DSM-IV

Recent articles

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Debate remains over changes in DSM-5 a decade on

Changes to the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for autism were meant to add clarity, but they also generated new questions.

By Shaena Montanari
31 May 2023 | 12 min read
Illustration of a gloved hand reaching down to place a pill bottle on a pedestal.

Debut drug for Rett syndrome at edge of approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to make an approval decision on the first-ever drug for girls and women with Rett syndrome by 12 March.

By Shaena Montanari
2 March 2023 | 9 min read
A cross-section of the human brain and limbic system
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Amygdala-linked brain areas grow differently in autism

The growth differences vary between autistic boys and girls and are most apparent among children with prominent social difficulties.

By Charles Q. Choi
13 July 2022 | 5 min read
Child with colorful tactile puzzle and clinician or therapist.
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Autism without intellectual impairments more common than previously reported

Almost 60 percent of autistic people may have an average or above-average intelligence quotient, according to a new longitudinal study.

By Jonathan Moens
1 December 2021 | 2 min read
Children scattered around a grid with a beam counting them
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Autism prevalence in the United States, explained

The bulk of the increase in autism prevalence stems from a growing awareness of the condition and changes to the diagnostic criteria.

By Jessica Wright
3 September 2020 | 8 min read
Group of children walking in the countryside in Vietnam.

Large survey of children hints at true autism prevalence in Vietnam

Less than 1 percent of young children in northern Vietnam have autism, but this prevalence is higher than in previous reports.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
10 June 2019 | 4 min read
A group of high school kids walking down a set of stairs outside a building.

Autism prevalence program expands to include teenagers

The network of researchers keeping tabs on autism prevalence in U.S. children plans to follow up with some of those children in adolescence.

By Rachel Zamzow
1 October 2018 | 4 min read

Dividing autism; novel messengers; million-dollar mark and more

A researcher proposes splitting autism into subtypes, mitochondria make neurotransmitters, and highly successful grantees may face a funding cap.

By Emily Willingham
11 May 2018 | 3 min read
People standing with shapes around them

The evolution of ‘autism’ as a diagnosis, explained

From a form of childhood schizophrenia to a spectrum of conditions, the characterization of autism in diagnostic manuals has a complicated history.

By Lina Zeldovich
9 May 2018 | 7 min read
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Narrowing of ‘autism’ in DSM-5 runs counter to idea of broad spectrum

The strict definition of autism in the latest version of the diagnostic manual is antithetical to the idea that autism comes in a wide variety of forms.

By Brian Reichow, Fred Volkmar
9 May 2018 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of children looking at a gigantic set of building blocks, some of which display genetic sequences on their surfaces.

Autism is more heritable in boys than in girls

If boys have greater inherited liability for autism, the female protective effect may not fully explain the sex difference in prevalence.

Illustration of a brain.

This paper changed my life – ‘Response of hippocampal synapses to natural stimulation patterns,’ by Dobrunz and Stevens

The work demonstrated how to effectively combine controlled in-vitro experiments and the messiness of natural brain patterns.

By Robert Froemke
17 September 2024 | 4 min read
Research image of microglia.

CDKL5 gene; cerebrospinal fluid; drug combo for fragile X syndrome

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 16 September.

By Jill Adams
17 September 2024 | 2 min read