Autism Spectrum Disorders News

Adults with Asperger’s syndrome are nine times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than the general population, according to recent study findings published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder are less likely to have more children compared with families without an affected child, according to recent study findings published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Maternal antidepressant use increased the risk for autism spectrum disorders in offspring; however, the risk is small, according to recent study findings published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Lifetime costs related to autism spectrum disorders range from $1.4 million to $2.4 million per individual in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to recent study findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Recent study findings published in Molecular Psychiatry demonstrated a direct link between raised steroid hormones in the womb — including testosterone, progesterone, and cortisol — and a later autism diagnosis in boys.

Researchers studied the functional connectivity in theory of mind and mirror neuron system brain networks in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and found over– and under-connectivity between the systems, suggesting that excessive theory of mind and mirror neuron system crosstalk may be associated with social impairment.

Paternal obesity could be a greater risk factor for developmental disorders among children than maternal obesity, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.

The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that the number of US children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders in 2010 was 30% higher than previous estimates reported; whereas 2012 estimates reported that 1 in 88 children were likely to be diagnosed with ASD, this week’s MMWR report shows that 1 in 68 children have been diagnosed with ASD.

Researchers expect fewer children will be classified as having autism spectrum disorder using new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria compared with DSM-IV-TR criteria, according to data published in JAMA Psychiatry. However, researchers say this expectation could be contradicted in the future by other factors affecting ASD prevalence.

Families of children with autism and other developmental delays often use complementary and alternative medicine treatments, according to recent study findings published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.