Community Shares | October 28th 2024
This Week’s Articles:
- Researchers are investigating how environmental factors, such as exposure to pyrethroid insecticides, may interact with genetic predispositions to increase the risk of ASD.
- A recent meta-analysis highlights that executive function delays—such as difficulties with attention, impulse control, switching focus, planning, organizing, and problem-solving—are common across neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD, autism and Tourette’s syndrome.
- A new study has examined the link between prenatal exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) from specific sources and the risk of ASD in over 300,000 mother-child pairs in southern California.
- Don’t miss this opportunity to explore groundbreaking research on the effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a common endocrine-disrupting chemical found in plastics, and its potential role in neurodevelopmental disorders like ASD.
Sensory Processing Difficulties Related to Executive and Cognitive Dysfunction in Children with Autism
By comparing a group of children with autism (n = 40) to a group of neurotypical children (n = 40), Spanish researchers established that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more sensory processing difficulties than the comparison group of children. The ASD children’s sensory challenges negatively affected their executive and cognitive functioning, especially in the areas of inhibitory control, auditory sustained attention, and short-term verbal memory.
School-Based Mindfulness Program Shows Promise for Children with ASD
Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are faced with an additional challenge called executive dysfunction. A properly working executive function system provides a person with the ability to plan, problem solve, use working memory, monitor impulse control, manage inhibitions, make decisions, manage time, and initiate and scrutinize actions. However, these skills are typically missing in children with autism. Without proper executive functioning skills, classroom learning becomes especially difficult.
