The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) provides a context of activities that can be presented by an adult (e.g., a parent, therapist) in 12–14-minutes to observe social communicative behavior and play/imagination, which can be placed within a framework of standardized codes. In the current project, Catherine Lord and So Hyun “Sophy” Kim aim to refine, standardize and disseminate the BOSA to clinical and research communities to help fill the gap left by not being able to carry out a valid Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) while COVID-19 restrictions are in place.

Identifying the distinct biological mechanisms at play in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may help to better understand the heterogeneous manifestations of this complex condition. Jessica Ann Lasky-Su and Rachel Kelly contend that utilizing the metabolome as a composite measure of both genetic and environmental influences in a biofluid such as plasma will identify distinct subgroups groups of ASD individuals with common underlying biological mechanisms. Findings from this project may lead to the development of metabo-endotype approaches to optimize treatment.