Emily Jones – ASF Weekly Science Podcasts

Subscribe: RSS

Autism does not start at one, two or three years. It is a condition with trajectories, where some individuals show signs early, others later. It doesn’t just happen after some mysterious “medical event”, people are born with it. Scientists know this by tracking outcomes of those with a high likelihood of autism all the way from birth to school age.

We need more research on why features do not show up the same in each person, and how you can predict not just an autism diagnosis but other co-occurring conditions that are common in autism. Finally, science on how to best support each person with autism across their lifespan must continue, not stop. @UCL and @KCL are conducting just that type of research – that understands that features of autism change over time, emerge at different ages and also are accompanied by different biological features. This week we talk to Tony Charman, Tessel Bazelmans, Emily Jones and Mark Johnson who are pioneers in understanding how autism features emerge and change over time, but start in early infancy.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42640439

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42410708

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The brain is developing even after birth. So interventions that are given very early have the best chance of remolding and rewiring a brain with autism to prevent autism related disabilities. This week, a group from the University of London, Duke University and University of Washington measured brain activity during tasks that required social attention following 2 months of very very very early intervention. They found that the way the brain responded to social stimuli was more like those without an autism diagnosis. This study shows a biological marker of brain function is altered after behavioral interventions that are intended to do just that – change the way the brain functions.