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Research

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.

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An investigation of a novel broad autism phenotype: increased facial masculinity among parents of children on the autism spectrum

The broad autism phenotype commonly refers to sub-clinical levels of autistic-like behaviour and cognition presented in biological relatives of autistic people. In a recent study, we reported findings suggesting that the broad autism phenotype may also be expressed in facial morphology, specifically increased facial masculinity.

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Mothers of Children with Autism have Different Rates of Cancer According to the Presence of Intellectual Disability in Their Child

Mothers of children with autism without ID had increased risk of cancer, which may relate to common genetic pathways

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No relationship between autistic traits and salivary testosterone concentrations in men from the general population

The current data add to the increasing evidence for the lack of relationship between autistic traits and postnatal levels of testosterone in men

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A national guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in Australia

The Guideline aims to create greater consistency in diagnostic practices across the country to ensure individuals on the autism spectrum can receive the optimal care

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Towards a molecular characterization of autism spectrum disorders: An exome sequencing and systems approach

This paper profiles the functional pattern of DNA variants found at a higher rate in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), X-linked intellectual...

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Onset of maternal psychiatric disorders after the birth of a child with autism spectrum disorder: A retrospective cohort study

Mothers of a child with autism spectrum disorder have more psychiatric disorders after the birth of their child.

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The increasing prevalence of reported diagnoses of childhood psychiatric disorders: a descriptive multinational comparison

The objective of this study is to compare the time trend of reported diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, hyperkinetic disorder, Tourette's syndrome, and...

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A prospective ultrasound study of prenatal growth in infant siblings of children with autism

Numerous studies have observed that a proportion of infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience accelerated head growth...

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Are autistic traits in the general population stable across development?

There is accumulating evidence that autistic traits (AT) are on a continuum in the general population.