Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report


Latest Episodes

CBT and ADDM – two acronyms in the autism news
January 20, 2020

Two studies missed last year (sorry) but are of importance to the autism community include a modified version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, which was adapted and updated for people with ASD.

Environmental factors: the forgotten stepchild of autism spectrum disorders
January 12, 2020

When people hear the word “heritability” in mathematical estimates, they automatically think “just genetics”.  That isn’t true, and this week epidemiologist Brian Lee from Drexel talks us through his SpectrumNews viewpoint about what heritability actua...

What sperm tells scientists about the origins of ASD
January 05, 2020

Does autism begin at a diagnosis, or before a diagnosis?  How early do genetics influence outcome?  This podcast explores a new angle to this question using studies in sperm.  One type of major ASD relevant mutation is de-novo mutations,

The 2019 Year End Summary
December 30, 2019

What more appropriate podcast to end 2019 with than the summary of advances of scientific research of autism spectrum disorders?   The SAB of ASF and the CSO categorized the highlights in science into 8 categories which are outlined in this 30 minute p...

The AAP Empowers Pediatricians to Help Kids with ASDs
December 22, 2019

Thank you to the American Academy of Pediatrics for publishing an updated guide for their 67,000 members about identification, evaluation and management of children on the autism spectrum.  Pediatricians have a lot of things going on every day and coul...

Investigating inequality in autism spectrum disorder
December 15, 2019

While autism organizations might not always agree on everything, there is something that we all feel is unacceptable and is priority for research:  racial, ethnic, and poverty – induced inequities in access to services for ASD.

The newest on using genes to predict later diagnosis and those immune blebs in the brain
December 08, 2019

Hot off the press:  new data from a collaboration between the BSRC and geneticists in Canada demonstrate the utility of genetics to predict either ASD or atypical development in infant siblings of children already with a diagnosis.

The latest on marijuana and autism across the globe
November 24, 2019

Since the ASF policy statement on marijuana for the treatment of ASD was published this summer, there have been some new scientific studies that may be of interest to families.  As it turns out CBD has opposite effects in the brains of people with auti...

Seizures and the after-effects depends on genetics
November 17, 2019

In recognition of epilepsy awareness month, this week we are interviewing Jill Silverman and Nycole Copping from UC Davis who published a paper looking at the causes and consequences of seizures across 3 different strains of mice,

Is It Too Good To Be True?
November 10, 2019

There are small signs that an exciting finding may actually be “too good to be true”.  Are the differences so big it seems impossible to believe?  Is it hard to replicate?  In a new paper, Dr. Thomas Frazier and colleagues outline what these warning si...