1. Andrés-Gárriz C, Farriols Hernando N, Gómez Hinojosa AM, Pretel-Luque T, Fàbregues S, Mumbardó-Adam C. Promoting Self-Determination in Young Adults with Autism: A Multicenter, Mixed Methods Study. J Autism Dev Disord;2025 (Feb 15)

Young people with autism have support needs related to self-determination that are currently not adequately addressed in Spain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness, implementation, and acceptability of a program to support self-determination for young adults with autism in Spain. A multicenter, mixed methods randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was conducted (2020-2022). Young adults with autism between 17 and 30 years of age were recruited, and 40 were randomly assigned to the intervention or waiting-list group. Quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes relating to self-determination, program implementation and acceptability were collected at baseline, during, and after the intervention using several tools, including the SDI: SR and focus groups. Joint displays were used to integrate the quantitative and qualitative results for a comprehensive evaluation of the program. The quantitative results revealed no significant differences between the intervention and waiting list groups but indicated positive impacts on agentic actions and overall self-determination as reported by participants and caregivers. The qualitative results expanded the quantitative results by identifying personal and contextual barriers and facilitators of self-determination while offering deeper insights into the quantitative outcomes. Implementation fidelity was high, and the qualitative data provided areas for improvement and identified challenges and best practices. Program acceptability was high, and the group format proved useful. Our study provides the first empirical evidence of an intervention designed to promote self-determination in individuals with autism in Spain, but further research is needed. This trial was retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrial.org (NCT05938751) on January 1(st), 2023.

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2. Goodrich AJ, Tancredi DJ, Ludeña YJ, Bennett DH, Hertz-Picciotto I, Schmidt RJ. Professionally and non-professionally applied household insecticides during pregnancy and early life and their associations with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay in the CHARGE case-control study. Environ Res;2025 (Feb 15);267:120651.

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an increasing concern globally, with risks attributed to both genetic and environmental factors, including pesticide exposures. The CHARGE case-control study collected data to examine the relationship between household insecticide use and ASD or developmental delay (DD). METHODS: Participants (n = 1526) aged 2-5 years from the CHARGE study encompassed children with clinically confirmed ASD (n = 810), DD (n = 186), and typically developing controls (n = 530) frequency matched to ASD children by age, sex, and geographic region. Household insecticide use was determined from parent interviews, as were the timing, frequency, and type of applications (professionally or non-professionally applied; indoor, outdoor, and flea applications) from three months pre-conception to the child’s second birthday. Logistic regression models were adjusted for confounders to estimate odds ratios (OR) for ASD or DD associated with insecticide exposure. RESULTS: Professionally applied indoor insecticides were associated with greater than two-fold increased odds of ASD for all time periods (OR: pre-pregnancy, 2.62 (1.26, 5.44); pregnancy, 2.52 (1.41, 4.48); year 1, 2.20 (1.33, 3.64); year 2, 2.13 (1.29, 3.49)). Odds were also elevated for any outdoor application during years 1 and 2 (OR: 1.37 (1.05, 1.79) and 1.34 (1.03, 1.74), respectively), however, significance did not hold after false discovery rate correction. Higher exposure frequency was associated with greater odds of ASD for nearly all application types and time periods. Non-professional indoor insecticide use was associated with increased odds of DD in trimester 3 and the pregnancy period (OR: 1.72 (1.03, 2.89) and 1.58 (1.03, 2.40), respectively). CONCLUSION: Professionally applied indoor insecticides were consistently associated with ASD. The strong trend of increased odds with more frequent exposures, additional evidence for DD, and widespread use of household insecticides support increased regulatory scrutiny and public health interventions to minimize exposure during critical developmental windows.

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3. Guo J, Wang Y, He W, Lou M, Peng Y, Shi H, Lian A. Effects of sulforaphane on ABC and SRS scales in patients with autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis. Brain Dev;2025 (Feb 13);47(2):104321.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become an increasingly prominent global health issue. Sulforaphane is a phytochemical with multiple functions that target many of the same biochemical and molecular pathways (biomarkers) associated with ASD. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis based on sulforaphane’s effect on Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in patients with ASD. We conducted comprehensive searches in the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from their inception. The modified Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to check the risk of bias of the included studies. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to conduct this meta-analysis. The results of this meta-analysis showed that sulforaphane significantly improved irritability and hyperactivity symptoms, suggesting that sulforaphane has the potential for the combined treatment of autism. Additional studies are needed to confirm and explore the effect of sulforaphane.

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4. Koegel LK, Ponder E, Bruzzese T, Wang M, Semnani SJ, Chi N, Koegel BL, Lin TY, Swarnakar A, Lam MS. Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Empathetic Statements in Autistic Adolescents and Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Autism Dev Disord;2025 (Feb 15)

Challenges with social communication and social interaction are a defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These challenges frequently interfere with making friendships, securing and maintaining employment, and can lead to co-occurring conditions. While face-to-face clinical interventions with trained professionals can be helpful in improving social conversation, they can be costly and are unavailable to many, particularly given the high prevalence of ASD and lack of professional training. The purpose of this study was to assess whether an AI program using a Large Language Model (LLM) would improve verbal empathetic responses during social conversation. Autistic adolescents and adults, 11-35 years of age, who were able to engage in conversation but demonstrated challenges with empathetic responses participated in this study. A randomized clinical trial design was used to assess the effects of the AI program (Noora) compared to a waitlist control group. Noora asks participants to respond to leading statements and provides feedback on their answers. In this study, participants were asked to respond to 10 statements per day 5 days per week for 4 weeks for an expected total of 200 trials. Pre- and post-intervention conversation samples were collected to assess generalization during natural conversation. Additionally pre- and post-intervention questionnaires regarding each participant’s comfort during social conversation and participants’ satisfaction with the AI program were collected. The results of this study demonstrated that empathetic responses could be greatly improved by using an AI program for a short period of time. Participants in the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in empathetic responses, which generalized to social conversation, compared to the waitlist control group. Some participants in the experimental group reported improved confidence in targeted areas and most reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. These findings suggest that AI using LLMs can be used to improve empathetic responses, thereby providing a time- and cost-efficient support program for improving social conversation in autistic adolescents and adults.

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5. O’Keeffe C, McNally S. ‘Like it’s making my heart run’: A strengths-based understanding of the play of autistic children. Autism;2025 (Feb 14):13623613251315985.

Autistic play is generally described from a deficit perspective where the players themselves have been overlooked. It is important to consult with autistic children themselves about their understanding of play. We asked autistic children about their views on play using many different creative ways that were chosen by the children themselves. We analysed findings using reflexive thematic analysis. Autistic children in this research described play as involving feelings and emotions of pleasure and joy, autonomy and agency, playing by themselves and with others and engagement with materials and activities as meaningful. It is very important that we ask the players themselves what they think about play rather than relying on deficit framed, non-autistic definitions of autistic play. In this article, we will discuss how these findings will help develop future research, theory and practice in respecting children’s right to authentic play experiences.

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6. Pickles K, Houdmont J, Smits F, Hill B. ‘Part of the team as opposed to watching from the outside’: Critical incident study of autistic veterinary surgeons’ workdays. Vet Rec;2025 (Feb 15);196(4):e4957.

BACKGROUND: Autistic individuals experience differences in sensory processing, communication and executive function, which may affect their experience of the workplace. We investigated UK-based autistic clinical veterinary surgeons’ experiences to establish contributing factors to a good or difficult workday. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews with 15 autistic veterinary surgeons. A critical incident technique was applied to explore the characteristics of a good and a difficult workday. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and sub-themes in the narratives. RESULTS: Five major themes were identified as contributing to a difficult workday for autistic veterinarians: professional interactions, feeling out of control, the physical environment, role-specific challenges and self-doubt. Four overarching themes were identified as being associated with a good workday: positive interactions, feeling in control, having enough time and a sense of achievement. LIMITATIONS: As this is a qualitative study with a small number of participants, the extent to which these findings reflect the experience of the wider autistic veterinary surgeon community is unclear. CONCLUSION: Strategies to mitigate the effect of the most cited factors leading to difficult workdays, centring around neurodiversity awareness of colleagues and control of work, are likely to be helpful to autistic veterinary surgeons.

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7. Pieron M, Lacroix A, Chokron S, Demily C. [Participatory research into autism spectrum disorder]. Encephale;2025 (Feb 15)

Participatory research applied to autism spectrum disorder is an emerging research methodology. In this type of project, researchers and clinicians collaborate with autistic people, their families and professionals on research projects that are jointly determined, making the most of everyone’s strengths, skills and knowledge. The resulting work addresses issues identified as priorities by all partners. The aim is to bridge the gap between research, clinical practice and the experience of autistic people. This opinion piece reviews this methodology, its scientific and societal value, and the ethical issues and limitations it raises. It also sheds light on the particular attention that needs to be paid to methodological aspects and the resources that need to be put in place to ensure that everyone can play their part to the full, scientists and autistic people alike.

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8. Piper MA, Charlton RA. Common and unique menopause experiences among autistic and non-autistic people: A qualitative study. J Health Psychol;2025 (Feb 15):13591053251316500.

Autistic people face both similar challenges to non-autistic people as they navigate menopause and additional unique challenges. Semi-structured interviews with 15 autistic and 14 non-autistic adults (assigned female at birth), explored experiences of menopause. Thematic analysis was carried out for the autistic and non-autistic groups separately. Analysis yielded four overarching themes: information about menopause, experiences of menopause, medical support for menopause and backdrop to the menopause. Each of these contained subthemes which indicated both shared and unique experiences between the groups. Both groups reported a lack of information about menopause, endured negative psychological changes during menopause and experienced menopause alongside other important life events. Autistic people faced unique challenges during menopause, including medical professionals not accommodating autistic differences, uncertainty-induced anxiety and the lifelong impact of living without an autism diagnosis. This study highlights the need for tailored care for this group during the menopause transition.

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9. Platner A, Doernberg EA, Edmunds SR, Faja S. Fine Motor Ability and Executive Function in Autistic and Non-autistic Toddlers. J Autism Dev Disord;2025 (Feb 14)

PURPOSE: Examining early development is paramount to understanding neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism. Executive functioning (EF) and motor skills are central to development in general and are often co-occurring areas of concern with functional impact for autistic children. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between fine motor (FM) skills and EF in very young children with and without a diagnosis of autism. METHODS: Forty-nine two-year-old children with (n = 27) and without (n = 22) a diagnosis of autism who were recruited as a part of a larger study participated in an in-person assessment while their caregivers completed rating scales. RESULTS: The results indicated that, when controlling for overall cognitive ability, caregivers reported that their autistic toddlers showed significantly greater challenges with inhibition and shifting as compared to neurotypical (NT) peers. Additionally, for both autistic and NT children, FM ability significantly predicted caregiver-reported scores on ability to shift between tasks. This effect was not present for inhibition, emotional control, working memory, or planning/organization. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further evidence of a relationship between EF and FM and support continued examination of the interconnection of these skills in early development for both autistic and NT children.

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10. Sun X, Zhang P, Cheng S, Wang X, Deng J, Zhan Y, Chen J. The value of hippocampal sub-region imaging features for the diagnosis and severity grading of ASD in children. Brain Res;2025 (Feb 15);1849:149369.

BACKGROUND: Hippocampal structural changes in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are inconsistent. This study investigates hippocampal subregion changes in ASD patients to reveal intrinsic hippocampal anomalies. METHODS: A retrospective study from Hainan Children’s Hospital database (2020-2023) included ASD patients and matched controls. We classified ASD participants based on severity, dividing all subjects into four groups: normal, mild, moderate, and severe. High-resolution T1-weighted MRI images were analyzed for hippocampal subregion segmentation and volume calculations using Freesurfer. Texture features were extracted via the Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to evaluate seven random forest predictive models constructed from volume, subregion, and texture features, as well as their combinations following feature selection. RESULTS: The study included 114 ASD patients (98 boys, 2-8 years; 16 girls, 2-6 years; 17 mild, 57 moderate, 40 severe) and 111 healthy controls (HCs). No significant differences in volumes were found between ASD patients and HCs (adjusted P-value >0.05). The seven random forest models showed that single volume and texture features performed poorly for ASD classification; however, integrating various feature types improved AUC values. Further selection of texture, subregion, and volume features enhanced AUC performance across normal and varying severity categories, demonstrating the potential value of specific subregions and integrated features in ASD diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Random forest models revealed that hippocampal volume, texture features, and subregion characteristics are crucial for diagnosing and assessing the severity of ASD. Integrating selected texture and subregion features optimized diagnostic efficacy, while combining texture, subregion, and volume features further improved severity grading effectiveness.

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11. Tan QS, Weber N, Lim A, Young RL. The Impact of Affective Theory of Mind on Autistic Individual’s Perception of Remorse. Autism Res;2025 (Feb 14)

Previous research indicates that difficulties with expressing remorse may contribute to the longer sentences autistic individuals receive within the criminal justice system. These differences in remorse expression may stem from their reduced ability to perceive emotions in others. This study investigated the association between an individual’s level of autistic traits and their remorse perception ability. We also examined the influence of Affective Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand others’ emotional experiences, in remorse perception. We thought that the more autistic traits with which a person presented, the poorer their ability to perceive remorse would be, with overall ToM and affective ToM serving as mediating factors. Forty-five autistic and 47 non-autistic individuals assessed a series of facial expressions to determine the perceived level of remorse in each face. Results revealed that neither the combination of autistic traits nor any individual trait was significantly correlated with remorse perception ability. Additionally, autistic traits did not indirectly impact the perception of remorse through either overall ToM or affective ToM. These findings imply that individuals with high autistic traits, regardless of their perspective-taking abilities, exhibit similar capacities for perceiving remorseful expressions to those with less autistic traits-at least when the stimuli are static. Future research should investigate the differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals in perceiving remorse through different modalities of emotional expression, including behavioral and verbal cues.

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12. Waugh JL, Hassan AOA, Funk AT, Maldjian JA. The striatal matrix compartment is expanded in autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord;2025 (Feb 15);17(1):8.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the second-most common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood. This complex developmental disorder manifests with restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and difficulties in communication and social awareness. The inherited and acquired causes of ASD impact many and diverse brain regions, challenging efforts to identify a shared neuroanatomical substrate for this range of symptoms. The striatum and its connections are among the most implicated sites of abnormal structure and/or function in ASD. Striatal projection neurons develop in segregated tissue compartments, the matrix and striosome, that are histochemically, pharmacologically, and functionally distinct. Immunohistochemical assessment of ASD and animal models of autism described abnormal matrix:striosome volume ratios, with an possible shift from striosome to matrix volume. Shifting the matrix:striosome ratio could result from expansion in matrix, reduction in striosome, spatial redistribution of the compartments, or a combination of these changes. Each type of ratio-shifting abnormality may predispose to ASD but yield different combinations of ASD features. METHODS: We developed a cohort of 426 children and adults (213 matched ASD-control pairs) and performed connectivity-based parcellation (diffusion tractography) of the striatum. This identified voxels with matrix-like and striosome-like patterns of structural connectivity. RESULTS: Matrix-like volume was increased in ASD, with no evident change in the volume or organization of the striosome-like compartment. The inter-compartment volume difference (matrix minus striosome) within each individual was 31% larger in ASD. Matrix-like volume was increased in both caudate and putamen, and in somatotopic zones throughout the rostral-caudal extent of the striatum. Subjects with moderate elevations in ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) scores had increased matrix-like volume, but those with highly elevated ADOS scores had 3.7-fold larger increases in matrix-like volume. CONCLUSIONS: Matrix and striosome are embedded in distinct structural and functional networks, suggesting that compartment-selective injury or maldevelopment may mediate specific and distinct clinical features. Previously, assessing the striatal compartments in humans required post mortem tissue. Striatal parcellation provides a means to assess neuropsychiatric diseases for compartment-specific abnormalities. While this ASD cohort had increased matrix-like volume, other mechanisms that shift the matrix:striosome ratio may also increase the chance of developing the diverse social, sensory, and motor phenotypes of ASD.

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13. Xia Y, Hu L, Ren K, Han X, Sun Y, Li D. Embryonic exposure to 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol mediates autism spectrum disorder-like behavior by dysfunctional microbe-gut-brain axis in mice. J Hazard Mater;2025 (Feb 15);484:136739.

6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) is considered an emerging contaminant as a substitute for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, the prevalence of which has been significantly increasing globally, possibly due to rising exposure to environmental pollutants. Additionally, the microbe-gut-brain axis plays a crucial role in the development of ASD. The purpose of study was to investigate the impact of embryonic 6:2 FTOH exposure on neurological development in mice and explore the potential involvement of the microbe-gut-brain. Pregnant mice were orally administered 6:2 FTOH from gestation day 8.5 until delivery, and follow-up testing was performed on day 22 post-delivery. The findings revealed that embryonic exposure to 6:2 FTOH led to ASD-like symptoms, cortical neuron apoptosis, glial cell activation, and abnormal synapse formation in mice. Furthermore, impairment of colonic barrier function, inflammatory response, and dysbiosis in gut microbiota were observed. Interestingly, supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG during embryonic development mitigated these adverse outcomes. This study enhances our understanding of how environmental pollutants can impact neurological development in children and provides valuable insights for clinical prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for non-genetic ASD.

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