Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

Autism Science Foundation
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Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

The Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Podcast is a summary of the latest research in autism spectrum disorders. This podcast will discuss new science, research discoveries, meetings and discussions, news reports, and other information important to those affected by autism especially families.

  1. NOV 11

    Health Concerns Across 3 Generations

    Are you the grandparent, cousin, aunt, uncle, sibling, or half-sibling of someone with autism and wondered “what is the likelihood of autism in families, and the likelihood of comorbid conditions if I have a family member with autism?” Researchers at the AJ Drexel Autism Research Institute and Aarhus University in Denmark collaborated to calculate probabilities between autism in a person and dozens of other comorbid conditions in family members. They not only made the paper open to the public for everyone to read it, but they also created a publicly available data visualization tool so anyone can go on and look at specific situations of particular family relationships relating to anything from autoimmune conditions to mental health and psychiatric diagnosis. Links below for reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39283002 Interactive graphs: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/diana.schendel/viz/ASDPlots_16918786403110/e-Figure5

    24 min
  2. Stigma experienced around the world

    NOV 3

    Stigma experienced around the world

    Despite many years fighting it, families with autism still experience societal stigma. The experiences depend on many factors, summarized in the October 21st podcast. This week, Mia Kotikovski explores cultural factors involved in stigma. As examples, she explores the literature from Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom, how they are different, and how families cope with that stigma in different areas of the world. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40489-023-00373-7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9330163 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-019-04218-3 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23978-0 https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-023-00579-w https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261774 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aur.2652

    17 min

  3. OCT 28

    The Importance of Model Systems

    Animal models of autism, including cell based models, have received criticism because autism is a uniquely human condition so there is no value in studying it in a model like a mouse or a cell. On the other hand, model systems have been used for decades to develop therapies for a myraid of other conditions and disorders, and produced evidence-based treatments for not just autism but conditions from ADHD to schizophrenia. So why is there so much backlash about this line of research? The ASF podcast talks to Jill Silverman at UC Davis to get some perspective. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35285132 https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/377739/autism-research-mice-lab-models

    37 min

  4. OCT 20

    Where is autism stigma the worst in the world?

    This week, part 1 in cultural stigma around autism with Mia Kotikovski provides an overview of stigma, where it can come from across cultures and provides some examples of stigma in different countries. Different areas of the world are in different places in terms of their perceptions of autism, their needs for autism families, and what they perceive as their greatest difficulties. The topic is so important we broke it down into two sections. Please listen to both, it will explain a lot about autism services and supports around the world. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362361318823550 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8992913 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303671 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303671 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30248583 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38507392 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277816405_A_Cross-Cultural_Comparison_of_Knowledge_and_Stigma_Associated_with_Autism_Spectrum_Disorder_Among_College_Students_in_Lebanon_and_the_United_States?enrichId=rgreq-97b7d5f50aac4d5b124ea8295b42fdb0-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzI3NzgxNjQwNTtBUzoyNDI4NTI2Mzk4NDIzMDRAMTQzNDkxMTk4OTI3MA%3D%3D&el=1_x_3&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

    17 min

  5. OCT 13

    Factors That Influence Heterogeity and How

    Understanding factors that make each person with autism different has been a challenge, affecting diagnosis, interventions and the way we think about autism in general. Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy, used computers to see how language, intellectual ability, motor and adaptive functioning grouped individuals into different categories. It turns out there are two groups – one group that improves over time and outperforms the other group consistently even in early life. The other group continues to struggle. These factors are not autism-specific, but do influence the creation of these different groups that are different biologically as well as behaviorally. This week’s podcast is an interview with the researchers on what it means for the future of understanding what might help what person at what time in their life. The publication is open access and includes the model so their findings can be replicated widely: https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-024-00613-5

    34 min

  6. OCT 6

    Post-Pandemic Problems

    A few years after the start of the pandemic, and a couple of years into “recovery”, scientists are still disentangeling the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and exposure. For example, is there an uptick in autism screen positives when pregnant mothers fell ill? Were there diagnostic disparities based on co-morbid conditions? Did autistic people feel better over time during the pandemic? This week’s #ASFpodcast explores these questions using new longitudinal data sets designed to better understand the long term impacts of the pandemic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/39312236 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jar.13300 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39228920

    15 min

  7. SEP 29

    Catching up with CANDID

    In part 2 of the GI series in ASD, a new paper in the Journal of Nutrition and Gastroenterology describing the www.candidgi.com meeting is described. While sometimes doctors may be know-it-alls, sometimes they do not know-it-all and need experts to advise them, especially when they encounter individuals who may be hard to diagnose and treat. Those with intellectual disability and who are non-speaking may pose specific challenges in diagnosing medical issues, including GI problems. This podcast describes the symptoms that may be obvious, some that are not so obvious, and what GI doctors need to do to help these families. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37323113 www.candidgi.com

    11 min
  8. Mysteries of the Microbiome

    SEP 22

    Mysteries of the Microbiome

    In the first of a two-part series on digestive health in ASD, Mia Kotikovski summarizes scientific information about what the complicated microbiome is, how it influences physical and psychiatric health, if it is altered in autism, and what causes it to be different in ASD. * https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8638778/ * https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.915701/full * https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32968276/ * https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002432052300992X * https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6079226/ * https://childmind.org/article/autism-and-picky-eating/ * https://www.choa.org/medical-services/gastroenterology/feeding-and-swallowing/multidisciplinary-feeding-program * https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38242089/

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The Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Podcast is a summary of the latest research in autism spectrum disorders. This podcast will discuss new science, research discoveries, meetings and discussions, news reports, and other information important to those affected by autism especially families.

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