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CBT and ADDM – two acronyms in the autism news

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Two studies missed last year (sorry) but are of importance to the autism community include a modified version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, which was adapted and updated for people with ASD.  It also works better than traditional CBT, which is good news for  the 80% of people with ASD that also suffer from anxiety.  Also, in recognition of MLK day today, the CDC released information last year that shows that 1/4 of those that they counted in their prevalence numbers were missed by schools or other health care providers.  Unfortunately, those who were black or hispanic were more likely to be those that were missed but still met criteria.  This just shows that educators have to do better in helping those with ASD from all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31868321

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31755906

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The Pros of Prozac and the Placebo Effect

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Two of the largest randomized control trials of Prozac as an intervention for restrictive and repetitive behaviors were published recently.  They both coincidentally found no effect on the core features of autism, nor clinician rated improvement.  What they did find is a big placebo effect.  That is the behaviors of the participants changed even if they thought they might be getting the medication, but were actually getting an empty pill.  This is a big problem in research in studying medications across mental health.  So why is Prozac so popular?  And when it comes to some features of autism, is the placebo effect so bad?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31638682 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31267292

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If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere: preparing early interventions for the community

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This week two groups of heroes of autism research published studies that may not be the type of major breakthrough that the media reports on, but they are more important to families:  These studies help translate what works in the research clinic into the community.  Specifically, is it even possible, how, and what do families need to know when they receive an intervention that has yet to be “field tested”.  This is a whole field of research called implementation science, and it deals with how scientists and community services implement what is learned in research settings into real world settings.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31206690 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31241851

 

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The Department of Defense and Autism Research

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Did you know that in addition to the DoD’s support of the military, they all have funded $65 million in autism research?  This podcast discusses some of their programs and how they support military families and benefit the autism community. Want to read more about what they fund?  There’s a list here:  https://cdmrp.army.mil/search.aspx

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Getting kids with autism to eat

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This week’s podcast combines two important post Mother’s Day topics – parents and eating.  Two recent studies have shown the promise of using parent – delivered interventions to help improve food selectivity and food aversions in kids with autism. These two behaviors can be one of the most frustrating and challenging for parents and kids, and can lead to nutritional deficiencies.  These behaviors can range from mild to severe, and previously, only inpatient or outpatient clinic based approaches seemed to have any benefit.  Now it seems that with coaching, encouragement and instruction from trained experts, parents can help their kids eat better foods.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31056202 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30101320

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INSAR with a T, for “technology”

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Lots of news outlets have great summaries of things that were presented at the International Society for Autism Research. However, one area was relatively missed:  technology.    This week’s podcast summarizes advances in technology for people with autism, how they are being used, what they could be used for and how they will improve services and help for those on the spectrum.  They range from ways to aid diagnosis, to better understanding of features and symptoms in different settings, to improved intervention.

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Can IGF-1 treat autism symptoms? A clinical trial aims to find out

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A full transcript of this podcast episode can be read on the ASF blog here.

Researchers at Mount Sinai led by Alex Kolevzon are running a clinical trial of the compound insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) for children with idiopathic autism. Dr. Kolevzon’s team previously demonstrated the safety and feasibility of IGF-1 in treating Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a single-gene form of autism. Particularly, the IGF-1 treatment improved symptoms of social impairment and repetitive behaviors, which are core symptoms of autism. Expanding their investigation into idiopathic autism, the researchers are working hard to make sure families can comfortably and knowledgeably participate in the clinical trial. Mahir Rahman spoke with Dr. Kolevzon about the study and where it hopes to go. Interested in joining the study? Go here to learn more.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4326443/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4450831/

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Classroom interventions that work

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Two studies came out recently which used a randomized design to show how interventions can be delivered in the classroom.  They both focused on making sure they were implemented properly and that teachers received the support they needed to help kids in the classroom.  It isn’t just about writing a manual, it’s about making sure teachers know how to deliver it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29998740

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29939056

 

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Clinical trials talk with Tom Frazier from Autism Speaks

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This week, a special surprise:  a conversation with Dr. Thomas Frazier, Chief Science Officer of Autism Speaks, on what is needed for better clinical trials for drug treatments for ASD, and what they are going to be doing to help move the science along.  Of course, the conversation hit on other topics, like disclosure of a diagnosis, sex differences, and some of the newest more exciting findings in autism research.