Episodes

  • Stigma experienced around the world

    Stigma experienced around the world
    Nov 3 2024
    Despite many years fighting it, families with autism still experience societal stigma. The experiences depend on many factors, summarized in the October 21st podcast. This week, Mia Kotikovski explores cultural factors involved in stigma. As examples, she explores the literature from Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom, how they are different, and how …

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    17 mins
  • The Importance of Model Systems

    The Importance of Model Systems
    Oct 28 2024
    Animal models of autism, including cell based models, have received criticism because autism is a uniquely human condition so there is no value in studying it in a model like a mouse or a cell. On the other hand, model systems have been used for decades to develop therapies for a myraid of other conditions …

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    37 mins
  • Where is autism stigma the worst in the world?

    Where is autism stigma the worst in the world?
    Oct 20 2024
    This week, part 1 in cultural stigma around autism with Mia Kotikovski provides an overview of stigma, where it can come from across cultures and provides some examples of stigma in different countries. Different areas of the world are in different places in terms of their perceptions of autism, their needs for autism families, and …

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    17 mins
  • Factors That Influence Heterogeity and How

    Factors That Influence Heterogeity and How
    Oct 13 2024
    Understanding factors that make each person with autism different has been a challenge, affecting diagnosis, interventions and the way we think about autism in general. Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy, used computers to see how language, intellectual ability, motor and adaptive functioning grouped individuals into different categories. It turns out there are …

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    34 mins
  • Post-Pandemic Problems

    Post-Pandemic Problems
    Oct 6 2024
    A few years after the start of the pandemic, and a couple of years into “recovery”, scientists are still disentangeling the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and exposure. For example, is there an uptick in autism screen positives when pregnant mothers fell ill? Were there diagnostic disparities based on co-morbid conditions? Did autistic people feel better …

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    15 mins
  • Catching up with CANDID

    Catching up with CANDID
    Sep 29 2024
    In part 2 of the GI series in ASD, a new paper in the Journal of Nutrition and Gastroenterology describing the www.candidgi.com meeting is described. While sometimes doctors may be know-it-alls, sometimes they do not know-it-all and need experts to advise them, especially when they encounter individuals who may be hard to diagnose and treat. …

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    11 mins
  • Mysteries of the Microbiome

    Mysteries of the Microbiome
    Sep 22 2024
    In the first of a two-part series on digestive health in ASD, Mia Kotikovski summarizes scientific information about what the complicated microbiome is, how it influences physical and psychiatric health, if it is altered in autism, and what causes it to be different in ASD.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • More about the environmental influences in autism

    More about the environmental influences in autism
    Sep 8 2024
    New research points to a previously understudied but fascinating mechanism by which environmental factors may lead to autism: it’s called the “GABA/glutamate switch” which is a critical period in development when certain cells turn from turning on cell activity to turning them off. These environmental factors may delay this process leading to long term effects …

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    16 mins