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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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Guys, we all need exercise

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People with autism are less likely to be physically active and more likely to be sedentary.    A number of studies have looked into different physical activities, both group based and individually, on improvements in health as well as core features of autism, and most have had positive results.  New animal model research demonstrates a benefit of exercise using the maternal immune activation model of ASD, pruning back the excess of connections and cell fibers.  As people with autism also have too many connections in the brain, this may have a direct therapeutic benefit.  But besides all the scientific conjecture, we all need more exercise, physical activity interventions seem to only help, not hurt, people across the spectrum, and should be used to complement, not replace existing therapies.

 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29693781

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31102193

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-019-04050-9

 

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/retrieve/pii/S2211124719306266?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2211124719306266%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

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Yeah, another study about autistic poop

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This week’s podcast includes a summary of the new study, this time in an animal model, looking at microbiome transplantation.  Because this was more of an experimental model, the researchers could be more rigorous in their design and look at things like behavior, brain activity, and specific biological pathways.  While a mouse does not have autism, transplantation of the autism microbiome resulted in autistic-like behaviors.   Second, a hopeful message of the value of participating in research on outcomes – those infants that were tracked prospectively showed improved outcomes later on, suggesting that all of the extra attention they get leads to a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in adaptive behavior.  Even if you do not have a family history of autism – participate in research.  It’s good for your child, and it’s good for other people’s children.

 

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30502-1 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31032937

 

 

 

 

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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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Super siblings!

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This podcast is dedicated to siblings of people with autism who are typically developing.  They play an important and beneficial role in development of socialization of those with ASD.  But sadly, they also have issues of their own, such as a high rate of issues like anxiety and depression.  Those siblings may be genetic carries of a specific mutation and not have an autism diagnosis, but have increased risk for schizophrenia and cognitive disability.  Finally, just because they are considered “typically developing” doesn’t mean they don’t have challenges with adaptive behavior.  However, they have a very special relationship with their brothers and sisters, and the world needs these strong advocates for the community.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30280363

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30248583

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12985

Click to access s41436-018-0266-3.pdf

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A conversation with Clare Harrop about autism in boys and girls

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Recently, Clare Harrop from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published two papers which help explain the differences between boys and girls with autism, at least in kids and toddlers.  She graciously agreed to talk with us about these findings and what it means for better identification and diagnosis of girls with ASD, and where future research is needed.  Thank you to Dr. Harrop for this insight and for your work in this area!

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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.

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An ode to rats as animal models for autism

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This week, the lab of Dr. Jill Silverman at UC Davis published a study that showed the most similar types of social communication deficits in an animal model.  Her group, led by Elizabeth Berg, used a rat model, rather than a mouse, because rats exhibit both receptive and expressive communication.  Through a collaboration within the UC Davis MIND Institute and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she tested an animal model of autism that shows a lack of expression of SHANK3.  SHANK3 mutations are seen in those with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome as well as in 1% of people with autism.  This new study opens up new ways to understand autism symptoms in an animal model, and moves autism research using animals forward significantly.   The references mentioned in the podcast are:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29377611

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29126394

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27189882

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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