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Evaluation of the Acceptability and Feasibility of the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Revised (SACS-R) Tool for Early Identification of Autism in Preterm InfantsPreterm birth is associated with a 3.3-fold increased likelihood of autism diagnosis, with lower gestational age conferring higher likelihood. In Australia, autism is typically diagnosed at around age four, potentially missing the optimal neuroplasticity window before age two. The Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Revised (SACS-R) tool identifies early autism signs in children aged 11-30 months, enabling pre-emptive intervention.
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Accuracy of a 2-minute eye-tracking assessment to differentiate young children with and without autismEye-tracking could expedite autism identification/diagnosis through standardisation and objectivity. We tested whether Gazefinder autism assessment, with Classification Algorithm derived from gaze fixation durations, would have good accuracy (area under the curve [AUC] ≥ 0.80) to differentiate 2-4-year-old autistic from non-autistic children.
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Absence of association between maternal adverse events and long-term gut microbiome outcomes in the Australian autism biobankMaternal immune activation and prenatal maternal stress are well-studied risk factors for psychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. Animal studies have proposed the gut microbiome as a mechanism underlying this association and have found that risk factor-related gut microbiome alterations persist in the adult offspring.
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Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce PreeclampsiaPreeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension. Epidemiological studies have associated preeclampsia with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as autism and schizophrenia. Preeclampsia has also been linked with maternal vitamin D deficiency, another candidate risk factor also associated with autism.
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Exploring the Experience of Seeking an Autism Diagnosis as an AdultEmerging research suggests that seeking an autism diagnosis as an adult is usually difficult and time-consuming but brings relief once a diagnosis is made. This study explored the experience of the pathway to an autism diagnosis during adulthood for adults living in Australia.
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Adolescent peer aggression and its association with mental health and substance use in an Australian cohortProspective longitudinal birth cohort data was used to examine the association between peer aggression at 14yrs and mental health and substance use at 17yrs...
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Are Prenatal Ultrasound Scans Associated with the Autism Phenotype? Follow-up of a Randomised Controlled TrialAn existing randomised controlled trial was used to investigate whether multiple ultrasound scans may be associated with the autism phenotype.
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Do Children with Specific Language Impairment have a Cognitive Profile Reminiscent of Autism? A Review of the LiteratureThis paper reviews relevant literature on whether individuals with SLI exhibit cognitive characteristics reminiscent of autism.
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Sex-specific associations between umbilical cord blood testosterone levels and language delay in early childhoodPreliminary evidence suggests that prenatal testosterone exposure may be associated with language delay. However, no study has examined a large sample of...