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Neurodevelopmental disorders arising from rare genetic mutations can cause atypical cognitive function, intellectual disability, and developmental delays, yet it is unclear why and how this happens. Scientists suspected a mutation in a complex of proteins could be the culprit for a group of rare genetic disorders and, now, Salk Institute researchers have identified the molecular […]
Although psychiatric disorders can be linked to particular genes, the brain regions and mechanisms underlying particular disorders are not well-understood. Mutations or deletions of the SHANK3 gene are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a related rare disorder called Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Mice with SHANK3 mutations also display some of the traits associated with […]
A new paper that challenges widely held ideas about autism has attracted comments from more than 30 scholars across the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience. The authors maintain that many of the behaviors common to autism—including low eye contact, repetitive movements, and the verbatim repetition of words and phrases—are misinterpreted as a lack […]
For more than five years, researchers from Duke Engineering and the Duke University School of Medicine have been working toward creating an app that can help screen for autism in young children. With results from the first pilot study rolling in just last year, their work is leading to new insights about autism spectrum disorder […]
A team of researchers led by a member of the Colorado School of Public Health faculty at the Anschutz Medical Campus examined what type of social interaction is required for people to display physiological synchrony — mutual changes in autonomic nervous system activity. The study also looked at whether the levels of autonomic arousal people […]
Results of a new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that parental age is linked to the risk for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders in children, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD); attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); and Tourette’s disorder/chronic tic disorder (TD/CT). […]
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often lumped into a single catch-all group, despite significant differences in symptom profile and severity. Further muddying the waters when trying to understand and treat ASD, many previous studies show significant variability in findings. A new study, led by researchers at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and the […]
We all have a remedy — a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate — for lifting our spirits when we’re in a bad mood. Rather than focusing on ways to make ourselves feel better, a team of Iowa State University researchers suggests wishing others well. “Walking around and offering kindness to others in […]
Your baby delights you but he’s causing you concern. Why is it so hard to get him to look at you? Why doesn’t he gesture as much as other babies you know? Your relatives say you worry too much. They blame your parenting for the child’s frequent tantrums. Still, you wonder: “Could my baby have […]
Woodbridge Police Officer Khari Manzini helped reunite Ryan with his teddy, "Freddy." (Woodbridge Police Department) Ryan Paul, who is 12 and has autism, was devastated when he could not find his teddy bear "Freddy" last week, and dialed 911. His parents had taught him to call 911 in the case of an emergency, and a […]