Are Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions controversial?

While NDBIs are generally considered beneficial, they still face controversies – do they actually work and does that translate to an improved quality of life for the family? This week’s #ASF podcast interviews Molly Reilly and Jinwei Song of @UConn to dive into these issues, as well as the role of the caregiver in the intervention and how their influence affects the outcome. References below.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38719439

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13623613241227516

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-023-06198-x

Websites: PRTESDMJASPEREMTSocialABCs, and Pathways
Books/Manuals: ESDMPRTJASPEREMT

Rest in Power Jim Simons

A legend in the autism community passed away on Friday. Today’s podcast focuses on the many talents of Dr. James (Jim) Simons, one of the founders of the Simons Foundation that has spent more than $500 million on autism research. We explain how he made his fortune, how he spent it, the importance of the Simons Foundation to the autism community, and advice from Dr. Simons about how to experience a life well lived.

What happens to premature infants as they get older?

As health care and outcomes for very premature infants has improved, scientists are able to track their longer term behavioral development, and that includes risk of developmental disorders like autism. On this week’s #ASFpodcast, Dr. Jessica Bradshaw discusses her recent research examining biological predictors like body temperature and heart rate and how they are linked to early autism features like social communication deficits in toddlerhood. All parents of pre-meet need to be vigilant and lean into resources like @BabyNavigator to help track their infant’s development.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41372-024-01942-2