Gene’s presence in brain’s language centers may explain speech delay
UCLA scientists have used language onset — the age when a child speaks his or her first word — as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The research team also discovered that the gene is most active in brain regions involved with language and thought.
Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls. [continue reading…]
The challenges that autistic patients face become more pronounced during adolescence, a crucial period when many kinds of social behaviours are developed and when these individuals can become more keenly aware of their relationship difficulties. [continue reading…]
Parents and even doctors sometimes miss the red flags for autism, but a new online video “glossary” makes them startlingly clear. [continue reading…]
High levels of a male sex hormone in foetuses are linked to a higher chance of developing autistic traits in childhood, scientists say. The findings come from an eight-year study relating the development of 253 children to levels of testosterone they were exposed to in the womb.
The scientists said it was unclear whether the hormone was causing the traits or was a by-product of them.
The research was presented at the BA Festival of Science in York. [continue reading…]
