Autism, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2013

Eating Fish During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism

Children who are exposed in utero to low levels of mercury, such as from fish consumed during pregnancy, are not at an increased risk of developing autismlike behaviors, a new study finds. Researchers pored through more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles, an island nation in...

Aug 2, 2013

Asperger's and Autism: Brain Differences Found

Children with Asperger's syndrome show patterns of brain connectivity distinct from those of children with autism, according to a new study. The findings suggest the two conditions, which are now in one category in the new psychiatry diagnostic manual, may be biologically different. The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to...

Aug 6, 2013

Anorexic Teens May Exhibit Traits of Autism

Girls with the eating disorder anorexia may tend to have traits that are usually found in people with autism, a new study suggests. The researchers compared 66 teen girls who had anorexia with about 1,600 girls who did not have the eating disorder, using questionnaires they had previously developed to...

Aug 26, 2013

Traits of Autism Seen in Some Kids with ADHD

Nearly one in five children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have traits that are common among children with autism, and having these traits appears to increase children's risk of experiencing impairments in their everyday lives, a new study suggests. Among children in the study with ADHD, 18 percent had autistic traits,...

Nov 6, 2013

Infant Eye-Tracking May Hold Clues to Autism

How long infants spend looking at other people's eyes may be an early marker of autism, a new study suggests. In the study, infants watched a video of a person acting like a caregiver, while the researchers tracked their eye movements. Infants that later developed autism were found to show...

Nov 20, 2013

People with Autism More Likely to Hear Colors, See Sounds

People with autism may be more likely than others to have synesthesia, a condition in which people experience a mixing of their senses, such as hearing tastes and shapes, and seeing numbers in colors, a new study from Europe suggests. Researchers tested 164 people with autism and 97 people without...

Dec 12, 2013

Parasitic Worms, Hot Baths Tested as Autism Treatments

Although the remedies may sound unconventional, doctors are currently testing whether infecting people with worms or giving them hot baths could reduce some symptoms of autism. In small, early clinical trials, the unusual treatments — which involve using parasitic worm eggs to trigger anti-inflammatory signals in the gut, or raising...

Jan 14, 2014

For Kids with Autism, Sights and Sounds Are Disjoined

The world for children with autism may resemble watching a movie with the audio out of sync. New research shows these children have trouble putting together what they see with what they hear, and that these deficits may underlie their speech and communication problems. For most people, the signals arriving...

Jul 2, 2014

Parents of Kids with Autism More Likely to Have Autistic Traits

Parents of children with autism are more likely to have some of the traits associated with autism than parents whose children don't have the disorder, according to a new study. Among families in the study, those in which both parents scored highly on a test of autistic traits had an...

Sep 23, 2014

Hospitals Adapting for Adults With Autism (Op-Ed)

Dr. Christopher Hanks, medical director for The Center for Autism Services and Transition at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights Over the last several decades, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has skyrocketed. Today,...

Oct 13, 2014

Broccoli Extract May Reduce Autism Symptoms

A chemical called sulforaphane derived from broccoli sprouts may help improve symptoms in some people with autism, a small new study suggests. The study looked at 40 boys and men with autism, who were between ages 13 and 27. For 18 weeks, 26 of the participants received between 9 and...

Nov 3, 2014

Autism's Rise: Researchers Look at Why Cases Are Increasing

The percentage of children with autism worldwide has increased in recent years, but it's not clear whether this rise is due mainly to changes in how doctors diagnose autism and report cases, or if there is some factor in children's environment that is affecting autism rates. Now, a new study...

Jan 21, 2015

'Innovative' Intervention Helps Babies at High Risk of Autism

Babies who have a high risk of developing autism may benefit when their parents receive some video-based lessons on how to work with their infants, a new study finds. Researchers found that the babies of parents who completed the lessons were moderately more engaged with other people, did a better...

Mar 25, 2015

Kids with Autism Are More Likely to Have Gastrointestinal Problems

Children with autism may be more likely to have gastrointestinal problems early in life, compared with children who don't have the condition, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from children in Norway whose mothers had answered questions about their child's health during infancy and early childhood. The study included...

Apr 2, 2015

Human Stem Cells Shape a New Approach to Autism Research (Op-Ed)

Alysson Muotri is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children's Hospital San Diego. He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a...