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The 2024 Day Of Learning Quickie

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Did you miss the ASF 2024 Day of Learning and can’t wait for the videos to be posted? This is a 17 minute brief summary of what was discussed, but unfortunately, with no visuals. Don’t just listen to the podcast, watch the videos when they are posted. Also included in this podcast is a shoutout to the Profound Autism Summit which brought together hundreds of advocates around those who need 24/7 care for their lives. The link to their advocacy page is here: https://www.votervoice.net/ProfoundAutism/campaigns/112917/respond

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The 2021 Day of Learning Quickie

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If you missed this year’s Day of Learning, the videos will be up soon. But if you are a podcast listener, you can listen a 20 minute recap on this week’s podcast. The topics included the effects of the pandemic on family functioning and clinician diagnosis and assessments, lessons learned through the pandemic, the role of the social justice movement in autism, personalized medicine, an explanation of SUDEP, short for sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, and new information on CBD or cannabidiol. It’s not a substitute for watching it live and being able to ask questions of the speakers, but it touches on the main themes.

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How you doin’?

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We are now about 8 months into the pandemic and the effects of social distancing. How are families doing? What are scientists doing to understand the effects and ways to help families in the future? This podcast describes four international studies that addressed what families were experiencing and how they were coping. A list of references is below:

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/9/2937/htm

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32899799/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32503172/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32808424/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32939917/

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The autism brain at 3 months old

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Biological features of ASD can be seen long before behavioral impairments in children are seen. Researchers are now studying the activity of the brain at 3 months in infants that go on to develop autism and those that do not. There are distinct features in the brain seen in a 3 month old that goes on to develop ASD. In addition, excessive brain activity resulting in seizures can increase the probability of a later ASD diagnosis in infants with a rare genetic disorder called Tuberous Sclerosis. This podcast will explain how connectivity and activity in a 3 month old can influence a later diagnosis. What we don’t know more about is those intervening months, and what can be done to mitigate symptoms.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451902220301403?via%3Dihub

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acn3.51128

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News new families can use, thank you to the BSRC

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This week an important study was released that provides information that parents can use – particularly parents with a child with autism and another on the way or who is an infant.  This of course comes from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium and makes particular observations about families with 2 or more affected children vs 1 affected child.  They have different rates of autism outcomes and trajectories of behaviors that parents and doctors should be aware of.  In addition a new meta analysis of vitamin supplementation shows that while moderate doses of vitamins may not be harmful, they may not also be helpful.  In other words, talk to your doctor about a nutritional plan and assessment, and save your money for things that are known to work.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31589284

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31586029