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Genetics does not equal eugenics

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Sometimes when the autism community hears the words “genetics research”, it conjures up images of using genetics to eliminate people with autism. In fact, that’s not the goal of genetics research, nor is it even possible. Recently, several new studies were publish which illustrate how genetics can be used to help people understand their diagnosis, and receive more targeted supports. Special guest Jonathan Sebat from UCSD provides perspective on these findings and why genetics research is misunderstood.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35654973/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35654974/

https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/irreducible-subjects-disability-and-genomics-in-the-past-present-and-future

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Watershed moments in development

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Autism diagnosis at 3 years of age isn’t something that happens suddenly. It evolves, there are deficits seen early on and markers that are evident prior to 3 years. Some of them are cascading events – with problems in one area like motor function, other behaviors like reaching, grasping, and learning about the environment and interactions with other people are stunted. Sometimes, these cascading moments lead to a loss of language. Early intervention can turn these early deficits around so that communication, learning and daily functioning are continually supported and instead of one trajectory, another can be reached. This podcast highlights studies that demonstrate that with data, and with theory. But it is never boiled down to one thing, despite early studies that screen time use is linked with an ASD diagnosis.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35098539/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35099540/

https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdep.12439

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2020: These are the days we’ll remember

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This week’s podcast is the Year End Summary of scientific discoveries in 2020. Guess what leads these highlights? That’s right! The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Even though these events significantly affected the lives of people with autism, and will heavily influence future research directions, there were actually other important research discoveries which impact families. These include: early detection and biomarkers of ASD, different subgroups of ASD, treatments and interventions, sex differences and technological advances to study autism on a molecular level. The full transcript will be posted on the ASF website soon. Enjoy.