disparities – ASF Weekly Science Podcasts

Happy Pride! In honor of June, this week’s podcast focuses on the specific needs of those who are transgender or sexually diverse and also autistic. What is the prevalence of autism in those who are transgender and what is the prevalence of being transgender in those who are autistic? New research has emerged which shows … Continue reading "What can understanding autistic transgender i...

This week, Drs. Casey Burrows from @UMN and Shuting Zheng from @UTexas discuss a new paper looking at sex differences in autism features from 20-40 months of age. A new analysis done with data from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium concludes that, early in life, girls with autism show differences in some autism features (like … Continue reading "This one’s for the girls"

If you missed this year’s Day of Learning, the videos will be up soon. But if you are a podcast listener, you can listen a 20 minute recap on this week’s podcast. The topics included the effects of the pandemic on family functioning and clinician diagnosis and assessments, lessons learned through the pandemic, the role … Continue reading "The 2021 Day of Learning Quickie"

What do cats, the Developmental Check-In and parent training all have in common? They all have the documented potential to help children gain emotional skills, social skills, and receive earlier intervention. A small study shows the potential of a well-tempered cat in easing symptoms of autism. Parent training has been shown time and time again … Continue reading "Potential of therapy cats,...

On this day, October 12th, we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day by talking about how many indigenous people have ASD, what services to they receive and what are scientists around the world doing to help them. It’s not enough, but it’s a start. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32762685/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31999495/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31928063/ https://pubm...

The racial and ethnic disparities in the diagnosis of ASD has always been unacceptable, but it’s been hard to figure out. This week, researchers published their findings from a close look at 500 African American families with ASD to understand what the barriers were to a timely diagnosis. The results are not surprising, but they … Continue reading "A deeper dive into racial disparities...

Racial and ethnic disparities in autism care is not new, the lower age of diagnosis and lack of care for these families have been reported for years. While they have always been unacceptable, in light of recent events, it’s time to reconsider what scientists should be doing about them. A systematic review identifies what is … Continue reading "Autistic Black Lives Matter"

Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) pairs specialist centers with community providers to help them manage cases and empower them with knowledge to help their patients locally. It is done over the computer, which is especially relevant today. The goal is to help clinicians and physicians manage patients when local expertise is not available. Micah … Continue reading "Managing a...

Two studies missed last year (sorry) but are of importance to the autism community include a modified version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, which was adapted and updated for people with ASD.  It also works better than traditional CBT, which is good news for  the 80% of people with ASD that also suffer … Continue reading "CBT and ADDM – two acronyms in the autism new...

While autism organizations might not always agree on everything, there is something that we all feel is unacceptable and is priority for research:  racial, ethnic, and poverty – induced inequities in access to services for ASD.  This podcast covers what scientists know about these disparities, and highlights new research that is doing something about them. … Continue reading "Investiga...