Autism Research

NIH STUDY SUGGESTS ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRENATAL DEPRESSION AND GREATER AUTISM-RELATED TRAITS IN CHILDREN

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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
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While this study didn't explore why this association might exist, future research could investigate whether these findings reflect overlap in genetic risk for depression and autism-related traits or another mechanism.

Key Points: 
  • While this study didn't explore why this association might exist, future research could investigate whether these findings reflect overlap in genetic risk for depression and autism-related traits or another mechanism.
  • Prior studies linked prenatal depression and depression history to autism spectrum disorder, but this study focused broadly on autism-related traits.
  • By studying social communication and other autism-related traits, researchers can better understand how prenatal depression influences these traits, which may show up in children without an official diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
  • The analysis included 3,994 parent-child pairs with prenatal depression data and 1,730 pairs with depression severity data from 33 ECHO research sites across the United States.

Using Social Cues to Adjust Conversational Behavior May Be Challenging for Autistic Children and Teens

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Tuesday, March 15, 2022
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PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In successful conversations, people tend to adjust their language and talkativeness to reflect the behavior of the person they are speaking with. However, these nuances of social communication can be difficult for individuals with autism. In a new study, researchers from the Center for Autism Research (CAR) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that children and teens with autism did not adjust their own level of talkativeness to reflect quieter social partners as much as neurotypical peers did, which may lead to less successful social interactions. The findings were recently published in the journal Autism Research.

Key Points: 
  • Someone might become less talkative when conversing with a social partner who is quiet and become more talkative with a chattier partner.
  • Prior research suggests that people with autism struggle to adapt their behavior across social contexts, which can contribute to suboptimal social outcomes.
  • "By focusing on word count, we could objectively measure whether autistic and neurotypical peers adapted their behavior to fit their conversation partners."
  • Cola et al, "Conversational adaptation in children and teens with autism: Differences in talkativeness across contexts."

NIH PROGRAM STUDY LINKS SMOKING IN PREGNANT MOMS TO AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN CHILDREN

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 24, 2022
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DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Smoking before or during pregnancy may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, such as symptoms of social impairments, according to a new study of approximately 11,000 children funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Key Points: 
  • DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Smoking before or during pregnancy may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, such as symptoms of social impairments, according to a new study of approximately 11,000 children funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  • Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits in ECHO Cohorts.
  • DOI 10.1002/aur.2693 (2022)
    About ECHO:ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  • The program consists of two major components, including 69 existing and ongoing observational study cohorts and a pediatric clinical trials network.