Reaching Out to Close Racial Gap in Autism Diagnoses

by s.e. smith

Controversial organization Autism Speaks might actually be doing something right with a new campaign to close the racial gap in autism diagnoses between white and minority children. Several studies, such as a small study released last year, indicate that minority children, particularly Black and Latino kids, are diagnosed with autism at a rate much lower than that of whites.

A simple matter of autism demographics? Researchers argue no — in fact, the diagnosis is being missed, with minority children being diagnosed later than their white peers, suggesting that something is going wrong with early childhood interventions.

Racial health disparities can be seen across a broad number of diseases and communities, illustrating racialized forces at work within the health care system. Some minority communities... Read More >

Pets May Help Kids With Autism Develop Social Skills

Study found if animal came into home after child was born, communication improved

By Amanda Gardner | HealthDay Reporter

Introducing a pet into the home of a child with autism may help that child develop improved social behaviors, new research finds.

The study, from French researchers, is the first strong scientific evidence that animals may help foster social skills in individuals with autism, but it also reinforces what clinicians have been hearing anecdotally for years.

"We hear from parents a lot that having a pet or interacting with an animal really helps their child's social behavior, but there hasn't been a study so far that has looked at that scientifically," said Alycia Halladay, director of environmental research at Autism Speaks. "This offers some intriguing evidence to confirm what parents...  READ MORE >>

More informationThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on autism spectrum disorders.
Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Video: Autism, Diet and Nutrition

Julie Matthews

Autism Diet & Nutrition specialist, Julie Matthews, speaks about her award-winning book, Nourishing Hope for Autism: Nutrition Intervention for Healing Our Children
- the 2009 "Most Progressive Health Book" (Independent Publisher Books Awards - IPPYs).

Source: Autism Support Network

Related item:

Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child's Autism, Asperger's, or ADHD [Paperback]

Elizabeth Strickland (Author) 

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What are Social Thinking Challenges?

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Michelle Garcia Winner 

A classic example of a person with a social thinking challenge is that of my friend Ian who is entering into 4th grade. He has excellent language skills and has amazing abilities to learn information about topics of his interest, such as American History. He enjoys learning topics that are factual in nature and in fact excels in these academic tasks. Regardless of his strong academic abilities in most areas of math and language he struggles considerably focusing his attention in his mainstream classroom, participating as part of a group, explaining his ideas to others in writing and making friends during recess and lunch.

He prefers talking to adults, rather than his peers, since adults will discuss with him his areas of interest. When adults are not available to talk to, he goes to the library to read a book. While his teacher enjoys his knowledge, she is mystified by his difficulties at school given that he scores in the fine to superior on academic testing. It is difficult for his teacher to understand that he does not have a behavior problem; instead he has social thinking challenges, which makes it difficult for him to deal with all aspects of the expectations across his school and home day. His mother describes him as “bright but clueless”

Simply put, social thinking is our innate ability to think through and apply information to succeed in situations that require social knowledge. Social thinking is a form of intelligence that is key to learning concepts and integrating information across a variety of settings; academic, social, home and community. Limited abilities for learning and/or applying socially relevant information can be considered a social thinking learning disability.

Signs Your Child Could Have Autism

The CDC says that one in 88 children has autism. Could your child be one of them?

By MIRIAM WEINER |  USnews.com

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that one in every 88 children has autism—up from one in 156 in 2002—you might be wondering how to recognize the signs and symptoms of the developmental disorder.

While it's not clear what's driving the uptick in prevalence, and the precise causes of autism are still unknown, experts are calling for earlier diagnosis. "We have to get this down to 18 months of age to truly have the greatest impact," says Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. Doctors have gotten better at identifying autism symptoms in younger children—four is the average age of diagnosis—but "four years old is still too late," he says. Frieden stresses that the earlier a child is identified with autism, the more likely it is that behavioral intervention will make the disability more manageable. Parents may be able to spot symptoms of autism before a child's first birthday, says Coleen Boyle, who heads up the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. "Parents know their child best, but if they do have concerns, the important thing is not to wait [to seek help]," she says. Susan Hyman, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics subcommittee on autism, strongly recommends having children screened by a child development specialist at 18, 24, and 30 months.

Global Autism Awareness:

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So how can you tell? If your little boy or girl isn't hitting developmental milestones laid out by the CDC, don't hesitate to talk to your paediatrician.

At Nine Months to One Year
At this age, your child should be moving up in his ability to communicate. Simple "oohs" and "ahhs" are typically replaced by a wider variety of sounds, and maybe even words like "mama." Slower speech development isn't necessarily cause for concern, though. As your child nears his first birthday, his eyes are the most notable red flag. At nine months your baby should be able to make eye contact, and even recognize familiar faces and emotive expressions. Children with autism struggle to maintain eye contact and often cannot mimic facial expressions like smiles or frowns.

At 18 Months >>

At Two Years >>

At Four Years >>


To learn more about picking up signs of autism, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

Evidence Of Link Discovered Between Immune Irregularities And Autism

Image courtesy of ponsulak / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) pioneered the study of the link between irregularities in the immune system and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism a decade ago. Since then, studies of postmortem brains and of individuals with autism, as well as epidemiological studies, have supported the correlation between alterations in the immune system and autism spectrum disorder.

What has remained unanswered, however, is whether the immune changes play a causative role in the development of the disease or are merely a side effect. Now a new Caltech study suggests that specific changes in an overactive immune system can indeed contribute to autism-like behaviors in mice, and that in some cases, this activation can be related to what a developing fetus experiences in the womb.

The results appear in a paper this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  READ MORE >>

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Nerve Stimulation May Be Able To Treat Autism, Stroke, Tinnitus And More

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Written by Sarah Glynn   |  Medical News Today 

Researchers from UT Dallas explained how specific experiences, like sounds or movements, paired with nerve stimulation can reorganize the brain. This new technology could be the beginning of new treatments for tinnitus, autism, stroke, and other disorders.

The speed, at which the brain works in laboratory animals, could be altered by pairing stimulation of the vagus nerve with fast or slow sounds, according to UT Dallas neuroscientists in a related paper.

Dr. Robert Rennaker and Dr. Michael Kilgard led a group of researchers to examine if neural activity within the laboratory rats' primary motor cortex would change if it were repeatedly paired with vagus nerve stimulation with a specific movement... READ MORE >>

If further research is done that confirms the UT Dallas findings, patients could be treated better with more efficient therapies that are less invasive while avoiding long-term use of drugs. 

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The Challenges of Treating Autism

Dr. Joseph Donnelly at the Orange office of For OC Kids Neurodevelopmental Center, which he hopes to expand with a multimillion dollar grant. (Photo by Amy DePaul)

Orange County’s leading autism center has an opportunity for a large injection of cash supplied in part by the Children & Families Commission of Orange County.

But there’s a hitch: the money comes in the form of a matching grant. And though the amount could be for as high as $7 million, it’s available only if a private donor steps forward with an initial outlay.

The funding would be used to expand the For OC Kids Neurodevelopmental Center in Orange into a regional or even national venue for clinical care, education and research.

In Orange County, which by some estimates has the highest rate of autism statewide, For OC Kids is the rare autism center that accepts public insurance for low-income families, such as Medi-Cal or Healthy Families, said center director Dr. Joseph Donnelly.

Donnelly discussed autism in Orange County with Voice of OC recently, weighing in on whether autism has been over-diagnosed, the failure of a new law to secure autism coverage for poor families, the link between autism and vaccines, and how he hopes to expand his center:

Can you give some background on your center, For OC Kids?

For OC kids Neurodevelopment Center started with a grant from the Commission and began seeing children in 2001. In the first 10 years we provided new evaluations and consultations to over 7000 children. We’ve seen over 21,000 follow-up visits. We’ve provided medical evaluations by pediatric neurologists and developmental-behavioral pediatricians. With some variation according to funding, we’ve had psychologists, speech and language pathologists and family support people. Mainly we do evaluation, diagnosis and try to support families to get the services they need to help children. READ MORE >>

-- Interview by AMY DePAUL

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• REALTED POSTS
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Healthy Gluten and Dairy-Free Eating Tips – Good for the Whole Family!
Success reported in treating autism spectrum disorder in mice

What are autism spectrum disorders: FAQs and information

Healthy Gluten and Dairy-Free Eating Tips – Good for the Whole Family!

Healthy eating has been the subject of debate among parents, dietitians, physicians, and chefs for years. Each group, having studied their particular belief, is confident that they are correct. And there are facts to back up many points of view. Recently, an article written by a registered dietitian regarding commercial food trends mentioned that the “gluten-free trend” was about to fall and that people avoiding gluten-containing foods (without a diagnosis of celiac disease) often consume poorly balanced diets. The concern is that a gluten-free or gluten- and dairy-free (gluten-free/casein-free – GF/CF) diet is lacking in fiber, B vitamins, and calcium that are thought to be present in wheat and dairy products. Another concern is the high fat and sugar content of GF/CF foods.

There is good reason to be concerned if the diet that is being abandoned is indeed nutrient-rich and well balanced. However, most parents before starting the GF/CF diet (or Specific Carbohydrate Diet – SCD), point out that their child’s diet is limited to few nutritious foods and revolves around macaroni and cheese, pizza, chips/crackers, and sweets. Many if not all of these foods are packaged, processed foods lacking in true nutrients. Replacing these foods with GF/CF substitutes is certainly not the complete answer for improved health and a nutritious way of eating. However, this diet may be a good place to remove problem foods and begin to add truly healthful foods containing needed vitamins and minerals that contribute to improved health.

Where to start?

Making the decision to change your child’s or the entire family’s diet is difficult, so think of solutions that allow you to transition slowly and adjust to new products, tastes, and better nutrition. The suggestions below are not specific to any “special diet,” are appropriate for all diets, and can be followed by the entire family with positive results.

1. Reduce sugar
Sugar is sugar – call it sucrose, fructose, or glucose – and Americans are eating too much of it. Unfortunately, many prepared GF/CF products are empty calories with starch and sugar and contain little or no nutritional value as did their gluten-containing predecessors (think cookies, crackers, muffins, pretzels). Look for products with the least sugar. Your goal is to eventually reduce the processed foods with a healthier snack option.

Avoid all high fructose corn syrup found in soda , juice drinks, and condiments including ketchup and sauces, salad dressings, juices, and nondairy milk, and all prepared foods (both sweet and savory). Read labels for added sugar and strive to have less.

Better sweeteners: coconut and date sugars, dried fruit, honey, pure maple syrup, tapioca syrup, and stevia. Use in moderation!

Read 146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health by Nancy Appleton, PhD. For a list of her books and helpful information go to http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm.

Better options for snacks and treats are fig-date balls with variations to meet your specific needs. Reduce snacking and eat mini meals that are nutritionally complete. Occasionally use GF/CF pretzels or crackers as a special treat – not with daily lunch.


2. Don’t eat damaged fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated – also known as “trans fats.”

Increase omega-3s, and reduce omega-6 fatty acids including corn, cottonseed, soybean, safflower and sunflower oils. Use healthy fats as your diet allows including olive and grape seed oils, avocado, and medium chain fatty acids: palm and coconut oils and ghee (clarified butter fat without lactose, whey, or casein).

Autism and Teeth Study

>> View CBS42 video

San Antonio, Tx. (KENS) - Autism is a heartbreaking problem and it’s on the rise. Now some San Antonio area scientists are studying baby teeth to find out more about what causes this baffling neurological disorder.

One of the country’s foremost funders of autism research, a group called Autism Speaks, has provided $100,000 for this study. Autism is a complex disorder causing a disruption in people’s ability to communicate and socialize.

“Autism rates are one in 88 and nobody knows why,” said Ray Palmer, Ph.D., an epidemiologist with the University of Texas Health Science Center.

Palmer is taking a new approach to studying autism using discarded baby teeth. Donated teeth from children with and without autism are ground up into powder, made into liquid and gas, and put through a process called mass spectrometry. It can reveal compounds like pesticides, plastics, even medicine the child was exposed to in the womb and as they grew.

“It’s been done by looking at blood or hair analysis,” Palmer explained. "But that’s only a snapshot in time of recent exposure. It doesn’t provide a historical record of exposure like the teeth do.”

“When the teeth are forming, that’s a record of what you’ve been exposed to in utero,” Palmer added.

This kind of research is called tooth-fairy studies. Many scientists believe a genetic predisposition combined with environmental exposure triggers autism.

“This is one of the most severe epidemics affecting children,” Palmer stated. “It’s really a wide open field and it’s way overdue.”

The U.T. Health Science Center is still taking donations of teeth from children with and without autism. To find out about donation, contact the Department of Family and Community Medicine at (210) 562-6550.

Studies overstate drugs' ability to treat autism symptoms

Alan Zarembo

Publication bias: It has long been a problem in medical research. Studies that show a drug or treatment is effective are more likely to be published than studies with negative findings. As a result, the medical literature that guides how diseases and disorders are treated often provides doctors an incomplete picture of the evidence.

A case in point is the use of antidepressants to treat the repetitive behaviors -- including hoarding, tapping, head banging and strict adherence to routine -- that are a hallmark of autism.

Antidepressants are not specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating autism, but they have become the go-to drugs for trying to control some of its key symptoms. By some estimates, the drugs have been prescribed for as many as one-third of children with the diagnosis.

But do they work?

For a new analysis, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, a team of researchers from Yale and the University of Michigan searched for studies in the medical literature and on www.clinicaltrials.gov, a government website where scientists register trials before they start. In all, the team found 10 randomized, controlled clinical trials.Only five were published. Three showed a small but significant benefit and two showed none. Taken together, the studies suggest that antidepressants were modestly effective, at least in some patients.But the researchers were not done with their analysis. A series of standard statistical tests designed to check the consistency and reliability of the published data strongly suggested publication bias. The effect appeared to be so great that the researchers could no longer deem the anti-depressants effective.

Full story from the LA Times here  |  Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Taking your child with an autism spectrum disorder to the dentist

Taking your son/daughter on the autism spectrum to the dentist poses many challenges. This article hopes to make you aware of some of these challenges prior to your first visit, as well as provide some useful ways to deal with them. Included in this article are three main areas that are most often in need of attention: preparation, sensory issues and communication.

Preparation

When seeking a dentist, call the office and discuss your son/daughter’s needs. The more you know ahead of time about their practices and why they do them, the more comfortable you will be. Ask if they have experience with children who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and if they have special procedures in order to optimize each visit. Ask about those procedures. Some procedures you might ask about are: accompanying your son/daughter in the room while doing the exam; having an appointment at a time of day when your son/daughter is at his/her best; having a short wait time; and having the same staff at each visit for consistency. If you’re not comfortable with the answers to your questions, consider another dentist. Some dentists may refuse to treat your son/daughter because they’re unsure how to make them comfortable... READ MORE >>

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Holly Robinson Peete Rips 50 Cent Apart on Autism, Gets Him to Apologize

Last week rapper 50 Cent responded bitterly to an overeager fan on Twitter by saying “yeah just saw your picture fool you look autistic.” Actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose oldest son is autistic said her heart sunk when she read the tweets and she penned an open letter to 50 Cent that ultimately got him to do just what the letter requested: delete the insensitive tweets and apologize.

It all started out when a fan asked 50 Cent why his latest album took longer than expected to be released. The tweets upset the rapper he made the comments mentioned above and with a follow up that read “I don’t want no special ed kids on my time line follow some body else.”

Peete posted an open letter to 50 Cent on her website that blasts his “hurtful, immature and misinformed” comments. Peete’s letter is below:

Dear 50 Cent,

Since last night my twitter timeline is flooded with tweets and retweets about a response you posted to someone who insulted you. When I read it my heart sank. I thought maybe your account had been hacked. No such luck. Granted, his comment was completely out of line but your retort: “i just saw your picture fool you look autistic”- was so so disappointing. I mean, that’s your comeback?? And you didn’t stop there. You went on to joke about not wanting “special ed kids” on your timeline. Seriously, THIS is how you use your platform of 8 million plus followers??

I’ve met you in passing over the years and I know you are a bright, astute businessman and legitimate philanthropist so it is with a bit of sincere confusion that I ask you… Do you even know what autism is? And what exactly does “autistic” look like? Do you know how wildly prevalent autism is? 1 in 88 have it. That’s 1 in 54 boys. Families suffer a social stigma you will never know. It is a financial and emotional drain for millions, so our non-profit- HollyRod Foundation works hard to raise funds to help these families cope…

> I hope you can see how what you might see as a benign insult-or not- was so randomly hurtful, immature and misinformed. Maybe you are naive or indifferent as to how many of your fans might be deeply and personally offended by your insult. At the very least-can you please delete it? If you’ve read your mentions today I am sure you have felt the wrath of autism parents. We are no joke. Neither is autism. We are not about to let you attempt to make “autistic” the new “R-word” under our watch.

Finally, this is my son Rodney Peete. He has autism. So I guess this is what autistic looks like? He is in special ed. He loves rap music and is a HUGE fan of yours. He’s a tremendous kid. He has to deal with so much trying to fit in. This isn’t helping.

The rapper subsequently deleted the offending tweets on his timeline, and on Sunday, he took the extra step to issue an apology for his comments. “I realize my autism comments were insensitive, however it was not my intention to offend anyone and for this I apologize,” 50 Cent wrote.

On average U.S. children aren’t diagnosed with autism until they’re about 4 1/2 years old, however statistics show black children with autism are one to two years older than white children before they’re even diagnosed. A recent study also found that black children with autism were more likely than whites to get the wrong diagnosis during their first visit with a specialist.

ColorLines  |  by Jorge Rivas

Common Underlying Factors Found In Autism, Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder

New research led by a medical geneticist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine points to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among individuals whose parents or siblings have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

The findings were based on a case-control study using population registers in Sweden and Israel, and the degree to which these three disorders share a basis in causation "has important implications for clinicians, researchers and those affected by the disorders," according to a report of the research published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"The results were very consistent in large samples from several different countries and lead us to believe that autism and schizophrenia are more similar than we had thought... READ MORE >>

Our findings suggest that ASD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share etiologic risk factors," the authors state. "We suggest that future research could usefully attempt to discern risk factors common to these disorders."

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

FREE Autism eBook for Father's Day!

Free Health & Parenting ebook “Understanding And Treating Autism” looks at: 

What Causes Autism, Accepting The Diagnosis Of Autism, Doctors And Diagnosing Autism, Signs Of Autism, Gluten Free Diet, Medicine Used To Treat Autism, Alternative Treatments For Autism, How To Cope As A Parent Of An Autistic Child, Let Your Autistic Child be a Kid, Autistic Children Need Schedules, 10 Tips For Celebrating Holidays With Your Autistic Child, Treatments For Aspergers Syndrome, What Is Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Signs Of Persuasive Developmental Disorder and How PDD-NOS Is Diagnosed. 

Click ”Understanding And Treating Autism” to download (1.4 MB pdf) or view this FREE Health & Parenting ebook.

Note > for free MRR version (includes pdf, ecover and MRR license) click HERE

Courtesy of Free eBooks Canada

Autism in the News

Full Story: Braintree and Witham Times

"Pole dancing helped change my life"

A woman left housebound because of a form of autism has praised pole dancing for helping her change her life.

Full Story: Examiner.com

Stephanie's Day 2012 in Dallas

It is time again for the annual Stephanie's Day event in Dallas. Stephanie's Day began in 1998 and was the brain child of Steve and Sheilah Mauldin.

Full Story: This is South Wales

South Wales Evening Post published Website success for teen keen on gadgets

A PASSION for gadgets and writing is helping a Neath Valley teen - who suffers with a form of autism - to get noticed online.

Full Story: Boston.com

Fighting back from autism issues

Steven McDonough, a shy 12-year-old from Bridgewater, was diagnosed as a child with pervasive developmental disorder, and his parents were advised that karate could help him.

Full Story: CiteULike

Current status of intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism and PDD-NOS

To insert individual citation into a bibliography in a word-processor, select your preferred citation style below and drag-and-drop it into the document.

Full Story: Winston-Salem Journal

Documentary takes a look at autism

The title of Gerardine Wurzburg's autism documentary, "Wretches & Jabberers," comes from a remark made by Antti, a Finnish autistic man, who notes that the world can be divided into two camps based on the capacity - or inability - to speak freely and without effort.

Full Story: Psychology Today

Are Atheists More Autistic Than Believers?

In most religions, and arguably anything worth being called a religion , God is not just an impersonal force or creator.

Full Story: WIAT-TV Birmingham

Transition program for students with autism grows

When fall classes resume on The University of Alabama campus in August, 18 students are expected to participate in UA's transition program for students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Image above: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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