Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Topically applied DMPS not effective in children with autism

Metal-binding agents rubbed into the skin, prescribed by some alternative practitioners for the treatment of autism, are not absorbed and therefore are unlikely to be effective at helping the body excrete excess mercury. The study by Jennifer Cohen and Michelle Ruha from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in the US, and their colleagues, provides evidence against the use of these treatments in children with autism.

14 Nov 2012

Melatonin improves sleep in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Melatonin increases the length of time spent asleep and reduces the time it takes to get to sleep for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, compared with placebo, show study results published in the British Medical Journal.

9 Nov 2012

Autism Speaks releases biological and clinical data from 383 new AGRE families

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, is proud to announce the release of biological and clinical data from 383 new families participating in Autism Speaks Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) to researchers. AGRE is a resource for scientists that is comprised of clinical and biological data from families who have two or more children on the autism spectrum.

9 Nov 2012

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

I may get Alzheimer's disease, I was told after getting my DNA analyzed. I could suffer the consequences of an abnormal blood clot in my heart or my brain. Or perhaps I'll suffer from a disease called primary myelofibrosis that's caused by an overactive bone marrow. All of these were possible outcomes, based on my genetic profile. In each case, the test only gives an increased risk for disease, not a definitive diagnosis.

9 Nov 2012

Autism onset age predicts pattern of development in early years

Researchers have found that the pattern of development differs over the first 3 years of life between children with early- and later-onset autism spectrum disorder.

8 Nov 2012

Study on genetic capacity of diverse populations to make critical PUFAs

World-renowned scientists are taking what they've learned from their multicenter research collaboration studying the health impact of fatty acids on diverse populations to set up a genetics center in India.

8 Nov 2012

Early treatment improves behavior, communication and brain function in children with autism

When given early treatment, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) made significant improvements in behavior, communication, and most strikingly, brain function, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

7 Nov 2012

Testosterone exposure early in life can have lasting impact on brain function and behavior

New findings led by Dr. Michael Lombardo, Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues at the University of Cambridge indicate that testosterone levels early in fetal development influence later sensitivity of brain regions related to reward processing and affect an individual's susceptibility to engage in behavior, that in extremes, are related to several neuropsychiatric conditions that asymmetrically affect one sex more than the other.

6 Nov 2012

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome anxiety linked to poorer adaptive behaviors

UC Davis researchers have found that for children with the genetic disorder known as chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome anxiety -- but not intelligence -- is linked to poorer adaptive behaviors, such as self-care and communication skills, that affect daily life. The developmental syndrome, which is associated with a constellation of physical, cognitive and psychiatric problems, usually is apparent at birth or early childhood, and leads to lifelong challenges.

6 Nov 2012

Rush’s AARTS program to improve quality of life of children and adults with autism

The Chicago region's first comprehensive center serving patients from childhood into young adulthood with autism spectrum disorders has been established at Rush University Medical Center.

4 Nov 2012

Autism interventions are supported by varying levels of evidence, reveals new RAND study

Interventions designed to improve core deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders are supported by varying levels of evidence, highlighting the need for well-designed studies to better evaluate the interventions, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

3 Nov 2012

Scientists sequence and analyze human genomes to discover many variants

Thanks to powerful computational tools developed at Simon Fraser University, more than 100 scientists from around the world have genetically mapped the largest and most varied number of human genomes to date.

3 Nov 2012

Roundup: Texas will keep Planned Parenthood Women's Health Program for now; Kids' autism covered in Wash. Medicaid; UnitedHealth selling S.C. Medicaid biz

Planned Parenthood will continue to receive funds from a joint Texas and federal program providing health care to low-income women, despite the state's promise to exclude its clinics by Nov. 1 because they are affiliated with abortion providers.

2 Nov 2012

Dysfunction in SRGAP3 protein causes developmental brain disorders

A new research discovery has the potential to revolutionize the biological understanding of some childhood psychiatric disorders. Specifically, scientists have found that when a single protein involved in brain development, called "SRGAP3," is malformed, it causes problems in the brain functioning of mice that cause symptoms that are similar to some mental health and neurological disorders in children.

1 Nov 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

Elevated risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal health complications and possible longer term neurobehavioral abnormalities, including autism, suggest that a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) should only be prescribed with great caution and with full counseling for women experiencing depression and attempting to get pregnant, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and MetroWest Medical Center.

31 Oct 2012

Development of children with ASD much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age

The development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age, but differs afterwards. That's the main finding of the largest prospective, longitudinal study to date comparing children with early and later diagnosis of ASD with children without ASD. The study appears in the journal Child Development and has implications for clinical work, public health, and policy.

31 Oct 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

31 Oct 2012

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

In the largest prospective study to date of children with early and later manifestation of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to children without ASD, researchers found two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in the children with ASD.

31 Oct 2012

ESDM intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

An autism intervention program that emphasizes social interactions and is designed for children as young as 12 months has been found to improve cognitive skills and brain responses to faces, considered a building block for social skills. The researchers say that the study, which was completed at the University of Washington, is the first to demonstrate that an intensive behavioral intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders.

31 Oct 2012

Empathetic and analytic thinking mutually exclusive in the brain

New research shows a simple reason why even the most intelligent, complex brains can be taken by a swindler's story - one that upon a second look offers clues it was false.

31 Oct 2012

Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Topically applied DMPS not effective in children with autism

Melatonin improves sleep in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Autism Speaks releases biological and clinical data from 383 new AGRE families

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

Autism onset age predicts pattern of development in early years

Study on genetic capacity of diverse populations to make critical PUFAs

Early treatment improves behavior, communication and brain function in children with autism

Testosterone exposure early in life can have lasting impact on brain function and behavior

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome anxiety linked to poorer adaptive behaviors

Rush’s AARTS program to improve quality of life of children and adults with autism

Autism interventions are supported by varying levels of evidence, reveals new RAND study

Scientists sequence and analyze human genomes to discover many variants

Roundup: Texas will keep Planned Parenthood Women's Health Program for now; Kids' autism covered in Wash. Medicaid; UnitedHealth selling S.C. Medicaid biz

Dysfunction in SRGAP3 protein causes developmental brain disorders

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

Development of children with ASD much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

ESDM intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

Empathetic and analytic thinking mutually exclusive in the brain

This International Women’s Day, Meet the Scientist Changing Women’s Healthcare

Microphysiological systems in drug discovery

Considerations for taking ASO discovery programs into animal models

Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

This International Women’s Day, Meet the Scientist Changing Women’s Healthcare

Microphysiological systems in drug discovery

Considerations for taking ASO discovery programs into animal models

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