Sperm

The title gets you, right? Well, on this week’s #ASFpodcast we report on a new study that examines epigenetic profiles of sperm and how they related to child outcomes. Do some of the marks on bio-dad’s sperm match to those found in kids with ASD? what about genes related to autism? Also, can parents be good proxies of their child’s intellectual ability? For the most part yes, but sometimes they tend to overestimate this ability. This means they are good, but not perfect reporters. How could they be if the child has a severe intellectual disability?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37097835/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37100868/

Is ADHD part of the spectrum diagnosis of ASD?

A recent study examining some people who lost an autism diagnosis (and were possibly reclassified) reinvigorates the idea that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be on the autism spectrum.  It shouldn’t be part of a valid ASD diagnosis, but there may be some symptoms of ASD that overlap with ADHD.  Also, a new editorial emphasizes that while new discoveries are important and exciting, what happens to make them useful for people outside a research study takes a lot of work, time and money.