Ollie #39;s world, living with Autism part 2
Park fun.From:Karen MartinViews:2 0ratingsTime:03:45More inEntertainment
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Ollie's world, living with Autism part 2 - Video
|”| Faps Test Video |”| Anti-Autism 1.4.5 |”| – Video
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Dis is Hoodie. with Anti-Autism by Finn The Autistic.From:NewUsernameHFViews:1 0ratingsTime:00:52More inGaming
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."
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Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains
“Sheep No More” Autism Article – Video
"Sheep No More" Autism Article
A short video of me expressing my concerns about a seemingly corrupted 3rd party using lies, deceit, and fear to garner support. Corrupted politician talked about in video calls himself John Best. The article in question: http://www.facebook.com Remember: in every great lie, there is a kernel of truth, and most lies are minor ones made to support a major one.From:JamesRustlerViews:4 1ratingsTime:03:58More inNews Politics
Autism redefined as Asperger’s diagnosis disappears
Early next year, a new definition of autism will be used by scientists in order to more precisely diagnose kids with the brain disorder.
The diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome, considered a higher functioning form of autism, will disappear once the new criteria for identifying the disorder come out in May 2013, according to Dr. Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain a collaborative program between New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University, in partnership with the New York Center for Autism.
The proposed changes on how doctors define and diagnose autism were the subject of a research study conducted by Lord and published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
As a scientific medical diagnosis, Aspergers is merged into autism spectrum disorder, said Lord. Our committee felt there just wasnt any way to justify its continuance.
Lord is part of the American Psychiatric Associations working group responsible for updating the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guide used by physicians around the world. Improved diagnosis leads to better treatment.
There was so much confusion of who had Aspergers and who didnt. We were also concerned that there were kids being denied services because Aspergers sounds like a better diagnosis, she said.
Autism rates are staggering in North America. A debate is currently raging among physicians as to whether or not the rates are actually increasing or if experts have just recently recognized that many social and developmental syndromes are linked.
One in 88 children is believed to have the neurological disorder. Autistic kids can display a range of symptoms from repetitive or aggressive behaviour to a complete lack of social skills and an inability to speak, communicate or make eye contact with others.
Clinicians are scrambling to better define autism in an effort to quickly identify children and get them into interactive, behavioural treatment. There is no cure for autism and the burden on families can be immense as many autistic people cannot live on their own.
Nearly 70 years ago, Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger was the first to notice in his practice intellectual children with social problems who were somewhat obsessed with specific topics or subjects. These children often avoided eye contact and were clumsy.
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Autism redefined as Asperger's diagnosis disappears
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.
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Autism intervention "normalizes" kids' brain function in study
Autism and a Political Career Collide in Dad’s Two Worlds
Mike Lake describes his autistic son Jaden as a "3- or 4-year-old trapped in a 16-year-old body," a boy who is nonverbal.
For Jaden, abstract thinking is a challenge and his most direct communication is reaching for his father's face and crying out "bababa" when he needs to be understood.
But that "beautiful simplicity" is enough for his dad.
"I lay down with him on the bed at night and he looks at me in communication mode," said Lake, 43. "Oftentimes, I just drift into his language ... He talks along with me at the same time bababa-ing. It's the strangest thing. We are not communicating anything concrete, not the world I am living in, but for us it is a connection."
Since 2006, Lake's world has been Canada's House of Commons, where he delves into the complex political issues of the day as a member of Parliament and secretary to the minister of industry.
But at home with Jaden, he enters a different world where speech doesn't matter as much as unequivocal love.
"I didn't get elected to Parliament on the autism issue," said Lake. "But as time has gone by, it's one world. It has allowed me a platform to get out there and raise awareness.
"We decided early on to include him in every opportunity we could and not to hide the family and to use the opportunities over time to share the story of an amazing kid and what life has been like for us."
Lake, whose family also includes wife Debi and 13-year-old Jenae, lives in Edmonton, Alberta. This week, he is in New York City speaking before the fifth annual World Focus on Autism, co-hosted by Autism Speaks and Ban Soon-taek, wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The world of autism is still a mystery. And while research has advanced, particularly in the area of genetics, it is still a puzzle to scientists. Some studies show autism strikes as many as 1 in 88 children, mostly boys.
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Autism and a Political Career Collide in Dad's Two Worlds
Autism on the Rise and a Young Mother’s Struggle
Olga Chinchilla, then 18 and pregnant, sat glued to the television screen, intrigued by a report on a developmental disorder that impairs social skills.
"I remember sitting there and had never heard about the disability before," said Chinchilla. "Little did I know that in three years my son Anakin was going to be diagnosed with autism." Initially, she said she ignored signs that her son potentially had autism a developmental disorder that is exhibited in impaired comprehension, language barriers, and repetitive behaviors because she was in shock and did not quite know what to expect. "I was the one in denial," she said. Her family's reaction did not help. "Being Hispanic, the typical thing they tell you is that 'it's okay, he's a boy. Boys develop a lot slower than girls do.'"
But there was something alarming and oddly different about Anakin's behavior. At 12 months, he could not walk or talk. There were many times when Anakin could not even look his mother directly in the eyes. He did not like it when anyone touched him and he would often slam doors and spin objects in a repetitive manner warning signs that eventually prompted Chinchilla to seek help from a pediatrician, a health center and then a psychologist.
Chinchilla, now 24, has transitioned from initial disbelief and denial of her son's diagnosis, to struggling as a single mother to find the right resources for Anakin and later advocating and educating others about the rights of families of children with developmental disabilities in the Alhambra area.
Anakin was diagnosed with autism at 22 months and later began receiving funds for ABA therapies at age four at Alhambra's East Los Angeles Regional Center (ELARC), one of 21 resource and service centers in the state of California catering to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Gloria Wong, executive director of ELARC says that 38 percent of their clients are diagnosed with autism, the second largest diagnosis at the center, after mental retardation. Nationally, autism cases have spiked in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, a 23 percent increase from CDC's 2009 report. Additionally, more children are being diagnosed at an earlier age and the disability seems much more prevalent in boys than girls.
"There is really an unknown reason for that spike that continues to grow, but there have been studies in terms of what is spiking the ongoing growth in California," said Wong.
Olga Chinchilla and her son Anakin. Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Chinchilla recalls struggling to work as a full-time medical assistant while providing Anakin the special care he needed.
"I was in Rosemead at one point, and I tried two different daycares within a week," Chinchilla said. "I would get off work and get there crying....You try to make a living for your child, you go to work but the whole day, you wonder, 'how's my kid?'"
Chinchilla realized that Anakin needed more than just regular daycare service; he needed a place that catered to children with developmental disabilities. But the search for special daycares was a challenge, and as a single mother, she was not able to afford the cost many of which were well over $30,000 a year.
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Autism on the Rise and a Young Mother's Struggle
“Autism Speaks U” advocacy group establishes on campus
Bobby Pendry, sophomore neuroscience major, and Megan Pruitt, senior psychology major and child development minor, combined their efforts with Naomi Ekas, assistant psychology professor, to bring "Autism Speaks U" to campus, making the university the third college in Texas to host the national organization.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which encompasses autism, Aspergers and other mental disorders, are disorders that affect brain development, according to the official website. When referring to the range of disorders encompassed by ASD, it is called the spectrum.
The university chapter will focus on advocating and creating awareness of the disorder on campus, said Priutt, the president of the university's chapter of "Autism Speaks U". The group will have monthly meetings and fundraisers to create one big event each semester, she said.
Pruitt became interested in autism when she began working as a lab assistant for Ekas. She said her interest peaked because she was able to work with younger children with autism.
Pendry, vice president of the chapter,said he wanted to create an autism awareness group, similar to one he started in high school, because his brother is on the autism spectrum. Because the university does not allow more than one of certain kind of group, he decided to join the organization.
Robbins said she wants the group to be the "megaphone" for the metroplex.
Upcoming events:The first "Autism Speaks U" event will be on Oct. 19 at the Hope Center for Autism in Fort Worth. Students will babysit children while their parents have a night to themselves.
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"Autism Speaks U" advocacy group establishes on campus
Autism and schizophrenia in kids linked to fathers’ age
A new study finds that babies of older fathers have increased health risks due to genetic mutations that increase with age.
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SALT LAKE CITY Older fathers are more likely to father a child with autism or schizophrenia, due to genetic mutations that increase with age, according to a new study published online Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Researchers examined 78 Icelandic families with children who had been diagnosed with autism or schizophrenia. They found that a 40-year-old passes 65 genetic mutations to his child, while a 20-year-old passes 25. Fathers transmitted two new mutations in their DNA each additional year, while mothers passed on 15 new mutations at every age.
The research corrected false assumptions that the risks lie in the older ages of women alone, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Although older mothers are more likely to have children with chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome because of problems with older eggs, the study found that practically all of the novel mutations detected in children came from the father's sperm."
Experts said the finding might influence reproductive decisions, but was hardly reason to forgo fatherhood at an older age, The New York Times reported. There is a 2 percent overall risk to a man in his 40's or older, as well as other contributing factors that remain unknown.
The study found that as many as 20 to 30 percent of cases of autism diagnoses were linked to an older average age in fathers.
"The findings also give us insight into how our gene pool is changing, and what, in modern times, is driving the genetic diversity that is critical to the survival of our species," the Washington Post observed. "Every difference in our DNA that distinguishes each of us as individuals, or that separates Homo sapiens from other species, arguably got its start as a mutation. Some of these alterations in DNA occur by chance, during cell division, others are triggered by exposure to environmental factors, while still others are selected for when they happen to confer some survival advantage, such as an ability to ward off disease."
The only important thing when it came to explaining the mutations was the age of the father, study author Kari Stefansson, the chief executive officer of deCode Genetics, told the Bloomberg News. Theres very little else to be accounted for. Thats a stunning observation.
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Autism and schizophrenia in kids linked to fathers' age
A ‘World Focus on Autism’
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
New York (CNN) -- A milestone for 16-year-old Jaden Lake, who has autism, is sometimes as basic as a kiss.
He's the son of Canadian Parliament member Mike Lake, who traveled to New York this week in the shadow of the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorders, believed to affect roughly 1 in 88 children in the United States.
Lake and his wife, Debi, say it's often the small victories that count most when raising the eldest of their two children.
"When he was 11, I remember my wife phoning me and saying, 'Jaden just kissed me for the first time,'" Lake said.
The revelation came when Debi had been teaching their son to blow, using a straw she placed in his mouth.
"She noticed that when she pulled it out," a kissing sound sprung from his puckered lips, he said.
"She used that to teach him how to kiss."
Autism is defined as one group of developmental problems within autism spectrum disorders, which surface in early childhood and come with varying degrees of severity, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
It's not clear what causes the disorder and there is no known cure. And though its overall prevalence has been on the rise, it's also unclear whether that increase is a result of better detection or an increase in cases, or both.
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A 'World Focus on Autism'
Restaurant’s T-shirt design contest to raise money for autism research
Its almost time to design a T-shirt for autism research and dine at a Culvers restaurant in the East Valley.
From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, the Culvers restaurant at 3155 W. Ray Road in Chandler, is hosting its inaugural Eat, Dine and T-shirt Design Contest for the 8th Annual ZooWalk for Autism Research. The restaurant will be donate 10 percent of its proceeds from
The ZooWalk for Autism and Aspergers Research, which partners with Arizona State Universitys Autism and Aspergers Research Program, is scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Phoenix Zoo in Papago Park. But Culvers is encouraging artists both adults and children to come into the eatery now with ideas for their artwork. Two categories of the artwork (child and adult), which usually is animal-themed, will be chosen to be placed on the back of a T-shirt for the walk, in which about 5,000 people participate.
This years ZooWalk, which raises nearly $300,000 annually from private and corporate donations, is dedicated to a one-year multi-treatment study at ASU for children and adults with autism. The study will involve a combination of special vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, carnitine (to boost energy metabolism) and special diet that could help individuals who suffer from the disorder.
Autism, which affects one in 88 children, is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior with symptoms becoming apparent before a child is 3 years old. Similar to Aspergers syndrome, autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize.
The number of children and adults who are affected by autism has greatly increased in Arizona and the Valley during the last 20 years which has risen from 600 to more than 6,000 people who receive services from the Arizona Department of Developmental Disabilities, according to Jim Adams, an engineering professor at Arizona State University. About 90 percent of people who suffer from autism cannot work and about 80 percent cannot live on their own.
Since Adams daughter was diagnosed with autism 18 years ago when she was 2 and a half years old, Adams now mostly researches and studies autism and is the director for ASUs Aspergers and Autism Research Program. Adams attributed the increase in part to better diagnosis methods and possibly increased exposure to toxic metals, changes in diet or nutritional intake.
Adams said that it is hard to gauge how many people will show up at Culvers to design a T-shirt, but so far, they have 30 applications to enter the contest, and thats from just one school Gateway Academy in Scottsdale.
The winning shirt designs will later be selected by a committee and produced on the T-shirts in time for the walk, Adams said.
The walk plays an important role in the fundraising efforts for autism and Aspergers research, Adams said. For those who have showed up and designed the T-shirts in the past, it is a great amount of fun for the kids and the families.
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Restaurant's T-shirt design contest to raise money for autism research
Autism: It’s personal
Theres a saying: If you meet one person with autism, youve met one person with autism, Cathy Louden said.
Autism is a term used for complex disorders of brain development and symptoms tend to be very personal and different for each person.
These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, the Autism Society of West Shore website said.
In Loudin's home it rings true, she and her husband, Shawn Loudin and their two boys, Jason, 8, and Andrew, 11, are all have autism and they are all very different, she said, each with their own needs, their own quirks.
Andy is more withdrawn, Jason is the social butterfly, Cathy Loudin said. But it flips sometimes.
Andrew perfers to be left alone. Jason will pick on his brother.
Yet each has similarities too; they can focus for some time on electronic games.
Neither Cathy nor Shawn knew they had autism until they started noticing signs in their sons. They recognized things from their own childhoods, and it just made sense. The knowledge has strengthened their relationship and has given them a better understanding of each other, she said. They've learned to avoid situations that make them uncomfortable, such as large crowds.
As she learns the needs of her boys, Cathy found having a solid support system was a must. The family found that in the Autism Society of West Shore, the local chapter of the Autism Society of America.
ASWS has monthly coffee socials, Cathy said, where parents can just talk and share tips, tricks and ideas. They have a free speakers series with topics such as how to get through the individualized education plan, she said.
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Autism: It's personal
Father’s Age Linked to Autism
Latest Mental Health News
Risk of Genetic Mutations Tied to Autism May Increase With Each Year of Father's Age
By Jennifer Warner WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Aug. 22, 2012 -- The father's age may matter more than the mother's when it comes to the risk of some disorders like autism in children.
A new study shows the number of "de novo" or new genetic mutations passed to children increases with every year of the father's age at the time of conception. And fathers pass along a greater number of these to their children than do mothers.
Researchers found the number of de novo mutations in children increases by two for every year of the father's age. The whole amount doubles every 16.5 years.
That means a 36-year-old man passes along twice as many mutations in his sperm to his children, compared to a 20-year-old.
Previous studies have already linked these mutations to autism and schizophrenia and a variety of other developmental disorders. This study helps to quantify the potential risk.
Researchers say the findings have important implications for family planning as well as the recent rise of developmental disorders, especially autism.
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Father's Age Linked to Autism
Study: Father’s age a likely factor in autism
(CBS News) The cause of autism is one of the great mysteries of medicine, but we found out something new and important Wednesday.
A report in the medical journal "Nature" says it is the age of the father at the time of conception, not the age of the mother that can raise the risk of autism in a child.
With more men becoming fathers later in life, it could help explain the rise in autism.
The study's senior author - a scientist in Iceland - writes: "Conventional wisdom has been to blame the developmental disorders of children on the age of mothers"... but "it is the age of fathers that appears to be the real culprit."
Dr. Delores Maldespina, a psychiatrist at New York University, said she finds the research eye opening.
"This study shows that new mutations are frequent enough as men age that fathers aging alone can explain the increase for the risk of autism," Maldespina said.
The study says a father's age could account for 15 to 30 percent of cases of autism, and perhaps other disorders like schizophrenia as well.
"This study shows that when these diseases present without a family history, the origin is in the sperm of the man and that the risk goes up as the man ages," Maldespina said.
The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control indicate the rate of autism has doubled in the last six years from 1 in 162, to 1 in 88.
The number of men 40 and older who father a child has increased by more than 30 percent since 1980. The study is the first to quantify the consequence of a father's age: For every 1-year of age, two genetic mutations were discovered in offspring that could be traced to the father, and up to 65 mutations in the offspring of 40-year-old men. The average number of mutations traced to the mother was 15, no matter what her age.
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Study: Father's age a likely factor in autism
Autism link to aging dads won’t change vaccine debate
By Art Caplan, Ph.D.
A new study in the prestigious scientific journal Nature has shown a link between the risk of having a child with autism or schizophrenia and the age of the father. The older the dad, the greater the risk that changes in the genes of his sperm will produce the behavioral disorder.
The older a man gets, the greater the chance for random changes or mutations in his sperm. A similar problem was well understood for women, who at age 35 and older are more likely to have a child with Down syndrome or other hereditary disorders.
Its long been known that autism is in part a genetic disease. This newest study adding to that evidence is important, somewhat frustrating and heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, this study is unlikely to convince the noisy and influential few who would still link vaccines with autism.
There have been far too many Congressional hearings inspired by fringe science that have ended in pressure on the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study vaccines as the culprit behind autism.
How many celebrities have gone on TV or led demonstrations demanding money for more studies of the alleged vaccine-autism link even though the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, has twice dismissed any connection to vaccination. Why has it taken so long to discover the link to older dads and their genes as one possible contributor to rising autism rates?Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Rob Schneider, Donald Trump turn out to be about as reliable guides to medical facts as Missouri Rep. Todd Akin and his distortions about how womens bodies respond to rape.
The discovery of the role paternal age plays is frustrating because there are too many factors leading to decisions to delay having children. Women get the frequent message in the media that they can have children whenever they want that technology makes parenting possible at any age. Young men and women find too little support from government or business for child-rearing.
The study is heartbreaking because it does not bode well for finding a cure for those already impacting by autism, schizophrenia and other age-related genetic disorders. The impact of genetic mutations is huge and it is systemic. These genes are going to interact with the environment is complex ways that are not likely to be easily reversed by a drug or any other quick fix.
Its not news that sperm can carry genetic mutations with serious consequences. Just last month a study showed little changes in the DNA of sperm can make men more likely to be infertile. Other studies have linked age-related sperm mutations to diseases such as Apert syndrome, a rare disease that causes webbed fingers and deformities of the skull, and achondoplasia, which is a type of dwarfism.
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Autism link to aging dads won't change vaccine debate
YPSILANTI: EMU Autism Collaborative Center to make a ‘SPLASH’ with summer camp
Many children look forward to attending camp during the summer but for children with autism, finding an appropriate day camp can be difficult.
The Autism Collaborative Center (ACC) at Eastern Michigan University offers a special summer camp, called Sensory, Play & Music, Language, Art,Social Learning, Health Fun, designed for children on the autism spectrum.
Children attending SPLASH are exposed to socially engaging, sensory rich and creative recreation opportunities. The week-long camps run July through August. Each week incorporates a new theme.
Week 1: July 9 -13 Who's Your Hero?
Week 2: July 16 - 20 The Mad Scientist
Week 3: July 23 - 27 Author's Week
Week 4: July 30 - Aug. 3 Disney Across the Ages
Week 5: Aug. 6 - 10 Olympics 2012
Week 6: Aug. 13 - 17 Wacky Holiday Week
Last year, the program hosted more than 70 children and administrators hope to see that number increase. Continued...
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YPSILANTI: EMU Autism Collaborative Center to make a 'SPLASH' with summer camp
‘Treating the whole person with autism’ sets direction for parent-clinician collaboration
Public release date: 9-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane E. Rubinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 212-843-8287 Autism Speaks
NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 9, 2012) Over 400 attendees from across the U.S. and around the world participated in the first national conference for families and professionals, "Treating the Whole Person with Autism: Comprehensive Care for Children and Adolescents with ASD."
Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, organized and hosted the conference in collaboration with educational partners at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH), The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
"Autism Speaks' Autism Treatment Network (ATN) is a key initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of individuals with ASD," remarked Daniel Coury, M.D., ATN medical director and chief of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "It provides "whole person," family-centered medical care which aims to address the individual's and the family's unique set of needs and challenges. We're excited to build upon these efforts through this national conference with Autism Speaks and our other conference partners."
The conference provided a forum for both families and professionals to learn about current guidance for addressing associated medical issues, and developing approaches to care that integrate behavioral and medical approaches across the lifespan.
"The theme of this conference, treating the whole person, reflects our ultimate goal of helping individuals with ASD to have healthy and successful lives," stated Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., chief science officer at Autism Speaks. These themes were highlighted by the two conference keynote speakers. Ricki Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., co-director of the Descanso Medical Center for Development and Learning, who served as the first speaker, encouraged practitioners to view individuals with ASD through a wide array of "lenses" that together paint a total picture of the child's life. These lenses include the child's physical and mental health, behaviors, intellectual interests and creative pursuits. By seeing the whole child, treatment and care plans can be tailored to address the individuals' needs.
Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., director of the McCarton Upper School and chair of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research, emphasized the need to continually think of the changing care needs across the lifespan. Dr. Gerhardt stressed the importance of making optimizing adult outcomes a much higher research priority. In particular, he noted the need to identify and focus on meaningful knowledge and skills vital for independence and fulfillment. This emphasis on care across the lifespan was further supported in the presentation by Marsha Mailick Seltzer, Ph.D., professor and director of the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin. A key point was the importance for researchers, clinicians, and advocates to expand their view of autism beyond childhood and to consider individuals with ASD within the context of their families. Her team's research on adolescents and adults with ASD looks at how ASD symptoms change across the lifespan. They observed in their data that overall there is stability or some improvement in symptoms and behavior problems over time. However, they noted that there can be stage-related changes, a critical one being the exit from high school, after which improvement in symptoms slows. Moreover, after high school, income level becomes a risk factor in the worsening of problem behaviors with those in low income groups at greatest risk regardless of intellectual ability.
The conference included general science sessions providing recent developments on health-related issues for individuals with ASD, and concurrent sessions tailored to families and professionals, respectively, that provided practical examples and discussion on the identification, management and treatment of medical conditions often associated with ASD. The sessions addressed immune dysfunction in autism, metabolic dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysfunction including the GI microenvironment and impaired carbohydrate digestion, nutrition, sleep disorders, the prevalence and management of psychiatric disorders and challenging behaviors, an overview of cognitive behavioral therapies, and the trajectories of development during adolescence and adulthood. The meeting concluded with family perspectives on how to coordinate and provide care both at home and in the clinical setting.
Some highlights include the presentation by Alessio Fasano, M.D. which was focused on the relationship between genes and environment in the GI problems in individuals with ASD. Dr. Fasano, professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology, and director of the Mucosal Biology Research Center and the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, noted that progress is being made in the field to better understand the biology of the gut environment but that to be effective in leading to treatments, it is going to be important to integrate the findings across these areas to "connect the dots" in building a full picture of the nature of GI disorders in ASD. Brent Williams, Ph.D., associate research scientist at Columbia University reported on his on-going research looking at impaired carbohydrate metabolism in individuals with ASD, which highlights that GI dysfunction may be attributable to distinct molecular and microbial mechanisms in individuals with ASD.
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'Treating the whole person with autism' sets direction for parent-clinician collaboration
LEGO Star Wars Writer Michael Price to Appear on ‘Autism Live’ 6/6
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire -05/31/12)- LEGO Star Wars Padawan Menace writer and Simpsons writer/co- executive producer Michael Price will join his wife bestselling autism memoir author Monica Holloway, to give an interview on Autism Live regarding the couple's service to families affected by autism inspired by their son Wills, 15, on the Autism Spectrum.
Price and Holloway both are dedicated supporters of Autism Speaks and Special Needs Network, two charities dedicated to autism. Price also credits Wills with providing him the inspiration for the story he used in writing the recent landmark 500th episode of The Simpsons, showing anything is possible for those affected by the disorder. In 2011 Holloway received the Special Needs Network 'Woman of Distinction Award' for her work spreading awareness of autism. Michael and Monica led the only dedicated school-wide team of 40 special-ed teachers and families as 'Team Frostig' at the 2012 Autism Speaks walk in Los Angeles.
Most importantly, Price and Holloway are always eager to go the extra mile for another family affected by autism, whether it may be listening to the story of a newly diagnosed family, introducing a child with autism to a new friend, hosting an autism-friendly kids party in their home, or lending encouragement to a parent who needs help just facing the day.
For media inquiries, including interview requests or speaking engagements with Price, please contact Jess Block, Media Relations, at 909-706-8525 or JessBlockPR@gmail.com.
ABOUT MICHAEL PRICE: Michael Price is an Emmy and Writers Guild award-winning Writer and Co-Executive Producer on The Simpsons. Price also contributed to the writing of the Simpsons Movie and wrote the acclaimed Lego Star Wars special, Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace.
ABOUT MONICA HOLLOWAY: Monica Holloway is the bestselling author of Cowboy & Wills, a Mother's Choice Award's Gold recipient, and the critically acclaimed author of the memoir Driving With Dead People, described by Newsweek as "unforgettable," Glamour christened "a classic," and the Washington Post deemed "irresistible." Holloway lives with her son Wills and husband Michael Price, Co-Executive Producer of The Simpsons, in Sherman Oaks, CA. http://www.monicaholloway.com/
ABOUT AUTISM LIVE: An online show about autism providing support, resources, information, facts, entertainment and inspiration to parents, teachers and practitioners working with children on the Autism Spectrum LIVE weekdays from 9am to 12pm PT at http://blip.tv/autismlive
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LEGO Star Wars Writer Michael Price to Appear on 'Autism Live' 6/6
What’s Different About The Brains Of People With Autism?
Enlarge Rebecca Droke/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jeff Hudale, who is autistic, demonstrates a face recognition test at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Researchers use eye tracking devices to monitor and record what he is looking at.
Jeff Hudale, who is autistic, demonstrates a face recognition test at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Researchers use eye tracking devices to monitor and record what he is looking at.
Like a lot of people with autism, Jeff Hudale has a brain that's really good at some things.
"I have an unusual aptitude for numbers, namely math computations," he says.
Hudale can do triple-digit multiplication in his head. That sort of ability helped him get a degree in engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. But he says his brain struggles with other subjects like literature and philosophy.
"I like working with things that are rather concrete and structured," he says. "Yeah, I like things with some logic and some rules to it."
So Hudale, who is 40, does fine at his job at a bank. But he doesn't do so well with social interactions, where logic and rules aren't so obvious.
"Most people my age are nowadays married," he says. "But me, not only am I totally single, I've never even had a date."
What Hudale has done for the past 25 years is help scientists understand autism by letting them study his brain.
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What's Different About The Brains Of People With Autism?