, risk, science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Neurons increase in social brain region as children become adults – except in autism
Published March 20, 2018Researchers at Autism BrainNet node UC Davis MIND Institute found that while typically-developing children gain more neurons in a region of the brain that governs social and emotional behavior, the amygdala, as they become adults, people with ASD do not. The open access research published in PNAS studied 52 postmortem human brains, both neurotypical and […]
Filed under: amygdala, Autism, autism brainnet, brains, featured, open access, PNAS, research, science, UC Davis MIND Institute
CDC Study Finds 95% of Children with Autism Have One Comorbidity
Published March 14, 2018A new study by the CDC, including Dr. Matthew Maenner, ASF Grantee ’10, found that 95% of children with autism have at least one psychiatric or medical comorbidity, which may have a role in age of first evaluation—the more comorbid conditions, the earlier the first evaluation for ASD. Read the study here.
Filed under: Autism, CDC, comorbidity, evaluation, featured, Matthew Maenner, Prevalence, research, science
Genetic Variations on SETD5 Underlying Autistic Conditions
Published March 6, 2018SETD5 is a master regulator of gene activity that controls the activity of potentially thousands of other downstream genes in the same cell. Researchers, supported in part by ASF, found that this gene is associated with a subtype of autism that is seen mostly in males and includes intellectual disability and facial dysmorphology. This is […]
Filed under: Autism, facial dysmorphology, featured, Genetics, intellectual disability, research, science, SETD5, subtypes, UC San Diego
Podcast: An ode to rats as animal models for autism
Published February 12, 2018On this week’s podcast, a study led by Elizabeth Berg in the lab of Dr. Jill Silverman at UC Davis published in the journal Autism Research demonstrated SHANK3’s role in core social communication deficits in a rat model of autism. Rats exhibit both receptive and expressive communication. SHANK3 mutations are seen in those with Phelan-McDermid […]
Filed under: Animal Models, Autism, Autism Research, featured, Jill Silverman, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, research, science, Shank3, social communication, UC Davis
Shared molecular neuropathology across major psychiatric disorders parallels polygenic overlap
Published February 9, 2018 in Science, Gandal, Haney, et alResearch led by Daniel Geschwind of the University of California, Los Angeles used postmortem brain tissue, including resources from Autism BrainNet, found similar gene expression patterns in the brains of those with autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. All three conditions show an activation of genes in star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes, and suppression of genes […]
Filed under: Autism, autism brainnet, Autism Research, bipolar disorder, Daniel Geschwind, featured, gene expression, research, Schizophrenia, science, Science Magazine, UCLA
New Autism Study is a Pain in the Calf
Published July 12, 2017This summer, ASF will begin funding a post-doctoral fellowship to Dr. Michelle Failla at Vanderbilt University to understand the pain response in people with autism. This study will examine both verbal responses to pain, as well as nonverbal responses like heart rate, facial expression and stress response, to a mild stimuli in adults with ASD. […]
Filed under: featured, pain, post-doctoral, science, Vanderbilt University
ASF Grantees and Fellows Present Research at IMFAR
Published May 10, 2017Autism Science Foundation grantees and fellows will be giving several presentations throughout the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in San Francisco this week. If you will be at IMFAR, see details below so you can attend their presentations. If not, see below anyway to learn about the great work ASF grantees and fellows are […]
Filed under: Autism, featured, IMFAR, meeting, research, science
Podcast: Putting the pieces together around group social skills interventions
Published February 6, 2017Individual research studies are great. But even better is when someone takes these studies and puts them together to see if one study shows the same thing another does, and if they do, then is the effect size consistent? Sometimes you can only do this by going old school and pooling the data from the […]
Filed under: Autism, featured, research, science
Scientists studying genetic cause of autism meet with families
Published July 31, 2015Dup15, an organization representing families with one of the most common genetic causes of autism, held their annual family and science meeting in Orlando this week. Hear more about the science on the ASF podcast. www.asfpodcast.org
Filed under: Autism, chromosome 15, dup15, featured, Genetics, meeting, science, seizures, Sleep
ASF Undergraduate Research Fellowships Help Build Autism Researchers
Published June 30, 2015 in ASF BlogVeronica Kang, recipient of ASF Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship discusses the results of her honors thesis project and the impact of ASF funding on her career. Read more on the ASF Blog here: https://autismsciencefoundation.wordpress.com/2015/06/30/the-asf-undergraduate-research-fellowships-help-build-autism-researchers/
Filed under: Autism, featured, research fellowships, science