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The extra benefit of caregiver mediated interventions

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This week, a new systematic review published by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute looked at the existing evidence around caregiver (parent) mediated interventions and not child outcome, but family relationships and dynamics. While it isn’t the focus on the intervention, what effect does allowing parents to be involved and empowered on their child’s support on the wider family?  The answer is, it does help, although not all interventions are the same.  Also, a new video tool from collaborators at Washington University and the UC Davis MIND Institute to help parents identify early signs and symptoms in their own children was validated, which is exciting but more work needs to be done.

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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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How do parents choose different interventions?

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Parents have choices of dozens of different autism interventions, available in private and public settings.  A new study explores factors which influence parents decisions on different interventions, how they are similar to each other and different.  They include cognitive ability of their kids with ASD and economic resources.  Parents in the US may have similarities in how they obtain interventions, but they are also similar in how they identify autism signs in their preschool kids, and these similarities are seen across the world.  In a new study of over 19,000 preschoolers with autism, some similarities are seen in parent reported symptoms of ASD across 24 different countries.  This is pretty remarkable given societal, geographical, and cultural issues.  But it’s not all harmony and unity – there were lots of differences between parents and teachers which can have enormous impact on how autism is diagnosed worldwide.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30990248

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30995081

 

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What’s new in the immune system and ASD

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This holiday weekend always triggers a reincarnation, a resurrection of the vaccine – autism hypothesis.  Many of you have read about the measles epidemics that are hitting many areas of the country.  But besides vaccines, there are other aspects of the immune system that may be linked to autism in some people.  The include family history of autoimmune disorders as well as specific genetic mutations that confer protection against subtypes of ASD.  This week’s ASF podcast will explore these theories and present different ideas on how the immune response is involved in autism, and if it is at all.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30976114 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30975444

 

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PMS: it’s not what you think

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Last weekend, the Phelan McDermid Research Foundation held their biannual family conference in Dallas Texas.  People with Phelan McDermid Syndrome, or PMS, suffer from seizures and intellectual disability, and about 70% have an ASD diagnosis, Over 150 families from across the world came together to show each other support, learn about housing options, receive genetic counseling, talk to experts and hear the latest research.  ASF attended the meeting and this podcast is a short summary of what was presented by researchers at the conference.  This syndrome is caused by mutations of the SHANK3 gene, which is present in about 1% of people with autism, making it the most common single genetic influence of ASD.  Even if you don’t have a mutation in SHANK3, many of the issues affecting those with PMS may apply to you.  To learn more about the conference, click here:  https://www.pmsf.org/ifc/

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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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The causes of social communication deficits in ASD

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This week, former ASF fellow Katherine Stavropoulos from UC Riverside and Leslie Carver published data investigating what is the core cause of social communication deficits in autism.  Do people with autism show deficits in this area because they have a lack of motivation for social cues, or are social interactions just too overwhelming on their senses?  It turns out, both are true and this has direct implications for intervention methods.  Also, parents and siblings of people with autism show subtle symptoms of ASD without having a diagnosis.  This is called the broader autism phenotype, and a study by the Study to Explore Early Development led by Dr. Eric Rubenstein, demonstrated that parents of children with a particular group of symptoms are more likely to show this phenotype than other groupings.  You can read the full studies here:

 

https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-018-0189-5

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29376397

 

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Supporting the support staff, at least a first step

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Paid support staff are critical to helping individuals at all ages with autism.  Unfortunately, they are mostly poorly paid, and exhibit high levels of burnout.  What psychological constructs are most important, and can they be targeted for services to help provide better services for those with ASD?  As it turns out, more important than preventing burnout is building up psychological capital, which helps deal with the effects of burnout.  In addition, a new important feature of autism has been identified: intolerance to uncertainty.  Previously linked to ASD through anxiety, now it is shown to have direct connections to ASD diagnosis and symptomatology.  Is this a new core feature?