It’s been about 6 months since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States, longer in Asia and some parts of Europe. While scientists still don’t know the direct effects of COVID-19 in pregnant women on later development of their children, they do know about ASD following other neuroinflammatory responses. These include things like the flu, UTI’s, herpes, and other things that cause inflammation and immune disruption. This podcast reviews the evidence so far in humans and animals, with the goal of helping people understand that the threat is real, and that wearing a mask is not a mark that you do not have the freedom to do so. It is a reflection that you understand that the world is victim of a pandemic, and you want to protect others from getting sick.

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0149763419302088?token=6A507B42E4214202ED738386D6C119F334516249286DFE65CDE1B73A0859F430F8C0600C592A04FF500B31454175C08A

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31824351

The words “induced pluripotent stem cell” refer to a group of cells that are gathered from a person with a disorder, like autism, then changed or “induced” from a skin cell into an embryonic “stem” cell, and can be then made into baby brain cells, or baby heart cells or baby bone cells. This makes them “pluripotent”. This tool has been used in neurodevelopment disorders to help illustrate when the wiring of the brain starts to go off course. Things start to happen very early after conception and one of the only ways to study these things is by using either embryonic cells or these induced embryonic “stem cells”. The latter is more cost effective and more precise. This technology has an incredibly high potential in understanding autism, but it may never be used as a treatment. Nevertheless, knowing how and when brain development deviates is essential for understanding people with ASD.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-030-45493-7.pdf

You have spoken, and scientists have listened, to surveys that have asked how you are doing, what your family needs, what is working and what has not worked. Telehealth gets mixed reviews, and kids are suffering from everything from anxiety to OCD. Other results of these surveys are covered in this week’s ASF podcast. Please continue to answer these requests for feedback, because the future of autism interventions, assessments and services depends on them.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32515992/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32503172/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32445682/

Racial and ethnic disparities in autism care is not new, the lower age of diagnosis and lack of care for these families have been reported for years. While they have always been unacceptable, in light of recent events, it’s time to reconsider what scientists should be doing about them. A systematic review identifies what is going on with regards to access to interventions and their efficacy. Another study successfully collaborates Part C Early Intervention providers to reach families of color to improve screening. And finally, researchers not even focused on autism provide a perspective on how far and wide this problem reaches. Autism Science Foundation maintains their commitment to working together with other organizations to eradicate these disparities once and for all.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=32238530

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04429-z

A fresh take on an existing topic: why there are more boys diagnosed with ASD than girls. Even from a few months old, girls are different than boys, and they show subtle differences in toddlerhood. But at the time of diagnosis, they score the same on standardized instruments of ASD used to categorize someone as having ASD or not. This means it isn’t about the measures. It could be cultural factors, it could be a protective effect, but there needs to be a better understanding of these differences across the lifespan to help everyone with ASD, especially females.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/retrieve/pii/S096098222030419X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098222030419X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04526-z

https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13242

Unfortunately, families hear more about what does work to help families with ASD rather than what does not work. But through the course of decades of research, scientific projects and hours of families participation, there is a better picture of what treatments are, and are not, helpful. This week’s podcast will review what drugs have shown to not be effective so far in treating restrictive and repetitive behaviors and also provides an update on umbilical cord blood stem cell transfusions on social communication behaviors.

https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(20)30334-6/pdf

https://jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(20)30265-3/pdf

Have you ever heard of an initiative called “Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engaged Together”? If you have, you know their goal is to ensure that autistic perspectives are included in future scientific research. They recently published an article that summarized the research that autistic people feel is critical, and what is missing, and what needs to be done. They concluded most of the research done so far is applicable to males without intellectual disability. That needs to change. Speaking of adults, how many adults are autistic? Is it 5 million? Maybe, maybe not, but it is still unclear even after a recent publication. Listen to hear more.

To learn more about AASET click here

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32390461

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-020-04494-4.pdf

Questions have loomed around the finding of an increased risk of parents having a child with ASD if they are under 20 or over 35. Of course not every parent who is really young or older will have a child on the spectrum and plenty of those between those ages also have children on the spectrum. Risk factors for ASD are not absolute, they are nuanced and work with other genetic and environmental factors. This week, Kristin Lyall from the AJ Drexel Autism Institute found that those with a strong genetic influence were not as sensitive to factors like parental age. This goes to show, yet again, that it isn’t about ONE risk factor, it’s about dozens working together. And for those 30 year old parents who had a child with autism – see, not every research finding applies to you directly.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32314879

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4521130/

Oxytocin treatment for social communication in ASD has been recntlyused by doctors, but mostly used by people using it on their own through a nasal spray. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a huge, if any, effect in randomized clinical trials. This week’s podcast investigates current research in both the oxytocin and vasopressin system in ASD, when changes start, and how oxytocin administration has different effects in autistic women vs. neurotypical women. Once again, clinicians can not assume that what works in people without ASD will work in those with a diagnosis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32341146

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32188502

On this week’s podcast, CSO Alycia Halladay appears on the Autism Dad Podcast, hosted by Rob Gorski. While we have included the full podcast here, you should also go over to the Autism Dad podcast – he’s smart, funny and has 3 adorable boys with ASD. Rob talks openly and honestly about not just scientific issues, but everyday challenges and successes that is inspirational for families across the spectrum. You can find him on the regular podcast streams or here: https://www.theautismdad.com/listen/