1. Denisova K, Wolpert DM. Protocol to investigate sensorimotor features in young children with autism using functional and resting-state fMRI data from the NIMH Data Archive. STAR Protoc. 2025; 6(2): 103827.

Head movements cause artifacts in infant neuroimaging that can often render acquired data unusable. Here, we present a protocol that harnesses head motion from fMRI and resting-state (rs)-fMRI NIMH Data Archive (NDA) data to obtain quantitative measures of sensorimotor function in young children and associate them with future cognitive and autism outcomes. We describe steps for downloading, organizing, and pre-processing fMRI data to yield data on in-scan head motion. We then detail procedures for preparing phenotypic data to link with sensorimotor data. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Denisova and Wolpert.(1).

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2. Fathollahzadeh F, Azizi M, Nazeri A, Mirzakhani Araghi N, Mousavi SZ, Borna A, Karimi SE. Persian Pediatric Hyperacusis Questionnaire: Translation and Psychometric Evaluation in Children with and without Autism. J Am Acad Audiol. 2025.

Background: Hyperacusis is an auditory perception disorder causing decreased sound tolerance to everyday sounds. Children with autism often exhibit symptoms of hyperacusis. This comorbidity can significantly impact the adaptability and social development of the children.Purpose: This study’s objectives were to translate and psychometrically evaluate the Persian Pediatric Hyperacusis Questionnaire (P-HQ-P) and the prevalence determination of hyperacusis among children with or without autism.Study Sample: The study was conducted by assigning 60 parents of children diagnosed with level 1 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 30 parents of typical children to the ASD group and control group, respectively.Data Collection and Analysis: In the first stage, the Pediatric Hyperacusis Questionnaire (P-HQ) was translated into Persian, and in the second stage, its reliability and validity were assessed by the classical test theory methods. The P-HQ-P results were compared with the Persian Sensory Profile 2 (SP2-P).Results: The P-HQ-P demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability, with content validity ratio > 0.99, content validity index > 0.92, face validity > 0.90, cross-cultural validity > 0.94, α = 0.8, and intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.85. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient showed a strong correlation (r = 0.83) between the P-HQ-P score and a group of seven items from SP2-P. There was not a statistically significant difference in hyperacusis between genders.Conclusions: The psychometric properties of the P-HQ-P were found to be acceptable, which made it suitable for clinical and research usage. The prevalence of hyperacusis was reported at 27.8 percent of the total sample and 38.3 percent in the ASD group. Our findings suggest the need for further research on hyperacusis in the Iranian pediatric population.

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3. Fox J, Carroll JA, Death J. ‘. . . there’s so much within the work that we do where all we kind of need is the space and the safety’: The experiences of Australian practitioners who support autistic survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Autism. 2025: 13623613251344425.

Research has found that autistic women experience elevated rates of sexual and domestic violence and may benefit from accessing support to recover. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Australian practitioners and the approaches they use to support the recovery needs of autistic women who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Australian practitioners to capture their experiences of supporting autistic women who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Data from these interviews were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis, which generated four themes about participants’ experiences in supporting autistic survivors: (1) unburdening the processing load of understanding violence and trauma, (2) understanding support and recovery needs as interconnected, (3) lived experience as a therapeutic tool, and (4) the challenges of practicing within unaffirming and invalidating systems. The findings illustrate how Australian practitioners help autistic survivors by accommodating their recovery support needs, and the systematic and structural issues that create barriers to recovery for autistic survivors while putting additional strain on the practitioners who support them. The findings also highlight practice implications around how supporting autistic survivors with interoceptive awareness and understanding their needs within relationships is beneficial to their recovery.Lay AbstractResearch has commonly found that autistic women are more likely than autistic men and non-autistic women to be harmed in their sexual and romantic relationships and may need support in healing from the impacts of these experiences. In this study, we wanted to find out more from the people who provide this support to autistic women. We asked 14 Australian practitioners about what they do to support autistic women who have experienced these types of harm in their relationships, and what makes this harder or easier for them to do. We then analysed the common patterns (themes) in what these practitioners said. From this we found that Australian practitioners often help autistic women to heal by providing a safe and supportive space to process their experiences and recover from what has happened to them. We also found that an important part of the support that practitioners provide autistic survivors is helping them to understand their experiences of violence and build awareness of feelings in their body (interoception). The practitioners in this study also talked about how the autistic women that they support often have bad experiences when getting help from support services and systems that commonly do not meet their needs. This often makes it harder for practitioners to help autistic women heal and a lot of them suggested that services could be made better by learning more about autistic people’s different support needs and how to accommodate these.

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4. Fukuda T, Kyozuka H, Murata T, Yasuda S, Yamaguchi A, Sato A, Ogata Y, Go H, Hosoya M, Yasumura S, Hashimoto K, Fujimori K, Nishigori H. Labor epidural analgesia and autism spectrum disorder in 3-year-old offspring based on data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study: a prospective cohort study. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2025; 38(1): 2509147.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between labor epidural analgesia (LEA) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 3-year-old offspring in Japan. METHODS: Prospective cohort study utilizing the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, the largest nationwide birth cohort study. A total of 65,742 live singleton offspring were enrolled between January 2011 and March 2014. Offspring born via cesarean delivery or with confirmed chromosomal abnormalities were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), accounting for maternal, paternal, and perinatal covariates. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the sex of the offspring. The primary outcome was the diagnosis of ASD at age 3. RESULTS: Among the 65,742 offspring (33,684 boys [51.2%]; mean maternal age, 31.1 [4.9] years), 1,324 (2.0%) were exposed to LEA. ASD was diagnosed in 14 (1.1%) offspring exposed to LEA and 257 (0.4%) not exposed to LEA by age 3. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariate logistic regression revealed that LEA was associated with an increased risk of ASD (aOR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.28-3.87). Subgroup analysis indicated that the association was significant in male offspring (aOR: 2.55; 95% CI: 1.40-4.65), but not in female offspring (aOR: 1.41; 95% CI: 0.34-5.91). CONCLUSION: This study suggests a mild association between LEA and ASD in 3-year-old male offspring. However, the findings should be cautiously interpreted given the limited number of ASD cases in this study. Causal relationships cannot be established since this was an observational study.

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5. Gaougaou G, Zahra R, Morel S, Bélanger V, Knoth IS, Cousineau D, D’Arc BF, Grzywacz K, Rousseau G, Déziel E, Godbout R, Lippé S, Millette M, Marcil V. Acceptability and safety of a probiotic beverage supplementation (Bio-K +) and feasibility of the proposed protocol in children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord. 2025; 17(1): 30.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders defined by stereotyped behavior and challenges in social communication and social interaction. ASD is associated with various comorbidities, including anxiety, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and sleep disorders. Evidence supports an association between intestinal dysbiosis and the severity of ASD-related symptoms. Probiotic intake was suggested to restore microbial homeostasis and decrease neurobehavioral, GI and sleep symptoms in individuals diagnosed with autism. METHODS: This study aims to evaluate the acceptability and safety of a Bio-K + probiotics beverage in autistic children aged 4 to 11 years and the feasibility of the proposed research protocol to measure its impact on behaviors and comorbidities. The 30-week study consisted of daily supplementation with Bio-K + probiotics for 14 weeks. Acceptability and safety were monitored throughout the study. Feasibility was assessed by comparing recruitment and completion rates to pre-established thresholds. Preliminary impact of supplementation on behaviors (Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) score), GI symptoms and sleep disorders was evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 23 children recruited (mean age 6.7 ± 2.2 years, 70% males), 65% had GI problems and 91% had sleep disorders. Probiotic supplementation was accepted by all participants and no product-related adverse event was reported. Feasibility rates exceeded pre-established thresholds for almost all study outcomes including recruitment rate, compliance, electroencephalography, actigraphy and completion of questionnaires. Preliminary data suggest an improvement in behaviors associated with autism assessed with the total ATEC score, and in GI symptoms and sleep disorders. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates probiotic beverage acceptability and safety and protocol feasibility in autistic children. To further support our data, a double-blinded placebo-controlled study is needed to determine its efficacy.

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6. Gong Y, Yu L, Xia L, Jin J, Lang Y, Feng S, Feng W, Chen F, Chen Y. Broad-spectrum antioxidant and neuroprotective Prussian blue nanocatalyst for therapeutic intervention in autism spectrum disorder. Redox Biol. 2025; 84: 103671.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by diverse clinical presentations, often associated with dysregulated oxidative stress mechanisms leading to heightened production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain. Due to its multifactorial etiology, effective therapeutic approaches for ASD remain challenging to ascertain. This work engineers Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) designed to mimic the enzymatic functions of key antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and peroxidase. PB NPs effectively scavenge ROS and restore cellular redox homeostasis. These nanoparticles attenuate neuronal apoptosis by reducing activation of apoptotic markers like cleaved caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein, while enhancing the expression of anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2. Furthermore, PB NPs mitigate neuroinflammation by downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and upregulating anti-inflammatory cytokines, thereby alleviating glial cell hyperactivity. In preclinical ASD models, PB NPs significantly improve social interaction deficits, diminish anxiety-like behaviors, and enhance cognitive functions. The therapeutic application of PB NPs represents a notable advancement in ASD treatment, offering a novel approach for clinical intervention aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals affected by ASD.

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7. Malow BA, Muscatello RA, McGonigle T, Vandekar S, Corbett BA. Trajectory of sleep patterns across adolescence in autistic and neurotypical youth. Sleep Med. 2025; 133: 106604.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Changes in sleep-wake patterns are synonymous with the developmental transition to adolescence. To examine the trajectory of sleep-wake patterns in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to typically developing (TD) adolescents. METHODS: The total sample consisted of 244 participants, 140 with ASD and 104 who were TD. Sleep data were collected annually in a 4-year longitudinal study on pubertal development, at four time points (10-13 years, 11-14 years, 12-15 years, and 13-16 years). Changes in self-reported weekday and weekend bedtime and waketime across pubertal status were compared between TD and ASD participants, using mixed effects models adjusted for sex, reported night wakings, melatonin use and a diagnosis by puberty interaction. A repeated measures adjusted proportional odds model was used to model reported daytime sleepiness using the same independent variables. RESULTS: The ASD and TD groups differed in the change in bedtime across pubertal stages (diagnosis by puberty interaction, X(2) = 24.27, df = 3, p < 0.001). At time 1 (ages 10-13 years), bedtime was comparable in the autism and TD groups for both weekdays and weekends. As Tanner stage progressed, the TD group had later bedtimes compared to those with ASD. Moreover, there was a significant diagnosis by puberty interaction in daytime sleepiness (X(2) = 20.71, df = 3, p = 0.001) characterized by TD youth endorsing greater daytime sleepiness at later pubertal stages than ASD youth. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic and TD adolescents exhibit differences in bedtime and daytime sleepiness with pubertal development. These differences may be related to hormonal differences or behavioral factors in these populations and warrant further study.

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8. Paolizzi E, Perzolli S, Bentenuto A. Mothers and fathers’ perception of social-responsive behaviors of autistic individuals. Res Dev Disabil. 2025; 163: 105045.

BACKGROUND: The interplay between behavioral differences presented by autistic males and females, and gender norms might influence caregivers’ behavior perceptions, contributing to the later identification of autistic females. AIM: Our study aims to investigate differences in mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of children’s behaviors typically associated with autism. Further, we aim to analyze parental perception of children’s behaviors in relation to their offspring’s sex. Second, our objective is to examine differences in the perception of behaviors of males and females to better understand females’ phenotypes and potential reasons for their underdiagnosis METHODS: The sample consisted of 40 children and adolescents (M chronological age = 8.75 years, SD = 1.10, Range = 4-16.75), 20 males and 20 females, with their mothers and fathers. Parental perceptions are studied through the Social Responsiveness Scale, a quantitative report instrument that assesses autistic characteristics. RESULTS: Mothers and fathers reported similar profiles of their children. However, females presented better abilities in relation to Social Communication and fewer Mannerisms than males. However, clinicians’ observations scores related to the ADOS-2 did not show evidence of differences in behavioural characteristics typically associated with autism. CONCLUSIONS: These mechanisms should be further explored as they might partly determine females’ later diagnosis. Children’s age plays a significant role, as older individuals present more severe behaviors associated with autism in the dimensions previously mentioned and Social Motivation. Hence, a late diagnosis can exacerbate behavioral presentation of autism.

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