Autism Awareness/Skyscraper by Demi Lovato (Cover by Nichole337) – Video

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25-02-2012 18:49 Thank you for watching our video. Please help raise autism awareness. For more information on Autism, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org ========= Please visit Nichole's webpage at http Subscribe to Nichole's YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com You can follow Nichole on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com "Like" Nichole337 on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com Get your OFFICIAL Nichole337 merchandise at: nichole337.spreadshirt.com ========= Check out Lou's blog at lous-land.blogspot.com Please watch Lou's video "Fixing" Autism youtu.be You can follow Lou on Twitter twitter.com "Like" Lou's Land on Facebook to get updates on new blog posts and autism news related items! http://www.facebook.com ========= A HUGE thanks to Rob Duffin and Annex Recording! Check out their website: http://www.annexrecording.com Annex on MySpace http://www.myspace.com Annex on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com To book recording time or for general inquiries, you can contact Rob at (801) 597-4007 Annex Recording 12298 South 1840 East, Draper, UT 84020 ========= Big thanks to the amazing and talented Donny Shawn for editing the piece! Visit Donny's website: DonnyShawn.com Contact Donny on Facebook http://www.facebook.com Hook up with Donny on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com ========= Thank you to Steve Veasey for the use of his camera!

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Autism Awareness/Skyscraper by Demi Lovato (Cover by Nichole337) - Video

Most Children With Autism Diagnosed at 5 or Older

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Data Provide Snapshot of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Special Health Care Needs

By Denise Mann WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

May 24, 2012 -- New research provides a snapshot of what life is like for school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder in the U.S.

The findings, which appear in the NCHS Data Brief, highlight areas where there is room for improvement, including earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and access to behavioral therapies and other services. The new study looked at children aged 6 to 17 with special health care needs and autism spectrum disorder in 2011.

More than half of school-aged kids were age 5 or older when they were first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, the study showed. Less than 20% were diagnosed by age 2. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians screen children for autism at 18 months of age.

The CDC estimates that 1 in 88 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder. This is the umbrella term for a group of developmental disorders that can range from mild to severe and that often affect social and communication skills. Treatment is individualized, and often involves behavioral therapies to address developmental delays along with medication.

Of the children in the study, about 9 of 10 received one or more therapies. Most commonly these included speech or language therapy and/or social skills training. More than half of these kids took at least one psychiatric medication, including stimulants, anti-anxiety drugs, or antidepressants.

"Our data indicate that many children with autism -- the majority -- are getting some sort of services such as speech or other individual-based interventions," says researcher Lisa J. Colpe, PhD, MPH, of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md. "That is great news."

Outside experts say there are still many gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder among school-aged kids in the U.S.

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Most Children With Autism Diagnosed at 5 or Older

Autism Detection Is Delayed in Minorities

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By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 22, 2012

A new study suggests the symptoms of autism in toddlers from a minority background are more significant than those noted in age-equivalent Caucasian children.

The investigation was the first prospective study of ethnic differences in the symptoms of autism among toddlers.

Researchers determined minority toddlers have more delayed language, communication and gross motor skills than Caucasian children with the disorder. Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute believe subtle developmental delays may be going unaddressed in minority toddlers until more severe symptoms develop.

Autistic spectrum disorders are found in equal prevalence among all racial and ethnic groups. However, some studies have shown that children of African American, Hispanic and Asian descent are less likely to receive an early diagnosis of autism than Caucasian children.

In this new study, Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the institute, investigated whether the symptoms of autism in toddlers play a role in this disparity in diagnosis.

“We found the toddlers in the minority group were significantly further behind than the non-minority group in development of language and motor skills and showed more severe autism symptoms in their communication abilities,” says Landa, whose study included children and parents of African American, Asian and Hispanic descent.

“It’s really troubling when we look at these data alongside diagnosis statistics because they suggest that children in need of early detection and intervention are not getting it.”

The study is published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Researchers examined development in 84 toddlers with ASD at an average 26-28 months of age using three standardized instruments that evaluate child development.

Children were evaluated by their caregivers using the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Caregiver Questionnaire (CSBS-DP CQ) and by research clinicians using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS).

Researchers then controlled for participants’ socioeconomic status. All three tools indicated a significant difference between minority and non-minority children.

Previous studies show that detection of ASD is possible at as early as 14 months of age. While early diagnosis is crucial for accessing intervention services, studies examining children from minority groups suggest considerable delays in the diagnosis of ASD in these children relative to their Caucasian peers.

The results may stem from cultural differences in what communities perceive as typical and atypical development in young children, the relationships between families and respected community physicians, and the stigma that some cultures place on disability as areas where education and awareness could have meaningful impact.

“Addressing cultural influences gives us a clear target to improve service delivery to minority children, but these findings may also suggest biological and other culturally related differences between Caucasian and minority children with autism,” Landa said.

“There are other complex diseases that present differently in different ethnic groups and more research is needed to investigate this possibility.”

Landa has since initiated a new study that will document the age at which minority parents first noticed signs of developmental disruption in their children, the specific nature of the behavior that concerned them, and the children’s intervention history.

Additional research is also needed to study group-specific differences in the presentation of autism symptoms between a variety of minority groups.

“Although questions remain on why these differences exist, by taking steps to develop more culturally sensitive screening and assessment practices, with a special focus on educating parents, clinicians and health educators, I believe we can empower parents to identify early warning signs and ensure minority children have the same access to services as their Caucasian peers,” said Landa.

Source: Kennedy Krieger Institute

Upset Toddler photo by shutterstock.


APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Autism Detection Is Delayed in Minorities. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 26, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/22/autism-detection-is-delayed-in-minorities/35136.html

 

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Training parents is good medicine for children with autism behavior problems, study suggests

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ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) — Children with autism spectrum disorders who also have serious behavioral problems responded better to medication combined with training for their parents than to treatment with medication alone, Yale researchers and their colleagues report in the February issue of Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

"Serious behavioral problems interfere with everyday living for children and their families," said senior author on the study Lawrence Scahill, professor at Yale University School of Nursing and the Child Study Center. "Decreasing these serious behavioral problems results in children who are more able to manage everyday living."

Scahill and his team completed a federally funded multi-site trial on 124 children ages 4 to 13 with autism spectrum disorders at three U.S. sites including Yale, Ohio State University, and Indiana University. In addition to autism spectrum disorders, children in the study had serious behavioral problems, including multiple and prolonged tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior on a daily basis.

The children in the study were randomly assigned to medication alone for six months or medication plus a structured training program for their parents for six months. Parent training included regular visits to the clinic to teach parents how to respond to behavior problems to help children adapt to daily living situations. The study medication, risperidone, is approved for the treatment of serious behavioral problems in children with autism.

"In a previous report from this trial, we showed that the combined treatment was superior to medication alone in reducing the serious behavioral problems," said Scahill. "In the current report, we show that combination treatment was better than medication alone on measures of adaptive behavior. We note that both groups -- medication alone and combined treatment group -- demonstrated improvement in functional communication and social interaction. But the combined group showed greater improvement on several measures of everyday adaptive functioning."

Based on these findings, Scahill and his team are now conducting a study that uses parent training as a stand-alone strategy in treating younger children with autism spectrum disorders. This study is being conducted at Yale and four other medical centers across the country. The investigators also plan to publish the parent training manuals as a way to share this intervention with the public.

Other authors on the study included Christopher J. McDougle, Michael G. Aman, Cynthia Johnson, Benjamin Handen, Karen Bearss, James Dziura, Eric Butter, Naomi G. Swiezy, L. Eugene Arnold, Kimberly A. Stigler, Denis D. Sukhodolsky, Luc Lecavalier, Stacie L. Pozdol, Roumen Nikolov, Jill A. Hollway, Patricia Korzekwa, Allison Gavaletz, Arlene E. Kohn, Kathleen Koenig, Stacie Grinnon, James A. Mulick, Sunkyung Yu, and Benedetto Vitiello.

The National Institute of Mental Health funded the study. The work was also funded, in part, by the Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Yale University. The original article was written by Karen N. Peart.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Lawrence Scahill, Christopher J. McDougle, Michael G. Aman, Cynthia Johnson, Benjamin Handen, Karen Bearss, James Dziura, Eric Butter, Naomi G. Swiezy, L. Eugene Arnold, Kimberly A. Stigler, Denis D. Sukhodolsky, Luc Lecavalier, Stacie L. Pozdol, Roumen Nikolov, Jill A. Hollway, Patricia Korzekwa, Allison Gavaletz, Arlene E. Kohn, Kathleen Koenig, Stacie Grinnon, James A. Mulick, Sunkyung Yu, Benedetto Vitiello. Effects of Risperidone and Parent Training on Adaptive Functioning in Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders and Serious Behavioral Problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2012; 51 (2): 136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.11.010

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Training parents is good medicine for children with autism behavior problems, study suggests

Autism needs not met for Brimbank students

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BRIMBANK has the highest number of students with autism in the west but few local support services to help them, a report has found.

Documents from the Thornton report, obtained through Freedom of Information by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, found Brimbank has the highest number of students in the Program for Students with a Disability, at 32 per cent.

Wyndham was next, with 24 per cent, and Melton at 19 per cent.

Community consultation outlined in the documents revealed family frustrations over education needs not being met.

The report found the location of services specific to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or of general specialist schools does not correspond to where students live.

Last month, Education Minister Martin Dixon announced that Laverton P-12 College was the preferred site to establish a P-12 school for students with an autism spectrum disorder.

Mr Dixon said the proposed stand-alone school would be located alongside the Laverton P-12 College, and less than 1km from the Western Autistic P-3 school.

But Autism Angels committee member Despina Havelas said parents in Brimbank and Melton were crushed by the decision.

“One of the core things in life is you want your child to have a good education,” she said.

“Most parents know Laverton is too far away, and too long for these children to be sitting on a school bus.”

Ms Hartland said the problem was “bigger than these documents show”.

“It is impossible to see the true scale of the problem as not all students with autism are included,” she said.

“The Government needs to stop delaying, build the P-12 school and improve support for students in mainstream schools.”

Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn said it was an ongoing problem.

“We could spend $100 million on education in the west and still be behind the eight-ball,” he said.

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Autism needs not met for Brimbank students

SCI-TECH: Autism gene found by UCSD researchers

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A genetic cause for a rare form of epilepsy-associated autism has been identified by UC San Diego and Yale scientists.

Moreover, symptoms of the newly discovered form have been reversed in mouse models by altering diet. This gives rise to the possibility that similar treatment might help people, the researchers said.The study was published online Thursday in the journal Science.

Researchers led by Gaia Novarino and Joseph G. Gleeson of UCSD studied two families, one of Egyptian descent and another of Turkish origin. They examined the genome of patients and healthy relatives for exons, gene sequences that code for proteins. The researchers found that patients shared an exon mutation on a gene called BCKDK. The mutant gene is recessive, meaning that it must be inherited from both mother and father to manifest.

Moreover, the researchers found that the mutation caused patients to produce abnormally low levels of certain types of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. They were able to boost levels of these amino acids to normal with a nutritional supplement from a health food store. Research is now ongoing as to whether this supplementation will reduce symptoms of epilepsy and autism in these patients.

Those who might be helped are only a small fraction of people with autism, Novarino said in an Tuesday interview. Those without the metabolic defect wouldn’t benefit from the supplementation.

The study illustrates how scientists have become more sophisticated in using knowledge of the human genome to crack the puzzle of previously intractable diseases.The genome is the complete set of hereditary information encoded in DNA.

Narrowing the search

The vast majority of DNA does not code for proteins, the body’s workhorse molecules. This “non-coding” DNA was ignored in the new method of DNA analysis, called “whole exome” sequencing, which looks only at the exons. An advantage of whole exome sequencing is that it focuses exclusively on proteins, which are altered or missing in genetic diseases.

Whole exome sequencing can find previously undiscovered genetic diseases, according to another study performed by some of the same UCSD researchers. They examined 118 patients diagnosed with neurological disorders who had no known genetic disease causes. In addition to the newly discovered genetic causes, in about 10 percent of cases the researchers even found a known disease-causing gene that had previously escaped detection.

That study was published in June in Science Translational Medicine, a journal devoted to getting research discoveries into the hands of doctors more quickly.

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Food supplement could treat some autism, says study

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SAN DIEGO, Sept 8 A common dietary supplement could treat a rare form of autism which has been found to be linked to an amino acid deficiency, a study published Thursday in the journal Science has found.

US researchers were able to isolate a genetic mutation in some autism patients which speeds up metabolism of certain amino acids.

Patients with a certain mutation were found to burn through their animo acid stores more quickly than normal, creating an imbalance the researchers think may be linked to the neuro-behaviorial symptoms of autism. AFP/Relaxnews

Because of the speeded-up metabolism, the patients with this mutation burned through their stores of the amino acid more quickly than normal, creating an imbalance the researchers think may be linked to the neuro-behaviorial symptoms of autism.

It was very surprising to find mutations in a potentially treatable metabolic pathway specific for autism, said co-author Joseph Gleeson of the University of California, San Diego.

What was most exciting was that the potential treatment is obvious and simple: Just give affected patients the naturally occurring amino acids their bodies lack.

The genetic mutations were identified after researchers studied the genomes of several autistic children who also suffered epileptic seizures.

Gleesons team then genetically engineered mice to test the impact of the dietary supplement, which is available in health food stores.

The mice with the genetic mutation displayed autism-like symptoms, including spontaneous epileptic seizures but when treated with the supplements, their condition improved.

Studying the animals was key to our discovery, said first author Gaia Novarino, a staff scientist in Gleesons lab.

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A Rare, but Potentially Treatable Form of Autism

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Don Bayley / Getty Images

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a rare, hereditary form of autism that may be treatable with nutritional supplements, a new study reports.

The scientists sequenced the genomes of six children with both autism and epilepsy from three Middle Eastern families in each case, the childrens parents were first cousins and found that they had mutations in a gene that normally prevents the breakdown of certain amino acids. The end result is that children had low levels of these proteins known as branched chain amino acids which the body doesnt make on its own and must be gotten through food.

Further, the researchers found, mice with the same gene mutation also showed low levels of branched chain amino acids and developed neurological problems, including tremors and epileptic seizures, related to autism. But when the mice were treated with protein supplements that restored depleted levels of the amino acids, their symptoms disappeared within a week.

(MORE: Older Fathers Linked to Childrens Autism and Schizophrenia Risk)

This might represent the first treatable form of autism, Joseph Gleeson, lead author and a child neurologist at UCSD, told Nature News. That is both heartening to families with autism, and also I think revealing of the underlying mechanisms of autism.

The authors caution, however, that the rare mutation may contribute to only a small number of autism cases. The researchers selected the children in their study to best identify the recessive mutations involved, since theres an increasedlikelihood that children from related parents will receive two copies of the mutation.

How that genetic mutation contributes to autism is unclear, but the researchers have a theory. The mutation inactivates a protein called BCKD-kinase, which prevents the breakdown of branched chain amino acids. Normally, these amino acids are ferried across the blood-brain barrier by special transporters. But when their levels drop, the transporters end up carting more of other large amino acids into the brain. These other amino acids serve as precursors for neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which play a role in mood and pleasure-seeking, and whose activities in the brain may be associated with autism.

When the research team profiled the brains of mice lacking the BCKD-kinase gene, they found very low levels of branched-chain amino acids and very high levels of these other amino acids.

(MORE: Autism: Why Some Children Bloom and Overcome Their Disabilities)

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A Rare, but Potentially Treatable Form of Autism

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Food supplement could treat some autism

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A COMMON dietary supplement could treat a rare form of autism which has been found to be linked to an amino acid deficiency, a study published Thursday in the journal Science has found.

US researchers were able to isolate a genetic mutation in some autism patients which speeds up metabolism of certain amino acids.

These essential amino acids – branched chain amino acids or BCAAs – are not produced naturally in the human body and must be acquired through food.

Because of the speeded up metabolism, the patients with this mutation burned through their stores of the amino acid more quickly than normal, creating an imbalance the researchers think may be linked to the neuro-behavioural symptoms of autism.

“It was very surprising to find mutations in a potentially treatable metabolic pathway specific for autism,” said co-author Joseph Gleeson of the University of California, San Diego.

“What was most exciting was that the potential treatment is obvious and simple: Just give affected patients the naturally occurring amino acids their bodies lack.”

The genetic mutations were identified after researchers studied the genomes of several autistic children who also suffered epileptic seizures.

Gleeson’s team then genetically engineered mice to test the impact of the dietary supplement, which is available in health food stores.

The mice with the genetic mutation displayed autism-like symptoms, including spontaneous epileptic seizures – but when treated with the supplements, their condition improved.

“Studying the animals was key to our discovery,” said first author Gaia Novarino, a staff scientist in Gleeson’s lab.

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Food supplement could treat some autism

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Without insurance for autism, Utah families leave state

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Anne Eliason, left, watches her son Isaac, 5, play at a neighborhood park in Highlands Ranch, Colo., on Monday, June 4, 2012. Isaac has been diagnosed with autism and his family moved from Utah to Colorado because of the insurance options and the superior therapeutic and support services for Isaac. Isaac has appointments nearly everyday to work on speech, occupational and behavioral therapy. Photo by Chris Schneider

When the Eliasons realized their youngest child had autism, their lives changed forever.

The diagnosis wasnt the only reason.

What states require insurance companies to cover autism?

Several dozen states have an insurance mandate although the rules vary. Check with each state individually for the most up-to-date information. bit.ly/ItajXh

What would a Utah mandate cost?

Advocates and some studies say that adding an autism mandate would have a nominal impact on premiums. See a past look at that issue in Utah at http://bit.ly/youNzl.

“It was hard enough to discover that he had autism, but then it was just an added burden to know we didnt have a way to financially take care of him unless we left the state,” said Brian Eliason, Isaacs dad.

As a data specialist at Intermountain Healthcare, he was covered by its insurance arm, SelectHealth, which didnt pay for autism treatment for his son.

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Why bullies target kids with autism

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Fear often leads to exclusion and derision, experts say.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(TIME.com) — A new study finds that children with autism spectrum disorders are bullied far more often than their typically developing peers nearly five times as often but parents of autistic kids think the rate is even higher than that.

In the study, about 46% of autistic children in middle and high school told their parents they were victimized at school within the previous year, compared with just over 10% of children in the general population.

Calling it a “profound public health problem,” lead author Paul Sterzing of Washington University in St. Louis told the New York Times that the “rate of bullying and victimization among these adolescents is alarmingly high.”

Many people with autism have trouble recognizing social cues, which makes them awkward around others. They also often engage in repetitive behaviors and tend to be hypersensitive to environmental stimuli, all of which makes kids with the disorder ripe targets for bullies who home in on difference and enjoy aggravating their victims.

About a third of autism cases are severely disabling those affected may suffer from low IQ and be unable to talk but most autistic people have average or high intelligence and many can function well, if their social and sensory issues are appropriately addressed.

TIME.com: Why some children ‘bloom’ and overcome disabilities

That may help explain why the highest functioning children in the current study were at greatest risk of being bullied. While their social awkwardness was more obvious because they actually interacted more with mainstream peers, this made their actual disability less visible, likely making their condition harder for their peers to understand.

Children with autism who could speak well, for example, were three times more likely to be bullied than those whose conversational ability was limited or absent.

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Autism Help – Themes, Games, Activities – The Son-Rise Program – Video

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12-01-2012 07:48 A great game to help your child on the Autism Spectrum be able to follow three step instructions, lengthen their attention span, physically participate, and familiarize themselves with colors and numbers all while having fun with YOU. Click on the video tape to see a demonstration of this game.

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Autism Help - Themes, Games, Activities - The Son-Rise Program - Video

Autism? – Video

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13-01-2012 04:25 English spoken animation about Autism for The Dutch Autism Association. Autism is a disorder in the brain's data processing. Information entering through the senses is processed differently. Autistic persons have trouble turning details into a coherent whole. This takes more time and a lot of effort. What forms are there? How to recognize autism. This film contains tips and advice about how to deal to autistic persons.

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Autism? - Video

Changes for Autism – Video

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20-01-2012 18:52 Manny Vela has served on the state's Autism Council and on the Task Force for Children with Special Needs. He has personal experience to qualify him for this type of work - his own 18-year-old son Manny Mac, was diagnosed at the age of 3 with a form of autism commonly known as Asberger's. Vela said at that time, the services his family needed were not available in the Rio Grande Valley, and they had to travel to Houston. However, he's glad much has changed in the way of diagnosing the disorder, over the past two decades. "They are developing new techniques in regards to be able to diagnose children at a much earlier age," Vela said. "Researchers say that children should be diagnosed twice before the age of five, and right now they're being diagnosed after or at the age of five." According to national numbers, about one in every 110 children will be diagnosed with some form of autism. Vela said the numbers don't indicate they'll slow down, so the earlier people deal with it, the better it will be in creating functioning citizens out of those children diagnosed. "Autism is not curable, but what you can do is in fact address those characteristics at the earliest stage possible by the age of three," Vela said. "Studies have shown that the outcomes are very positive." While Vela likes the earlier start on the diagnosis, a change he doesn't think is moving in a positive direction is that the definition of what autism is defined as, could soon be refined. That could mean that if ...

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Changes for Autism - Video