Autism Spectrum Disorders News

The NIH recently announced its involvement in a privately and publicly funded multi-year project to develop and improve clinical research tools for autism spectrum disorder.

If autism prevalence continues to increase at its current pace, costs associated with autism may far exceed those of diabetes and ADHD by 2025, according to study findings in the Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders.

Mothers with chemical intolerance are more likely to give birth to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder, according to a recent study.

Infants in Germany who are born at very low birth weights or are very premature are more likely to be socially withdrawn, neurotic and exhibit signs of autism later in life, according to recently published data in the BMJ.

Despite the critical nature of nutrition management in children with autism spectrum disorder, no guidelines previously existed for parents or practitioners, prompting a team of experts to release guidelines for the management of gastrointestinal symptoms in these pediatric patients.

From 2000 to 2011, autism diagnoses among children in special education programs increased more than threefold, potentially due to the reclassification of children who previously would have been diagnosed with intellectual disability.

Among families of children with autism spectrum disorder, greater father involvement in literacy activities and caregiving was associated with lower levels of maternal depressive symptoms, according to study findings in Maternal and Child Health Journal.

Indiana University recently announced it will receive a $900,000 grant from the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Development to fund a study on potential connections between fever and improvement in autism symptoms.

Non-verbal tests that measure sniff response may be useful in identifying autism spectrum disorder, as recent study findings show children with autism do not adjust their sniff response when smelling pleasant or unpleasant scents.

A recent study found that atypical perception abilities observed early in infancy could be an indicator of later, more severe clinical symptoms of autism.