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Can animals be autistic?

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The answer is obviously “no”, however, animal models are necessary to help understand brain circuitry and improve interventions and supports for not just core symptoms but associated issues like anxiety, OCD, seizures and GI issues. Scientists view behaviors consistent with an ASD diagnosis differently, and this has created some problems in interpretation of animal model data. This week’s #ASFpodcast will break down a recent paper in Genes, Brain and Behavior which addresses inconsistencies in the literature and makes recommendations on how researchers should shift how they think about how they can replicate features of ASD in a model system.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35285132/

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New ways to solve old problems

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This week’s podcast focuses on innovative methodologies to understand how to reach black families, understand why and when autistic people prefer not to look at faces and how interventions can improve conversation and social communication. They use culturally and racially matched mentors, old home video tapes (keep taking those!) and machine learning to look not just at novel methods but novel ways of studying a particular outcome.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35232271/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35228613/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35229983/

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Who cares about eye gaze?

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Early changes in eye gaze – or the time spent looking at another person’s face compared to the scene around them – is diminished in ASD. It starts to decline at about 12 months and is linked to later social communication behaviors. But many people wonder why this is an early developing behavior worth studying? Also, what happens in school age to kids that show poor eye gaze and infancy, and those who are on the “broader spectrum” but not a diagnosis in infancy – how do they fare at school age? Devon Gangi from UC Davis MIND Institute talks to us about both of these things and why baby siblings are so important

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33615438/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34008921/

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Super, Superb and Sensational Siblings

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Siblings of people on the spectrum, including autistic adults, are amazing. They support, advocate, fundraise, and now we know they actually have a direct influence on the outcome of their affected brother or sister. What’s that effect? When is it most obvious? Does gender or race matter? All of these questions will be answered by Nicole Rosen of UCLA on this week’s #ASFpodcast. And make sure to tune on on September 8th to or Sam’s Sibs Stick Together webinar. Info below.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34120483/

https://autismsciencefoundation.org/resources/sams-sibs-stick-together/
click here for a link to register for September 8th
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Talk talk talk…..it may make a difference to your infant

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Children and infants who later go on to have an autism diagnosis show impairments in communication. Is there anything that parents can do? Yes! Talk. Talk in complicated sentences. Talk responsively and keep it up. This isn’t always an inherent skill, it’s learned, and in this podcast we talk about the biological basis of why infants with ASD are more sensitive to verbal input, how hyposensory features are involved and what you can do to improve your verbal responsiveness that needs to be different for your child with ASD

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34128355/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34185234/

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Which came first, ASD or sleep problems?

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People with autism have lots of problems, and sleep is one of them. This week’s podcast explores when these problems begin, which brain areas are involved, and how autism contributes to, or suffers from, lack of sleep. Does sleep make ASD worse or are ASD symptoms causing a sleep problems? It’s not a one way street, and the neurons that go to the wrong places at the wrong times which cause ASD, may also be contributing to lack of good sleep. References below:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33207724/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33184732/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32375538/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32140983/

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Help for those with minimal verbal ability

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On this week’s ASF weekly science podcast, we provide a recent review on influences of speech and language both in those with ASD who are verbally fluent, as those who have minimal verbal ability. What does the brain look like in those with minimal verbal ability and are there interventions to help improve social communication ability in those with not just minimal verbal ability but also cognitive disability? What are some early markers or behaviors that predict understanding and communicating? Listen to learn more.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32909382/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32881387/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32827357/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32812191/

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Families work hard for treatments

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Unfortunately, families hear more about what does work to help families with ASD rather than what does not work. But through the course of decades of research, scientific projects and hours of families participation, there is a better picture of what treatments are, and are not, helpful. This week’s podcast will review what drugs have shown to not be effective so far in treating restrictive and repetitive behaviors and also provides an update on umbilical cord blood stem cell transfusions on social communication behaviors.

https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(20)30334-6/pdf

https://jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(20)30265-3/pdf

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“ASADHD” – where does ASD and ADHD join together, and go their separate ways?

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One the surface, symptoms of ADHD and ASD may seem very similar.  However, they come from very different places.  The genetic and behavioral makeup may be on the same spectrum across the two disorders, but they are actually farther apart than you might think.  Dr. Meghan Miller from UC Davis MIND Institute who studies both ADHD and ASD and people with ADHD and ASD explains what those differences and similarities are, how to make the right diagnosis, and what’s on the horizon for treatments for ADHD in people with ASD.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31974800

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30535156

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30658861

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This one’s for the girls

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In this week’s podcast, I semi-plagiarize from a recent summary of sex differences in ASD, written by Drs. Meng-Chuan Lai and Peter Szatmari from the University of Toronto.  They delve into why more males are diagnosed with females, and differences in the presentation of those features of ASD that differ between males and females.  These include camouflaging, differences in language style, differences based on behaviors determined by sex, and associated features like anxiety and internalizing behaviors.  Thank you to the authors for putting together the information in a way that makes sense.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31815760

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30962869