Autism

Brain Waves Show Sound Processing Abnormalities In Autistic Children

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:59:18 -0600

Abnormalities in auditory and language processing may be evaluated in children with autism spectrum disorder by using magnetoencephalography (MEG), according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Brain's Magnetic Fields Reveal Language Delays In Autism

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:57:28 -0600

Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism show that those children process sound and language differently from non-autistic children. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to more accurately diagnose autism and possibly aid in developing more effective treatments for the developmental disorder.

Autistic Children Require More Money, Time

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:31:44 -0600

The more than half a million U.S. children who have autism have health care needs that are more costly and time-intensive than children with other chronic ailments, according to a Maternal and Child Health Bureau study published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Autistic Parent Questions If Autism Is Linked To Rainfall

hareyan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:32:03 -0600

A while back I wrote a critique of the TV hypothesis by Waldman et al. I noted the likely confound is population density, which should not be considered a "fixed effect" in Waldman's methodology (an interesting statistical methodology that is apparently used in Economics frequently). When we talk about population density as a confound, we're really using it as a proxy of other confounds that are clearly not fixed in time.

Autism Rates In California and Oregon Linked to Rainfall

hareyan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:52:17 -0600

A new study published by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine links Autism to precipitation rates in California, Oregon, and Washington counties.

The abstract of the research on Autism rates and rainfall titled Autism Prevalence and Precipitation Rates in California, Oregon, and Washington Counties reads the following.

To investigate empirically the possibility of an environmental trigger for autism among genetically vulnerable children that is positively associated with precipitation.

Eye Contact Predicts Level Of Social Disability In Autism Patients

ruzik_tuzik — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:32:14 -0500

By age 2, children with autism show unusual patterns of eye contact compared with typically developing children. This symptom appears to be related to a child's level of impairment and may be a useful biomarker for diagnosing autism at an earlier age.

Background

From birth, humans typically show a preference for social interaction, favoring the sound of a human voice over silence and the sound of their mother’s voice to that of an unknown woman. By three months, infants develop a preference for looking more at a person’s eyes than other parts of the face.

States Should Require Insurers To Cover Autism Behavioral Therapy

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:53:28 -0500

The advocacy group Autism Speaks in 2009 will target at least 10 states -- including New York, California and Ohio -- to push for legislation that would require health insurers to cover autistic behavioral therapy, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. The group already has endorsed bills in New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan.

Research Examines Link of Autism To Vision and Movement

hareyan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:07:04 -0500

A hand moves forward, but is it a friendly gesture or one meant to do harm? In an instant, we respond -- either extending our arm forward to shake hands or raising it higher to protect our face. But what are the subtle cues that allow us to interpret such movement so we can properly respond to others?

Autism Causes Parents To Have Fear And Confusion

hareyan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:46:53 -0500

The first national survey of attitudes toward autism reveals that a small but significant percentage of people still believe the disease is caused by childhood vaccines. The survey of 1000 randomly selected adults was conducted for the Florida Institute of Technology.

Nearly one in four (24 percent) said that because vaccines may cause autism it was safer not to have children vaccinated at all. Another 19 percent were not sure. This at a time when the Centers for Disease Control reports that autism affects one in 150 children born in the United States.

Examining Prevalence, Impact Of Gastrointestinal Problems In Children With Autism

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:50:32 -0500

A new study examines the characteristics of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) who also have gastrointestinal problems. The study was published online ahead of print September 2008 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.