Early intervention for very young children with or at high likelihood for autism spectrum disorder: An overview of reviews.

Aim: To identify which interventions are supported by evidence and the quality of that evidence in very young children with or at high likelihood for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to improve child outcomes.

Method: We conducted an overview of reviews to synthesize early intervention literature for very young children with or at high likelihood for ASD. Cochrane guidance on how to perform overviews of reviews was followed.

Trends Over a Decade in NIH Funding for Autism Spectrum Disorder Services Research.

Investments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, guided by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), have focused disproportionately on etiology over a well-established stakeholder priority area: research to improve accessibility and quality of community-based services. This study analyzed National Institutes of Health ASD services research funding from 2008 to 2018 to examine funding patterns, evaluate the impact of IACC objectives, and identify future directions. Approximately 9% of total funds were allocated to services research.

Natural resource extraction and mortality in the United States.

This article further develops the literature on the local consequences of natural resource extraction by using newly collected county data from 1964 to 1988 to capture both short- and long-term mortality effects. The article identifies the net impact on mortality and provides evidence that throughout the majority of its distribution, increases in extractive industry activity are associated with small decreases in total and cancer mortality on a year-to-year basis. However, increases in extractive activity are associated with net increases in county-level total, cancer, and infant mortality in the long run, and at very high levels of activity, and are strongly impacted by coal mining activity.

Gender Differences and Similarities: Autism Symptomatology and Developmental Functioning in Young Children.

A growing body of research suggests that symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may present differently in males and females. This study examined gender differences in ASD symptoms and developmental functioning, using the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtism Traits, Part 1 (BISCUIT-Part 1) and the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition (BDI-2), amongst children aged 17-37 months meeting ASD diagnostic criteria (n = 1317). No gender differences were found in regards to overall symptom severity or symptom domains on the BISCUIT-Part 1 when gender groups were matched by cognitive ability.