November 08, 2021
- NBC10 in Philadelphia recently featured a six-minute interview with Walter Zahorodny, Ph.D. Their news report focuses on New Jersey’s high rate of autism and the new finding that rates of ASD are highest in mid-socioeconomic communities within the state.
- For decades, individuals with autism were thought to have struggled with the lack of empathy. However, a new Spectrum article about alexithymia, the inability to recognize one’s own emotions, suggests that the condition may be the root cause for challenges people with ASD experience when they try to share or understand someone else’s emotions.
- President Biden continues to push forward his plan to make the biggest investment in Medicaid home and community-based services in 40 years. His proposed package includes $150 billion for these services and is meant to help individuals with disabilities get off waiting lists as well as address issues affecting the nation’s workforce of direct support professionals. This home and community-based service plan is attached to the President’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act.
- JAMA recently published an original investigation examining the efficacy of behavioral interventions that aim to improve social function and social cognition for children who experience social challenges. Using a systematic review and meta-analysis of 2163 test subjects in 33 randomized clinical trials, the study’s authors found significantly greater gains in social function and social cognition among children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders who received behavioral interventions compared to control groups.
- Autism Speaks is requesting applications for a pilot grant and fellowship funding on research surrounding Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Letters of intent are due on December 14, 2021.
