Top articles to read on World Autism Awareness Day

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness of and educate about autism spectrum disorder.

Research continues to uncover more about the mechanisms underlying autism, the best treatment options and early predictors of the disorder. To highlight this day, Healio Psychiatry has compiled a list of the latest, most relevant articles for psychiatrists and clinicians who treat patients with autism.

Which story resonated with you most? Leave a comment or write to us on Twitter @PsychAnnals.

Later-born siblings of children with autism, ADHD at higher risk for both

Siblings born to a family after children with autism spectrum disorder or ADHD were more likely to be diagnosed with the same disorder as well as the other disorder, study findings reported. Read more.

Maternal exposure to insecticides tied to autism in offspring

Study findings published in the American Journal of Psychiatry revealed that maternal exposure to insecticides during pregnancy was linked to autism in offspring. Read more.

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Infection exposure in utero increases risk for depression, autism

Maternal infection during pregnancy significantly increased the risk for depression and autism spectrum disorder in offspring, according to a Swedish population-based cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Read more.

Oral microbial activity may help identify autism in children

Gene expression activity within oral microbial communities may be altered in children with autism spectrum disorder, findings published in Autism Research revealed. Read more.

Adults with autism show deficits in social, nonsocial cognitive areas

Compared with neurotypical adults, those with autism spectrum disorder showed greater impairments in not only social cognitive domains, but also nonsocial cognitive areas, according to study findings. Read more.

Community therapists can help children with autism

Findings from a study published in JAMA Psychiatry support the effectiveness of training community therapists in publicly funded mental health services to deliver an evidence-based mental health intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder. Read more.

Google Glass helps children with autism read emotions

Exploratory study results demonstrated that a machine-learning-assisted software system that runs on Google Glass, paired with a smartphone app, helped children with autism understand the emotions conveyed in other’s facial expressions. Read more.