Feds Warn Against Unproven Autism Treatments - Disability Scoop: The Food and Drug Administration is warning that many products claiming to treat or cure autism do not work and may present serious risks.
In a notice to consumers, the agency said it has warned several companies that they will face legal action if they do not stop peddling products to the autism community using false or misleading information.
The FDA specified five therapies that may “carry significant health risks” and commonly rely on false claims in marketing to those with autism — chelation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, miracle mineral solution, detoxifying clay baths and CocoKefir probiotics products.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Study Ties Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy to Autism Risk in Boys – WebMD
Study Ties Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy to Autism Risk in Boys – WebMD: Boys with autism were three times more likely to have been exposed to antidepressants known as SSRIs in the womb than typically developing children, according to new research.
The new study also found that boys whose mothers took SSRIs -- drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- during pregnancy were also more likely to have developmental delays.
Results of the study were published online April 14 and in the May print issue of Pediatrics.
The new study also found that boys whose mothers took SSRIs -- drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- during pregnancy were also more likely to have developmental delays.
Results of the study were published online April 14 and in the May print issue of Pediatrics.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Antidepressant use in pregnancy linked to autism risk in boys: Study - CBS News
Antidepressant use in pregnancy linked to autism risk in boys: Study - CBS News: Boys with autism were three times more likely to have been exposed to antidepressants known as SSRIs in the womb than typically developing children, according to new research.
The new study also found that boys whose mothers took SSRIs -- drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- during pregnancy were also more likely to have developmental delays.
The new study also found that boys whose mothers took SSRIs -- drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- during pregnancy were also more likely to have developmental delays.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Autism may be linked to faulty prenatal brain growth in at least some kids, small study says
Autism may be linked to faulty prenatal brain growth in at least some kids, small study says: A small study that examined brains from children who died found abnormal patterns of cell growth in autistic children. The research bolsters evidence that something before birth might cause autism, at least in some cases.
Clusters of disorganized brain cells were discovered in tissue samples from brain regions important for regulating social functioning, emotions and communication — which can all be troublesome for children with autism.
Clusters of disorganized brain cells were discovered in tissue samples from brain regions important for regulating social functioning, emotions and communication — which can all be troublesome for children with autism.
A mother's obesity only weakly linked to autism - UPI.com
A mother's obesity only weakly linked to autism - UPI.com: A father's obesity could be a greater risk factor for autism than maternal obesity an international research team suggest.
Dr. Pal Suren of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University College London's Institute of Child Health and colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, University of Oslo, University of Bristol, University of Bergen, Lovisenberg Hospital in Oslo analyzed data of 92,909 Norwegian children at ages 3, 5 and 7. By the end of the follow-up period of the study, the 92,909 children were aged 4 to 13.
Dr. Pal Suren of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University College London's Institute of Child Health and colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, University of Oslo, University of Bristol, University of Bergen, Lovisenberg Hospital in Oslo analyzed data of 92,909 Norwegian children at ages 3, 5 and 7. By the end of the follow-up period of the study, the 92,909 children were aged 4 to 13.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Electroconvulsive therapy for autism: ECT eases self-injurious behavior.
Electroconvulsive therapy for autism: ECT eases self-injurious behavior.: W
hen I tell people about the electroconvulsive therapy my autistic 15-year-old son Jonah has been getting for the past four years, the response has been ... surprise, certainly. Curiosity. Interest. No horror, no judgment. But that’s to be expected from those close to my family: They know we spent the better part of a decade struggling to manage Jonah’s aggressive and self-injurious behaviors. Countless therapies, behavior plans, medication trials, and even an almost yearlong hospitalization at one of the nation’s premier facilities failed to stop his frequent, intense, and unpredictable rages.
hen I tell people about the electroconvulsive therapy my autistic 15-year-old son Jonah has been getting for the past four years, the response has been ... surprise, certainly. Curiosity. Interest. No horror, no judgment. But that’s to be expected from those close to my family: They know we spent the better part of a decade struggling to manage Jonah’s aggressive and self-injurious behaviors. Countless therapies, behavior plans, medication trials, and even an almost yearlong hospitalization at one of the nation’s premier facilities failed to stop his frequent, intense, and unpredictable rages.
Could ECT be effective in autism? [Med Hypotheses. 2004] - PubMed - NCBI
Could ECT be effective in autism? [Med Hypotheses. 2004] - PubMed - NCBI: Autism is increasingly diagnosed, but therapeutic options are limited in many children. ECT is considered as a safe, effective, and life-saving treatment in people of all ages who suffer from affective disorders, acute psychosis, and, in particular, catatonia. There are recent speculations that certain types of autism may be the earliest expression of catatonia and that both disorders have identical risk factors. Therefore, ECT may improve autism and, if started early enough, may prevent further development of autistic symptoms in some children. The use of ECT in autism has never been systematically assessed. There have been two large ECT studies in children in the 1940s. Autism was not assessed in these studies because the autistic syndrome was just then being recognized as a separate entity. Findings from these studies add little to the hypothesis that ECT may be effective in autistic children, but attest to the safety and feasibility of ECT in children
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
How to Think About the Risk of Autism - NYTimes.com
How to Think About the Risk of Autism - NYTimes.com: MANY known risks for autism occur during late pregnancy and birth. Premature birth is a risk for developmental disability, including autism. Notably, elective cesarean section is associated with an autism risk ratio of 1.9. Since a substantial proportion of early deliveries are elective, without a compelling medical reason, this risk is preventable.
A highly underappreciated prenatal risk is stress. For pregnant women who take the sometimes-wrenching step of emigrating to a new country, for example, the risk ratio is 2.3. In the fifth through ninth months of pregnancy, getting caught in a hurricane strike zone carries a risk ratio of about 3. Maternal post-traumatic stress disorder during pregnancy is associated with a similar effect. These events are likely to trigger the secretion of stress hormones, which can enter the fetus’s bloodstream and affect the developing brain for a lifetime. Stressors may also lead to maternal illness, the immune response to which may interfere with brain development.
A highly underappreciated prenatal risk is stress. For pregnant women who take the sometimes-wrenching step of emigrating to a new country, for example, the risk ratio is 2.3. In the fifth through ninth months of pregnancy, getting caught in a hurricane strike zone carries a risk ratio of about 3. Maternal post-traumatic stress disorder during pregnancy is associated with a similar effect. These events are likely to trigger the secretion of stress hormones, which can enter the fetus’s bloodstream and affect the developing brain for a lifetime. Stressors may also lead to maternal illness, the immune response to which may interfere with brain development.
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