Month: July 2023

Composite condition: A variety of social and biological factors influence whether a person is ultimately diagnosed with autism. d3sign / Getty Images About 1 percent of people not diagnosed with autism have rare variants in genes associated with the condition, a new study finds. The results support the idea that a variety of social and…

Children with autism have memory challenges that hinder not only their memory for faces but also their ability to remember other kinds of information, according to new research. These other impairments are reflected in distinct wiring patterns in the children’s brains, the researchers report. The findings clarify a debate about memory function in kids with…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social interaction, communication challenges, and restricted behavior patterns. While the core symptoms of autism are well-documented, growing evidence suggests that individuals with autism also experience difficulties in various cognitive domains, including memory. Understanding the nature and extent of memory impairments in children with…

If you’ve listened to the podcast or even my Facebook Lives, you’ve probably heard me talk about hitting a wall last year. I don’t share this for sympathy or anything like that. I talk about it because I desperately want you to never experience what I went through. Last year and part of this year,…

The Amish don’t get autism because they do not vaccinate their children. Anti-vaccine advocates have, at least since the early 2000s, used the Amish — a group of insular individuals descended from Swiss Anabaptist immigrants who shun modern technology — as a piece of evidence that links autism to vaccines. This concept gained traction in…

Limited evidence: Observational and laboratory studies have suggested a link between pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental issues in children, but the research has several important limitations. Rebecca Horne / Spectrum This article was originally published on Undark. It has been slightly modified to reflect Spectrum’s style. More than 100 families of children with autism or…

I was recently in my local Target and spent some time in the dollar spot section.  I was amazed at how many new items they had that are not only affordable, but easy to incorporate into my OT sessions.  Today, I will highlight 10 of my favorite items and some ways I plan to use…

The early presidential election campaign has put autism back in the news—and not in a good way. Democratic candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. continues to double down on his baseless conspiracy theory that vaccines cause autism, while Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis faces baseless accusations that he is autistic after bizarre reports surfaced that he eats…

Short sequence: About 70 percent of men with fragile X syndrome express the FMR1 gene in their blood cells, albeit a truncated version. everythingpossible / Adobe Stock Most people with fragile X syndrome express the gene FMR1, which is mutated in the syndrome, a new study shows. The findings are at odds with the prevailing…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts millions of people worldwide, often manifesting unique sensory sensitivities and processing issues. Sensory activities for autism can play a pivotal role in helping individuals on the spectrum to manage these sensitivities, build essential skills, and enhance their daily lives. In this blog post, we’ll delve into sensory activities specially designed…