Progress Made On Drug For Autism Symptoms

Progress Made On Drug For Autism Symptoms : Shots - Health Blog : NPR: An experimental drug that helps people who have Fragile X syndrome is raising hopes of a treatment for autism.
The drug, called arbaclofen, made people with Fragile X less likely to avoid social interactions, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers suspect it might do the same for people with autism.
Fragile X is a rare genetic syndrome that can cause intellectual and social problems that are very similar to autism.

Older Drug Reinvented for Autism - AGE OF AUTISM

Older Drug Reinvented for Autism - AGE OF AUTISM: "ZURICH—Changes in the brain caused by autism can be reversed in mice, a new preclinical study showed, opening a potential path to develop a treatment for the incurable disorder.
Roche Holding AG,ROG VX +17% a Swiss drug maker, and the University of Basel's Biozentrum said Friday the study identified a way to reverse a dysfunction in the brain's wiring typically caused by the disorder, which stumps intellectual development and can cause aggressive and anti-social behavior, and becomes evident in early childhood.

Nasal spray may be able to help autistic children

Nasal spray may be able to help autistic children :: WRAL.com: "Oxytocin is a naturally produced peptide in the brain," UNC psychiatrist Dr. Linmarie Sikich said.
Oxytocin also works as a neural transmitter in the brain.
Sikich says the small study gave half the children a placebo spray and the other half the oxytocin.

Form of autism might improve with simple treatment, study says

Form of autism might improve with simple treatment, study says - latimes.com: The result, researchers reported Thursday in the online issue of Science, is a severe form of autism whose symptoms include not only social and communication deficits — the hallmarks of the disorder — but also epilepsy and mental retardation.
It’s an encouraging finding, because it suggests a simple treatment: Eating more branched chain amino acids, a nutritional supplement available at health food stores. Indeed, in mice engineered with a mutation in the same gene, symptoms could be controlled by changing their diet.

(Be sure and read the whole article because this information is a little deceiving without the rest.)

Polyunsaturated fatty acids help autism spectrum disorders

foodconsumer.org - Polyunsaturated fatty acids help autism spectrum disorders: For the 16-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 13 children with autism spectrum disorders at a mean age of 14.6 years were given either the fatty acids supplements or placebo. Plasma levels of antioxidants transferrin and superoxide dismutase, markers of signal transduction, were measured and the effect of supplementation was evaluated using the Social Responsiveness Scale and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist–Community.


The study showed supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation regimen significantly improved Aberrant Behavior Checklist–Community–measured social withdrawal and Social Responsiveness Scale–measured communication in the children with autism spectrum who received the supplement.

Father of autistic boy creates an innovative approach to therapy that's bringing children to the table - literally. - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

Father of autistic boy creates an innovative approach to therapy that's bringing children to the table - literally. - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee: Each episode of Be Like Buddy stars the puppet, Buddy, who represents a boy with autism. In the pilot episodes, "Eating at the Table" and "Going to a Restaurant", Buddy is taught daily living skills by an adult who uses principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), a visual schedule and reward system.
And while the adult is always sympathetic, encouraging and direct, Buddy is sometimes silly and imperfect, but willing to try.