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Shaping the future of autism care: the need for a precision medicine approach

Andrew Videos Whitehouse Watch and listen to Andrew PhD Deputy Director (Research); Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids

The odds of harm: young men’s and parents’ views on online sports betting

Online sports betting has become a profitable segment of the global gambling industry, with young men identified as the demographic most likely to engage in online sports betting and at risk of gambling problems.

“I Just Feel Like the Teacher Understood Me, and She Knew What I Needed”: School Experiences of Autistic Students from Diverse Backgrounds

Gathering Autistic young people's testimony is critical for understanding their lived experience of education and designing settings in which these students can thrive. Despite increasing knowledge in this field, we lack perspectives from a broad range of Autistic students which necessarily limits our ability to build inclusive, supportive environments for all. This study explored the educational experiences of preschool and school-aged Autistic students from diverse age groups, backgrounds, and educational settings.

“We Need Community-Centred, Strongly Ethical Genetic Research”: A Qualitative Investigation of Community Attitudes Toward Autism Genetics

Autism genetics has historically attracted a substantial proportion of autism research funding internationally. However, more recently, several controversies centered on ethical conduct and lack of community consultation have emerged. This has triggered Autistic-led protests for the functional and meaningful inclusion of Autistic voices in the research design.

Accuracy of a 2-minute eye-tracking assessment to differentiate young children with and without autism

Eye-tracking could expedite autism identification/diagnosis through standardisation and objectivity. We tested whether Gazefinder autism assessment, with Classification Algorithm derived from gaze fixation durations, would have good accuracy (area under the curve [AUC] ≥ 0.80) to differentiate 2-4-year-old autistic from non-autistic children.

Few sex differences in regional gray matter volume growth trajectories across early childhood

Sex-specific developmental differences in brain structure have been documented in older children and adolescents, with females generally showing smaller overall brain volumes and earlier peak ages than males. However, sex differences in gray matter structural development in early childhood are less studied. We characterized sex-specific trajectories of gray matter volume development in children aged 2–8 years.  

Parsing the heterogeneity of social motivation in autism

Social motivation is posited as a key factor in the expression of the autism phenotype. However, lack of precision in both conceptualization and measurement has impeded a thorough understanding of its diverse presentation and associated outcomes. This study addresses this gap by identifying subgroups of autism characterized by deficits in distinct facets of social motivation, relative to normative benchmarks.

Dental care experiences and clinical phenotypes in children on the autism spectrum

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder may be at higher likelihood of experiencing poorer oral health and difficulties accessing dental health care. However, identifying which children on the autism spectrum may be more vulnerable to experiencing dental care difficulties is still unknown.

Parent-reported Early Atypical Development and Age of Diagnosis for Children with Co-occurring Autism and ADHD

Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. This survey of 288 New Zealand parents of children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or both conditions, examined the relations between age of diagnosis and early atypical development, the age specialist consultation was needed and types of specialists seen.

A Survey of Autistic Adults from New Zealand on the Autism Diagnostic Process During Adolescence and Adulthood

The diagnostic experiences of autistic adults in New Zealand have not been investigated and little is known globally about autistic adults' satisfaction with the autism diagnostic process. This study describes the diagnostic experiences of 70 autistic adults living in New Zealand and explores how these experiences are related to satisfaction during three stages of the diagnostic process. The results show that autistic adults were reasonably satisfied with the early query and diagnostic assessment stages, but were dissatisfied with the post-diagnostic support stage, with significant unmet needs. Dissatisfaction during the post-diagnostic support stage was also related to satisfaction during previous stages and poor coordination of supports. Suggestions are made on how to improve the autism diagnostic pathway for autistic adults in New Zealand.