Researchers Begin Mission to Lower Age of Autism Diagnosis for African American Children
Earlier this month, SafeMinds Shares covered a disturbing news story which reported that obtaining an autism diagnosis takes longer for African American Children. In order to make this startling fact a thing of the past, a research team out of Washington University in St. Louis, using a long-standing grant from the State of Missouri, is evaluating at-risk Black children at their Autism Clinical Center.
Lower Levels of Serotonin Transporters Found in Brains of Individuals with ASD
Scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published a paper last month in Molecular Psychiatry which shows that people with autism have lower levels of a protein which regulates the amount of serotonin in the brain.
Coronavirus Economic Relief for People with Disabilities Becoming More Unlikely
As reported in June, the HEROES Act which aims to provide economic relief to the disability community was passed out of the House of Representatives. Sadly, as predicted, the related coronavirus relief legislation has stalled in the Senate.
Researchers Call for More Insight Concerning Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts For Those with Autism
An editorial published this month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders written by several leading autism researchers requests further exploration into the field of self harm and suicidal thoughts in individuals with autism.
COVID-19 Disproportionately Impacting Those With Developmental Disabilities
A letter published recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry on behalf of the directors of the nation’s 13 intellectual and developmental disabilities research centers — which are funded by the National Institutes of Health — is sounding the alarm about the devastating impact the pandemic has had on an already vulnerable population.
Probiotics Beyond Yogurt
As we wrote in an earlier SafeMinds Shares article, taking probiotics may help with some symptoms of autism. Probiotics are also considered a healthy addition for anyone’s diet. BiomeHealth, a maker of probiotic products, has produced a handy list of probiotics beyond those containing dairy such as yogurt.
