Autism

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors.

Induced or augmented childbirth increases autism risk in childhood

Induced or augmented childbirth appears to be associated with increased risk for autism – An analysis of North Carolina birth and educational records suggests that induction (stimulating uterine contractions prior to the onset of spontaneous labor) and augmentation (increasing the strength, duration, or frequency of uterine contractions with spontaneous onset of labor) during childbirth appears to be associated with increased odds of autism diagnosis in childhood.

DNA markers in low IQ autism suggest heredity – ASD

DNA markers in low-IQ autism suggest heredity – Researchers are striving to understand the different genetic structures that underlie at least a subset of autism spectrum disorders. In cases where the genetic code is in error, did that happen anew in the patient, perhaps through mutation or copying error, or was it inherited? A new study in the American Journal of Human Genetics finds evidence that there may often be a recessive, inherited genetic contribution in autism with significant intellectual disability.

Propranolol may improve working memory in autism patients

Drug could improve working memory of people with autism, study finds – People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have trouble communicating and interacting with others because they process language, facial expressions and social cues differently. Previously, researchers found that propranolol, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and panic, could improve the language abilities and social functioning of people with an ASD. Now, University of Missouri investigators say the prescription drug also could help improve the working memory abilities of individuals with autism.

Two more Autism Centers of Excellence funded

New NIH funding for two Autism Centers of Excellence — A total of 11 centers now funded for up to five years – The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.3 million in initial one-year funding to the latest two recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. With these awards, announced on World Autism Awareness Day, these and nine other ACE centers in US are now being funded for up to five years.

Folic acid in pregnancy lowers autism risk in baby

Folic acid supplements early in pregnancy may reduce child’s risk of autism by 40 percent — Large study in Norway finds early timing of folic acid supplements is critical – Prenatal folic acid supplements appear to reduce the risk for autistic spectrum disorders. It is estimated that about 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

No connection between Adam Lanza Asperger syndrome and violence

People with Asperger’s rarely harm others, so don’t be so quick to link Adam Lanza’s actions with syndrome – Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old gunman in the Sandy Hook school shooting is thought to have had Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism characterized by social awkwardness, but not violence.

Baby communication gives clues to autism

Baby communication gives clues to autism — University of Miami researchers find that babies’ non-verbal communication skills can help predict outcomes in children at high risk of developing Autism – Approximately 19 percent of children with a sibling diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will develop Autism due to shared genetic and environmental vulnerabilities, according to previous studies. For that reason, University of Miami (UM) psychologists are developing ways to predict the occurrence of ASD in high-risk children, early in life, in hopes that early intervention will lead to better outcomes in the future.

Autism children victims of bullying

Study details bullying involvement for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder – An estimated 46.3 percent of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder were the victims of bullying, according to a report published by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Autism in children linked to Father’s Age

deCODE Genetics Study Finds Father?s Age?Not Mother?s Critical to New Mutations Passed to Offspring — Nature Published Study Signals Rise in Autism Spectrum Disorder May Be Partially Tied to Increasing Age of Fathers at Time When Children are Conceived – deCODE Genetics, a global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome, in collaboration with Illumina, a global leader in the making of instruments to analyze the genome, reported in the journal Nature that a father?s age, not a mother?s, at the time a child is conceived is the single largest contributor to the passing of new hereditary mutations to offspring.

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