Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

This holiday weekend always triggers a reincarnation, a resurrection of the vaccine – autism hypothesis.  Many of you have read about the measles epidemics that are hitting many areas of the country.  But besides vaccines, there are other aspects of the immune system that may be linked to autism in some people.  The include family history of autoimmune disorders as well as specific genetic mutations that confer protection against subtypes of ASD.  This week’s ASF podcast will explore these theories and present different ideas on how the immune response is involved in autism, and if it is at all.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30976114 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30975444

 

You may have heard on the internet that a new “radical” treatment leads to a “50% reduction” in autism symptoms.  This radical treatment is fecal transplants, which is taking the bacteria from the feces from one person and putting them in another person.  This is a still experimental treatment, and while the microbiome should be researched more in regards to its relationship to autism, there might be a less invasive way to alter the microbiome which could stand up to the rigor of a well designed trial.  Also this week, new prevalence data on 4 year olds across multiple years.  Did it change across time, and is it different from 8 year olds, and why is this difference important?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30967657

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30973853

 

 

 

This year’s Day of Learning included two presentations on the use of technology among people with autism.  As it turns out, technology can be great.  In fact, a new study using Google Glass shows promise in improving socialization.  On the other hand, sometimes technology can have a downside.  People with autism spend more time than typical peers on their iPads, iPhones and other devices.  What could be wrong with that?  Well, problematic internet use is linked to autistic traits and to suicidality.  This link is NOT a clear line and obviously causes of suicide are multifactorial.  However, new data demonstrate that obsessive internet use is not making things better for people with ASD.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30934756

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30908423

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30907929

 

This week is focused on what happens in schools, including classification, service receipt and new interventions.  How an educational classification translates to a clinical diagnosis, how and what factors are important in receiving services, what teachers think about repetitive behaviors and finally, a new intervention that can be delivered by therapists in school or mental health settings.  They all have real-life consequences for kids who are receiving services in school.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30892948

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30848681

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30889547

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2727134

 

Don’t be fooled, not all the studies on this week’s podcast focus on the DSM5.  But the first one, a review of a meta analysis and review of the dozens of publications that have emerged in the past 5 years around the DSM5 leads us off.  There are some people that weren’t captured by either DSM5 or Social Communication Disorder that need a diagnosis, and that should be the focus of future research.  A new topic of diagnosis is also explored by a large collaboration is addressed:  diagnosis in cousins.  They do show a higher probability of an autism diagnosis, but not as high as first degree siblings.  Finally, a new tool called JAKE in monitoring  treatment effectiveness is presented.  This could be used not just in the clinic but at home.  It includes monitoring of biological and behavioral features, and might be the next big thing in outcomes for treatment studies.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30852784

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30851399

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6402449/

Once again, this week another study  came out dismissing the link between vaccines and autism.  Add this one to the list, but this is one of the largest and takes into account genetic and non-genetic risk factors.  It continues to discredit the vaccine-autism link.  However, in other science, more evidence that prenatal folic acid supplementation, something women should be doing anyway, does reduce the probability of having a second child with autism.  So take your folic acid – either by prescription or over the counter.  As Martha Stewart says, it’s a good thing to do.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30831578

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30810722

Females with autism are different than males with autism in a lot of ways.  This week, researchers used twins to examine the differences between males and females with autism in their brain structure and how it’s associated with autism traits, not a diagnosis.  To do this, researchers in Sweden turned to twins.  As it turns out, females have more of a diversity of differences in brain changes compared to boys, supporting the female protective effect.  But how to females with autism feel?  As them!  A group in the UK interviewed over 20 women on the spectrum or their parents to find out what concerns them most and what they find most challenging.

Both articles cited this week are open access:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-019-03906-4     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6373677/

 

Happy President’s Day!  This week’s podcast is focuses on a topic that has been on the mind of families affected by autism:  autism and violence and victimization.  The studies reinforce 1) the lack of an association between autism and criminality, 2) the association of an autism diagnosis with being the victim of abuse.  This includes self report data, database analyses and assessment of people who cannot report their abuse.  This sobering podcast was posted today because gun violence is an issue at the forefront of this president’s administration.  While this podcast is not focused on gun violence, hopefully this data will reduce the misconceptions and stereotypes around autism and violence.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30655190

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28593599

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28545754

There is demonstrated genetic overlap between many neurodevelopment disorders including  ASD, ADHD, and schizophrenia, and now there is data showing similarities in the structure and size of the brains in people with autism and those with ADHD.  These differences depend on how severe social difficulties are, but the similarities are seen with ASD and ADHD, but not OCD.   In addition, this week there are new depressing results from the Interactive Autism Network on unemployment and females with ASD.  The results may not surprise you, but they will upset you.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6361977/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30729799

 

 

Everyone knows the way to study infants with autism is through thorough testing of younger siblings of those with a diagnosis, who have a 15x greater chance of have a diagnosis themselves.   Through these methods, new ways of identifying and predicting autism  later on have been developed.  On this week’s podcast:   two very influential and recent papers on the study of motor issues in 6 month olds who go on to be diagnosed with autism, and those  who don’t have an autism diagnosis but have signs and symptoms of ASD.  Are motor issues related to an ASD diagnosis or ASD symptoms?  And what about core symptoms of autism like language?   Can early motor behaviors be used to predict who goes on to receive an autism diagnosis or has language problems?  What should parents do?  How should this influence an early intervention plan?  Learn more this week!

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30628809

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30557704