1. Erratum: The prognostic significance of fragile X mental retardation syndrome-related protein 1 (FXR1) in breast cancer. Transl Cancer Res. 2025; 14(5): 3263.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.21037/tcr-24-1542.].

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2. Afshan G, Ali S, Mazhar N, Parkar S, Jindani M, Jafri SK. Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF: SC) in Urdu-Speaking Children. Child Care Health Dev. 2025; 51(4): e70117.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction. The Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF: SC) is a promising tool to categorize levels of functioning for social communication skills in children with ASD. However, its psychometric properties in Urdu-speaking populations remain unexplored. This study aims to investigate these properties, addressing a gap and offering insights for clinical practice in the region. METHODS: The English version of ACSF: SC was translated into Urdu, followed by cultural adaptation. The Urdu ACSF: SC was approved by the developers of the tool and will be published on their website (Canchild) after final edits. Therapists and parents assessed the reliability of their classifications. For interrater reliability, two speech and language pathologists (SLPs), two occupational therapists (OTs), two behavioural therapists (BTs) and 50 parents participated to classify the communication level of 50 autistic children aged 3-10 years. The test-retest reliability test was performed with a 14-day interval. Only 46 parents were able to complete the retest after 14 days. The measurement of the interrater and test-retest reliability was conducted via weighted kappa coefficients. RESULTS: The analyses of typical performance level and best capacity level revealed that the communication levels of children in ACSF: SC were consistent. The weighted kappa interrater reliability varied from fair (0.265) to good (0.687) for the best capacity level and from fair (0.271) to excellent (0.822) for the typical performance level; test-retest reliability ranged from moderate (0.437) to excellent (0.885) for the best capacity level and from moderate (0.575) to good (0.741) for the typical performance level. CONCLUSION: The adapted ACSF: SC tool successfully estimates the level of communication ability of Urdu-speaking children with ASD and is culturally and linguistically appropriate for describing communication ability in this population. KEY MESSAGE: The study confirms that the Urdu version of the ACSF: SC is a reliable tool for children with ASD and can be effectively used in clinical settings. Psychometric properties of Urdu version of the ACSF: SC align closely with those of the original English version, making it a suitable tool for use with Urdu-speaking populations.

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3. Andersen M, Matthiesen NB, Murra M, Nielsen SY, Henriksen TB. Early-Onset Neonatal Infection and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2025.

BACKGROUND: Early-onset neonatal infections are among the most common neonatal diseases. However, the long-term outcomes of the infections are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To study the association between early-onset neonatal infection and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A nationwide register-based cohort study was conducted, including near-term and term children born between 1997 and 2013 with follow-up until 2021. An early-onset infection was defined as an invasive bacterial infection occurring within the first week of life, including both physician-assigned diagnoses and positive bacterial cultures. ADHD and ASD were defined by diagnoses or prescriptions of relevant medication. Associations between sepsis and the neurodevelopmental disorders were investigated using multivariable Cox regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR), whereas associations with meningitis were examined using person-time incidence rate ratios (IRR). Sibling-matched analyses were also conducted for associations with sepsis. RESULTS: A total of 981,869 children were included, with 8154 defined as having sepsis and 152 defined as having meningitis. Among these, only 257 children had culture-positive sepsis, whereas 32 had culture-positive meningitis. The incidence rate of ADHD and ASD for children with sepsis was 4.5 per 1000 and 3.3 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Sepsis was associated with an increased adjusted likelihood of both ADHD (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17, 1.39) and ASD (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.30, 1.58). However, sibling-matched analyses especially attenuated the association with ADHD (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.93, 1.34). Point estimates suggested that children with meningitis also had an increased likelihood of both ADHD (IRR 1.77, 95% CI 0.88, 3.17) and ASD (IRR 2.05, 95% CI 0.89, 4.04). CONCLUSIONS: Early-onset sepsis was associated with an increased likelihood of ASD, whereas the majority of the association with ADHD could be explained by unmeasured shared familial confounding.

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4. Bender A, Voytek B, Schaworonkow N. Resting-state Alpha and Mu Rhythms Change Shape across Development But Lack Diagnostic Sensitivity for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism. J Cogn Neurosci. 2025: 1-35.

In the human brain, the alpha rhythm in occipital cortex and the mu rhythm in sensorimotor cortex are among the most prominent rhythms, with both rhythms functionally implicated in gating modality-specific information. Separation of these rhythms is nontrivial due to the spatial mixing of these oscillations in sensor space. Using a computationally efficient processing pipeline requiring no manual data cleaning, we isolated alpha and/or mu rhythms from electroencephalography recordings performed on 1605 children aged 5-18 years. Using the extracted time series for each rhythm, we characterized the waveform shape on a cycle-by-cycle basis and examined whether and how the waveform shape differs across development. We demonstrate that alpha and mu rhythms both exhibit a nonsinusoidal waveform shape that changes significantly across development, in addition to the known large changes in oscillatory frequency. This data set also provided an opportunity to assess oscillatory measures for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. We found no differences in the resting-state features of these alpha-band rhythms for either attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder in comparison with typically developing participants in this data set. Although waveform shape is ignored by traditional Fourier spectral analyses, these nonsinusoidal properties may be informative for building more constrained generative models for different types of alpha-band rhythms, yielding more specific insight into their generation.

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5. Bernhardt BC, Valk SL, Hong SJ, Soulières I, Mottron L. Autism-related shifts in the brain’s information processing hierarchy. Trends Cogn Sci. 2025.

Despite considerable research efforts, mechanisms of autism remain incompletely understood. Key challenges in conceptualizing and managing autism include its diverse behavioral and cognitive phenotypes, a lack of reliable biomarkers, and the absence of a framework for integration. This review proposes that alterations in sensory-transmodal brain hierarchy are a system-level mechanism of atypical information processing in autism. Hierarchies can account for diverse autism symptomatology and help explain common neurodevelopmental hallmarks, notably a shift away from socially biased information processing, and an enhanced role, autonomy, and performance of perception. A hierarchical reference frame can also subsume spatially heterogeneous neuroimaging findings and make conceptual contact with foundational theories of cortical information processing, thereby consolidating behavioral, cognitive, computational, and neural characteristics of the condition.

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6. Brown TR, Lee WL, Ventimiglia J, Thurm A, Levy T, Yuan V, Martinez-Agosto JA, Shea LL. Medicaid claims from 2008 to 2016 indicate low rates of genetic testing among children with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Genet Med. 2025: 101451.

PURPOSE: Little is known nationally about the clinical implementation of existing genetic testing medical guidelines for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID) among those enrolled in Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program plans. METHODS: Children with diagnosis codes for ASD-only, ID-only, and ASD + ID were identified using established algorithms with 2008 to 2016 Medicaid claims data. The outcome measure is the cumulative proportion of individuals with genetic testing procedure codes. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 241,060 children aged 7 to 17 years. The frequency of genetic testing was low across diagnoses, with ASD + ID showing the highest frequency of 25.94%. The ASD + ID cohort had the highest odds of genetic testing (aOR = 29.43 [95% CI 27.57-31.41]) compared with a random sample of children without ASD or ID. Cytogenetics and Fragile X testing were the predominant testing types used up to 2013, followed by increasing use of chromosomal microarray analysis and gene panels in 2014 to 2016. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the clinical implementation of genetic testing in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in the Medicaid-enrolled population was low in frequency compared with the eligible population with neurodevelopmental disorders. Further research could identify facilitators and barriers to the clinical use of genetic testing in this population.

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7. Caraballo RH, Fortini S, Beltrán L, Semprino M, Galicchio S, Espeche A, Reyes Valenzuela G, Chacón S, Gamboni B, Adi J, Fasulo L, Calvo A, Cachia P. Focus on epilepsy and epilepsy syndromes in children with autism spectrum disorders: a study of 74 patients. Brain Dev. 2025; 47(4): 104385.

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a common finding in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but few studies describe the characteristics of epilepsy in these children. Our study aimed to characterize the electroclinical features of children with ASD and epilepsy through a retrospective multicenter study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with ASD who subsequently developed epilepsy seen at nine pediatric neurology departments were included. Patients with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE), chronic neurological diseases with epilepsy who developed autism, and those with non-epileptic paroxysmal disorders were excluded. RESULTS: Overall, 74 patients were included, accounting for 15 % of 494 children with ASD seen between 2015 and 2023; 39 were female (52.7 %) and 35 male (47.3 %). Focal epilepsies were identified in 43 patients (58.1 %), which were non-self-limited in 24 and self-limited in 19. Generalized epilepsies were observed in 19 (25.7 %), including six with generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone (one in childhood, five in adolescence), nine with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, one with childhood absence epilepsy, and three with juvenile absence epilepsy. Eight patients (10.8 %) had epileptic encephalopathies: EE-SWAS in six and epilepsy with myoclonic atonic seizures in two. Four patients (5.4 %) had combined focal and generalized epilepsy. No significant differences were found between epilepsy syndrome or type of epilepsy, seizure type, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: No specific epilepsy phenotype was identified in our patients with ASD; the types of epilepsy and syndromes were similar to those seen in the general population. Management should address both epilepsy and the broader complexities of ASD through an integrated approach.

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8. Drapalik KN, Magin DJ, Rinaldi ML, Christodulu KV. Camouflaging and identity development among autistic female and gender-diverse youth: A qualitative exploration. Autism. 2025: 13623613251345855.

Adolescence is a vulnerable developmental period for autistic youth. Autistic adolescents often use camouflaging to combat social challenges, perceived differences, and stigmatization. Although adolescence is an integral period for identity development, integration of these topics remains understudied in current literature. Evidence of elevated camouflaging rates among autistic females and gender-diverse adults underscores the need to examine the developmental trajectory of these topics. The present study qualitatively explored first-person perspectives on camouflaging and identity formation among autistic female and gender-diverse youth. Ten autistic adolescents (female: n = 7; gender diverse: n = 3) and their caregivers were enrolled in the present study. Youths completed a semi-structured interview or focus group discussion. Data were qualitatively analyzed and produced several prominent themes in three domains of investigation: (1) the nuts and bolts of camouflaging, (2) the aftermath of camouflaging, and (3) understanding being autistic. Identified themes and subthemes are discussed. Results demonstrated that autistic youth employ complex camouflaging strategies, motivated and reinforced by their experiences within society, that hold damaging consequences for their self-understanding and well-being. These findings reinforce the harmful implications of camouflaging on youths’ positive identity development, mental health, and well-being. Implications and future directions are discussed.Lay AbstractAdolescence is a challenging time for autistic youth. Many autistic adolescents change their behavior in social situations to adapt or cope with social challenges, feeling different, and/or stigma. We conducted in-depth discussions with autistic adolescents who identify as female or gender-diverse to understand how changing their behavior in social situations impacts their identity, or self-understanding. Ten autistic adolescents and their caregivers were included in the study. Discussions were analyzed to understand how and why youths change their social behavior and the impact it has on their self-understanding. Participants described using many complex strategies to change their social behavior that are influenced by negative views our society has about people’s differences. The strategies often harmed participants’ self-understanding and negatively affected their overall well-being. The results are important for understanding how to support autistic adolescents’ self-understanding, mental health, and well-being.

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9. Fan X, Ko KS. Chinese caregivers’ experiences parenting children with autism spectrum disorder: a descriptive qualitative study. Front Psychiatry. 2025; 16: 1514948.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the parenting experiences of caregivers that are raising children with autism spectrum disorder in China by focusing on their emotional experiences as well as perceived roles and responsibilities. OBJECTS: The research questions were (1) What are Chinese caregivers’ emotional experiences with their child with autism spectrum disorder? and (2) How do Chinese caregivers perceive their roles and responsibilities related to their children with autism spectrum disorder? METHOD: Qualitative data were gathered through individual interviews with caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. The MAXQDA software program was used for data analysis. RESULT: The data analysis resulted in four final themes: (a) Unable to abandon the hope that the child will become « ordinary, » (b) The child’s development goes against the expectations of their caregivers, (c) Emotional phases in the caregiver’s responses to diagnosis, and (d) Enduring the life that was given. CONCLUSION: This study sheds light on the experience of Chinese parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder in a culture that might perceive this disorder differently than the West. This study reflects the authentic parenting dilemmas and intense emotional fluctuations experienced by Chinese caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Understanding these experiences will stimulate the readers’ humanistic thinking, expand their care and compassion toward this group, and benefit society. By exploring the emotional struggles and parenting challenges faced by these parents, the goal is to offer them more tangible understanding and social support.

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10. Forcelini CM, Ampese R, de Melo HY, Pasin CPN, Pádua JRD, de Moura ID, Spanholo CB, Hoffmann FE, Diniz JB, Capponi LCZ, Souza L, Zortea M. Psychometric characteristics of the Mini-TEA scale: a screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder in children. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2025.

OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is advisable to promote better prognosis. The Mini-TEA scale was conceived as a sensitive screening for ASD among children. The authors aimed to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of the scale in a wider population. METHOD: 279 children from 2.5 to 12 yo were recruited, most of them under evaluation for possible ASD in the APAE of Passo Fundo/RS, as well as children with other diagnoses and normal children. Their parents/relatives answered the 48 binary questions (yes/no) of the Mini-TEA scale, divided into 15 items, which resulted in a score from 0 to 15. After that, the children were evaluated regarding the diagnostic criteria of ASD by experienced raters (gold standard) who had previously submitted to a concordance test and remained unaware of the children’s scores. Sensitivity and specificity Figs. were obtained. Factor analysis and Item Response Theory approaches were used for validity evidence. RESULTS: 115 children were diagnosed with ASD. Scores ≥9 had 98.3 % of sensitivity and 62.2 % of specificity for the diagnosis. Two cases with the typical presentation of Asperger’s syndrome scored lower than 9. The mean time for screening was about 8.5 min. The validation model presented excellent coefficients of factorability. The analysis showed that the total variance of the scores of the scale through the 15 items was explained only by the set of ASD symptoms (unidimensionality). CONCLUSION: The Mini-TEA scale is a very sensitive tool to screen for ASD and has high internal consistency for assessing typical autistic symptoms.

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11. Kerub O, Alhozyel E, Blaaum R, Elbedour L, Meiri G, Zigdon D, Michaelovski A, Frankel R, Goshen MS, Gdalevich M, Davidovich N, Menashe I. Parental Concerns About their Child’s Development During the First Year of Life and a Subsequent Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis. J Autism Dev Disord. 2025.

Eliciting parents’ concerns about their child’s development is a key component of developmental surveillance. Here, we aimed to examine whether parental concern about the child’s development during the first year of life is associated with a later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared prospectively collected data from medical records on parental concerns and children’s developmental milestones at ages 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months between 280 children later diagnosed with ASD and 560 children without ASD. Overall, 8.1% of parents in our study expressed concerns regarding their child’s development during the first year of life, with a significantly higher portion of parents of children later diagnosed with ASD expressing concerns vs. parents of children without ASD (19.5% vs. 2.8%; p < 0.001). Notably, parental concerns were associated with the failure of children to master age-appropriate language, motor, and social developmental milestones (OR = 5.27, p < 0.001; OR = 2.46, p = 0.023; and OR = 2.27, p = 0.012, respectively). Nevertheless, even after adjustment for this association, parental concerns were found to be an independent risk factor for ASD (aOR = 7.76; 95%CI = 4.31-13.97). Thus, regular monitoring of parent-reported concerns may be invaluable in early screening programs for ASD.

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12. Lee Y, Bong G, Song DY, Yoo H. Combination of Two Primary Screening Instruments (K-SCQ and K-SRS-2) and Setting of New Cutoff Values to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children. Psychiatry Investig. 2025.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the diagnostic validity of primary screening instruments (Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire [K-SCQ] and Korean version of Social Responsiveness Scale second edition [K-SRS-2]) in Korean children aged 10-60 months and to examine patterns of validity across age. Additionally, we aimed to propose new cutoff values specific to age subgroups. METHODS: The study included 1,326 children (autism spectrum disorder [ASD], n=822, M=41.79, SD=10.28; non-ASD, n=504, M=32.48, SD=10.88) divided by age (10-17, 18-29, 30-41, 42-53, and 54-60 months) who completed the instruments and underwent clinical best-estimate diagnostic evaluation. An optimal screening strategy was sought by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) based on instrument combinations. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to determine the optimal novel cutoff values for the instruments in each age subgroup. RESULTS: The validity of individual instruments varied significantly across age subgroups. However, there was some improvement in validity when applying « either K-SCQ or K-SRS-2, » especially in children aged 30 months and older (sensitivity, 83.3%-94.9%; specificity, 58.1%-90.9%; PPV, 21.7%-98.5%; NPV, 65.3%-96.2%). Estimated cutoff for K-SCQ were 13.5, 9.5, 10.5, 7.5, and 9.5 for ages 10-17, 18-29, 30-41, 42-53, and 54-60 months respectively (sensitivity, 82.4%-92.2%; specificity, 74.8%-90.9%). Estimated cutoffs for K-SRS-2 were 58.5, 54.5, 55.5, 55.5, and 52.5 for ages 10-17, 18-29, 30-41, 42-53, and 54-60 months, respectively (sensitivity, 50.0%-94.1%; specificity, 80.3%-97.7%). CONCLUSION: In children aged 30 to 60 months, the combination of either K-SCQ or K-SRS-2 allowed for accurate screening of ASD. To further improve accuracy, adjusted cutoff values can be applied based on age subgroups.

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13. Lidstone DE, Singhala M, Wang LJ, Brown JD, Mostofsky SH. HaptiKart: An engaging videogame reveals elevated proprioceptive bias in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. PLOS Digit Health. 2025; 4(6): e0000879.

An overreliance on proprioceptive (intrinsic) sensory input from the body, compared to visual (extrinsic) input from the environment, may underpin core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We developed an engaging videogame (« HaptiKart ») as a tool to examine differences in sensory-motor bias (proprioceptive vs. visual) in children and adults with ASD and whether bias correlates with age, core autism features, and intellectual ability. Eighty-one participants (33 ASD, 48 typically-developing, TD) aged 8-31 years played « HaptiKart, » a driving videogame with a force-feedback steering wheel that provided « steering assist » during gameplay. In separate trials, proprioceptive and visual feedback were selectively delayed, and differences in driving error between the conditions were used to calculate perceptual bias scores. Effects of autism diagnosis and age on bias scores were examined, controlling for sex, as were associations of perceptual bias with autism symptom severity (ADOS-2, SRS-2), attention-deficit symptom severity (Conners4 ADHD Total Scores) ratings, and IQ (general ability index, GAI). The ASD group exhibited significantly higher proprioceptive bias than did the TD group (p = 0.002). There was a trend for decreasing proprioceptive bias with age, but no significant diagnosis-by-age interaction. Increased proprioceptive bias correlated with higher autism severity and with lower IQ, but not ADHD symptoms. HaptiKart provides a highly scalable approach for measuring sensory-motor bias, revealing that individuals with ASD show elevated proprioceptive bias, correlating with autism severity. HaptiKart’s sensory-motor bias measure may thereby serve as a digital biomarker for addressing autism heterogeneity in ways that can improve targeted intervention.

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14. Lundholm M, Stålberg A. Parents’ perceptions on seeking emergency medical care for their child with autism spectrum disorder – a Swedish perspective. J Pediatr Nurs. 2025; 84: 235-42.

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder seek acute medical care more frequently than neurotypical children. Being in a paediatric emergency department setting places considerable strain on both the children and their parents. Research exploring parental perspectives in this area remains limited, with much of the existing literature originating from North American contexts. This study aimed to explore Swedish parents’ perceptions of seeking acute medical care for their children with autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: Seventeen parents were interviewed at a paediatric emergency department within a tertiary hospital in the capital region of Sweden. The interviews were analysed using manifest content analysis. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in the main category Being in a bipartite position, along with three generic categories: A sense of vulnerability, The child’s needs are recognised, and A meaningful encounter occurs. The results revealed experiences of vulnerability and exclusion for both parents and children. However, they also conveyed a sense of partnership with healthcare professionals, in which parents felt heard, involved, and that their child was approached in an individualised and pedagogically informed manner. CONCLUSION: Parental perceptions of seeking acute medical care for their children with ASD reflected a complex situation and a dual experience of vulnerability and meaningful collaboration. These insights provide valuable knowledge to support the development of a patient- and family-centered approach, enabling healthcare professionals to reduce parental distress and foster effective parent-professional partnerships, while actively involving the child.

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15. Mazer P, Pasion R, Fontes M, Pires C, Silveira C, Ferreira-Santos F. How distinct autism and schizotypal trait dimensions influence neural predictive processing: An Event-related potential study. Brain Cogn. 2025; 188: 106329.

The Predictive Processing framework offers insights into the neural mechanisms underlying autism and schizophrenia spectra. This study employed visual and auditory oddball tasks with varying difficulty levels to test whether brain-responses to unexpected events are different within these spectra. A total of 122 participants underwent EEG recordings and completed self-reports of autistic and schizotypal traits. Results showed that increased task difficulty significantly reduced P300 amplitudes across both sensory modalities. Higher Restricted Interests and Detail Orientation autistic traits were associated with enhanced N2 amplitudes in the difficult visual task, but there were no effects in the P300 time-window. Bayesian analyses yielded moderate evidence against any reliable association between P300 amplitudes and both autistic traits and schizotypy. Early auditory N1-P2 showed no credible relationships with schizotypal traits and only weak, task-dependent associations with autistic communication difficulties. Our study contributes to the growing literature on neural variability in autism and schizophrenia, emphasizing the importance of symptom-specific research and paving the way for more targeted investigations on predictive processing mechanisms. Moreover, the divergent findings for communication versus restricted-interests traits strengthen proposals that social and non-social dimensions in autism rely on distinct neural processes.

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16. Montenegro MC, Garrido G, Feize L, Talavera-Garza L, Villalobos BT, Montiel-Nava C. « There is nothing »-Exploring diagnostic and service access for autistic individuals in Uruguay: A qualitative study. Autism. 2025: 13623613251345334.

Due to the higher autism research presence of higher-income countries, the known social and cultural experiences of families raising a child with autism are centered on their realities. This narrative overlooks the experiences of many families who do not fit this archetype, such as those residing in low- and middle-income countries, who are particularly challenged by the limited availability of trained professionals and barriers to accessing diagnosis and evidence-based treatments. That is the case in Latin American countries, such as Uruguay, where the present project transpires. By utilizing a Theory of Change framework, specifically developed to be used in low- and middle-income countries, the present study explores diagnostic and service barriers in Uruguay. The study included semi-structured interviews with caregivers of autistic individuals and key informants residing in Uruguay. Participants were selected using a purposive sample technique. Data analysis consisted of reflexive thematic analysis. Salient themes consisted of multiple barriers to diagnostic and service access due to a multistep process, limited awareness of autism characteristics, a hesitancy to provide a diagnosis, and few professionals who specialize in autism. For those residing outside the capital, additional difficulties were experienced.Lay AbstractCountries with higher monetary means to conduct research are able to have not only better knowledge of the realities of autistic individuals and their families but also better access to diagnostic and intervention services. In countries with lower income, there is limited understanding of autistic experiences and also issues with access to services due to multiple reasons, like services only being accessible in certain regions, few trained professionals, and long waitlists. This study seeks to understand possible diagnostic and service barriers experienced by autistic individuals residing in Uruguay. To understand the local realities, parents and specialists working with autistic individuals were interviewed, and the information gathered was analyzed by finding patterns that were used to form themes that included the shared experiences among participants. Some of the themes that were identified included reports of difficulties in accessing diagnosis and interventions, either because there were many steps needed to guarantee these services or because there was a limited awareness of autism spectrum disorder and its characteristics by providers, which resulted in a hesitation to diagnose. Also, participants described very few professionals who specialize in autism spectrum disorder. For those residing outside the capital, additional difficulties were experienced.

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17. Nikfarjam M, Heidari-Soureshjani S, Rostamian S, Kasiri K. The Biochemical Effects of Resveratrol Intake on the Neurobehavioral Aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review. Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem. 2025.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by various neurobehavioral impairments. This study aims to review the preventive and therapeutic effects of Resveratrol (RSV) against ASD during various stages of life, specifically focusing on its influence on behavioral and neurodevelopmental biochemical mechanisms. METHODS: On December 6, 2024, a comprehensive electronic search was conducted across several high-coverage databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. The most important data were extracted and reviewed after screening the publications based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: RSV alleviates autistic-like social behaviors by promoting social interaction and mitigating repetitive behaviors, anxiety, and symptoms resembling depression. RSV influences chemokine receptor expression, diminishes pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and regulates mitochondrial function by reducing nitrosative stress and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels, while also increasing antioxidant markers like glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the brain. Additionally, it enhances neuronal organization, increases the proportions of interneurons (SOM+, PV+, CB+), and restores the integrity of the hippocampus. Moreover, RSV modulates epigenetic pathways, such as estrogen receptorbeta (ERβ) activation and sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) expression, counteracts learning, memory, and locomotor activity deficits, and normalizes cortical oscillations. It also potentially modulated gutbrain- axis dysregulation and neurotransmitters. CONCLUSION: RSV has shown promising effects on ASD, primarily through its influence on behavioral, neuromolecular, and neurodevelopmental mechanisms.

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18. Nukeshtayeva K, Bolatova Z, Galayeva A, Shintayeva N, Zhanalina G. Epidemiological trends in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in Kazakhstan (2016-2022): a regional and national perspective. Front Psychiatry. 2025; 16: 1520460.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the epidemiological trends of autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders in Kazakhstan from 2016 to 2022. METHODS: Utilizing national healthcare databases, we analyzed the incidence and prevalence of childhood autism, atypical autism, and neurodevelopmental disorders across various regions of Kazakhstan. RESULTS: Our findings reveal a nearly fivefold increase in the diagnosis of childhood autism and a fourfold increase in atypical autism over the seven-year period, with both trends showing statistical significance (p < 0.01). However, no significant trend was observed for broader neurodevelopmental disorders. Regional disparities were evident, with northern regions showing higher rates of ASD diagnoses compared to the southern regions, likely influenced by factors such as healthcare infrastructure, urbanization, and environmental pollution. Astana showed a marked increase in childhood autism prevalence, reaching 263.7 per 100,000 children by 2022. CONCLUSION: Data highlight an important public health trend in Kazakhstan, where the primary incidence of autism spectrum disorders is on the rise, reflecting improved recognition and diagnostic practices.

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19. Onovbiona H, Chavez F, Quetsch L, Scudder A. A qualitative analysis of a culturally adapted PCIT training for black and latine clinicians: creating communities for providers of autistic youth. Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025; 4: 1517169.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a widely known evidenced-based treatment (EBT) that has been used with Latine, Black, and neurodiverse children to improve the parent-child relationship and reduce challenging behaviors. Although considerable efforts have been made to disseminate PCIT to the wider community, fewer strides have been made to reach Black and Latine families in underserved communities-especially for families with neurodiverse children. One method to bridge the service gap for Black and Latine families is to train Black and Latine clinicians who primarily serve Black and Latine communities. Thus, the current pilot utilized a qualitative design and the Ecological Validity Model to examine the clinical and cultural impact of a culturally infused PCIT training pilot, the Creating Communities Initiative, for Black and Latine mental health providers (N = 8)., Black and Latine clinicians highlighted several beneficial cultural adaptations (e.g., racially-ethnically matched community) and barriers (e.g., low caseloads) to training completion and competency development. Overall, the results of the culturally infused PCIT training pilot provide a useful template for future dissemination efforts of PCIT to culturally diverse providers and families.

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20. Pashkov AV, Fatakhova MT, Ustinova NV, Namazova-Baranova LS, Naumova IV, Kunitsyna VG, Rubinshtein PA, Voevodina KI, Chirkina DS, Mamedyarov AM. [Indicators of registration of auditory brainstem responses in children with autism spectrum disorder]. Vestn Otorinolaringol. 2025; 90(3): 19-23.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the latency of the components of the auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in age 2-3 years in comparison with the norm. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research includes the results of studies of 12 children with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD, including 9 boys and 3 girls aged 24 to 33 months. To assess the auditory function all children were recorded using auditory brainstem responses with a broadband click as a stimulus. At the first stage of the study, we determined the threshold of ABR recording to exclude the presence of hearing loss. Children with hearing disorders (4 people) were not included in the study – they were allocated to a separate group for further observation. The second stage of the study was a comparative analysis of the latency of wave V in patients with ASD without hearing impairment and children with normotypic development. RESULTS: The average latency value of the wave V in the group of children with autism spectrum disorders was 6.34 ms (Mann-Whitney U-test, p≥0.05 with a growth trend, indicating a lack of statistical significance), normally 6.75-6.90 ms. The standard deviation was 0.4 (6.37%). DISCUSSION: The deviation of latency indicators from the norm on the screening values of the ABR stimulus can be considered a biomarker of autism spectrum disorders. To exclude or confirm ASD children with such changes should be referred for consultation to specialized specialists.

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21. Rašková B, Hapčová M, Celušáková H, Franková D, Kopčíková M, Demkaninová D, Januška J, Babinská K. Cognitive Abilities and Executive Functions as Predictors of Adaptive Behavior in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Children: A Comparative Study. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2025.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) differ in adaptive functioning, executive functioning, and the distribution of intellectual abilities compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. Research consistently demonstrates a link between executive functions and various aspects of adaptive behavior. This study aims to compare cognitive abilities, executive functions, and adaptive behavior in non- or minimally verbal preschool-aged (3-6 years) children with ASD (n = 53) and TD peers (n = 79). The study examines broad cognitive abilities and executive functions as predictors of adaptive behavior. For this purpose, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool Version, and the SON-R 2½-7 intelligence test were utilized. The results indicate that non- or minimally verbal preschoolers with ASD exhibit significant executive difficulties, particularly in working memory, and show marked differences in cognitive abilities compared to TD controls. Significant group differences were observed across all adaptive behavior domains, with the largest effect on Socialization and the smallest on Daily Living Skills. In the ASD group, executive functions and cognitive domains accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in the Communication domain, with slightly less influence observed in Daily Living Skills and Socialization. In contrast, the significant role of cognitive abilities and executive difficulties as predictors of adaptive behavior in everyday functioning was not confirmed for TD children. These findings highlight the critical role of executive functioning as a predictor of adaptive behavior in preschool children with ASD.

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22. Riccio MP, Marino M, Garotti R, Tassiello A, Maffettone V, Pezone M, Bravaccio C. Food selectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder: implications of eating, sensory and behavioural profile. Front Psychiatry. 2025; 16: 1587454.

INTRODUCTION: To characterise possible clinical associations between food selectivity, a typical aspect of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and certain commonly observed aspects of the phenotype: sensory abnormalities, challenging behaviour, autistic symptom intensity and Intellective Quotient. METHODS: The present is a retrospective observational study. Fifty-two ASD subjects were enrolled that underwent a comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessment including the Short Sensory Profile questionnaires (to assess sensory abnormalities), the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (to assess challenging behaviour) and the Food Preference Inventory (to assess food selectivity). The possible association between food selectivity, the intensity of autistic symptoms and the presence or absence of associated Intellective Disability was also subsequently assessed. Any differences between female and male were also assessed. RESULTS: Statistically significant correlations were observed between tactile, gustatory and olfactory sensitivity and food selectivity. These modalities were also found to predict greater food selectivity on regression analysis. No significant correlations were observed between the behavioural profile, intellective quotient and intensity of autistic symptomatology with food selectivity. In addition no significant scores were observed on the basis of sex. DISCUSSION: As far as can be seen from the results, the food selectivity of ASD subjects appears to be underlain mainly by sensory abnormalities and does not correlate with other clinical aspects of ASD subjects. Despite this, a comprehensive assessment of the various phenotypical aspects is still of fundamental importance. Further studies that could lead to a progressive characterisation of the phenotypical aspects of ASD subjects in order to provide increasingly personalised treatment are therefore considered useful.

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23. Sabnis RW. Novel Azaindazole Derivatives as HCN2 Modulators for Treating Central Nervous System and Psychiatric Disorders, Namely, Schizophrenia, Autism, and Mood Disorders. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2025; 16(6): 927-8.

Provided herein are novel azaindazole derivatives as HCN2 modulators, pharmaceutical compositions, use of such compounds in treating central nervous system (CNS) and psychiatric disorders, namely, schizophrenia, autism and mood disorders, and processes for preparing such compounds.

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24. Weiner L, Bemmouna D. ‘I live with my emotions much better now’: A qualitative study of autistic adults’ subjective experience of dialectical behaviour therapy. Autism. 2025: 13623613251348271.

Many Autistic adults without intellectual disability experience emotion dysregulation, which is associated with non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behaviour. Dialectical behaviour therapy has been shown to be feasible, acceptable and potentially effective is supporting Autistic adults without intellectual disability with improved emotion regulation. Since dialectical behaviour therapy research is in its early stages in the field of autism, it is crucial to better understand the subjective experience of Autistic adults who received dialectical behaviour therapy to improve its pertinence for this population. Twenty-two Autistic adults presenting with emotion dysregulation with non-suicidal self-injury and/or suicidal behaviour/ideation who received a comprehensive dialectical behaviour therapy were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. Three superordinate themes were identified from the thematic analysis: (1) dialectical behaviour therapy is highly useful, structured and demanding; (2) dialectical behaviour therapy leads to changes in emotion labelling, emotion regulation and relationships; and (3) self-acceptance and feeling empowered to handle life’s challenges. Ideas to foster the pertinence of dialectical behaviour therapy for Autistic adults were also collected. Our findings indicate that dialectical behaviour therapy was experienced as highly helpful despite the effort it requires. Participants reported changes in emotion experience, social relationships, self-concept and quality of life, probably due to increased emotion awareness, emotion control and self-regulation. Suggestions include the increased use of modelling to foster skills acquisition.Lay AbstractMany Autistic adults struggle with their emotion regulation. Dialectical behaviour therapy is the main therapy available to teach emotion regulation skills to people with this kind of struggle. Prior work has shown that dialectical behaviour therapy might be effective for Autistic people. Yet interest in dialectical behaviour therapy is new in the field of autism, so it is important to understand whether and how the therapy may help Autistic adults better live with their emotions. This article uses interviews conducted with 22 Autistic people following dialectical behaviour therapy. We outline several factors that might make dialectical behaviour therapy effective for Autistic people. For instance, dialectical behaviour therapy seems to help Autistic people better label and understand their emotions, but also accept and respect themselves. Nevertheless, dialectical behaviour therapy is demanding and some changes are suggested to improve the effects of dialectical behaviour therapy, such as providing a less intensive format to diminish fatigue. Our article provides evidence for the usefulness of dialectical behaviour therapy to help Autistic adults better deal with their emotions and improve their quality of life. Building from the experience of Autistic people, our study highlights the perceived benefits of dialectical behaviour therapy and the potential changes (e.g. reduction of text) to improve the utility of dialectical behaviour therapy for Autistic adults.

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25. Wu Y, Wong OWH, Chen S, Ng SC, Su Q, Chan FKL. Gastrointestinal health and nutritional strategies in autism spectrum disorder. J Gastroenterol. 2025.

Beyond the hallmark social and sensory difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the comorbid gastrointestinal (GI) conditions and their potential link to the severity of core symptoms require clinical attention. Although evidence indicates that autistic children face a greater risk of GI disorders and require more intensive nutritional management compared to neurotypical peers, standard guidelines for managing GI symptoms in this population remain lacking. This review seeks to pinpoint critical considerations for the implementation of nutrition-based strategies aimed at addressing GI dysfunction in individuals with ASD. By emphasizing clinical translation and the mechanistic understanding of these strategies, it highlights the importance of restoring gut homeostasis as a pathway to improve functional independence and overall well-being. Furthermore, we outline priorities for clinical research aimed at developing evidence-based nutritional recommendations to support GI health in autistic individuals, emphasizing personalized and population-specific needs.

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