Future plans
Bedlahs are decently explained by Wikipedia. Genetic predisposition to autism (and other mental disorders) is currently under investigation by neuroscientists for causality. If you #39;re interested in reading ALL ABOUT IT, this article is rather thorough: http://www.law.uh.edu/hjhlp/Issues/Vol_92/Marchant.pdf Poi are things commonly used in circus that are spun in pretty shapes. This video is a gorgeous demonstration of partner fire poi spinning: youtu.be Hoop dancing is a thing. Find a YouTube video. Avoid one with furry boots. This could have been more Halloween themed. Blarg, oh well. Have a lovely week!From:WholeLottaNerdsViews:5 0ratingsTime:02:49More inPeople Blogs

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Future plans - Video

Using the iPad and Proloquo2Go to trick- or -treat
Andrew has autism and is non-verbal. At age 10 he is finally able to trick-or-treat independently using his iPad and voice output app to speak.From:ASweetDoseofTruthViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:32More inPeople Blogs

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Using the iPad and Proloquo2Go to trick- or -treat - Video

Help Abby Earn Funds for Trip
Abby has autism, expressive/receptive language disorder and OCD. Abby is always wanting to travel but does not fully understand the concept that you have to work for money in order to save up and take a trip. To help Abby gain understanding, her project from her therapists is to determine the cost of a trip, discuss ways in which to earn money to help contribute towards the trip and actually do work to contribute towards the cost of a trip. It is critical for Abby to learn this skill for later in life when she has to work for basic necessities and the occasional trip. Please share with family, friends, reporters and media. Be sure and visit us at: http://www.aidforabby.etsy.com and http://www.facebook.com/AbbyandBusterFrom:Benita BlairViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:05More inPeople Blogs

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Masgutova Method, MNRI trade; Children with Autism, Parent Interview about Assessment Process
Masgutova Method®, MNRI® What an evaluation with Dr. Masgutova is like, parent interviewFrom:Stephen BestViews:10 0ratingsTime:07:12More inEducation

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Masgutova Method, MNRIâ„¢ Children with Autism, Parent Interview about Assessment Process - Video

Autism Excerpt from Genetic Roulette mdash;The Gamble of Our Lives
Listen to three parents of autistic children who removed GMOs from their child #39;s diet and noticed significant improvements. This is an excerpt from the full length documentary Genetic Roulette mdash;The Gamble of Our Lives. Is it a coincidence that autism has risen since GMOs have been introduced in the US diet? If you want to know why GMOs might be linked to autism based on the scientific evidence, watch this presentation "Are Genetically Engineered Foods Promoting Autism?" by Jeffrey Smith. More information is outlined on the Institute for Responsible Technology #39;s website at http://www.reponsibletechnology.org/autism The incredible, life-changing, full length documentary Genetic Roulette mdash;The Gamble of Our Lives is available for viewing free online now through Nov 6th, at http://www.GeneticRouletteMovie.com.From:GeneticRouletteViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:51More inNonprofits Activism

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Autism Excerpt from Genetic Roulette—The Gamble of Our Lives - Video

Love Bum
Me Acting Silly With My Mates same as the video Dog Attack And Leg Pull With A MY Little pony pinkie pie so soft crawling. acting like a women when i #39;m a male but beeing a jerk-off wanker. but thats me and i like to keep this appropraite i #39;m silly and if you don #39;t like them words remove and make appropriate ones in their place. i got OCD and autism i #39;m not lie look up my record 3/6/1991 Monday 2:05am Belmont Hospital Nsw Australia Lake Macquarie I Live in Swansea. now could change later i #39;m moving soons i #39;ll let you know or me so i #39;ll give the number 0479045226 coz my mum rents the place out. this is my friends place at blacksmiths i video this Brandonsthebest84@gmail.com seems i get no good reactions I Love its Colour but has feelings sometimes the phones turn off visit gmail website or look on thetube coz nobody views this and don #39;t want everyone to know coz my mother will get angry don #39;t view on tv until 24 million or less view this don #39;t tell my family and friends coz i had this idea in my head since october 2007 16 years old my never knew? don #39;t tell on me? Ive changes its name so its harder to find coz my mother would find out and many excuses over up until everyone rates views likes and dislikes monetize i never keep their until i make a desicion coz someone mite die one day and get the opportunity to get higher not low like -1billion hate person either i want everybody to like this orr anything i do creation about life death and return religion ways or that type ...From:Brandon HowarthViews:2 0ratingsTime:01:00More inComedy

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Love Bum - Video

Dr. Sheldon Cooper, the fictional theoretical physicist on CBS wildly popular The Big Bang Theory, is a quirky sort. Parts of his comedic charm are a strict adherence to routine, suspect social skills, a reluctance to listen, a tenuous understanding of sarcasm and humour and a general lack of empathy. My son is Sheldon, Jodi Echakowitz said, putting perspective to her 15-year-old boys Aspergers syndrome, a neurological disorder on the milder end of the autism spectrum. A communications and public relations specialist, the Thornhill mom of two is also a director of the Aspergers Society of Ontario. She skillfully sheds light on the invisible disability with which her son, Kyle, was diagnosed in kindergarten. Aspergers is Kyles primary challenge, she said. The Grade 10 Thornlea Secondary School student also has general anxiety disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and a mild learning disability. When Kyle was diagnosed, I had never heard of Aspergers, she said in her lyrical South African cadence. We were like deer in the headlights. Theres still little public awareness. Ms Echakowitz wants to change that. So does Kyle. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has been steadily increasing for more than 30 years. Officials at the Centre for Disease Control in the United States have tracked a 23-per-cent increase in the last three years alone. Its estimated one in 88 children have one of the spectrum disorders, including Aspergers, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders. Kerrys Place Autism Services, based in Aurora and offering provincewide supports, estimates more than 10,000 York Region residents, 40 per cent children, live with an autism spectrum disorder. There are no medications for Aspergers, Ms Echakowitz said. There are, however, effective therapies to help people learn different skills. Children diagnosed with Aspergers usually demonstrate normal language and cognitive development, although onset of speech may be slightly delayed. Social impairments are evident, but more subtle that those displayed by people with autism. In the Echakowitzs experience, Kyle had difficulty adjusting to change, environmental or routine. Conversations centred expressly on his interests, eye contact was avoided and, sometimes, personal space or boundaries werent observed. Learning at an age-appropriate level was also an issue. Today, Kyle is a success story, his mother said proudly. Hes coming out of his shell. We can see changes, she said. Weve had so many great milestones. Kyle is enrolled in an individual education plan where classmates have one of the autism spectrum disorders and get special assistants. He has fulfilled his mandatory 40 volunteer hours and mentors the plans Grade 9 students. I guess, is Kyles typical teen reply to if he enjoys school. The lad is articulate, sensitive and forthright. His home room is an autism spectrum disorder class, he asserts unashamedly. He is also not ashamed to talk about being bullied, he said. All the time, he said. Outside and sometimes in the special class. I had to change schools in Grade 7. I was being bullied by a special needs student. Stigma exists, Kyle said. Not enough people understand what its like for us, he said. We have our quirks. We need our space. We need help adjusting to society. Its important people know we need people to be friends with us. It means a lot to us. The teenager wants to pursue a career in psychology. I feel I understand people with special needs, he said. Sharon resident Carole Ann MacDonald, 39, also understands. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism, she advocates for people with disabilities across North America. A York University graduate with a masters degree in education, she plans to pursue a doctorate degree in the near future. A director of Autism Ontario, Ms MacDonald is one of the only teachers diagnosed with autism in North America who teaches students diagnosed with autism. A certified Ontario elementary teacher, she teaches a self-contained special education junior autism program for students in grades 4 to 6 diagnosed with high-functioning autism in Brampton. The lady doesnt pull punches. As a qualified educator, she applied to both York Region school boards. She was turned down. She lives in York and teaches in Peel. Its a three-hour drive. I dont like change. Im very disappointed both York boards wouldnt hire me. Im still very upset. Speaking before an international delegation of parents, teachers and clinicians at the Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto last week, Ms MacDonald bared her soul. I have struggled in school. I have faced and continue to face systemic discrimination. I have been alienated from society. I suffer from depression. I am on medication, she said. I have received tens of thousands of dollars in therapy. I have problems with social relationships. My daughter is trained by her father to be embarrassed of her disabled mother. Life is hard. It is not perfect. She also expounded on the state of autism care. Too few people get the therapies needed to be successful in society, she said. OHIP only funds treatments until adulthood. The justice system, she said from personal experience, criminalizes the behaviours of people with autism. Because of repeated, possibly inappropriate comments and the tendency to stand too close to others, she was issued a no trespass order by her daughters school. Its not criminal, she said. Its a medical condition. She travels when and wherever new autism treatments and policies are available. I want to bring back ideas and share them with my students, she said. Her advice to people regarding autism is to accept diversity. Dont be quick to judge, she said. Dont think rigidly. Kerrys Place education and capacity building director Neil Walker spoke to the Orangeville Lions Club recently. He asked the 40 audience members if anyone knew someone who knows someone with autism. All but three raised their hands. The rise in autism diagnoses is a worldwide phenomenon, said Mr. Walker, who is also York ASD Partnerships project manager. Ten years ago, one in 250 births indicated the disorder. The demand on his organization grows by 80 families per month. The statistics are partly due to better diagnosis, more people with a genetic disposition to autism, environmental causes and the medical establishments inclusion in 1992 of the entire disorder spectrum, he speculated. The disorder deserves more attention, funding and therapies, he said. The public doesnt understand, he said. Theyre not informed. It is a spectrum disorder. On one end its very evident, at the other, not so much. Early intervention is key, he said. ` Ms Echakowitz agreed. Unfortunately, there are parents who dont want to acknowledge the disorder, she said. When you understand, youre more accepting. Getting access to services opens doors. Knowledge is power. Quoting from his favourite film, Temple Grandin, Kyle merely wants people to understand those with autism are different, but not less.

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Autism cases up in past 30 years

(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nicole VanBuskirk walks her 6-year-old autistic son, Austin, to play in the backyard swingset, Monday, October 29, 2012. Austin works with Breanne Berg, left, who teaches an autism therapy like the one covered in the state-funded pilot, Monday, October 29, 2012. Berg is walking with Austin's younger brother, Trevor.

Carol Embry and her husband have full-time jobs with health insurance, but neither their salaries nor their policies cover the cost of the autism treatment their 5-year-old son needs.

Theyve tried other therapies. Theyve borrowed money and tapped into retirement funds.

Lottery closed on Wednesday

Oct. 31 was the last day for Utah families to apply for free treatment for autism under a Medicaid-funded pilot project. By close of business Wednesday, 390 had applied for the estimated 250 slots, but the number of families could rise because applications were being accepted online until midnight and by mail. That means the Utah Department of Health will hold a lottery to choose the winners, ranking the applications at random while ensuring wide geographic distribution. Winners will be notified the week of Nov. 12, and services are expected to start by mid-November.

"All of my sons medical professionals say this is his prescription for his health and I cannot provide that for my son no matter what I do," she said this week in frustration.

So along with hundreds of other Utahns, the Woods Cross couple threw their childs name into a lottery for free applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, paid for by a pilot program under Medicaid.

Advocates are hoping the pilot one of three will show good results and lead to broader autism therapy coverage. But some providers now fear the Medicaid pilot will fail, based on its low pay and the minimum qualifications it requires for in-home therapists.

"I just dont want to be a part of something thats going to put the care and my profession at risk," said Jeff Skibitsky, owner of Alternative Behavior Strategies. "Theres no use in providing a service thats going to be ineffective."

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Does Utah’s Medicaid autism experiment need higher standards?

Public release date: 1-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Warren Robak robak@rand.org 310-451-6913 RAND Corporation

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.

Researchers found that when they evaluated the past research on a wide variety of interventions aimed at improving core deficits in social/communication, language, behavior and adaptive skills, the evidence of efficacy ranged from moderate to insufficient. The findings are published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics.

"We reviewed the evidence that exists for widely used interventions for autism and found there was no more than moderate evidence demonstrating the benefits of any of the approaches," said Margaret Maglione, the study's lead author and a policy analyst at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "What's needed are new, well-designed studies that are large enough to tease out the effects of different components and which types of children are best suited for the interventions."

The study concludes that head-to-head trials of competing autism treatments are needed to identify which programs are superior and additional work should follow study participants long-term to further examine the effectiveness of treatments.

Researchers conducted the project by closely examining information from more than 100 studies that contained at least 10 children or adolescents. The information was reviewed by an expert panel of practitioners, researchers and parents assembled to systematically evaluate the level of evidence for a wide array of behavioral autism treatments and develop priorities for future research.

The expert panel agreed there was enough evidence to endorse the use of applied behavioral analysis, integrated behavioral/developmental programs, the Picture Exchange Communication System and various social skills interventions for Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism. In addition, they agreed that children with autism spectrum disorders should have access to at least 25 hours per week of comprehensive interventions (often called "intensive early intervention") to address social communication, language, play skills and maladaptive behavior.

No treatment was supported by evidence considered stronger than "moderate." Treatments in this category are supported by reasonable evidence, but include the caveat that further research may change the confidence about the results. In contrast, a treatment supported by a high level of evidence is unlikely to be changed by further research.

Based on the gaps in the evidence, the panel recommends that future research focus on assessment and monitoring of treatment outcomes, address the needs of preverbal and nonverbal children, and identify the most effective strategies, doses and duration of therapy needed to improve core deficits. Importantly, little research on adolescents and young adults was identified, other than for social skills programs for Asperger's or high-functioning autism. Thus, the panel recommends that adolescents and young adults be a priority population.

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More evidence needed to support use of autism interventions

A computer vision system that automatically tracks body movement in infants is helping to diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, say researchers.

Diagnosing autism in children is an important task. Various studies show that early intervention can significantly improve the outcome for children in later life.

The idea is to teach autistic children important social skills and behavioural patterns before other patterns become ingrained. And to be most effective, that needs to be done as early as possible, at say 2 or 3 years old.

And yet the average age for diagnosis in the USis 5.That's largely because the process of diagnosis in young children is particularly difficult and taxing. It requires a psychologist with specialist expertise in autism who analyses a child's behaviour in a one-on-one setting over a significant period of time.

Video plays an increasingly important role in this process but again it requires detailed frame-by-frame analysis by an expert. That's why this kind of diagnosisis time consuming and expensive.

That looks set to change. Today,Jordan Hashemi at theUniversity of Minnesota and a few pals say they've developed a computer vision technique to automatically identify behaviour that shows an increased risk of autism.

The system relies on video footage of the child in an ordinary setting and automatically works out the position of the child's head and how it changes during activities, as well as the position of the arms, torso and legs for analysis of body position and gait.

Autism is generally associated with impaired social interaction and impaired communication. This is most easily diagnosed in children beyond the age of 5 when the differences with their peers become most apparent.

But in recent years, child psychologists have found various other indicators they can use to spot toddlers and infants with a higher risk of autism.

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Computer Vision System Helps Diagnose Autism in Infants

With an Autism Centre of Excellence at nearby Western University and Ontarios shortest waiting list for services, London has become a significant hub in the field of autism, says John LaPorta, chief executive at Thames Valley Childrens Centre, which provides a wide range of autism services. Free Press reporter Kelly Pedro looks at the programs the centre offers, the importance of a short waiting list and how the centre uses technology in its autism programs.

--- --- ---

What is autism?

A brain disorder that typically affects someones ability to communicate, form relationships with others and respond appropriately to their environment. A life-long development disorder, autism affects a persons ability to understand what they see, hear, see, touch and taste. The range and intensity of the disorder varies. People with autism have to work to learn normal patterns of speech and communication and how to relate to people, objects and events. Its often diagnosed when children are young and affects boys more often than girls. Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities affecting Canadians and is more common than Down Syndrome or cystic fibrosis. There is no known cause or cure.

Source: Autism Ontario

--- --- ---

The programs

A glance at autism programs offered through Thames Valley Childrens Centre:

--- --- ---

History

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Autism: leading the way

BOTHWELL, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct 30, 2012) - October is Autism Awareness Month and Autism Canada has raised the bar in their commitment to advance science into potential underlying factors contributing to the disorder.

Last August, Autism Canada co-hosted a Scientific Symposium, with the Autism Research Institute, in Toronto. The purpose of the symposium was to examine the growing evidence for the association between the gut microbial community and the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.Delegates from across Canada, the United States and Scandinavia, including Dr. Tore Midtvedt, came together to listen to four key presentations and discuss next steps.

Autism Canada is proud to announce the release of these four key presentations to the public. They are now available on their website http://www.autismcanada.org.

Featured leading researchers include:

"We are encouraged by recent studies examining the gut brain connection and will continue to support this research," says Autism Canada Chair, Don Blane.

With autism now believed to be affecting 1 in 88 children in Canada, there is a real urgency to fund research into the potential underlying causes and more effective treatments.

Autism Canada''s belief is autism is a whole body disorder, not just a brain disorder.Recognition of this notion addresses many factors not yet thoroughly explored through other philosophies and could not only provide better outcomes, but also hope through better understanding and support.

Originally posted here:
The Gut Brain Connection and Autism

By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Oct. 29, 2012 -- Early, intensive autism treatment improves children's brain development, a new study shows.

The treatment, dubbed Early Start Denver Model or ESDM, offers a child 20 hours a week of one-on-one treatment with a trained therapist. It also calls for many more hours of the treatment, in the form of structured play, with a parent trained in the technique.

By age 4, children given the treatment had higher IQ scores, more adaptive behavior, better coordination, and a less severe autism diagnosis than kids given the standard autism treatments offered in their communities. But that's not all, researchers Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and colleagues report.

"We jump-started and improved the responses of children's brains to social information," says Dawson, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and chief science officer at Autism Speaks.

Normal child development depends on interactions with parents and other people. Without such interactions, language and social skills do not develop.

As measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG), small children's brains show a specific pattern of activity when they look at a picture of a human face. This doesn't happen when they look at pictures of inanimate objects.

Just the reverse happens in children with autism. Their brains light up when they look at pictures of objects, but not when they look at faces. This changed dramatically in the children treated with ESDM.

"The [brains of] children who received the ESDM looked virtually identical to typical 4-year-olds," Dawson says. "The children that received the interventions normal in their communities continued to show the reversed pattern."

See the original post here:
Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains

By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Oct. 29, 2012 -- Early, intensive autism treatment improves children's brain development, a new study shows.

The treatment, dubbed Early Start Denver Model or ESDM, offers a child 20 hours a week of one-on-one treatment with a trained therapist. It also calls for many more hours of the treatment, in the form of structured play, with a parent trained in the technique.

By age 4, children given the treatment had higher IQ scores, more adaptive behavior, better coordination, and a less severe autism diagnosis than kids given the standard autism treatments offered in their communities. But that's not all, researchers Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and colleagues report.

"We jump-started and improved the responses of children's brains to social information," says Dawson, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and chief science officer at Autism Speaks.

Normal child development depends on interactions with parents and other people. Without such interactions, language and social skills do not develop.

As measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG), small children's brains show a specific pattern of activity when they look at a picture of a human face. This doesn't happen when they look at pictures of inanimate objects.

Just the reverse happens in children with autism. Their brains light up when they look at pictures of objects, but not when they look at faces. This changed dramatically in the children treated with ESDM.

"The [brains of] children who received the ESDM looked virtually identical to typical 4-year-olds," Dawson says. "The children that received the interventions normal in their communities continued to show the reversed pattern."

See the original post here:
Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains

An intervention program called "Early Start Denver Model" emphasizes play therapy for very young children with autism.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- As the number of children with autism has risen dramatically over the past couple of decades, experts have learned that the earlier a child gets diagnosed, the earlier specialized therapy can be initiated, which can significantly improve outcomes.

Now researchers have been able to show that a particular type of behavioral therapy called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) not only improves autism symptoms, but actually normalizes brain activity and improves social behavior.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that starts to become very apparent around age 3. The main signs and symptoms of autism involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 88 children currently is diagnosed with autism, including one in 54 boys.

"Early intervention alters the trajectory of the brain and social development in children with autism," says Geraldine Dawson, the lead study author who developed the ESDM therapy along with study co-author Sally Rogers.

Twins Jacob and Lucas Campbell hooked up to EEGs.

Dawson was a researcher at the University of Washington when she helped devise ESDM; she's now the chief science officer for the advocacy and research group Autism Speaks and a professor at the University of North Carolina. Rogers is a professor and researcher at the University of California Davis MIND Institute.

ESDM therapy uses teaching methods from ABA ,or applied behavioral analysis, the traditional one-on-one interaction between a child and the therapist.

But rather than sitting at a desk next to the child -- where a teacher or therapist breaks down complex tasks into small components and gives tangible reinforcements -- children receiving ESDM are sitting on the floor, playing with their therapist or parents.

Originally posted here:
Changing brains of kids with autism

An early intervention therapy for children with autism has been shown in a study to show unprecedented benefits in the brains of young children who have an autism spectrum disorder.

The study found the therapy, called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), not only boosted the cognition, language and social skills among very young children with autism but the researchers say it's the first study to show the intervention also "normalized" their brain activity.

"This may be the first demonstration that a behavioral intervention for autism is associated with changes in brain function as well as positive changes in behavior," Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said in a press release.

About one in 88 children have an autism spectrum disorder, according to federal estimates. The disorders begin before age 3 and are characterized by persistent deficits in everyday social, communication and behavioral functioning.

With autism rates on rise, can early detection be stepped up? Here are 10 signs parents should check for in their infants

Some children may show hints of future problems within the first few months of life, while others may seem to develop normally until around 18 to 24 months of age and then stop gaining new skills or lose the skills they once had. Others may not show symptoms at all until 24 months of age.

The study was led by Dr. Geraldine Dawson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chief Science Officer of the advocacy organization, Autism Speaks. Researchers recruited a 48-participant study pool with children diagnosed with autism and typically-developing children who were between 18 and 30-months of age. There were three times more boys in the study; autism is almost five times more common among boys than girls.

About half the kids were assigned to receive ESDM for a two-year period while the other half were assigned to various community-based interventions in addition to other referrals, evaluations and reading materials. ESDM applies techniques of Applied Behavioral Analysis and other play-based, relationship-based teaching methods in 20 hours of weekly sessions.

After two years of interventions, the researchers measured the children's brain activity with EEG scans while they viewed pictures of faces -- to represent social cues -- and toys, to represent non-social cues. Earlier research shows children with autism have more brain activity viewing non-social cues, than faces -- the opposite effect of typically-developing children.

Play Video

See the original post:
Autism intervention "normalizes" kids' brain function in study

An early intervention therapy for children with autism has been shown in a study to show unprecedented benefits in the brains of young children who have an autism spectrum disorder.

The study found the therapy, called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), not only boosted the cognition, language and social skills among very young children with autism but the researchers say it's the first study to show the intervention also "normalized" their brain activity.

"This may be the first demonstration that a behavioral intervention for autism is associated with changes in brain function as well as positive changes in behavior," Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said in a press release.

About one in 88 children have an autism spectrum disorder, according to federal estimates. The disorders begin before age 3 and are characterized by persistent deficits in everyday social, communication and behavioral functioning.

With autism rates on rise, can early detection be stepped up? Here are 10 signs parents should check for in their infants

Some children may show hints of future problems within the first few months of life, while others may seem to develop normally until around 18 to 24 months of age and then stop gaining new skills or lose the skills they once had. Others may not show symptoms at all until 24 months of age.

The study was led by Dr. Geraldine Dawson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chief Science Officer of the advocacy organization, Autism Speaks. Researchers recruited a 48-participant study pool with children diagnosed with autism and typically-developing children who were between 18 and 30-months of age. There were three times more boys in the study; autism is almost five times more common among boys than girls.

About half the kids were assigned to receive ESDM for a two-year period while the other half were assigned to various community-based interventions in addition to other referrals, evaluations and reading materials. ESDM applies techniques of Applied Behavioral Analysis and other play-based, relationship-based teaching methods in 20 hours of weekly sessions.

After two years of interventions, the researchers measured the children's brain activity with EEG scans while they viewed pictures of faces -- to represent social cues -- and toys, to represent non-social cues. Earlier research shows children with autism have more brain activity viewing non-social cues, than faces -- the opposite effect of typically-developing children.

Play Video

See the original post:
Autism intervention "normalizes" kids' brain function in study

An intervention program called "Early Start Denver Model" emphasizes play therapy for very young children with autism.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- As the number of children with autism has risen dramatically over the past couple of decades, experts have learned that the earlier a child gets diagnosed, the earlier specialized therapy can be initiated, which can significantly improve outcomes.

Now researchers have been able to show that a particular type of behavioral therapy called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) not only improves autism symptoms, but actually normalizes brain activity and improves social behavior.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that starts to become very apparent around age 3. The main signs and symptoms of autism involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 88 children currently is diagnosed with autism, including one in 54 boys.

"Early intervention alters the trajectory of the brain and social development in children with autism," says Geraldine Dawson, the lead study author who developed the ESDM therapy along with study co-author Sally Rogers.

Twins Jacob and Lucas Campbell hooked up to EEGs.

Dawson was a researcher at the University of Washington when she helped devise ESDM; she's now the chief science officer for the advocacy and research group Autism Speaks and a professor at the University of North Carolina. Rogers is a professor and researcher at the University of California Davis MIND Institute.

ESDM therapy uses teaching methods from ABA ,or applied behavioral analysis, the traditional one-on-one interaction between a child and the therapist.

But rather than sitting at a desk next to the child -- where a teacher or therapist breaks down complex tasks into small components and gives tangible reinforcements -- children receiving ESDM are sitting on the floor, playing with their therapist or parents.

The rest is here:
Early therapy can change brains of kids with autism