Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Autism News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/autism/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156405.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156405.php Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. At the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum (June 29th - July 2nd) held at The City College of New York (CCNY), neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify this fact. Speaking at the conference, Dr. John J. Autism Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156130.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156130.php Complications during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with autism, according to American researchers. The team reviewed 64 studies of prenatal risk factors for autism. It is the first time a meta-analysis of the relationship between pregnancy-related factors and risk of autism has been carried out. The analysis is published in the July issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. Over 50 prenatal factors were examined. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155778.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155778.php HOPE, the charity for adults with autism and learning disabilities, welcomes the progress of the Autism Bill through Parliament. Its third and final reading in the House of Commons took place on 19th June and its first reading in the House of Lords was on 22nd June. Once law, the Autism Bill stands to be a landmark piece of legislation, as it will be the first time there will be statutory provision to meet the needs of adults with autism. Autism Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155657.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155657.php Researchers at UC Davis have developed a new test that will measure the protein deficit responsible for fragile X syndrome - the single-most common cause of intellectual impairment and the most-commonly inherited cause of autism. The test, described in a study appearing online in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, is the first to measure an individual's level of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) protein. Autism Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155549.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155549.php Mice who inherit a particular chromosomal duplication from their fathers show many behaviors associated with human autism, researchers report in the June 26th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press Publication. The duplicated chromosomal region in mice is the equivalent of human chromosome 15q11-13, the most frequent cytogenetic abnormality observed in autism, accounting for some five percent of all cases. Autism Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155569.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155569.php Pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The study identified 27 different genetic regions where rare copy number variations - missing or extra copies of DNA segments - were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders, but not in the healthy controls. Autism Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155581.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155581.php The National Autism Association (NAA) along with 12 other organizations launched a campaign this week to spur letter writing and raise awareness about dangerous restraint and seclusion practices in schools. The initiative comes on the heels of the May 19th GAO Report that revealed no federal laws regulating restraint and seclusion in schools, no laws in 19 states, and "widely divergent" laws in remaining states. Autism Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155419.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155419.php More pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and several collaborating institutions. Autism Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155404.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155404.php Scientists have discovered that abnormalities in a gene important for learning and memory are a cause of autism. The University of Aberdeen finding could hold the key to the future development of new treatments for autism - a brain development disorder which affects how a person communicates and relates to others. Autism Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155233.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155233.php People with a learning disability will be helped into paid jobs to close the employment gap, Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People and Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services pledged today. The goal is set out in the new cross-government Learning Disability Employment Strategy, published today. The strategy sets out a vision to increase the number of real jobs for people with learning disabilities with appropriate support being provided. Mental Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155005.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155005.php The Department of Health's Specialist Advisor for Autism, Elaine Hill, has publicly urged practitioners, service users, their families and the general public to submit their views and case studies to the Government's consultation on a National Autism Strategy at a national conference on the mental health needs of people with ASC that took place in London on Wednesday 17th June 2009 sponsored by autism care services provider Brookdale Care. Autism Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154942.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154942.php The total cost for treating a child with autism can reach $5 million, but insurance companies rarely cover autism therapy and few states mandate it. CBS News reports that "an estimated one in every 150 children in America has autism and the number of reported cases is growing" while "parents are increasingly demanding that insurance companies cover the newest treatment. Autism Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154653.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154653.php The Autism Bill is back in Parliament for its third reading today. Having secured the Government's support it is expected to pass to the House of Lords where it will be well on its way to becoming England's first disability-specific law. Autism Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154591.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154591.php The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) applauds the American Medical Association (AMA) for reaffirming its policy in support for universal vaccination. Immune System / Vaccines Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154336.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154336.php Autistics are up to 40 percent faster at problem-solving than non-autistics, according to a new Université de Montréal and Harvard University study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping. As part of the investigation, participants were asked to complete patterns in the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) - test that measures hypothesis-testing, problem-solving and learning skills. Autism Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154291.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154291.php Our tendency to see people and faces as individuals may explain why we are such experts at recognizing them, new research indicates. This approach can be learned and applied to other objects as well. "This new research adds to the evidence that the brain processes faces differently because of our expertise with them. Autism Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154297.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154297.php The member of parliament for Feltham and Heston Alan Keen MP together with his wife, Health Minister Ann Keen MP,(Brentford & Isleworth) wrote to the UK Autism Foundation wishing the 'Scope for Hope' autism charity dinner in Feltham every success. Hundreds attended the glittering event, held at the Royal Naval Association Club in Feltham, Middlesex on Saturday 13th June. Autism Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154234.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154234.php Autistics are up to 40 percent faster at problem-solving than non-autistics, according to a new Université de Montréal and Harvard University study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping. As part of the investigation, participants were asked to complete patterns in the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) - a test that measures hypothesis-testing, problem-solving and learning skills. Autism Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153488.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153488.php NIH and the advocacy group Autism Speaks are enrolling 1,200 pregnant women who have other children with autism spectrum disorders to participate in a large study that aims to identify early signs of the condition and its possible causes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Autism Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153423.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153423.php A new parent questionnaire, developed at the University of Waterloo, will help health practitioners to more accurately gauge the acquisition of language skills in children with autism. The pioneering Language Use Inventory (LUI) is among a set of measures for evaluating spoken language development in children with autism spectrum disorders, recommended by an expert panel. Autism Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153281.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153281.php The NAO today published a major report, "Supporting people with autism through adulthood". HOPE, the charity for adults with autism and learning disabilities, sees this important report as a blueprint for improving the lives of people with autism. Autism Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153292.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153292.php Brookdale Care, the specialist provider of care services for people living with autism, has today welcomed the National Audit Office's Report on Supporting Adults with Autism and called on the Government to take direct action to implement its recommendations. Autism Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153229.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153229.php A network of leading autism researchers from three regions across the country has launched one of the largest research studies of its kind to investigate early risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The network, called the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), will follow a cohort of up to 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism. Autism Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152987.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152987.php The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday released findings from a new report exploring the problems and challenges of supporting adults with autism. The aim of the report was to assess current service provision in areas including: health, social care, education, benefits and employment support. It also identified how these areas could be made more effective, efficient and appropriate to the needs of adults with autism and their carers. Autism Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152970.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152970.php Mark Lever, NAS chief executive said; "In the current economic climate the Government cannot possibly ignore the huge cost savings and benefits, identified by their own auditing body, of providing adults with autism with the right support at the right time. Neither the Government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point. Autism