Researchers successfully treat autism in infants: Playing games that infants prefer can lessen severity of symptoms

Researchers successfully treat autism in infants: Playing games that infants prefer can lessen severity of symptoms: Most infants respond to a game of peek-a-boo with smiles at the very least, and, for those who find the activity particularly entertaining, gales of laughter. For infants with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), however, the game can be distressing rather than pleasant, and they'll do their best to tune out all aspects of it -- and that includes the people playing with them.

MIND Institute, Yale study finds abnormalities in the placentas of children at risk for autism

MIND Institute, Yale study finds abnormalities in the placentas of children at risk for autism: A study by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute and the Yale University School of Medicine has found that more than 95 percent of the placentas of infants who are among those at the greatest risk of developing autism contained abnormal cells, called trophoblast inclusions, suggesting that the abnormality may hold promise as a very early marker for autism risk.

The researchers cautioned that the study found an association between trophoblast inclusions and autism risk, rather than a direct correlation with autism itself. The study is published online today in Biological Psychiatry.