1. Expression of concern: « Pyrosequencing study of fecal microflora of autistic and control children ». Anaerobe. 2026; 97: 103033.

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2. Ahn SN. Evidence from a Narrative Review of Altered Intervention Methods and Behavioral Goals for Children with ASD in Relation to COVID-19. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2026: 9226028261430326.

Environmental changes in response to COVID-19 may negatively impact the development, behavior, and mental health of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thus, it is necessary to investigate the changed behavioral goals provided.This narrative review examined studies that investigated changes in intervention methods and behavioral goals for children with ASD during COVID-19. This study searched five databases and identified ten articles meeting the inclusion criteria. These articles were evaluated for risk of bias and quality of evidence level. Behavioral goals and intervention methods were reviewed.The selected articles included two non-randomized single-group studies, six single-experiment studies, and two case studies. Behavioral goals included mask wearing, social participation and play, and behavioral regulation. Interventions included telehealth, social participation training, play-based sibling intervention, early intensive behavioral, differential reinforcement, and treatment extension for tolerating.This review identifies the need to change in intervention methods and behavioral goals for children with ASD to adapt to environmental changes due to COVID-19.

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3. Bruno G, Tang A, Boucher TQ, Coombs E, Waisman TC, Lindblom A. Content Analysis of Responses From an INSAR Special Interest Group (SIG): Indigenous Perspectives on Autism. Autism Res. 2026: e70224.

Autism remains understudied and under-detected in Indigenous communities across the globe. This content analysis investigates key themes and future directions for Indigenous autism research, as discussed during a Special Interest Group at the 2025 International Society for Autism Research meeting in Seattle, United States. Discussions and perspectives were explored with shared knowledge from international participants who were service providers, Autistic self-advocates, academics, and other autism-related stakeholders. The emergent themes emphasized the need for autism research in Indigenous communities to utilize approaches that are decolonized, culturally informed, and strengths-based. The results highlighted the need for researchers to focus on building trust, fostering relationship-building, and encouraging collaborative research partnerships with communities, while addressing systemic limiting factors and integrating knowledge systems from Indigenous and Western models. There is also a desire for more Indigenous-led initiatives that allow non-Indigenous researchers to provide support. Overall, there is a clear interest in further Indigenous autism research initiatives, but further shifts are needed to ensure that efforts are community-led and strengths-based. We looked at ways to improve Indigenous autism research and care. Research should be community driven, culturally adapted, Indigenous led, and supported by non‐Indigenous collaborators. Building trust, long‐term community partnerships, and addressing barriers in healthcare systems could improve health outcomes. eng.

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4. Cambier G, van der Hoeven J, Chaix G, Dondé C. To improve the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment: A qualitative study among adults with the diagnosis and psychiatrists. Encephale. 2026.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the evidence and expert opinion that many adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face barriers to formal diagnosis, qualitative studies examining adult patients’ experience and requirements for better access to the diagnosis are still lacking. AIMS: To qualitatively explore the pre-diagnosis experiences of adults with ASD, the impact of receiving a diagnosis, and the need for improved access to diagnosis both for adults with ASD and for adult psychiatrists. METHODS: Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted (11 adults diagnosed with ASD and 5 psychiatrists). A mixed deductive-inductive thematic analysis was employed. RESULTS: Several factors contributing to delayed diagnosis were identified including difficulties accessing healthcare, limited awareness of ASD among some clinicians, the use of camouflaging behaviors by participants, and family adaptation to their symptoms. Receiving a diagnosis was often described as a relief, allowing participants to understand past social difficulties and seek better acknowledgment and accommodation from their environment. The analysis highlighted the need to reduce wait times and service costs, as well as to enhance clinicians’ knowledge of ASD to improve accessibility and satisfaction with diagnosis. Participants also noted the complex interplay between media portrayals of ASD and public understanding of the disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Increased education for mental health professionals and broader public awareness campaigns are necessary to facilitate timely access to appropriate diagnosis and support services.

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5. Chavarri MA, Canário AC, Cruz O. [Interventions centered on children with autism spectrum disorder and/or their families: a scoping review]. Andes Pediatr. 2025; 96(4): 537-53.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition where early intervention has a key role in the development of children. In Chile, the enactment of the new ASD law highlights the need to promote research that supports evidence-based decision-making applied to the Chilean context. OBJECTIVE: To describe interventions focused on children with ASD and/or their families that are documented in scientific and gray literature in Chile. METHODS: This scoping review included databases and university repositories, following the protocol proposed by Arksey & O’Malley, later extended by Levac and the Joanna Briggs Institute. The review was complemented by the evidence assessment proposed by the University of North Carolina (Relevance, Reliability, Validity, and Applicability). RESULTS: Eight articles and eight theses were included. Evidence on interventions for children with ASD and/or their families is limited but increasing. Intervention programs used are usually based on music and art therapy (n = 6), use of technologies (n = 3), behavioral approaches (n = 3), or developmental approaches (n = 2). Although they show promising results, they should be carefully considered as the quality of the evidence is low. CONCLUSIONS: Research using rigorous methodological designs should be encouraged when evaluating interventions for the ASD population within the Chilean context, and promote the use of promising interventions, such as Developmental-Based Approaches or Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions.

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6. Chen Z, Nie Z, Zhao Y, Song Y. A meta-analytic review of gaze cueing across the autism trait continuum. Psychon Bull Rev. 2026; 33(4).

Social attention is fundamental to social interaction and is experimentally indexed by the gaze-cueing effect (GCE) derived from the gaze-cueing task. Although atypical social attention is often considered a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), empirical findings regarding the GCE in ASD remain heterogeneous. This inconsistency highlights the need to investigate social attention across the broader autism trait continuum (autism-like traits [ALT]) in the general population to clarify these mechanisms. This meta-analysis synthesized 28 correlational studies (77 effect sizes) and eight group-comparison studies (21 effect sizes) to resolve these inconsistencies. A three-level model integrated the effect sizes, with moderation analyses testing the influence of sample characteristics (proportion of males, sample size), ALT measure type, and experimental parameters (face type, expression, SOA, task type). Results revealed a significant, albeit small, negative correlation: higher ALT levels predicted reduced GCE. Conversely, group comparisons (high ALT vs. low ALT) yielded nonsignificant results. These findings align with the continuum hypothesis, suggesting a gradient relationship rather than a distinct subgroup effect, although statistical power in group comparisons should also be considered. Moderation analyses indicated that the negative association intensified in samples with a higher male proportion but weaker in those with larger sample sizes; no other moderators were significant. Together, these findings indicate that the link between autistic traits and social attention is subtle, continuous, and moderated by sample characteristics, underscoring the necessity for future research using more ecologically valid paradigms to capture the dynamic nature of social processing.

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7. Fante C, Fontana F, Capelli F, Dioni B, Pezzi M, Raffin C, Picione RL, Musetti A. From challenge to growth: A qualitative study of parental adaptation to Autism Spectrum Disorder. PLoS One. 2026; 21(3): e0345020.

Raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) profoundly affects family dynamics and parental well-being. While research has often focused on stress and negative outcomes, less is known about the processes and resources that foster adaptation and growth in parents. This qualitative study explored the adaptation process among parents of children with ASD, examining both challenges and transformative experiences, and identifying key personal and contextual factors that support or hinder adjustment. Thirty-six parents (19 mothers, 17 fathers) of children aged 5-11 years with ASD (severity level 2 or 3, DSM-5) were recruited from two health care centres for ASD in Northern Italy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a guide developed according to an established methodological framework for qualitative interviews and analysed following Braun and Clarke’s framework. Themes were organised into three conceptual domains (i.e., Outcomes, Resources, and Challenges) reflecting the main research aims. Parents reported both emotional distress and personal growth, including improvements in family functioning and child development (Outcomes). Facilitating factors included social support, access to information, professional interventions, and parental self-efficacy (Resources). Barriers included difficulties with services, family conflicts, social stigma, and maladaptive coping strategies (Challenges). Parental adaptation to ASD emerged as a dynamic, ongoing process of negotiation between challenges and resources, often leading to transformative experiences and personal growth. The findings support the implementation of systematic intervention strategies aimed not only at reducing parental stress, but also at empowering parents and promoting the development of adaptive resources.

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8. Greer H, Williams CA, Ali A, Totsika V. Autistic young people’s psychological well-being in school. Autism. 2026: 13623613261425010.

Autistic students often face unique challenges at school compared to their non-autistic peers. However, there is a lack of robust evidence investigating their well-being at school. This study examined autistic adolescents’ school well-being using data from a UK population-based cohort. Participants self-reported their positive and negative affect towards and within school. Results indicated that autistic adolescents (n = 271; M(age) = 13.73; SD = 0.47; 23.11% female) experienced significantly lower levels of school well-being than non-autistic adolescents (n = 8077; M(age) = 13.78; SD = 0.45; 50.67% female), as evidenced by both lower positive, and higher negative, affect. Differences were attenuated when factors associated with school well-being were controlled for, and levels of well-being no longer differed significantly. Autistic adolescents’ (n = 412; M(age) = 13.76; SD = 0.46; 18.52% female) positive affect towards school was mostly associated with academic self-concept, whereas negative affect was mostly associated with academic self-concept, bullying victimisation and peer problems. The findings suggest that autistic school well-being could be promoted by supporting autistic students to feel good about their academic effort at school, as well as through school-wide anti-bullying programmes.Lay abstractMany autistic young people often experience difficulties at school. However, we know little about how autistic students feel about school compared to their non-autistic peers. Understanding their experiences is important, because school well-being might affect going to school, longer-term learning, as well as friendships and mental health. In this study, we used information from a UK national survey of young people aged 14 years. Students were asked about how happy they felt at school (positive feelings) and how often they felt unhappy at school (negative feelings). We compared answers from autistic and non-autistic students. We also looked at what things were related to autistic students’ feelings about school, including how confident they felt in their schoolwork, experiences of bullying and relationships with friends and family. Autistic students reported feeling less happy and more unhappy at school than non-autistic students. When we considered other things related to well-being, such as being bullying or self-confidence at school, these differences became a lot smaller. For autistic students, positive feelings about school were most strongly related to believing they were good at their schoolwork. Negative feelings about school were related to being bullied, difficult relationships with friends and lower confidence in schoolwork. These findings suggest that differences in school well-being between autistic and non-autistic students may be explained by things that could be changed with support. Supporting autistic students to feel more confident about how well they do academically, and ensuring schools reduce bullying, could help improve autistic young people’s experiences of school.

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9. Hashizoe K, Nakai A, Nobusako S. Impaired motor imagery in children with developmental coordination disorder: task-specific deficits and links to ADHD and ASD traits. Exp Brain Res. 2026; 244(4).

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10. Liu C. Correction: Targeted drug screening for autism based on Cav1.2 calcium ion channel. PLoS One. 2026; 21(3): e0345218.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324018.].

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11. López Espejo M. [Telemedicine in the diagnostic process of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents]. Andes Pediatr. 2025; 96(6): 828-9.

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12. Maureira D, Rubilar C, López J, Santander P, Moldenhauer H, Silva I, Cruz P, Riquelme D, Baeza J, González W, Orio P, Servili E, Troncoso M, Leiva-Salcedo E, Cerda O. A KCNC1 variant linked to Rett syndrome disrupts ER to Golgi trafficking of Kv3.1 channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026; 123(11): e2424514123.

Intrinsic neuronal excitability, defined by the balance between input and output signals, is crucial to neural function, and its disruption underlies various neurological diseases. Kv3.1 channels, encoded by KCNC1, are essential for high-frequency action potential firing. Variants in these channels are associated with several subtypes of epilepsy. We report a patient with developmental regression and epilepsy, meeting Rett syndrome criteria, who carries a KCNC1 variant encoding the S474C substitution in Kv3.1 (Kv3.1(S474C)). Electrophysiological and biochemical assays reveal that Kv3.1(S474C) reduces channel presence in the plasma membrane and is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. In murine primary cortical neuron cultures expressing Kv3.1(S474C), we observed reduced neuronal firing frequency and exclusion of the channel from the axon initial segment. Consistently, we found a decreased firing frequency using a conductance-based computational neuronal model. In summary, this study identifies a link between a KCNC1 variant and Rett syndrome, highlighting the importance of S474 residue in Kv3.1 channel trafficking and function in neurons.

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13. Mi K, Cao M, Zhang L, Zhang Q, Zhou W, Deng C, Zhang Y, Zhao Q, Wei Y, Liu X, Li F. An integrative multi-omics approach identifies microbiome alterations linked to pathological and behavioral features in autism spectrum disorder. Cell Rep Med. 2026; 7(3): 102655.

This study employs a multi-omics approach to investigate the gut-brain axis in 326 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 169 typically developing (TD) controls, aged 0-10 years. By analyzing neuroimaging, gut microbiome, and plasma metabolome data, we find that microbial features could accurately distinguish ASD from TD children. A key finding is that gut microbial abundance, particularly an increase in Clostridioides difficile, serves as the strongest predictor of both ASD symptom severity and brain structural variations. Crucially, these gut and brain differences are age dependent, diminishing as children with ASD aged and converging toward TD patterns. A mediation model suggests a potential pathway where specific microbes influence brain structure and behavior via metabolites. The findings establish the gut microbiota as a robust predictor of brain and behavioral phenotypes in pediatric ASD, underscoring the necessity for early, age-stratified therapeutic strategies via modulating the composition of the gut microbiome.

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14. Parshall A, Montañez A. Visualizing the Spectrum: Autism isn’t a simple sliding scale-it’s big, vibrant and complicated. Sci Am. 2026; 334(4): 74.

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15. Sakhardande KA, Dash SS, Ramamoorthy D, Varma P, Mamgain P, Shields G, Divan G, Manohar H, Roy R. Estimating the direct health and broader societal costs of caring for autistic children and adolescents – Preliminary findings from a tertiary care centre in urban India. Autism. 2026: 13623613261421840.

Autistic individuals across the spectrum have diverse rehabilitation and support needs. Systematic data on the cost of care for autism is unavailable in low- and middle-income countries, yet such information is essential to understand the financial burden on families. The current study is a preliminary attempt aimed to estimate the cost incurred by families of autistic children and adolescents attending a tertiary care centre in urban India. The adapted Children and Adolescents Economic Resources Questionnaire was administered to 80 families seeking autism-specific services. Direct medical, non-medical costs and indirect costs, including time and productivity costs, were estimated by parent self-report. The sample consisted predominantly of preschool- and middle-childhood-aged children coming to a premier referral centre, from various geographical locations in the country and with different profiles of support needs and interventions received. Preliminary findings showed that major expenses involved diagnostic and early intervention services, schooling and centre-based rehabilitation. Among direct non-medical costs, education and childcare costs were the highest. In the absence of universal health coverage, approximately 71.25% of families exceeded the threshold of spending >10% of their monthly income on healthcare, amounting to catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures. Our study contributes preliminary findings as a first step in the cost-of-care studies on autism in India. Future studies should include a larger sample size, robust methods of cost estimation and a mixed-methods design to capture economic impact on families.Lay abstractPeople with autism have different needs when it comes to support and treatment. In many countries without universal health coverage, getting proper care can be expensive and difficult for families to afford. There isn’t much information about how much autism care costs in low- and middle-income countries. This study looked at how much families spend on caring for their autistic children in the Indian context. The adapted Children and Adolescents Economic Resources Questionnaire was administered to 80 families of children with autism seeking services at a tertiary care centre. Results showed that families spent the most on diagnosis, early intervention, education and childcare. A significant proportion of families incurred catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures on a regular basis. The preliminary findings highlight the financial impact on families.

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16. Scaduto G. Family reflections: discovery and justice in autism care. Pediatr Res. 2026.

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17. Scott-Solache J, Pei J, Drew J, López-Doménech G, Jolivet RB, Nieto-Rostro M, Davenport EC, Arancibia-Cárcamo IL, Attwell D, Kittler JT. Control of microglial dynamics by the Arp2/3 complex and the autism- and schizophrenia-associated protein CYFIP1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026; 123(11): e2532488123.

Microglia use a highly complex and dynamic network of branched processes to sense and respond to their surroundings. Despite emerging evidence that microglial motility plays important roles in brain development, neurodegeneration, and neuropsychiatric disease, little is known about the intracellular machinery orchestrating microglial process dynamics. Here, we identify roles for regulators of the actin cytoskeleton in controlling microglial behavior. We show that the actin branching Arp2/3 complex is critical for maintaining microglial morphology and is required for surveillance but not chemotactic motility. Neuropsychiatric disease-associated CYFIP1, a core component of the WAVE regulatory complex linking upstream signaling pathways to activation of the Arp2/3 complex, is highly expressed in microglia but has an unknown function. We report that conditional deletion of Cyfip1 in mouse microglia reduces their morphological complexity and surveillance of the brain parenchyma, with no effect on chemotaxis. Deletion of Cyfip1 also increased microglial CD68 positive lysosome volume and engulfment of presynapses. Thus, actin remodeling by CYFIP1 and the Arp2/3 complex controls microglial dynamics and shifts microglia away from a homeostatic state with potential implications for neuropsychiatric disease.

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18. Shin Y, Swain D, Kim J, Hong SJ, Lord C, Kim SH. Emotion Dysregulation Predicts Impairments in Peer Interaction and Adaptive Functioning in Autistic Kindergartners. Autism Res. 2026: e70225.

Emotion Dysregulation (ED) refers to difficulties in using adaptive strategies to modulate and express emotional arousal in socially appropriate ways. While ED contributes to developmental trajectories including peer engagement, academic achievement, and mental health in neurotypical children, its impact on autistic children is unclear. This study examines whether ED emerging during school transition can affect peer and adaptive functioning in autistic kindergartners. Participants included 64 autistic children at kindergarten-entry (M(age) = 63.06 months) with the majority of children (n = 53) followed at kindergarten-exit. ED was measured based on the Child Behavioral Checklist-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP scores and severity levels) and the CBCL-Emotion Dysregulation Index scores (CBCL-EDI). Children’s peer engagement was examined with the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS) and adaptive functioning with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (VABS-3). Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine whether ED at kindergarten-entry predicts peer interaction and adaptive functioning concurrently and longitudinally at kindergarten-exit while controlling for age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and autism symptom severity. One-way ANOVAs were analyzed to compare significant mean differences in peer interactions and adaptive functioning domains across three CBCL-DP severity levels. Higher ED at kindergarten-entry was a strong predictor of impairments in peer and adaptive skills at both kindergarten-entry and -exit. Significant mean differences in peer interaction and adaptive social outcomes were found at both times across CBCL-DP severity levels categorized at kindergarten-entry. Targeted intervention for enhancing ED during the preschool years may optimally support peer engagement and adaptive functioning. Autistic children showing severe emotion dysregulation in the first year of kindergarten were more likely to struggle with peer relationships and independent daily functioning both at kindergarten‐entry and ‐exit. Findings underscore the importance of early interventions targeting emotion dysregulation for autistic children during school transition to support their key functional outcomes including peer interaction and adaptive functioning. eng.

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19. Shioya A, Ishii K, Sato T, Noguchi M, Tamaoka A, Saito Y. An Autopsy Case With Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome Presenting Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies Mainly in the Limbic System. Neuropathology. 2026; 46(2): e70053.

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a late onset and slow progression caused by a premutation (55-200 CGG repeat) in the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. Here, we report the case of a Japanese patient with FXTAS which is the first case autopsied in Japan. The patient was a 74-year-old man with a family history of fragile X syndrome at the time of death. The clinical features included postural tremors, mild cognitive decline, and ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a high-intensity lesion in the bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles and deep white matter around the ventricle on T2-weighted images. A gene analysis revealed that the patient had a pre-mutation of the CGG expansion (83 CGG repeats) in the FMR1 gene. Neuropathologically, ubiquitin- and p62-positive intranuclear inclusions were widely present, especially in the hippocampus. The middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), where the « MCP sign » was seen on MRI, showed marked spongiosis with accompanied demyelination and axon loss, and a similar pathology was seen in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter. In an electron microscopy study, intranuclear inclusions were found to consist of a non-membrane-bound filamentous material. The clinical, MRI, and neuropathological findings were similar to those of neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease. Awareness of the disease is gradually increasing, and the number of autopsy cases is likely to increase, contributing to the elucidation of the pathology and development of treatments.

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20. Singh R, Shah A, Jain N, Shah H, Rawal R. Plasma metabolomic signatures in children with autism spectrum disorder and their modulation following a gluten-free modified ketogenic diet. BMC Psychiatry. 2026.

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21. Weng ZC, Chang JC, Chen HL, Wang TN. Handwriting Challenges in Autistic Children: A Comparative Study of Legibility and Character Processing in Logographic Chinese Writing. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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22. Wu T, He J, Xu CJ, Li CY, Zhang P, Wang Y, Zhu S, Zhang L, Zhu J, Zhang J, Li JD, Liu H. Reciprocal regulation between autism risk gene POGZ and circadian clock. JCI Insight. 2026.

Sleep disturbance is a prevalent yet poorly understood comorbidity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, we uncover a bidirectional regulatory axis connecting the ASD risk gene POGZ to core circadian mechanisms. We demonstrate that Pogz is widely expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the central pacemaker of the circadian rhythms and exhibits circadian oscillations in both the hypothalamus and liver with its transcription directly regulated by the circadian molecule DBP through a D-box element in its proximal enhancer. Pogz-deficient mice exhibited prolonged circadian periodicity, impaired light-induced phase shift, delayed adaption to an 8-hour advance jet-lag, and reduced SCN c-Fos activation in response to light pulses. Mechanistically, POGZ interacts with and enhances the transcription activity of CREB, a key regulator of light-induced phase resetting. Notably, Pogz deletion leads to ASD-related deficits in social novelty and cognition, with cognitive impairments influenced by both photoperiod and behavioral paradigm. Our findings thus reveal a critical, previously unrecognized intersection between an ASD risk gene and circadian clock, offering new insights into the pathogenesis of core ASD symptoms and comorbid sleep disturbances.

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23. Zidane Burgess AZ, van der Zwaag W, Jonkman KM, Begeer S. Short Report-Diagnostic challenges in predominantly late-diagnosed gender-diverse autistic individuals: Age, delays, and perceived misdiagnoses. Autism. 2026: 13623613261425136.

Historically, diagnostic criteria for autism have been shaped by male-centric childhood presentations, leading to reduced diagnostic accuracy for non-male autistic individuals. We investigated disparities between gender-diverse and cisgender autistic individuals in the age at formal diagnosis, delays between initial suspicion and diagnosis, and the frequency of prior perceived misdiagnoses. We analyzed 2,722 participants predominately late-diagnosed with autism, including 402 gender-diverse individuals. The analysis, controlling for age at participation, revealed that cisgender females were diagnosed at the oldest age, followed by gender-diverse individuals and cisgender males. Autistic gender-diverse individuals received the highest number of co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses and had the highest rates of prior perceived misdiagnosis, followed by cisgender females and cisgender males. These findings highlight the pressing need for diagnostic frameworks that account for gender diversity and actively mitigate biases in clinical practice.Lay abstractAutism is often thought of as a condition that mainly affects boys in childhood. However, research shows that this view can delay or complicate diagnosis for non-male autistic individuals. For instance, research has demonstrated that autistic females are diagnosed later than males. In this study, we examined when and how autism is diagnosed in gender-diverse individuals (people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth or who identify outside the male/female binary) compared to cisgender men and women (whose gender aligns with their birth sex). We analyzed data from 2,722 Dutch adults with autism, including 402 gender-diverse participants, mostly diagnosed in adulthood. We looked at the age at which participants were diagnosed and how long it took from first suspecting autism to receiving a formal diagnosis. We also examined whether participants had been diagnosed with another psychiatric condition and whether they perceived that diagnosis to be a misdiagnosis. Our results showed that gender-diverse people and cisgender women tend to be diagnosed later than cisgender men. Gender-diverse individuals and women reported being previously diagnosed with other conditions such as personality disorders, which they later believed were incorrect. These results suggest that gender biases still affect autism diagnosis, especially for gender-diverse people and women. Understanding these challenges is important to improve diagnostic practices and ensure more accurate and timely support for everyone on the autism spectrum.

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