ARI News for October 2024

ARI Monthly Enewsletter - View as Webpage

Monthly News | October 2024

Hello {First Name},

The fall season is packed with activities at ARI, including our two-day online scientific symposium, two in-person regional think tanks, live educational webinars, and the selection and announcement of ARI's 2024 research grant recipients. We are grateful to our Scientific Advisory Board members for assisting with the review and approval process for this important work. We look forward to learning the results of these promising new investigations in the coming years.

Research is the foundation for progress. It helps us better understand the unique needs and strengths of people with autism. It empowers the community to develop appropriate strategies to improve health, well-being, and overall quality of life. Researchers and families are counting on us now more than ever to support the health and well-being of people affected by autism through innovative, impactful research and education.

With the holidays just around the corner, we know you will hear from many worthy charities in the coming weeks. We appreciate your gift of any size to fund our research grant program, our researcher and support group networks, and our online resources.

Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.

Autism Research Institute

ARI News and Information

Latest Issue of Autism Research Review International Online Now

The Summer 2024 issue of the Autism Research Review International (ARRI) is available now. Read our latest Editorial- Autism and the brain: the vital contribution of postmortem research, and summaries of new autism research on the recurrence rate of autism, prenatal exposure to fluoride, brain growth and autism subgroups, and more.

The print journal is still available by subscription for those who prefer it. Subscribe to Print - ARRI (arrionline.org).

Read the ARRI online

ARI Staff Highlight -Melanie Glock

Melanie Glock is ARI's communications and online learning specialist. She began working with ARI in 2010. Melanie enjoys finding expert presenters for ARI webinars, exploring new ways to use technology to better share information with the autism community, and making spreadsheets to track data and organize information. In her free time, she is usually outside climbing mountains or hunting for rare plants.

Learn more about ARI's team

New on Autism.org

Webinar Summaries and Playback on Autism.org

Changes in Autism Symptoms Across Childhood

Dr. Waizbard-Bartov discusses changes in autism symptoms during childhood. She outlines the Autism Phenome Project and the study methods of her recent work. The speaker presents findings on the frequency, patterns, and predictors of changes in symptom severity throughout childhood.

Autism and Trauma

Dr. Connor Kerns discusses research on the prevalence, sources, and effects of traumatic experiences in autistic people. She underscores the prevalence of childhood adversity in autistic groups and the need for more research in this area. The presenter details recent investigations on the drivers and indicators of trauma reactions in autistic children and young adults.

Research Updates

From ARRI:

Researchers encourage exploration into root causes of pica

Pica—the eating of non-foods such as paper, dirt, paint chips, cigarette butts, and feces—is a behavior exhibited by nearly one-quarter of children with autism. Although pica is generally treated with behavioral interventions, these interventions have limited success. In contrast, researchers in California say, “an internal (organic) rather than an external (behavior modification) approach is more likely to be successful (durable across settings) in long-term treatment.”

From ARRI:

Brain development differs between boys, girls with autism

The researchers report, “Relative to their nonautistic peers, autistic females had more extensive cortical differences than autistic males. These differences involved multiple functional networks, and were mainly characterized by thicker cortex at around three years of age and faster cortical thinning in autistic females.”

Participate in Research

Participants needed: Researchers at The Johnson Center are seeking adults 18 and older with autism to participate in a study.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether EMDR therapy is effective in treating symptoms of traumatic or adverse experiences in adults with autism.

University-based researchers often contact ARI for help in finding research participants to add valuable data to our understanding of autism.

Research topics range from sibling differences to school experiences, trauma, adult issues, and more.

Learn about studies enrolling participants

ARI Webinar 10/2:

At the Cross Section of Infection, Inflammation, and Mental Health

Tune in for At the Cross Section of Infection, Inflammation, and Mental Health - Recognizing Signs of Inflammation and How to Advocate for an Evaluation.

This is a follow-up to our June 12, 2024 webinar.

Presented by

Dr. Jennifer Frankovich,

Ayan Mondal, Ph.D. and

Noor A. Hussein, PhD.

Stanford University

1 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

10/2/24

ARI Webinar 10/9:

Caregiver Strategies for Building Infant Social Interaction

Learn evidence-based strategies focused on building social interaction and development as you interact with infants during play, caretaking, and other family routines.

Presented by

Laurie A. Vismara, Ph.D., BCBA-D

ESDM Online

1 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

10/9/24