Rise in autism prevalence but not traits; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 7 July.

Non-parallel lines: Although clinical diagnoses of autism have risen over time, levels of autism traits among teenagers have held steady, according to a new population-based study in Sweden. The results support the idea that the well-documented increases in autism prevalence stem from factors such as a broadening of diagnostic criteria and heightened public awareness. The authors write that their findings might curb public worries about an epidemic. They also cite “a need to discuss how problems related to … diagnostic categories should be managed, both from a clinical as well as a societal perspective.” Psychiatry Research

More autism research we spotted:

Research image of neural activity in mouse auditory cortices.
Sound systems: Mice that model FOXG1 syndrome (left) have altered neural activity in response to noise bursts in the auditory cortex compared with wildtype mice (right).

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