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Sex Differences in Autism: A Treatment Perspective
Sex differences in prevalence have been reported in several mental disorders. For example, the prevalence of trichotillomania, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa are reported to be as much as 10 times more common in girls than boys (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). By contrast, autism...
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Psychiatric Problems Common in Siblings of People with Autism
Psychiatric conditions crop up more than twice as often in families that include a child with autism as in the general population. That’s the upshot of the most sweeping study to date of mental health in siblings of children with autism. The findings suggest that clinicians should look...
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The Role of Novel Research Technologies in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Mobile devices are woven into the fabric of our typical day. Portable technologies such as the iPhone, iPad and wearable activity trackers like Fitbit have significantly transformed not only how we communicate but also enable us to collect an enormous amount of health relevant data and information...
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“CRISPR” Way to Cut Genes Speeds Advances in Autism
Less than three years ago, two landmark publications in Science gave researchers a quick and easy recipe for tinkering with genes.1,2 The papers described a new tool — a modified enzyme called CRISPR-CAS9 — that allows researchers to reach into the genome and snip, or substitute, DNA sequences...
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Exploring How Parents Choose ASD Treatments
Today, 1 in every 50 children is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (CDC, 2013). There are hundreds of treatments, ranging from behavioral and educational therapies to traditional and complementary alternative therapies to downright dangerous therapies (e.g., Leskovec, Rowles, &...
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Growth Hormone Treatment Improves Social Impairments in Patients with Genetic Disorder Known to Cause Autism
A growth hormone can significantly improve the social impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in patients with a related genetic syndrome, according to a pilot study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today on Pub Med, a public database of...
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The Effects of Cortisol on Individuals with ASD
One Saturday, Catherine Maurice took her son and daughter, Daniel and Anne-Marie, for a walk. Anne-Marie has autism. A little black dog ran out of a driveway, yapping excitedly. Ann-Marie was afraid and began to cry. This excited the puppy then began to jump up on her. The dog was not dangerous, he...
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Understanding the Father Factor While Raising Children with ASD
Fathers of children with autism tend to be either very involved or withdrawn and virtually absent from interactions with professionals—with the majority seemingly uninvolved. From this observation, many professionals assume that fathers do not wish to be involved. Is this really the case, or do...
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Evaluating the Ability of Learners with Autism to Work in Small Groups
Learners with autism do well with one on one instruction, and this is widely known. However, the provision of one-to-one instruction on a long-term basis is not efficient or realistic. Funding streams, particularly in adulthood, do not support this level of staffing. Furthermore, the ability to...
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Changes in Scores of Genes Contribute to Autism Risk
Small differences in as many as a thousand genes contribute to risk for autism, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), and published today in the journal Nature. The new study examined data on several types of rare, genetic differences in...
