1. Bae HG, Wu WC, Nip K, Gould E, Kim JH. Scn2a-linked myelination deficits and synaptic plasticity alterations drive auditory processing disorders in an ASD mouse model. Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1): 7109.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by complex sensory processing deficits, which continue to elude comprehensive mechanistic understanding. A key unresolved question is how alterations in neural connectivity and communication translate into the behavioral manifestations seen in ASD. Here, we investigate how oligodendrocyte dysfunction alters myelin plasticity and neuronal activity, leading to auditory processing disorder associated with ASD. We focus on the SCN2A gene, an ASD-risk factor, to understand its role in myelination and neural processing within the auditory nervous system. Transcriptional profiling suggests alterations in the expression of myelin-associated genes in Scn2a conditional knockout mice, highlighting the cellular consequences engendered by Scn2a deletion in oligodendrocytes. The results reveal a nuanced interplay between oligodendrocytes and axons, where Scn2a deletion causes alterations in the intricate process of myelination. This disruption instigates changes in axonal properties, presynaptic excitability, and synaptic plasticity at the single cell level. Furthermore, oligodendrocyte-specific Scn2a deletion compromises the integrity of neural circuitry within auditory pathways, leading to auditory hypersensitivity. Our findings reveal a pathway linking myelin deficits to synaptic activity and sensory abnormalities in ASD.

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2. Banerjee T. Electromagnetic Interaction Algorithm (EIA)-Based Feature Selection With Adaptive Kernel Attention Network (AKAttNet) for Autism Spectrum Disorder Classification. Int J Dev Neurosci. 2025; 85(5): e70034.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological condition that impacts cognitive, social and behavioural abilities. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective intervention and treatment. Traditional diagnostic methods lack accuracy, efficient feature selection and computational efficiency. This study proposes an integrated approach that combines the electromagnetic interaction algorithm (EIA) for feature selection with the adaptive kernel attention network (AKAttNet) for classification, aiming to improve ASD detection performance across multiple datasets. METHODS: The proposed methodology consists of two core components: (1) EIA, which optimises feature selection by identifying the most relevant attributes for ASD classification, and (2) AKAttNet, a deep learning model leveraging adaptive kernel attention mechanisms to enhance classification accuracy. The framework is evaluated using four publicly available ASD datasets. The classification performance of AKAttNet is compared against traditional machine learning methods, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), as well as competing deep learning models. Statistical evaluation includes precision, recall (sensitivity), specificity and overall accuracy metrics. RESULTS: The proposed model outperforms conventional machine learning and deep learning approaches, demonstrating higher classification accuracy and robustness across multiple datasets. AKAttNet, combined with EIA-based feature selection, achieves an accuracy improvement ranging from 0.901 to 0.9827, Cohen’s kappa values between 0.7789 and 0.9685 and Jaccard similarity scores from 0.8041 to 0.9709 across four different datasets. Comparative analysis highlights the efficiency of the EIA algorithm in reducing feature dimensionality while maintaining high model performance. Additionally, the proposed method exhibits lower computational time and enhanced generalizability, making it a promising approach for ASD detection. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a practical ASD detection framework integrating EIA for feature selection with AKAttNet for classification. The results indicate that this hybrid approach enhances diagnostic accuracy while reducing computational overhead, making it a promising tool for early ASD diagnosis. The findings support the potential of deep learning and optimisation techniques in developing more efficient and reliable ASD screening systems. Future work can explore real-world clinical applications and further refinement of the feature selection process.

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3. Campbell-Templeton S, Branney P, Mitchell P. How do autistic people view their empathic capacity?. Br J Dev Psychol. 2025.

Extensive research has examined empathy in autistic people; this has largely been conducted by asking autistic participants to complete measures and engage in experimental procedures or by consulting with close relatives. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first to seek the views of autistic participants on their self-perceived empathic capacity. In this case, empathy was explored within a wider context of self-concept. The study recruited 100 participants who were asked to complete 10 statements about themselves. Subsequently, participants were asked to rate their self-perceived empathy on a scale of 1-10, providing justification for this. Autistic and non-autistic participants made a comparable proportion of references to numerous psychological traits. However, non-autistic participants made a higher proportion of references to being happy, friendly and caring. Autistic participants gave lower self-ratings of empathy compared to non-autistic participants; however, the thematic analysis showed that both groups felt they had cognitive and affective empathic capacity, with nuanced differences between the groups. This paper highlights the importance of involving autistic voices in research about their empathic capacity and self-concept, identifying nuance in the autistic experience that has been generally overlooked in previous research.

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4. Cao YY, Li DY, Xu X. [Research progress on neuroimaging of SHANK family gene variation]. Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi. 2025; 63(8): 922-5.

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5. Koyama H, Yamanaka T, Maegaki Y, Inoue M. A Pilot Pre-Post Study of an Internet-Based Sleep Education Program for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sleep Disturbance in Japan. Yonago Acta Med. 2025; 68(3): 250-61.

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder frequently experience persistent sleep difficulties that persist into adulthood. These issues are linked to adverse outcomes like behavioral issues, poor academic performance, and increased parental stress, highlighting the importance of early interventions. We assessed an internet-based sleep education program for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and conducted a preliminary examination of its potential to improve sleep quality and behavioral outcomes. METHODS: Eighteen parent-child pairs participated in an internet-based sleep education program. Outcomes related to the program were assessed at three time points: baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention. Key measures analyzed included sleep parameters, sleep habits, children’s behavioral problems, parental mental health, and parenting attitudes, using validated assessment tools. RESULTS: At 4 weeks post-intervention, the program demonstrated a reduction in the time required for children to fall asleep, an enhancement in sleep efficiency, and an improvement in parental mental health. At 10 weeks post-intervention, improvements were also observed in children’s externalizing behavior problems. Parents reported increased confidence in managing their children’s sleep issues and noted a positive impact on family dynamics. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the internet-based sleep education program may be an effective and acceptable intervention for addressing sleep difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study contributes substantially to the existing literature, highlighting the potential for internet-based interventions to enhance sleep management strategies. This study was retrospectively registered with the jRCT on September 30, 2024 (jRCT1062240058).

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6. Lee IO, Fritsch DM, Kerz M, Sowden JC, Constable PA, Skuse DH, Thompson DA. Global motion coherent deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their family members are associated with retinal function. Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1): 28249.

This study aims to evaluate if the reduced sensitivity to global motion observed in some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with altered retinal processing. Motion coherence thresholds were measured from individuals with ASD and their family members and compared to the test reference limits derived from control participants. The light adapted electroretinogram (ERG) a- and b-wave amplitudes and peak-times, and photopic negative response (PhNR) parameters were measured from the ASD individuals and their families and compared to those of controls. Abnormally high motion coherence thresholds were found in ASD probands and their family members compared to that in controls, particularly mothers. Altered retinal functions were found in ASD probands and their parents. The PhNR, a- and b-wave time-to-peak were significantly correlated with motion coherence thresholds. The altered retinal function was associated with the age, intelligence and autism severity of the ASD family members. There were associations between the motion coherence and ERG parameters, including smaller amplitudes of the PhNR, and longer time-to-peak of the a- and b-waves and time to the PhNR, compared to those with abnormal motion coherence thresholds. The results showed that global motion coherence deficits were associated with altered retinal function in ASD and their family members. The findings suggest that motion perception deficits follow a familial pattern and that affected mothers may have an increased risk of a child with ASD.

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7. Morris AM, Kasdin RG, Shah S, Hill I, Bao KH, Singletary W, Rice T. Autism Spectrum Disorder in Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Settings: Presentation, Clinical Strategies, and Application of the Double Empathy Problem. South Med J. 2025; 118(8): 528-32.

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have presentations and clinical needs in the inpatient psychiatric (IP) setting that are distinct from those of their neurotypical peers. This narrative review describes the clinical presentations and IP environmental management strategies for youth with ASD. Evidence suggests that traditional IP care teams often are poorly equipped to address the multifaceted specific needs of this population. The benefits for a multifaceted approach in youth IP units with an increased focus on family collaboration, youth communication, and various psychosocial modalities are described, as are specialized IP units for patients with ASD. We suggest that an established framework called the double empathy problem can be used to better understand the complexities of interpersonal interactions and psychosocial environments within IP units. Future research may integrate the double empathy problem into understandings of caring for youth with ASD in IP contexts to optimize pharmacological interventions and enhance therapeutic milieus.

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8. Müller E, Offutt K, Stromberg M, Kern A, Oginz J. Provider Perspectives on Using School-Based Mental Health/Speech Co-Therapy to Meet the Mental Health Needs of Students With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2025; 38(4): e70104.

INTRODUCTION: Many students with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and co-occurring communication challenges have trouble accessing mental health services, especially traditional talk therapies. METHODS: This study is based on interviews with 19 school mental health providers (MHPs), speech-language therapists (SLPs), and administrators working in a school that recently added MHP/SLP co-therapy as a service delivery option. RESULTS: Following COVID, MHPs reported an increased need for mental health support, specifically language support to help students access mental health concepts. Interviewees found MHP/SLP co-therapy to be a highly beneficial model resulting in both direct benefits (i.e., student progress, generalisation of skills, and access to the expertise of two disciplines at once) and indirect benefits (i.e., greater confidence and competence of MHPs providing mental health supports to their I/DD students). CONCLUSION: MHP/SLP co-therapy may offer a promising means of helping individuals with I/DD and co-occurring communication challenges access appropriate mental health therapies in schools.

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9. Sun X, Wang H, Deng J, Cheng S, Wang X, Fu C, Li L, Zhan Y, Chen J. Causal Network Analysis Reveals Key Brain Regions Associated With Severity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res. 2025.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between gray matter (GM) changes and severity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We examined 113 ASD children aged 2-8 years (17 mild cases, 56 moderate cases, and 40 severe cases), as well as 110 age and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to compare GM density (GMD) changes between ASD and HC groups. Additionally, structural covariance network analysis quantified the cross-regional synchronous changes in GM among ASD children, and causal analysis described the pattern of changes in the GM network related to symptom severity in ASD children. The results indicated that ASD children exhibiting mild symptoms have an enlarged parahippocampal gyrus, and as the severity of ASD increases, the range of GMD changes expands (p < 0.05, FDR correction). Granger causality (GC) analysis revealed that the parahippocampal gyrus may function as a central hub within ASD-related directional networks, exerting causal effects on other brain regions (p < 0.05). These findings were validated by external datasets. Our results provide preliminary insights into the role of the parahippocampal gyrus in ASD and promote the application of dimensional models.

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10. Szabó J, Filo J, Démuthová R, Renczés E, Borbélyová V, Ostatníková D, Celec P. Autism-like phenotype across the lifespan of Shank3B-mutant mice of both sexes. J Neurodev Disord. 2025; 17(1): 45.

BACKGROUND: High heritability (80-90%) of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and sex-biased incidence (3-4 times more boys than girls) suggest the roles of genetic predisposition and sex in the etiopathogenesis of the disorder. As ASD is commonly diagnosed in early childhood, most of the research is focused on children, yet animal research predominantly uses adult-aged animals. The effect of aging on the core and secondary ASD symptomatology is understudied, both in patients and animal models of ASD. METHODS: To investigate the effect of aging on sociability, repetitive behavior, exploration, locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and object-avoidance behavior, behavioral phenotyping was conducted in Shank3B(-/-) (n = 67) and C57BL/6J wild-type (WT, n = 68) mice of both sexes (female n = 70, male n = 65) in adolescence (1-2 months of age, n = 42), adulthood (3-6 months of age, n = 40), and old age (12-18 months of age, n = 53). RESULTS: Social deficits were observed only in old Shank3B(-/-) males. Anxiety-like behavior peaked in adulthood with Shank3B(-/-) mice roughly 20% more anxious than controls. Repetitive grooming and object-induced avoidance behavior were twice more prevalent in Shank3B(-/-) mice consistently across the lifespan. Hypoactivity (20% less distance moved) and reduced exploration (30% less rearing behavior) were recorded in Shank3B(-/-) mice and were more prevalent in female animals (30% less rearing behavior). Data were analyzed using the Three-way ANOVA (genotype, sex, age), followed by a posthoc Bonferroni correction to compare respective subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Present study shows that aging affects ASD-like phenotype in the Shank3B-mutant mouse model, even though the effect size seems to be small. The mechanisms underlying these partially sex-specific effects should be the subject of further research with potential translational implications.

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11. White SW, Conner CM, Beck K, Mazefsky CA. Efficacy of Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) Program in Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025.

OBJECTIVE: Autistic adolescents and adults often struggle with emotion dysregulation, and advocates consistently encourage more research on mental health. This study aimed to establish efficacy for psychotherapeutic intervention for emotion dysregulation for autistic adolescents and young adults. METHOD: In this multisite randomized controlled trial, a primarily mindfulness-based intervention called the Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) Program, developed to improve emotion dysregulation in autistic adolescents and young adults, was compared to a rigorous active control condition (ACC) that allowed for personalized and evidence-based intervention as long as it did not include EASE core elements. It was hypothesized that the EASE group would demonstrate a steeper decline in emotion dysregulation, as well as decreased mental health problems, compared to those in ACC. A total of 109 participants were randomized, 102 began treatment, 89 participants completed all treatment sessions. intent-to-treat (ITT; n = 109) analyses were conducted, with supplemental per protocol analyses (PP; n = 76). RESULTS: Primary outcomes included emotion dysregulation severity and its interference with daily functioning, whereas secondary outcomes assessed mental health symptoms. Condition-naive interviews, which gauged impairment related to dysregulation, showed that the EASE group had more treatment responders (63%) compared to ACC (44%) (p = .052, odds ratio = 2.85), but this difference was not statistically significant. EASE participants demonstrated greater declines in emotion dysregulation than those in ACC (Reactivity, b = -0.168, p = .017; Dysphoria, b = -0.182, p = .010) at endpoint. EASE participants demonstrated improvement in internalizing and externalizing symptoms, relative to baseline, based on self- and caregiver-report, whereas ACC participants showed improvement only in caregiver-reported externalizing symptoms. All effects were stronger in PP analyses, suggesting the possible importance of treatment dosage. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that EASE improves emotion dysregulation for autistic adolescents and young adults. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement Program (EASE; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03432832 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT: We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as living with a disability.

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