Autism spectrum disorder
ASD
Research on the development of social communication, repetitive behaviors and interests, and sensory responses.
Research question
Do the connectivity differences reported in early imaging studies replicate in samples with a wider range of ages and representation by sex?
Findings
Developmental history and everyday settings
NICE guidance on adult autism considers patterns of social interaction, communication, and repetitive behavior since childhood, responses to sensory stimuli, and functioning at home, in education, and at work.
Brain connectivity in ABIDE
An ABIDE study analyzed resting-state functional MRI from 360 autistic males and 403 male controls. Connectivity was stronger in some comparisons and weaker in others, with weaker connectivity predominating between cortical areas and across hemispheres.
Reproducibility of ABIDE connectivity findings
Researchers compared several resting-state MRI methods across ABIDE I, ABIDE II, and a separate Utah sample. The methods tested showed limited ability to reproduce autism–control connectivity differences across sites and samples.
Rare variants in exome sequencing
An analysis of rare inherited and newly arising variants in 35,584 exome samples, including 11,986 from autistic participants, identified 102 candidate genes associated with autism at a false discovery rate threshold of 10% or less.
A communication intervention at home and school
The PACT-G randomized trial analyzed 248 children. The intervention increased the share of children's communications that they initiated when interacting with a parent or school learning support assistant. The between-group difference in the primary measure, the 12-month observational autism symptom score, was statistically inconclusive.
Long-term health outcomes in UK primary care records
A matched UK primary care cohort included 17,130 people with a recorded autism diagnosis and no recorded intellectual disability, and 6,450 with both diagnoses. Compared with matched controls, age- and sex-standardized mortality rate ratios were 1.71 (95% CI 1.39–2.11) and 2.83 (2.33–3.43), respectively. Recorded diagnoses may overrepresent people with greater support needs and co-occurring health conditions.
Adaptive functioning from childhood to adolescence
Canada’s Pathways in ASD study assessed communication, daily living skills, and socialization in 406 autistic children at six visits from diagnosis through age 18. Modeled changes in Vineland scores shifted around ages 5–6 and 9–10, with four estimated trajectories differing in level and rate of change. The groupings depend on the sample and model.
Limitations
The connectivity analysis included only males and applied eligibility criteria for IQ and scan quality. Generalizing to the wider autistic population requires separate validation.
Original sources
Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management (CG142)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
The autism brain imaging data exchange: towards a large-scale evaluation of the intrinsic brain architecture in autism
Adriana Di Martino et al.
Generalizability and reproducibility of functional connectivity in autism
Jace B. King et al.
Large-Scale Exome Sequencing Study Implicates Both Developmental and Functional Changes in the Neurobiology of Autism
F. Kyle Satterstrom et al.
Combined social communication therapy at home and in education for young autistic children in England (PACT-G): a parallel, single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Jonathan Green et al.
Estimating life expectancy and years of life lost for autistic people in the UK: a matched cohort study
Elizabeth O’Nions et al.
Trajectories of adaptive functioning from early childhood to adolescence in autism: Identifying turning points and key correlates of chronogeneity
Yun-Ju Chen et al.