Study finds many children with autism improve social skills over time - Columbia Missourian

Study finds many children with autism improve social skills over time - Columbia Missourian: "COLUMBIA — A clinical child psychologist has found that many children with autism gain more verbal and social skills over time.
Catherine Lord, who is the head of the University of Michigan’s Autism and Communication Disorder Center, said that while some previous studies stated 50 percent of 9-year-old children with autism were mostly nonverbal, her study found that 14 percent were nonverbal. Lord presented the findings of her study Monday night at a lecture at MU."

Learn the Signs. Act Early.

Here you can view or download the various materials for the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Campaign designed for parents and health care professionals. All downloads are available in the Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF).
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/downloads.html

Autism Screening Quiz

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 'there are a number of things that parents, teachers, and others who care for children can look for to determine if a child needs to be evaluated for autism.' This autism quiz asks about 'red flags' that could be a sign that a Pediatrician or other health professional should evaluate a child for autism or a related communication disorder.
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/autism/l/bl_autism.htm

PEDS and PEDS:DM

PEDS and PEDS:DM are two highly accurate, valid developmental-behavioral screening and surveilance tools. Used alone or together, they comply with AAP policy and offer the best solution for early detection. We also offer PEDS ONLINE that also includes the Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers. PEDS ONLINE offers error-free scoring, ICD-9 and procedure codes, generates summary reports for parents, and referral letters when needed.

http://www.pedstest.com/default.aspx

Ages and Stages Developmental Screening

ASQ-3™ and the NEW ASQ Online products are here—now the #1 developmental screener is better than ever! With a NEW research sample of more than 15,000 children and careful attention to user feedback, the experts behind ASQ have made dozens of enhancements to help identify delays as early as possible, save time and money, and make your job easier. Join the thousands who trust ASQ today, and you’ll have the most accurate, valid, and parent-friendly way to screen children from one month to 5 ½ years.
http://www.agesandstages.com/

Closely Spaced Pregnancies Linked to Increased Autism Risk - ABC News

Closely Spaced Pregnancies Linked to Increased Autism Risk - ABC News: "The rising prevalence of autism in the United States suggests that environmental risk factors growing in prominence are at play. New research adds to a growing body of evidence that the risk is conferred well before affected children show symptoms, such as impairments in communication and social interaction -- during pregnancy."

Asperger syndrome - Google Books

Asperger syndrome - Google Books: "Asperger syndrome By Ami Klin"

Freaks, geeks and Asperger syndrome ... - Google Books

Freaks, geeks and Asperger syndrome ... - Google Books: "Freaks, geeks and Asperger syndrome: a user guide to adolescence By Luke Jackson"

Written by a young man with Aspergers

SpringerLink - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 38, Number 10

SpringerLink - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 38, Number 10: "LEGO® therapy and the Social Use of Language Programme (SULP) were evaluated as social skills interventions for 6–11 year olds with high functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome. Children were matched on CA, IQ, and autistic symptoms before being randomly assigned to LEGO or SULP. Therapy occurred for 1 h/week over 18 weeks. A no-intervention control group was also assessed. Results showed that the LEGO therapy group improved more than the other groups on autism-specific social interaction scores (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale). Maladaptive behaviour decreased significantly more in the LEGO and SULP groups compared to the control group. There was a non-significant trend for SULP and LEGO groups to improve more than the no-intervention group in communication and socialisation skills."

Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders — PNAS

Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders — PNAS: "Social adaptation requires specific cognitive and emotional competences. Individuals with high-functioning autism or with Asperger syndrome cannot understand or engage in social situations despite preserved intellectual abilities. Recently, it has been suggested that oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds, may be implicated in the social deficit of autism. We investigated the behavioral effects of oxytocin in 13 subjects with autism. In a simulated ball game where participants interacted with fictitious partners, we found that after oxytocin inhalation, patients exhibited stronger interactions with the most socially cooperative partner and reported enhanced feelings of trust and preference. Also, during free viewing of pictures of faces, oxytocin selectively increased patients’ gazing time on the socially informative region of the face, namely the eyes. Thus, under oxytocin, patients respond more strongly to others and exhibit more appropriate social behavior and affect, suggesting a therapeutic potential of oxytocin through its action on a core dimension of autism."

The relationship between executive functioning, central coherence, and repetitive behaviors in the high-functioning autism spectrum — Autism

The relationship between executive functioning, central coherence, and repetitive behaviors in the high-functioning autism spectrum — Autism: "This study examined the relationship between everyday repetitive behavior (primary symptoms of autism) and performance on neuropsychological tests of executive function and central coherence (secondary symptoms). It was hypothesized that the frequency and intensity of repetitive behavior would be positively correlated with laboratory measures of cognitive rigidity and weak central coherence. Participants included 19 individuals (ages 10—19) with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD group) and 18 age- and IQ-matched typically developing controls (TD group). There was partial support in the ASD group for the link between repetitive behavior and executive performance (the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task). There was no support for a link between repetitive behavior and measures of central coherence (a Gestalt Closure test and the Embedded Figures Test). Further research on repetitive behaviors in autism may benefit from a focus on narrow behavioral and cognitive constructs rather than general categories."

SpringerLink - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 37, Number 5

SpringerLink - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 37, Number 5: "Abstract
Altered visual exploration of faces likely contributes to social cognition deficits seen in autism. To investigate the relationship between face gaze and social cognition in autism, we measured both face gaze and how facial regions were actually used during emotion judgments from faces. Compared to IQ-matched healthy controls, nine high-functioning adults with autism failed to make use of information from the eye region of faces, instead relying primarily on information from the mouth. Face gaze accounted for the increased reliance on the mouth, and partially accounted for the deficit in using information from the eyes. These findings provide a novel quantitative assessment of how people with autism utilize information in faces when making social judgments."

The Complete Guide to Asperger's ... - Google Books

The Complete Guide to Asperger's ... - Google Books: "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome By Tony Attwood"

A cognitive behaviour therapy intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger's syndrome - UQ eSpace

A cognitive behaviour therapy intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger's syndrome - UQ eSpace: "A cognitive behaviour therapy intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger's syndrome"

Asperger Syndrome Guide

Asperger Syndrome Guide: "Definition
Asperger syndrome is often considered a high functioning form of autism. People with this syndrome have difficulty interacting socially, repeat behaviors, and often are clumsy. Motor milestones may be delayed.
Alternative Names
Pervasive developmental disorder - Asperger syndrome; Autistic spectrum disorder - Asperger"

Asperger's Syndrome-Symptoms

Asperger's Syndrome-Symptoms: "Although there are many possible symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome, the main symptom is severe trouble with social situations. Your child may have mild to severe symptoms or have a few or many of these symptoms. Because of the wide variety of symptoms, no two children with Asperger's are alike."

Health Buzz: Autism Study Was an 'Elaborate Fraud' - US News and World Report

Health Buzz: Autism Study Was an 'Elaborate Fraud' - US News and World Report: "A British doctor committed an 'elaborate fraud' by faking data in a since-retracted 1998 study that linked autism to childhood vaccines. That's according to a report published Wednesday by the British Medical Journal that accuses Andrew Wakefield of misrepresenting or altering the medical histories of the 12 children he studied. Published in the journal Lancet, Wakefield's study, which linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, prompted thousands of parents to skip the shot. Some experts say immunization rates have never fully recovered. Reported U.S. measles cases hit a 12-year peak at 140 in 2008, and the majority of sick children were unvaccinated, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."