Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.
May 29 2020
According to the National Autism Association, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience sensory hypersensitivity. A University of Minnesota Medical School researcher recently published an article in Nature Communications that illustrates why that may be true by showing the differences in visual motion perception in ASD are accompanied by weaker neural suppression in the visual cortex of the brain.
While experts in neuroscience and psychiatry recognize that differences in sensory functioning are common among people with ASD, it is not currently understood what is happening differently in the brain on a neural level to cause the variations in sensory perception.
Using functional MRI and visual tasks, lead author Michael-Paul Schallmo, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the U of M Medical School, and a team of researchers at the University of Washington found:
- People with ASD show enhanced perception of large moving stimuli compared to neuro-typical individuals;
- Brain responses to these visual stimuli are different among young adults with ASD compared to neuro-typical individuals. In particular, brain responses in visual cortex show less neural suppression in ASD;
- A computational model can describe the difference in brain responses.
"Our work suggests that there may be differences in how people with ASD focus their attention on objects in the visual world that could explain the difference in neural responses we are seeing and may be linked to symptoms like sensory hypersensitivity." - Michael-Paul Schallmo, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the U of M Medical School
Schallmo is currently working with collaborators at the U of M on a follow-up study of visual and cognitive functioning in youth with ASD, Tourette syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Having a better understanding of how these different disorders affect brain function could lead to new screenings to better identify kids who are at risk for ASD and related conditions. It may also help scientists to find new targets for studies seeking to improve treatments for sensory symptoms in these disorders.
Source: University of Minnesota Medical School
Journal reference: Schallmo, M., et al. (2020) Weaker neural suppression in autism. Nature Communications . doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16495-z.
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By Jess Whitley
June 1, 2020
At a time when schools are closed due to COVID-19, many parents are juggling work, finances, child care and distance learning. It’s a lot to manage. For parents of children with disabilities, some unique challenges have emerged.
In Canada, it’s unclear exactly how many students between kindergarten and Grade 12 receive what schools call “special education services,” but according to provincial figures, percentages range from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of total student enrolment.
Figures from Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick show there are more than 750,000 students receiving special education services out of about 4.3 million students enrolled in those provinces alone.
Students receiving special education services may have a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder or a mental illness. Canadian schools offer different types of supports. Most children access differentiated teaching approaches in regular classes and some have individual learning plans, while others participate in tailored programs offered in specialized classes.
Some students who find structured schooling to be a poor fit are benefiting from the shift to a more relaxed pace and self-directed learning. They can dance, jump and wiggle to their heart’s content. They can engage in tasks for a length of time that works for them and make choices during their days. The right kind of distance learning paired with accessible technology and available supports may be a great fit for them.
Other students who thrive on a predictable routine, struggle with transitions and depend on the strong relationships built over time with teachers and educational assistants are experiencing a range of emotions, including worry, fear, anger and sadness.
Some feel that they’ve lost a second home and may not understand why. Some students may also communicate these difficult emotions in ways that are challenging for parents, caregivers and siblings.
Family challenges
Parents of students who have worked hard to make gains in their learning worry that they may fall behind. This is particularly the case where parents may not have the English- or French-language skills to provide help or the time to engage with their children because of work and life commitments. Where internet access and technology in homes is the exception rather than the rule, the situation is further complicated.
Parents who typically work in partnership with school staff and community organizations are especially struggling with the disappearance of face-to-face networks and collaboration in supporting children.
Many researchers have found that parents of children with disabilities wear many hats — as full-time caregiver, advocate and social worker — and find the experience extraordinarily stressful. Without respite and collaboration with school staff, parents are describing feeling very overwhelmed.
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Growing ranks of researchers on the spectrum are overcoming barriers — from neurotypical bias to sensory sensitivities — to shape autism science.
By Rachel Nuwer
June 10, 2020
“There’s a growing voice,” says autism researcher Damian Milton, chair of the Participatory Autism Research Collective, which promotes autistic people’s involvement in science. “I think in the future, there will be a lot more of us coming through — or trying to.”
Already, autistic academics are making a significant contribution to discoveries about autism. They regularly publish papers in leading academic journals, and they serve as editors of at least four autism journals and as board members and reviewers. Last year, they spearheaded the founding of an autistic researchers’ committee at the International Society for Autism Research, the professional group that organizes the world’s largest annual autism conference. And they have established groups such as the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education to help autistic people partner with scientists on research projects.
These autistic scientists hope they will eventually become a major force in autism research. But obstacles to their academic success abound, from sensory overload at conferences to difficulties communicating with colleagues. Researchers may dismiss autistic scientists as ‘too autistic’ to produce quality science or, conversely, ‘not autistic enough’ for their insights to be useful. Slowly, though, these biases are fading, Botha says: “For every high-quality piece of work an autistic researcher puts out on autism, the more the autistic perspective will be valued or recognized.”
Involving the community in research goals is important because the types of autism research that get funded often differ from what autistic people want. For example, more than half of all autism research in the U.K. focuses on the underlying biology of autism — yet most of the 125 autistic people surveyed in a 2013 study said greater priority should go to research on public services, and almost half called for more research on improving life skills among autistic people. A 2015 survey of nearly 300 autistic individuals in the U.K. identified mental health as the most pressing research issue. And in a 2018 study conducted in the United States, 485 autistic individuals and their family members said they value research on health and well-being, the transition to adulthood and lifespan issues more than basic science research. “The outcomes that matter most [to people with autism] tie to improved quality of life,” Stewart says. Participatory research can give these preferences sway.
Steven Kapp, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K. and his colleagues showed that self-stimulatory behavior known as stimming — hand-flapping, rocking, spinning, verbal repetition and the like — is soothing for many autistic adults. The adults he interviewed objected to any treatments aimed at curtailing this behavior, a finding that suggests investing in such treatments is not useful.
Autistic researchers can also change the perspective of neurotypical scientists in important ways. Psychiatrist Laurent Mottron of the Rivière-des-Praries Hospital in Montreal, Canada, has spent much of the past 15 years working with Michelle Dawson, one of the first openly autistic researchers. Mottron wrote in a 2011 Nature commentary that Dawson had “helped the research team question many of our assumptions about autism — including that it is a problem to be solved.” As a result, Mottron has come to view autism as a natural variant within the human species, rather than “an error of nature that should be corrected.”
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By Andy Steiner
June 5, 2020
Distance learning can be a particular challenge for students with learning disabilities, especially students with ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, said Martha Moriarty, executive director of Learning Disabilities Association of Minnesota, a nonprofit providing advocacy, assessment, intervention and outreach for children, adults and families impacted by learning disabilities.
“The child with the learning disability is going to be at a lesser advantage in distance-learning situations. A child with ADHD who is already struggling with organizing the work online or focusing and completing those tasks is also going to be further and further behind peers who are able to keep up with the distance learning approach.”
Some young people’s responses to baked-in anxiety of the times can actually mimic the symptoms of ADHD, Moriarty added. “A lot of kids, even those without a diagnosed learning disability, might be struggling in school during this moment in time. When you are under stress, your brain’s executive functions are taxed.” Those executive functions can include those that tell the brain how to plan and organize tasks, she explained: “A classic stress response often looks like ADHD.”
“I think just about everybody in the state is looking for the finish line here,” she said. “Can we just make it through? It’s all been so very overwhelming for families.” And since some learning disabilities like ADHD can run in families, parents may be facing many of the same struggles as their children. “This is an overwhelming situation for the family unit, keeping up with work at home and keeping up with their children’s assignments. It’s exhausting — and many of us are just ready to finally be done.”
Distance learning can be a particular challenge for students with learning disabilities, especially students with ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, said Martha Moriarty, executive director of Learning Disabilities Association of Minnesota, a nonprofit providing advocacy, assessment, intervention and outreach for children, adults and families impacted by learning disabilities.
“The child with the learning disability is going to be at a lesser advantage in distance-learning situations. A child with ADHD who is already struggling with organizing the work online or focusing and completing those tasks is also going to be further and further behind peers who are able to keep up with the distance learning approach.”
Some young people’s responses to baked-in anxiety of the times can actually mimic the symptoms of ADHD, Moriarty added. “A lot of kids, even those without a diagnosed learning disability, might be struggling in school during this moment in time. When you are under stress, your brain’s executive functions are taxed.” Those executive functions can include those that tell the brain how to plan and organize tasks, she explained: “A classic stress response often looks like ADHD.”
“I think just about everybody in the state is looking for the finish line here,” she said. “Can we just make it through? It’s all been so very overwhelming for families.” And since some learning disabilities like ADHD can run in families, parents may be facing many of the same struggles as their children. “This is an overwhelming situation for the family unit, keeping up with work at home and keeping up with their children’s assignments. It’s exhausting — and many of us are just ready to finally be done.”
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Aoife Dooley: Why we all need to talk about adult autism
By Denise O’Donoghue
June 22, 2020
Aoife [...] was diagnosed with autism at the age of 27 and she says it gave her a greater understanding of herself. “It was surreal, if I’m being honest, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and others,” Aoife says.
“I spent my whole life trying to fit in to please others when I knew deep down that I was different but couldn’t articulate why I was different. I got to the stage where I would rather draw in my room than spend time with people my age because it wasn’t just about me feeling a bit different but how others made me feel about myself because I was different.
“It’s like you’re constantly looking for an answer you don’t know the question to.”
Aoife says she didn’t realise the extent of the autism spectrum until her own diagnosis. “When you get a diagnosis as an adult it’s bizarre because everything and nothing changes at the same time. You’re still you, but now you have the tools to understand who you are and how you work. A lot of people don’t understand what autism is or how vast the spectrum actually is and I was definitely one of those people; I hadn’t a clue.”
"People don’t realise that without autistic minds we would not have the technology, music, art, amongst other amazing things, that we have today.”
Speech and language therapist Dr Caroline Winstanley believes a diagnosis can ease a patient’s anxious feelings and allow loved ones to support them better. “Just receiving a diagnosis can be a great source of relief and a useful framework for understanding their early life experiences and also helping partners, wives, husbands, family members, employers, and friends understand and support them better,” she says.
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@commaficionado
June 24, 2020
What is #autism?
A thread. Please share as my mission is to raise awareness and acceptance.
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