PLUK News feed

Abilities Vary Widely on the Autism Spectrum

Link: Abilities

Students with autism may have widely divergent abilities and although all start out with the characteristic emotional disabilities, some are able to overcome. "At its core, the autism spectrum is a problem with perceiving feeling, understanding social relations," said Bryna Siegel, director of the University of California at San Francisco's Autism Clinic. "They don't know how other people think and feel -- and they're not very motivated to try to figure it out."

What Do Toxins Have To Do With Autism?

Link: Toxins

here has been much discussion about various treatment approaches and what are perceived as possible causes for autism and its many related disorders. We approach the autistic patient by performing multiple tests to identify the toxic burden, their nutritional status, their capacity for handling toxicity, their genetic predisposition(s), and their baseline status. We believe that toxic burden and the individual's ability to handle toxins play a major role in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders.

Montana: DPHHS To Screen Children Under Five for Autism

NEWS FROM THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

For immediate release
July 16, 2008
Contact: Jeff Sturm, Developmental Disabilities Program Director, DPHHS, 406-444-2695
Jon Ebelt, Public Information Officer, DPHHS, 406-444-0936

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) wants to identify the number of Montana children under five who have autism, state officials said Wednesday.

To help pinpoint that information, DPHHS will spend $384,000 to offer free autism screenings at various clinics across the state effective immediately.

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) Use, Measles-mumps-rubella Vaccination, and Autistic Disorder: The Results of a Parent Survey

Link: Acetaminophen

The present study was performed to determine whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) use after the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination could be associated with autistic disorder. This case-control study used the results of an online parental survey conducted from 16 July 2005 to 30 January 2006, consisting of 83 children with autistic disorder and 80 control children.

Federal Study May Investigate Chelation Therapy

Link: Therapy

Advocates of using chelation therapy to treat autism have convinced the head of the National Institute of Mental Health to support scientific research into the matter. Safety concerns, however, have temporarily placed the study on hold.

New Technologies Help Detect Early-stage Autism

Link: Technology

Scientists are developing new technologies that allow for the early identification of autism in at-risk children. Researchers at Yale University are using an eye-tracking technology to analyze patterns in the gaze behavior of children ages 3 months to 3 years. Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab are planning to study the habits of newborns to detect signs of early autism by devising an in-home recording device and specialized software.

Infant Movement May Help Parents Spot Autism

Link: Movement

Infants with autism often learn to crawl and walk differently than other babies, say two University of Florida researchers who have written a book to help parents identify the disorder earlier. In "Does Your Baby have Autism?" Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum illustrate characteristic movement patterns that Osnat discovered after five years of studying the home videos of babies who were later diagnosed with autism.

Newly Discovered Autism Genes May Explain Why Early Therapy Works

Link: Genes

Six genes newly tied to autism are not missing but merely turned off, according to new Children's Hospital Boston research published today in the journal Science. "The circuits are there, but you have to give it an extra push," said Dr. Gary Goldstein of Maryland's Kennedy Krieger Institute, which was not involved in the study.

Face Processing Area of Brain Shows Anatomical Differences in Autism

Link: Differences

A new publication in the journal Brain describes a significant anatomical difference in the face processing area of brain donors with autism compared to non-affected donors...Using non-invasive imaging technology for the study of human subjects, several labs demonstrated that there was less activation of the face processing area in those diagnosed with autism, and that these changes in face processing might contribute to the social deficits seen in those with autism.

Announcing a New Radio Talk Show on Autism

You are invited to listen, call in your comments or questions, and/or email your questions, concerns or requests for discussion topics Jackie@drjackiemarquette.com I will address a new topic each week and invite an expert guest.

Where to Listen:
KFNX News-Talk Radio AM 1100 on the dial, Phoenix, AZ or log onto KFNX and listen live.

When:
Mondays 9-10 PM, Pacific, or Listen via Internet Streaming-www.1100KFNX.com

Remarkably Able Radio Talk Show is designed to provide awareness and real options that are based upon best practices to deliver quality of life for people with ASD and their families. A national crisis currently exists because of limited resources that disenable individuals with ASD from adolescence into adulthood. Families are uncertain about how to help their teen or young adult. People with autism have potential and strengths that make them remarkably able in many ways. Putting together the pieces to create life opportunities begins with establishing traditional and broad innovative supports that opens opportunities for education, employment, leisure, peer relationships and community membership.