1. Adamou M, Hill D. De-diagnosis and the problem of revisability in adult ADHD and autism. Front Sociol. 2026; 11: 1944117.

Recorded diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in adults have risen sharply across high-income health systems, and demand for assessment has risen faster still, while the best available population estimates of prevalence appear to have moved comparatively little. This paper treats that divergence as an analytic problem. We argue that adult neurodevelopmental diagnosis has undergone a threefold transformation: it has become demand-led and co-produced rather than professionally imposed, identity-conferring rather than merely descriptive, and self-reinforcing rather than static. The result is a diagnostic culture efficient at conferring diagnoses but weak, unsystematic and largely untheorised in reconsidering them. Drawing on the sociology of diagnosis, labelling theory, Ian Hacking’s account of interactive kinds and discourse-analytic studies of diagnostic contestation, we examine how demand-led medicalisation, the reframing of diagnosis as valued identity and the expansive use of the camouflaging construct can impede revision in practice. Against this background we develop the concept of diagnostic revisability: the capacity of a diagnostic culture to reconsider a diagnostic judgement, in either direction, in the light of change in the person or in the evidence. We distinguish correction of an insecure original judgement, revision in response to change, supersession and reversal of a non-diagnosis, and argue that revisability is an intrinsic property of diagnosis understood as defeasible inference. Precedents exist in medication review and deprescribing and in diagnostic de-labelling elsewhere in medicine. The case is stronger for ADHD, where symptoms and diagnostic status fluctuate and diagnosis is linked to prescribing, than for autism, where it rests principally on the security of the original assessment. Recent Swedish proposals for de-diagnosis services make revisability visible as an object of policy, but the conceptual case does not itself entail support for any service model. Diagnostic revision may correct error; it may also threaten identity, access to support and self-understanding, fall unequally on particular groups, or become a mechanism for rationing. If revisability is translated into practice, it must therefore satisfy stringent ethical and institutional safeguards, including an explicit equity criterion. The design requirements presented are minimum conditions for responsible revision and criteria for when it should not proceed.

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2. Alon N, Adler MJ, Vicioso C, Freilich AE, Badawi A, Schlachte B, Ranade SC, Kolevzon A. Feasibility and acceptability of Ballet for All Kids: A pilot study of a recreational ballet program for children with autism. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2026; 65: 102091.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Motor impairments are common in children with autism yet targeted interventions are under-studied. Studies have highlighted the potential of dance to be a therapeutic adjunct, but research is limited. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Ballet for all Kids (BFAK), a recreational ballet program employing the Schlachte Method, a multi-sensory framework that makes classes accessible to learners with autism. Secondary aims included exploring efficacy in improving balance and behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 participants (68% female) were recruited and randomized to a waitlist control or experimental group with 1:1 assignment. Both groups received BFAK classes for 45 min weekly for 12 weeks. Feasibility metrics (retention, attendance, survey completion) were collected. Motor and behavioral outcomes were assessed using validated caregiver-reports and in-class assessments. RESULTS: BFAK demonstrated excellent feasibility and acceptability with a 79% (n = 19) participant completion rate, high attendance (mean = 10.1 classes), high survey response rates (mean = 88%), and significant improvements in participation (r = 0.706, p = 0.002). Outcome analyses showed modest improvements in balance (r = 0.397, p = 0.083). The experimental group had fewer repetitive behaviors than the control group (RBS-R, BH-adjusted p = 0.047, r = 0.756). CONCLUSION: The high retention, attendance, survey completion rates, and engagement demonstrate that BFAK is feasible and acceptable for children with autism. Findings further suggest potential benefits in balance and repetitive behaviors. Limitations include a small sample size and reliance on caregiver-reports. Nevertheless, results support the need for larger studies to test efficacy and generalizability.

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3. Lu S, Feng H, Wang Z. Music therapy and music-based support for autistic children: a neurodiversity-informed systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1806096.

BACKGROUND: Music-based interventions, including music therapy, are widely used to support autistic children, but reductions on autism-related scales do not fully represent communication, participation, quality of life, or autonomy. We retained clinically interpretable outcomes while using a neurodiversity-informed framework to organize intervention goals and interpretation. METHODS: Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Wiley Online Library, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to August 5, 2026. Randomized, quasi-randomized, crossover, and controlled studies involving autistic participants younger than 18 years were eligible. Outcomes were grouped as social communication/interaction, language, adaptive function/participation, quality of life/well-being, and autism-related characteristics and support needs. Positive Hedges’ g values favored the music-based condition. Random-effects models used restricted maximum likelihood estimation and modified Hartung-Knapp inference. Comparator intensity, technique, duration, and parent involvement were examined as exploratory moderators. RESULTS: Thirty-three independent studies, representing 1,880 participants in the selected quantitative comparisons, were included and contributed at least one outcome. Social communication/interaction showed a significant pooled effect (k = 10, g = 0.64, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.03, p = 0.0046; I² = 59.6%); the primary evidence layer also remained significant (k = 7, g = 0.57, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.12, p = 0.043). Language showed a significant small pooled effect (k = 11, g = 0.32, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.54, p = 0.009; I² = 0%), whereas the primary evidence layer yielded g = 0.19 (95% CI -0.17 to 0.55). Autism-related scale outcomes showed a significant pooled effect (k = 16, g = 1.23, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.53, p < 0.001; I² = 77.0%) and remained significant among studies reporting a reproducible randomization method (k = 6, g = 0.95, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.61). Adaptive function and quality-of-life estimates did not reach statistical significance. No between-group moderator test was significant. Duration was not associated with effect size (β = -0.034 per month, p = 0.552), and Egger's regression did not detect funnel-plot asymmetry (p = 0.591). CONCLUSIONS: Music-based support produced favorable average effects on social communication/interaction, language, and autism-related scale outcomes.

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4. Tayebi-Hillali H, Blanco-Suárez M, Rivas-Mundiña B, Limeres-Posse J, Diniz-Freitas M, Diz-Dios P. ¿Aumenta la exposición prenatal al paracetamol el riesgo de trastorno del espectro autista y trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad? Una revisión paraguas y un meta-meta-análisis. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2026.

Este meta-metaanálisis sintetiza la evidencia disponible sobre la exposición prenatal al paracetamol y los desenlaces del neurodesarrollo. Los análisis crudos sugieren pequeñas asociaciones con el trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) y el trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH); sin embargo, estas asociaciones se atenúan de forma considerable cuando los análisis se restringen a metaanálisis de alta calidad y a estudios primarios con bajo riesgo de sesgo. En conjunto, los hallazgos indican que no existe evidencia epidemiológica sólida que respalde una asociación causal entre la exposición prenatal al paracetamol y el desarrollo de TEA o TDAH.

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5. Triono A, Gunadi, Herini ES. Copy number variants across the developmental epilepsy-developmental and epileptic encephalopathy spectrum: an Indonesian case series. Neurogenetics. 2026; 27(1).

Developmental epilepsy (DE) and developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) comprise neurodevelopmental disorders in which epilepsy occurs alongside developmental impairment of varying contributions from the underlying etiology and epileptic activity. Advances in genetic testing, including whole-exome sequencing (WES), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), have facilitated the identification of copy number variants (CNVs); however, data on CNV-associated epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders remain limited in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. This retrospective case series describes the clinical and genetic characteristics of four Indonesian children across the DE-DEE spectrum with pathogenic CNVs identified at a tertiary referral hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Among 48 patients who underwent WES, CNVs were identified in five; four underwent further genetic characterization and were included in this case series, while one patient died before additional testing could be performed. Clinical manifestations included early-onset seizures, developmental delay or intellectual impairment, and abnormal EEG and/or neuroimaging findings. Genetic findings included a 2q24.3 deletion involving SCN1A in a patient with Dravet syndrome and 15q11.2-q13.1 deletions involving UBE3A in three patients with clinical features of Angelman syndrome. Confirmatory testing using WGS or CMA further characterized the identified CNVs. This case series expands the clinical and molecular data on pathogenic CNVs associated with pediatric epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders in an underrepresented Southeast Asian population and illustrates the complementary roles of sequencing and chromosomal analysis in genetic diagnosis.

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6. Wallace GL, Klein CB, Tao S, Carey ME, Shea L, Klinger LG. Parkinsonism Co-occurrence Among Older Autistic Adults, Adults With Intellectual Disability, and a Control Sample of Adults in National Health Care Claims Data. Autism. 2026: 13623613261480394.

Emerging evidence suggests that Parkinson’s Disease (PD)-related conditions (i.e., parkinsonism) co-occur more commonly with autism than in the general population. However, prior prevalence-based studies did not account for the influence of antipsychotic usage, which is linked to secondary parkinsonism as a possible side effect, or co-occurring intellectual disability (ID). In addition, no study of incidence rates of parkinsonism among older autistic adults has been completed to date. Prevalence and incidence were examined among 56,970,786 45+ year old persons across four groups (autism only, ID only, autism + ID, and control sample) utilizing U.S.-based, individually linked Medicaid and Medicare health care claims data from 2017 to 2019. Compared with the control sample (1.57%), highly elevated prevalence of co-occurring PD-related diagnoses was found across groups (autism only: 3.83%; ID only: 4.32%; autism + ID: 4.86%). This elevation in prevalence persisted after the exclusion of individuals prescribed antipsychotic medications. Whether examining broader or narrower (excluding secondary) parkinsonism, the age-standardized incidence or risk of newly documented co-occurring parkinsonism was highest in those with autism + ID, followed by those with autism only and those with ID only, all of which far outpaced control sample findings. Overall, elevated co-occurrence of autism and parkinsonism has significant scientific, clinical, and service-system implications.Lay AbstractSome studies find that people with autism are more likely to have co-occurring parkinsonism, or the core motor features linked to Parkinson’s Disease, like tremors and slowed movements. However, previous prevalence (number of cases at any one point in time) studies usually did not account for the influence of antipsychotic usage, which is relatively high in autism and can be associated with parkinsonism symptoms. Prior studies also rarely examined the influence of intellectual disability (ID) on the co-occurrence of parkinsonism and autism. Finally, no study of incidence rates (i.e., newly emerging cases over time) of parkinsonism among older autistic adults has been completed to date. Prevalence and incidence of parkinsonism were examined among 56,970,786 45+ year old persons across four groups (autism only, ID only, autism + ID, and control sample) utilizing U.S.-based, individually-linked Medicaid and Medicare health care claims data from 2017 to 2019. Relative to the control sample (1.57%), highly elevated prevalence of co-occurring PD-related diagnoses was found across groups (autism only: 3.83%; ID only: 4.32%; autism + ID: 4.86%), even after the exclusion of individuals prescribed antipsychotic medications. Whether examining broader or narrower (excluding secondary) parkinsonism, the age-standardized incidence or risk of newly documented co-occurring parkinsonism was highest in those with autism + ID, followed by those with autism only and those with ID only, all of which far outpaced control sample findings. Overall, elevated co-occurrence of autism and parkinsonism has significant scientific, clinical, and service system implications.

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7. Yano K, Yasumura A, Shin J, Nagai Y, Wada M. Characteristics of visual search and prefrontal brain activity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. Brain Dev. 2026; 48(6): 104609.

INTRODUCTION: The term ‘visual search’ (VS) is used to describe behaviors such as finding a desired item while shopping or looking for a room key. These behaviors are important in everyday life. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been reported to experience difficulties with VS. However, the characteristics of VS and the associated brain activity remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated these characteristics in detail using a measurement method that combined VS tasks with brain function measurements. METHODS: Twenty-one individuals with ASD and 42 typically developing (TD) individuals, matched for age and visual intelligence, participated in this study. The characteristics of VS were evaluated using two types of cancellation tasks: structured and random arrays. We evaluated VS performance using various measurements, including the rate of intersections and the best r, which reflect systematicity and directional constancy. We measured brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). RESULTS: The ASD group had a significantly higher rate of intersections and a significantly lower best r than the TD group. The right PFC activity was significantly higher than the activity in other PFC regions during the random array task in the TD group. Additionally, the TD group exhibited significantly higher right PFC activity than the ASD group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that VS in individuals with ASD is characterized by inconsistent search direction and disorganization and that patterns of PFC brain activity during VS may also differ from those observed in TD individuals.

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