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Early life nutrition is associated with child behaviour; however, the interplay with genetic vulnerability is understudied. We hypothesised that psychiatric genetic risk interacted with early nutrition to predict behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence.
Thyroid hormones affect neurological development and function, but detailed studies of thyroid hormones and metabolites in autism are lacking. The objective was t characterize thyroid function and metabolism in autistic children.
While parenting self-efficacy and broader autism phenotype (BAP) have been linked to caregiver depression, anxiety and stress at specific points in time, their influence on longer-term mental health trajectories remains unknown, especially for caregivers who participate in support programs for their infants with very-early autistic features.
Young children diagnosed with autism experience high rates of co-occurring anxiety, with uncertainty-related concerns commonly reported. This randomized controlled trial investigated an 8-week parent-mediated group anxiety intervention, “Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations” (CUES-Junior©).
A reliable and valid diagnostic classification system is pivotal for guiding clinical decision-making, facilitating rigorous and reproducible research findings, informing population-level health planning and resource allocation, and promoting well-being.
The heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder clinically and aetiologically hinders intervention matching and prediction of outcomes. This study investigated if the behavioural, sensory, and perinatal factor profiles of autistic children could be used to identify distinct subgroups. Participants on the autism spectrum aged 2 to 17 years and their families were sourced via the Australian Autism Biobank.
Manifestations of insistence on sameness and circumscribed interests are complex, with individuals varying considerably, not only in the types of behaviours they express, but also in terms of a behaviour's frequency, intensity, trajectory, adaptive benefits, and impacts.
Most support programmes for Autistic children are available only after they are diagnosed. Research suggests that parenting supports may be helpful for parents and their infants, when provided in the first 2 years of life - before a formal diagnosis is given, but when information suggests an infant is more likely to be Autistic. However, we do not know how acceptable these types of supports might be to the Autistic and autism communities.
In October 2018, the Autism CRC released A National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia.
A world leading Autism biobank has been officially launched in Australia today by the Minister for Health, the Hon Sussan Ley.