Medical records find evidence linking autism to obesity — SFARI.org - Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

Medical records find evidence linking autism to obesity — SFARI.org - Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative: Preventing obesity and overweight has critical implications for the health and quality of life of people with autism, says lead investigator Sarabeth Broder-Fingert, a pediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and research fellow with Harvard Pediatric Health Services. "I worry that if a kid has autism and goes to the doctor, [weight issues] might not be addressed because other issues are addressed," she says.

Children with autism often have larger heads, weigh more and are taller than their typically developing peers. Researchers suggest that these differences are due to skeletal abnormalities, but a number of other autism characteristics point toward a relationship with overweight and obesity.

The Kids Who Beat Autism - NYTimes.com

The Kids Who Beat Autism - NYTimes.com: The specialists taught the parents that if their child wanted something, they should hand it to him — but should not let go until he looked at them. Within a month, B. was looking at people when he asked them for something, having learned it was the only way to get what he wanted. Within four months, he was looking at people even when he wasn’t soliciting help. Soon he learned to point to things he desired, a skill that required weeks of lessons. Once B. understood the power of pointing, he no longer pulled his mother to the refrigerator and howled till she happened upon the food he wanted; now he could point to grapes and get grapes. “Between the time he was age 1 and almost 3,” L. said, “I remember only darkness, only fear. But as soon as I figured out how to teach him, the darkness lifted. It was thrilling. I couldn’t wait to get up each morning and teach him something new. It wasn’t work at all. It was a huge, huge relief.” Soon B. began to use language to communicate, albeit inventively at first. One time when B. pointed to the grapes in the fridge, L. took them out, plucked them off the stem and handed them to him — at which point he started screaming. He threw himself on the ground, flailing in misery. L. was baffled. He had clearly pointed to the grapes. What had she misunderstood? Why were his tantrums so frustratingly arbitrary?

Parenting dimensions in mothers and fathers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Parenting dimensions in mothers and fathers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Rearing a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a unique challenge for both parents. Previous studies addressed how mothers are affected by the challenges of raising a child with ASD, mostly in terms of stress pattern. In this study, we focused on comparisons between mothers and fathers of children with ASD in parental stress, attitude and mental health. We examined 99 parents of children with ASD using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, the Parental Style Questionnaire, the Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The results revealed the gender differences in the parental attitude and mental health. Mothers reported that they engaged in more social behaviors with their children than fathers. In addition mothers reported higher level of depression than fathers. No difference among parents emerged in the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that parenting distress is associated with depression, balance of parents’ diverse roles in their life and dysfunctional interaction between parents and children. These findings highlight both similarities and differences between mothers and fathers of children with ASD and the existence of a relationship between parental stress, mental health and attitude. Results suggest the importance of developing specific intervention programs which incorporate these fundamental parenting domains.

14 potential signs of autism you may be overlooking | Deseret News National

14 potential signs of autism you may be overlooking | Deseret News National: Though the disorder is more popular in boys (one in 42 boys are diagnosed, compared to one in 189 girls), it is something that all races and ethnicities, from all classes of society, are facing, the CDC reported.

Most kids are diagnosed between 4 and 5 years old, research has found. Between 80 and 90 percent of kids show signs of autism before the age of 2, according to the CDC.

But sometimes it can go unnoticed.

New Research Suggests Parents Can 'Move' Their Children Off Autism | Video - ABC News

New Research Suggests Parents Can 'Move' Their Children Off Autism | Video - ABC News: New Research Suggests Parents Can 'Move' Their Children Off Autism

'Love Hormone' Oxytocin May Help Some With Autism – WebMD

'Love Hormone' Oxytocin May Help Some With Autism – WebMD: Known as the "love hormone," oxytocin has been shown to play a role in emotional bonding between lovers, and between mothers and their children.











In this study, it boosted underperforming neural activity in a key area of the brain that has long been associated with the processing of both empathy and emotion recognition.

The finding has only been observed among male autism patients who are relatively "high-functioning," meaning that they possess verbal communication skills that exceed those of people with more severe autism.

For children with autism, brain inflexibility may explain behavior | Fox News

For children with autism, brain inflexibility may explain behavior | Fox News: “One of the core clinical symptoms of autism is restricted interests and repetitive behaviors,” senior study author Vinod Menon, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, told FoxNews.com. “Autism is characterized by significant behavioral inflexibility and we were interested in finding out the brain basis of inflexibility.”






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This behavioral inflexibility can manifest as atypical motor behaviors including hand flapping or restricted interests such as preoccupation with particular activities, objects and sounds. Menon noted that these behaviors could impact how a child with autism attends to the external world.

Long-Term Treatment Outcomes for Parent-Assisted Social Skills Training for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: The UCLA PEERS Program - Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities - Volume 7, Issue 1

Taylor & Francis Online :: Long-Term Treatment Outcomes for Parent-Assisted Social Skills Training for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: The UCLA PEERS Program - Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities - Volume 7, Issue 1: Social deficits are a hallmark characteristic among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), yet few evidence-based interventions exist aimed at improving social skills for this population, and none have examined the maintenance of treatment gains years after the intervention has ended. This study examines the durability of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), a manualized, parent-assisted social skills intervention for high-functioning adolescents with ASD. Targeted skills related to the development and maintenance of friendships were assessed 1–5 years following treatment for 53 adolescent participants and their parents. Results indicate that adolescents receiving PEERS maintained treatment gains at long-term follow-up on standardized measures of social functioning including the Social Skills Rating System and the Social Responsiveness Scale as well as in frequency of peer interactions and social skills knowledge. Perhaps due to parent involvement in treatment, results reveal additional improvements in social functioning at follow-up assessment.

Targeted Interventions for Social Communication Symptoms in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders - Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Fourth Edition - Volkmar - Wiley Online Library

Targeted Interventions for Social Communication Symptoms in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders - Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Fourth Edition - Volkmar - Wiley Online Library: Young children with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulty in social communication, regardless of the child's intellectual capacity. It is important to understand which interventions show the most promise in improving social communication for at least three reasons: (1) social communication plays a crucial role in a child's ability to participate in daily interactions with others, (2) social communication abilities have implications for future development, and (3) social communication remains one of the most difficult aspects of the disorder to effectively treat. A best evidence synthesis of the intervention literature shows that current treatment approaches are more likely to effect change in social communication that is not generalizable beyond the treatment context, and is closely related to the skills taught within the intervention. However, treatments that are shown to produce generalized change in the child include some combination of naturalistic interactions, child-centeredness, adult direction, play routines, parent and family involvement, a developmental orientation, and physiological regulation.

A study comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated kids is coming…and SafeMinds is concerned | Left Brain Right Brain

A study comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated kids is coming…and SafeMinds is concerned | Left Brain Right Brain: There are at least three such studies in the works. Two are being funded by groups antagonistic to vaccines. The self-named “National Vaccine Information Center” is funding a project at George Mason University. Said study is, I believe, run by someone from NVIC. Generation Rescue is funding a project at Jackson State University, “Researching into the causes of autism”. In previous years, Generation Rescue was funding Jackson State for a project “vaccination status and health outcomes among homeschool children in the United States”, which is likely the same project just with a different name. Perhaps that’s the same study that the founder of “Focus Autism” is complaining about here. Either way, there are two, maybe more, vaccinated/unvaccinated studies that have been underway for a few years, funded by groups generally antagonistic towards vaccines.

Autism Speaks Flip-Flops on Vaccines and Autism, Walks Away From Prevention -- WATCHUNG, N.J., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --

Autism Speaks Flip-Flops on Vaccines and Autism, Walks Away From Prevention -- WATCHUNG, N.J., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --: There was a time when the world's largest autism charity strongly urged the U.S. government to examine the possibility of a vaccine-autism link. "We believe that the question of whether immunization is associated with an increased risk for ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] is of extremely high priority" wrote Dr. Geraldine Dawson, former Chief Science Officer for Autism Speaks, in a 3000-word letter to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) of Health and Human Services. She also warned: "Recent studies point to a key role of the immune system in the biology of ASD, raising questions about the effects of the significant immune challenges associated with vaccinations, particularly when delivered in combination and early in life." That same year (2009), Autism Speaks advocated for federal dollars to be spent on vaccine safety research.