Low birth weight affects a child’s chance of having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study conducted by a Northwestern University researcher.
“Our study of discordant twins – twin pairs in which only one twin was affected by ASD – found birth weight to be a very strong predictor of autism spectrum disorder,” said Northwestern University researcher Molly Losh.
There has been some concern that mercury may play a role in autism development. Several studies have been conducted but no clear link has been found.
A study was recently published online in PLoS One, in which researchers with the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust found that even low-level mercury exposure is not likely to contribute to autism.
The team of researchers held a study of 56 children with autism spectrum disorders, and mainstream, special school and sibling controls.
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The lion’s share of services for those affected by autism is directed at early intervention and those under the age of 21. A Philadelphia College has launched an initiative to address the increasing need for services for the adult population with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
“There is very little right now in terms of services when you reach 21” says Paul Haughton, Ph.D., chief psychologist at CORA Services “We’re focusing on children, rightfully so, but as they move into adulthood and turn 21 it’s almost like they drop off a cliff in terms of organized systematic services for them.”
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A study by a Florida State University researcher has shown that African-American children receive a diagnosis of autism later than other children, which can negatively affect their treatment.
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A study by the York University, Department of Psychology in Toronto examined the impact of children problem behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) on parent mental health.
Raising a child with an ASD has often been associated with higher levels of parenting stress and psychological distress.
The study looked at relations among child problem behavior, parent mental health, psychological acceptance, and parent empowerment. Participants included 228 parents of children diagnosed with ASD, 6–21 years of age.
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In what is becoming an all too familiar story for families affected by autism, funding for programs for children has been slashed.
Parents of children with autism in Regina, Canada are disappointed and concerned as a number of popular summer programs have been scaled back or cut altogether.
“You fight every day for services, and the summer program is the one time a year you get intensive services for five weeks, and then you really have nothing for the rest of the year,” Rip Smith said, whose son Max enjoyed the summer program.
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ICare4Autism consistently strives to help by working on an intensive global workforce program in collaboration with other countries and we’d like to spotlight another company in the United States doing similar work.
Jon Liniak is no ordinary intern at Spagnvola chocolate shop in Gaithersburg. He has autism, and lacking in social skills. However, interning has already given him skills he needs to move confidently through the workforce.
“Seeing the same people, it’s a very consistent staff, and being able to make those social connections and being able to reach out and learn that aspect too is very, very important to him and very meaningful,” the boy’s father, Tom Liniak, said.
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A recent study has shown that teens with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are far more likely to spend their screen time in a non-interactive way. Socially interactive media, such as email and chat clients will often be overlooked by teens with ASDs in favor of one-directional mediums like television and video games.
The researchers warned that preoccupation with video games could interfere with the children’s socialization and learning.
The study which appears online in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders used data compiled for a group of over 1,000 teens enrolled in special education.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks has found that the loss of a specific mutated gene in the auditory cortical neurons – the powerhouses of the sound-processing center – causes hypersensitive to sound. While the functioning PTEN gene is known for it’s anti-cancer roll in powering down cell growth, proliferation, and survival, a mutated version of PTEN has the opposite effect and has been found in autistic individuals with macroencephaly, or an increase in brain volume. Previous work with the mutated form of PTEN in mice has resulted in boosted cell size and number of neurological connections in the brain.
Australian families are faced with dire choices as a result of funding for autism treatment being abysmally low.
In order to access crucial treatment, parents of children with autism are having to sell their homes or leave the country.
Governmental guidelines recommend early intervention for autism with a “minimum of 20 hours a week over two or more years” which can cost up to $50,000 a year. The government’s “Helping children with autism package” of $6000 a year covers only one hour a week, advocates say.
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