attention attention…this is the INSAR 2023 summary

Last week in Stockholm, Sweden, 2200 researchers and scientists working to understand and help those on the spectrum, met to share their most recent findings and exchange ideas. What were the main takeaways as ASF saw them? We cover why some autistic people don’t want genetics to be studied, how to better engage families with IDD and who are non-speaking, females, adults, international studies and yes, diversity. The program book was released a day before the meeting and can be found here: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.autism-insar.org/resource/resmgr/docs/annualmeeting/insar2023_program_book.pdf

Autism means different things to different people

At this year’s International Society of Autism Research meeting in Austin, TX, there was a variety of themes explored. From early development and milestones, to intervention and supports, to different features like sensory issues, treatment, and how to solve the problem of heterogeneity. It comes down to this: Autism means different things to different people. This is just a small subset of everything that was presented at #INSAR2022 and I hope that if you want to see more, you advocate to have the presentations posted online or even have the program book made available publicly. In the meantime, enjoy the 30 minute summary.

www.autism-insar.org

The 2021 INSAR quickie

This year’s annual meeting of autism researchers, INSAR, was virtual. But it didn’t stop hundreds of scientists from gathering online to discuss their viewpoints, findings, and the meaning for autism research to families. This week’s podcast captures some of the highlights, at least some of them, in a 30 minute talk. Some of the findings haven’t been peer reviewed, so they should be considered interesting-on-the-horizon discoveries that you should be excited about, but not to be taken as the gospel truth.

INSAR with a T, for “technology”

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.