Get Ready to Walk FAR this Fall!

Wall Street Rides FAR - Zena Tamler and kids


Our Fourth Annual Wall Street Rides FAR (For Autism Research) will now include a 5K walk, perfect for all types of families and people who just don't like to bike. Show your support for autism science and join us in Westchester County on Saturday, October 13. 

Learn more and register for the event here.  

Want to volunteer? Please follow the instructions  here.
New ASF Award Focuses on Sex Differences

ASF Accelerator Allison Jack_ PhD
Allison Jack, PhD
The Autism Science Foundation has awarded its latest Research Accelerator Grant to Allison Jack, PhD.  

Dr. Jack is an assistant professor at the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. She and her colleagues are currently  examining differences in brain structure between males and females with autism. The ASF funding will expand this research by enabling analysis of epigenetic modifications of the oxytocin receptor in all 250 study participants. The research will provide important data to better understand why more males are diagnosed with autism compared to females, and why females with autism show different features of autism compared to males with autism.

To view the official press release, please click here.
ASF Renews Grant to Expand Baby Sibs Research


ASF is proud to announce continued support for the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC), a network of over 33 research sites around the world studying the younger siblings of people with autism. The Baby Sibs database now tracks over 5,000 younger siblings, with and without autism. The database has been used to develop more sophisticated screening and diagnostic approaches, to understand early biological features of ASD even before symptoms develop, and to inform clinicians of early treatment targets. The additional funding will allow researchers to continue submitting information to expand data points  so that a deeper understanding of development across the lifespan can be made. ASF support will also allow scientists to collaborate on key issues like early biological testing and searching for biomarkers of ASD. 

Learn more about the BSRC and its accomplishments at  babysiblingsresearchconsortium.org.
FDA Approves Marijuana-Derived Drug for Epilepsy

On Monday, June 25, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved the United States' first marijuana-derived drug. Epidiolex is made from the non-psychoactive marijuana component, cannabidiol (CBD), and will be used to treat two genetically-based forms of epilepsy.  Read more on this development here . 
"Flipping the Script"
Studying Workplaces to Improve Autism Employment

Dr. Julie Lounds Taylor of Vanderbilt University studies adult outcomes of people with autism. Underemployment and unemployment negatively affect the long-term outcomes of adults with autism, a topic Dr. Taylor addressed in her talk at the Autism Science Foundation's Fifth Annual Day of Learning. Fortunately, the research on employment issues faced by people with autism is growing. In an   Autism  editorial written with her Vanderbilt colleague Dr. Timothy Vogus, Dr. Taylor argues that we need more research on workplaces that successfully employ and retain people with autism in order to understand the conditions that make them effective employers .  

Read the article here and watch Dr. Taylor's Day of Learning talk here. 
Support autism science today!
 
Your support makes ASF's scientific initiatives possible. Donations to ASF n ot only help to advance scientific progress, they give families challenged by autism the gift of hope. Consider making a tax-deductible donation today.
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