The global Autism Parenting Summit is returning in May 2023. Summit host Autism Parenting Magazine has announced that the virtual event will be back for four days on May 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th with a stellar lineup of expert speakers.  Doctors, therapists, educators, advocates, and people on the spectrum will again cover the topics

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in Autism News by Autism Parenting Articles

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the results of its latest autism spectrum disorder study, and autism is more prevalent around the world. According to the study, one in every 36 kids in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. That’s up from one in 44 in the previous study

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in Autism News by Jeremy Brown

We are so thankful at Autism Parenting Magazine (APM) to all of the contributors who share their expertise in order to provide the information that helps us help all of our families around the world. With their contribution of time and knowledge, we are able to provide up-to-date advice throughout each issue, as well as

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in Autism News by Mark Blakey

New research has shown that parent training in interventions markedly improves outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Brigham Young University (BYU) worked on Effects of Parent-Implemented Interventions on Outcomes of Children with Autism: A Meta-Analysis, which has been published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.  The research shows training and empowering

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

About 50% of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had elevated levels of depressive symptoms over 18 months, while rates were much lower (6% to 13.6%) for mothers with neurotypical children in the same period, according to a new study from The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The report, which was published

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Research from Washington State University reveals an eye test has been developed which could help diagnose children with autism. Publishing their data in the Neurological Sciences Journal, Washington State University’s researchers believe the test could be a huge step forward for early diagnosis.  The process involves testing the speed at which a child’s eye dilates

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Research has shown for the first time that three sub-groups of autism can be identified from measuring brain activity. Birkbeck, University of London, conducted the research which also showed that brain activity can predict how social skills develop. It is thought by those involved that this new way of predicting how social skills might naturally

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Improved treatment options for irritability and novel treatments for core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the key unmet needs for the autism community, according to GlobalData. GlobalData, a data and analytics company, conducted a survey which revealed treatment options to target irritability and aggression associated with autism, and the core symptoms of ASD,

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

The global Autism Parenting Summit is returning for September 2022 following three highly successful previous installments. Summit host Autism Parenting Magazine has announced that the virtual event will be back for four days on September 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th with a stellar lineup of expert speakers.  Doctors, therapists, educators, advocates, and people on the

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Research shows that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are twice as likely to be regularly, and unlawfully, excluded from school for a fixed term than their neurotypical peers. The University of Birmingham’s Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER) in the UK looked into the causes and implications of exclusions for autistic pupils, discovering

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Children with autistic siblings may be at high risk for developing socio-emotional difficulties, according to a recent study released from the Yale Child Study Center. Researchers at the center have been observing brain scans, tracking eye movement, and observing play to determine whether children with autistic siblings may be at high risk for developing socio-emotional

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in Autism News by Shannon Tollman, BA

A new drug designed to improve the quality of life in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is in the works. The medication, known as AB-2004, is an oral absorbent which is meant to attach itself to certain gastrointestinal (GI) metabolites in order to decrease the amount of these metabolites in the gut, and ultimately

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

A study has been released in the Journal of Child Development exploring the developmental patterns of sensory trajectories experienced by kids throughout their early childhood. The study was conducted in North Carolina, USA, of a birth cohort of more than 1,000 autistic children, ages ranging from infancy to those entering first grade. Parents of the

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

A study conducted by the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) network has found that a key structure in the brain, known as the amygdala, increases in size in babies between the ages of 6 and 12 months who later develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD). What is interesting about this study is that it may potentially

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

A free app has been released by autism expert Professor James Adams, PhD and his team at the Autism Nutrition Research Center (ANRC) which displays the user ratings of many autism therapies and treatments. The ANRC Autism Treatment Rater App is a smart-phone app that shows the ratings of multiple medications, supplements, diets, and therapies,

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in Autism News, Autism Technology by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

A study conducted by some of the top universities in the United Kingdom has shown similarities between the way autistic and non-autistic individuals process information.  In the largest study of its kind, the universities of Bath, Cardiff, Manchester, and King’s College London conducted research on more than a thousand people to examine the link between

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

There is a crisis in children’s mental health services in the United Kingdom which means neurodivergent children are waiting up to five years for an initial appointment on the National Health Service (NHS), according to figures obtained by The Observer. Evidence of this waiting time is demonstrated in the undiagnosed years of Eva Pyle. After

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

As you go about your week, going to work or going out on the weekends, how many fingers would it take you to count how many times you saw an autistic individual in a working environment? Every person on the spectrum is unique, just like every neurotypical person is unique, so it can be hard

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in Autism News by Erin Bergman, BA

The third Autism Parenting Summit, hosted by Autism Parenting Magazine, took place earlier this month (April 2022) and was a great success. The virtual Autism Parenting Summit was hosted during Autism Acceptance Month and featured a diverse array of speakers—from autism experts, therapists, doctors, and educators, to neurodivergent advocates and parents.  Over the course of

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

The LEGO Foundation has launched a new accelerator programme, Play for All, designed to celebrate the strengths of neurodivergent children and help ensure all young people have the right to play, learn, and thrive. Play for All is an equity free funding and fixed term mentorship program for social enterprises, ventures and organizations that support

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

As the number of autism diagnoses increases each year, so do the fears of parents and the need to see specialists. During the past few years, not only has the COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on autism diagnoses, it has put a strain on parents getting the right treatment for their kids. The different signs

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All our hearts are going out to the people of Ukraine at the moment, but for the neurodivergent community, the current state of warfare with Russia is even more challenging. Many autistic individuals with high support needs are trapped in the Ukranian capital Kyiv or facing the situation of fleeing with little to no assistance

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

After two highly successful previous events, the virtual Autism Parenting Summit is returning this April in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month. Organizers at Autism Parenting Magazine have announced that the Autism Parenting Summit virtual conference will return for four full days from April 1st – 4th 2022.  Doctors, therapists, educators, advocates, and people on the

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Researchers have found differences between the brains of boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder, which link to motor, language, behaviors, and visuospatial attentional systems.  Researchers have discovered that the brains of males and females on the autism spectrum function differently, and this could be the reason why their clinical symptoms often present in different

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Autism Parenting Magazine realizes just how busy parents with kids on the spectrum are, so we’ve gathered all the latest autism statistics compiled from CDC reports, the latest autism research, and our own exclusive data collected from surveys sent out to more than 160,000 of our email subscribers. Breaking down autism prevalence stats… From 4-5

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in Autism Advocacy, Autism Diagnosis, Autism News by Yolande Loftus, BA, LLB

Risk of death from natural causes as well as unnatural causes is significantly increased for people on the autism spectrum, according to researchers.  A systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics claims the mortality risk is significantly increased for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ferrán Catalá-López, PhD, from the

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester of pregnancy can identify early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center in Israel.  Researchers from the Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research published their findings recently in the peer-reviewed journal Brain.

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Autism Parenting Magazine has revealed more than a third of autism caregivers use an ABA therapy provider to support a child on the spectrum. In a survey sent out by Autism Parenting Magazine (APM) to more than 160,000 email subscribers, over a third of responders confirmed they are using an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy

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in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Women are more likely to have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) if they have experienced anorexia nervosa before or during pregnancy, according to a new study. The findings came from studying 52,878 children born in Sweden between 1990 and 2012. A total of 8,800 of these children were born to women who had

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in Autism Health and Medical Info, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

The US Patent Office has approved a patent submitted by Arizona State University (ASU) for the use of Microbiota Transplant Therapy (MTT) for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. The news marks a big step forward in the realm of autism treatments but does not yet mean that MTT is US Food and Drug Administration

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Autism researchers have found nutraceuticals (nutritional supplements) have more positive benefits than pharmaceuticals on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, with lower adverse effects. Professor James B. Adams, PhD of Arizona State University, conducted and analyzed a survey alongside Anisha Bhargava of Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Devon M. Coleman, of Arizona State University, Richard

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in Autism Health and Medical Info, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

The work we do at Autism Parenting Magazine (APM) to support families all over the world simply wouldn’t be possible without the help and dedication of our valued contributors. Every year, we’re privileged to have many autism experts offering their time and services to the magazine as writers and, in 2021, for the first time,

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Strides are being made in autism diagnosis as scientists in Israel report they are able to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the first year of a child’s life. The news comes from researchers at Bar-Ilan University, with two studies carried out by Bar-Ilan’s Mifne Center for Early Intervention in the Treatment of Autism and

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in Autism Diagnosis, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

A groundbreaking biomarker discovery from scientists at Northwestern University could lead to new treatment for children with autism and epilepsy. Researchers have identified a biomarker for autism within patients’ cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This biomarker helps establish a link between autism and epilepsy, conditions which often co-occur, and could be used in future treatment methods.  Epilepsy

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in Autism Health and Medical Info, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

One in 44 (2.3%) eight-year-old children in the USA have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to an analysis of 2018 data newly published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summaries. This figure is higher than the previous estimate published in March 2020, which found a prevalence of 1 in 54 (1.9%) eight-year-old

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Strides are being taken in autism terminology as the term “profound autism” has been officially recognized by The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) for the first time. The new Lancet Commission report has formally recognized the need for, and endorsed the use of, the term “profound autism” for the first time in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Exclusive data from Autism Parenting Magazine reveals close to 6% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some form of gender dysphoria. Are people on the autism spectrum more likely to have gender identity confusion? This question is being posed more and more as gender dysphoria sees increased coverage in the media and people

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in Autism Health and Medical Info, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

A parent-led therapy for babies displaying early signs of autism has significantly reduced the likelihood of a diagnosis in early childhood, according to research by CliniKids at the Telethon Kids Institute. An international research team led by Professor Andrew Whitehouse at the University of Western Australia found that a clinician diagnosis of autism at age

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in Autism Diagnosis, Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Following the great success of the inaugural Autism Parenting Summit in April, Autism Parenting Magazine has announced that the virtual event will return for three full days in September. Doctors, therapists, educators, parents, and people on the spectrum will again cover the topics that matter most to autism families in this FREE virtual event taking

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in Autism News by Emily Ansell Elfer, BA Hons, Dip

Dive into the story of Tal Anderson—an autistic woman who did not let her ASD diagnosis stop her from making her dream of acting a reality. Tal Anderson made her debut as Sid on Netflix’s hit show Atypical in 2019, a comedy-drama series about a teenager’s life with asperger’s. This was a perfect role for

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in Autism News by Sandison, MDiv