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Are autistic traits in the general population stable across development?

The current investigation measured AT in 360 males and 400 males from the general population close to two decades apart, using the Pervasive Developmental...

Autistic-like traits in childhood predict later age at menarche in girls

We investigated the relationship between autistic-like traits in early childhood and age at menarche in typically developing girls.

Common variation near ROBO2 is associated with expressive vocabulary in infancy

In this paper we conduct a genome-wide screen and follow-up study of expressive vocabulary in toddlers of European descent from up to four studies of the...

Autism and intellectual disability are differentially related to sociodemographic background at birth

We used population data on Western Australian singletons born from 1984 to 1999 (n = 398,353) to examine the sociodemographic characteristics of children...

Early mortality and primary causes of death in mothers of children with intellectual disability or Autism spectrum disorder

Mothers of children with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poorer health than other mothers.

Are there differences in the behavioural phenotypes of Autism Spectrum Disorder probands from simplex and multiplex families?

Behavioural differences in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder from simplex and multiplex families

Eye Gaze in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Neural Evidence for the Eye Avoidance Hypothesis

Reduced eye contact early in life may play a role in the developmental pathways that culminate in a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. However, there are contradictory theories regarding the neural mechanisms involved. According to the amygdala theory of autism, reduced eye contact results from a hypoactive amygdala that fails to flag eyes as salient. However, the eye avoidance hypothesis proposes the opposite-that amygdala hyperactivity causes eye avoidance. This review evaluated studies that measured the relationship between eye gaze and activity in the 'social brain' when viewing facial stimuli.

Occurrence of psychosis and bipolar disorder in adults with autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder have increased rates of co-occurring psychosis and/or bipolar disorder. Considering the peak age of onset for psychosis and bipolar disorder occurs in adulthood, we investigated the co-occurrence of these disorders in adults with autism.

Investigating associations between birth order and autism diagnostic phenotypes

Birth order effects have been linked to variability in intelligence, educational attainment and sexual orientation. First- and later-born children have been linked to an increased likelihood of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, with a smaller body of evidence implicating decreases in cognitive functioning with increased birth order.

Randomised Controlled Trial of a Therapeutic Playgroup for Children with Developmental Delays

A single-blind randomised control trial investigated the effectiveness of the Learn, Engage and Play (LEaP) playgroup. Seventy-one children with developmental delay were randomly allocated to an 8-week LEaP playgroup or control group and followed up at 12 and 28 weeks.