Feature Channels: Autism

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4-Feb-2011 1:55 PM EST
Relatively Few Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders Receive Assistance After High School
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Use of medical, mental health and case management services for young adults with an autism spectrum disorder appears to decline after high school, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 21-Dec-2010 4:15 PM EST
iPads to Help Autistic Children Communicate
Nova Southeastern University

Nova Southeastern University’s Mailman Segal Institute (MSI) launched a new initiative, “18 iPads in 18 Days”, to help facilitate the learning process for children with autism at MSI’s Baudhuin Preschool.

Released: 15-Dec-2010 9:00 AM EST
Clinical Trial Of Autism Early Intervention Reveals Significant ImprovementsIn Toddlers’ Social And Communication Skills
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Study is first to show group-based intervention is effective for toddlers as young as two years of age.

Released: 6-Dec-2010 12:10 PM EST
Holiday Shopping Made Easier for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Advice and top toy picks from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Parents’ Choice Foundation.

24-Nov-2010 1:15 PM EST
Children with Autism Appear More Likely to Have Cell Irregularity
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Preliminary research has found that children with autism are more likely to have impaired mitochondrial function (structures within cells responsible for energy production) and mitochondrial DNA abnormalities than typically developing children, according to a study in the December 1 issue of JAMA.

Released: 22-Nov-2010 9:00 AM EST
College Students Help Non-Verbal Children Communicate—Many for the First Time
Academy Communications

Undergraduate student-clinicians at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio are achieving unparalleled success in a new program helping non-verbal children—with diagnoses including Autism, Rett syndrome, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome—communicate, many for the first time.

11-Nov-2010 5:00 PM EST
Rett Syndrome Mobilizes Jumping Genes in the Brain
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

With few exceptions, jumping genes-restless bits of DNA that can move freely about the genome-are forced to stay put. In patients with Rett syndrome, however, a mutation in the MeCP2 gene mobilizes so-called L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of the disease when they find their way into active genes, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Released: 17-Nov-2010 12:55 PM EST
IQ Scores Fail to Predict Academic Performance in Children with Autism
University of Washington

New data show that many children with autism spectrum disorders have greater academic abilities than previously thought. In a study by researchers at the University of Washington, 90 percent of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders showed a discrepancy between their IQ score and their performance on reading, spelling and math tests.

9-Nov-2010 3:15 PM EST
Do Handwriting Problems in Autistic Children Continue into Teen Years?
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

A new study suggests that the handwriting problems that affect children with autism are likely to continue into their teenage years. The research is published in the November 16, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15-Nov-2010 9:00 AM EST
New Study Affirms Handwriting Problems Affect Children with Autism into the Teenage Years
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Kennedy Krieger researchers confirm children with autism are unlikely to outgrow handwriting problems, recommend intervention therapies.

4-Nov-2010 4:00 PM EDT
Modeling Autism in a Dish
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.

5-Nov-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Researchers Create Autistic Neuron Model
UC San Diego Health

Using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Rett syndrome, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created functional neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment.

2-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Study Reveals How Autism-Risk Gene Rewires the Brain
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate how genetic variants rewire the brain. Published in the Nov. 3 online edition of Science Translational Medicine, their discovery offers the crucial missing physical evidence that links altered genes to modified brain function and learning.

28-Oct-2010 1:55 PM EDT
Researchers Discover How Brain Is Wired for Attention
University of Utah Health

University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have uncovered a wiring diagram that shows how the brain pays attention to visual, cognitive, sensory, and motor cues. The research provides a critical foundation for the study of abnormalities in attention that can be seen in many brain disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder.

Released: 22-Oct-2010 3:50 PM EDT
Succimer Found Ineffective for Removing Mercury
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Succimer, a drug used for treating lead poisoning, does not effectively remove mercury from the body, according to research supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Released: 22-Oct-2010 1:00 AM EDT
The Face of Asperger’s Syndrome
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

She's sharp, witty... and different. And, until she was 41, she couldn't tell you what made her "different" all of her life. Nor could her parents, college professors or any of her 13 employers.

11-Oct-2010 1:50 PM EDT
Study Links Immune Protein to Abnormal Brain Development
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA scientists have discovered that exposing fetal neurons to higher than normal levels of a common immune protein leads to abnormal brain development in mice. The finding may provide new insights into factors contributing to human neurological disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

11-Oct-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Diagnosing Autism with MRI Is One Step Closer
University of Utah Health

University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have made an important step in diagnosing autism through using MRI, an advance that eventually could help health care providers identify the problem much earlier in children and lead to improved treatment and outcomes for those with the disorder.

Released: 7-Oct-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Comprehensive Autism Treatment Center Coming to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, along with its affiliated medical schools Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College, announced its collaboration with the New York Center for Autism to establish the Institute for Brain Development, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art institute dedicated to addressing the pressing clinical needs of individuals living with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders of the brain, across their lifespan.

Released: 1-Oct-2010 12:05 AM EDT
Language Delays Found in Siblings of Children with Autism
Washington University in St. Louis

Siblings of children with autism have more frequent language delays and other subtle characteristics of the disorder than previously understood. Girls also may be mildly affected more often than recognized in the past, according to a new study, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Released: 21-Sep-2010 2:25 PM EDT
Hormone Oxytocin Improves Social Cognition But Only in Less Socially Proficient Individuals
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that the naturally-occurring hormone oxytocin selectively improves social cognitive abilities for less socially proficient individuals, but has little effect on those who are more socially proficient. The study was published today in Psychological Science.

Released: 10-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Misfolded Neural Proteins Linked to Autism Disorders
UC San Diego Health

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, has identified misfolding and other molecular anomalies in a key brain protein associated with autism spectrum disorders.

2-Sep-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Visual Pattern Preference May be Indicator of Autism in Toddlers
UC San Diego Health

Using eye-tracking methods, researchers at UCSD School of Medicine have shown that toddlers with autism spend significantly more time visually examining dynamic geometric patterns than they do looking at social images – a viewing pattern not found in either typical or developmentally delayed toddlers.

3-Sep-2010 12:05 PM EDT
Some Children With Autism Show a Preference for Geometric Patterns at an Early Age
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A fixation on geometric patterns may be associated with autism in children as young as 14 months, according to a report published online today that will appear in the January 2011 print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 1-Sep-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Infant’s Gaze May Be an Early, but Subtle, Marker for Autism Risk
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Research findings show subtle differences that parents and professionals may easily overlook.

Released: 23-Aug-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Researchers Connect APC Protein to Autism and Mental Retardation
Tufts University

A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. Neuroscientists report that a protein called APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory.

13-Aug-2010 3:00 PM EDT
Autism Research Finds Empirical Link Between Multisensory Integration and Autism
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has provided concrete evidence that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) process sensory information such as sound, touch and vision differently than typically developing children.

Released: 16-Aug-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Language as a Window Into Sociability
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

People with Williams syndrome-known for their indiscriminate friendliness and ease with strangers-process spoken language differently from people with autism spectrum disorders-characterized by social withdrawal and isolation-found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Released: 3-Aug-2010 10:30 AM EDT
Study Details Autism’s Heavy Toll Beyond Childhood on Marriages
University of Wisconsin–Madison

The parents of grown children with autism are more likely to divorce than couples with typically developing children, according to new data from a large longitudinal study of families of adolescents and adults with autism.

30-Jul-2010 1:20 PM EDT
Relatives of Individuals With Autism Tend to Display Abnormal Eye Movements
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Abnormal eye movements and other sensorimotor and neurobehavioral impairments appear common in unaffected family members of individuals with autism, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 21-Jun-2010 12:55 PM EDT
CDC Grant to Aid in Tracking Utah Children with Autism
University of Utah Health

In the ongoing effort to understand the growing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) nationwide, the University of Utah has received a $2.4 million, four-year grant to estimate the number of Utah 8-year-olds with ASDs.

Released: 9-Jun-2010 4:10 PM EDT
Copy Number Variants Suspected in Autism
University of Utah Health

An international consortium of researchers from more than 70 universities, including the University of Utah, has reported that a study of nearly 2,300 people supports the growing consensus that autism is caused in part by rare genetic changes called copy number variants (CNVs).

8-Jun-2010 10:45 AM EDT
Study Identifies Rare Variants That Disrupt Gene Activity in Autistic Children
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA scientists participated in the world’s largest DNA scan for familial autism. The group found rare genetic changes occurring 20 percent more in autistic children, offering a new target in the hunt for the genetic origins of autism.

8-Jun-2010 12:45 PM EDT
New Autism Susceptibility Genes Identified
Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai researchers and the Autism Genome Project Consortium (AGP) announced today that they have identified new autism susceptibility genes that may lead to the development of new treatment approaches.

9-Jun-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Researchers Report New Autism Genes Discovered
University of Illinois Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago researchers are part of an international consortium reporting new autism genetic discoveries from the second phase of the Autism Genome Project.

Released: 20-May-2010 10:40 AM EDT
Researchers Identify First Drug to Demonstrate Therapeutic Effect in a Type of Autism
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a drug that improves communication between nerve cells in a mouse model of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS). Behavioral symptoms of PMS fall under the autism spectrum disorder category. The research will be presented Friday at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Philadelphia.

Released: 19-May-2010 2:00 PM EDT
80 Percent Autism Divorce Rate Debunked in First-of-Its Kind Scientific Study
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Kennedy Krieger researchers find autism does not affect family structure.

Released: 12-May-2010 1:00 PM EDT
FSU Researchers Awarded $3M To Study Autism Curriculum
Florida State University

A 40-school study called Classroom SCERTS® Intervention (CSI) is under way at The Florida State University to measure the effectiveness of a curriculum designed specifically for students with autism.

Released: 11-May-2010 10:45 AM EDT
Rare Disease in Amish Children Sheds Light on Common Neurological Disorders
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers investigating a regulatory protein involved in a rare genetic disease have shown that it may be related to epileptic and autistic symptoms in other more common neurological disorders. A team of researchers demonstrated how mutations in the STRAD-alpha gene can cause a disease called PMSE (polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy) syndrome, found in a handful of Amish children.

29-Apr-2010 2:40 PM EDT
Brain Changes Associated with Fragile X Take Place Before Age Two
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Brain changes associated with the most common cause of mental retardation can be seen in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of children as young as one to three years old, according to a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Stanford University.

Released: 21-Apr-2010 4:00 PM EDT
New Research Raises Hope That Autism May Be More Easily Diagnosed; Effects May Be Reversible
George Washington University

A new study by researchers at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology raises hope that autism may be more easily diagnosed and that its effects may be more reversible than previously thought. Researchers have identified potentially removable chemical tags (called “methyl groups”) on specific genes of autistic individuals that led to gene silencing. They also observed these changes in cells derived from blood, opening the way to molecular screening for autism using a blood test.

Released: 21-Apr-2010 2:40 PM EDT
New Research Suggests Autism Effects May Be Reversible
George Washington University

A new study by researchers at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology highlights a mechanism for significant disruption of gene activity in autism that may be reversible. Published in the journal Genome Medicine on April 7, the study focuses on the differential expression of microRNA and addresses the issue of higher level regulation of gene expression in autism.

Released: 20-Apr-2010 11:30 AM EDT
Study Provides New Insights into the Implications of Autism Onset Patterns
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Children with developmental regression at increased risk for more severe autism.

Released: 13-Apr-2010 3:50 PM EDT
Autism Awareness Month: EASe Video Games Are Therapeutic Fun for Kids with Autism
Vision Audio

Kids with autism typically have issues with balance and sound, but they love to careen a tiny toy tractor through the topsy-turvy 3-D toyland of an EASe video game from Vision Audio, Inc., collecting treasures while listening to specially designed music. The video game is more than fun – it helps children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) learn to cope with noise, regulate their balance and improve sensory processing.

Released: 6-Apr-2010 3:55 PM EDT
Intensive Treatment Found to be Highly-Effective for Children with Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism
Canisius University

A unique treatment program at Canisius College offers hope to children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Randomized clinical trial finds innovative, multi-component social development program is effective in improving social performance.

Released: 6-Apr-2010 9:00 AM EDT
New Survey Finds Grandparents Play Key Role in Lives of Children with Autism
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Interactive Autism Network survey gives grandparents a voice in autism research community.

Released: 5-Apr-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Living with Autism: Learning to Say ‘Hello’ and Be the Best That You Can Be
Saint Joseph's University

The numbers are startling: New research now indicates that that 1 in 110 children in the United has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “While researchers seek to assess the risk factors and better identify potential causes, there is an urgent need to provide opportunities for children and adults with autism to live their best lives,” says Michelle Rowe, Ph.D., executive director of the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support and professor of Health Services at Saint Joseph’s University.

Released: 29-Mar-2010 10:50 AM EDT
Education Professors Receive Grant to Study Autism in Children
University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky assistant professor Lisa Ruble and her co-investigators received a prestigious $998,940 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study educational programs for children with autism.

   
Released: 8-Mar-2010 12:45 PM EST
A Possible Early Glimpse of Autism's Impact on Older Siblings
University of Oregon

A new study suggests a trend toward developing hyperactivity among typically developing elementary-school-aged siblings of autistic preschoolers and supports the notion that mothers of young, autistic children experience more depression and stress than mothers with typically developing children.

22-Feb-2010 3:00 PM EST
Gene Mutation Is Linked to Autism-Like Symptoms in Mice
UT Southwestern Medical Center

When a gene implicated in human autism is disabled in mice, the rodents show learning problems and obsessive, repetitive behaviors, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.



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