M-CHATTM Diana L. Robins, Ph.D.

M-CHATTM Diana L. Robins, Ph.D.: M-CHATTM

Diana L. Robins, Ph.D.

New Autism Checklist More Accurate, Says NIH | WebProNews

New Autism Checklist More Accurate, Says NIH | WebProNews: When it comes to autism, diagnostic speed is key. Treatments for the condition rely on early intervention therapies and the sooner in the life of a child with autism they begin, the better.

Revised autism screening tool offers more precise assessment

Revised autism screening tool offers more precise assessment: An updated screening tool that physicians administer to parents to help determine if a very young child has autism has been shown to be much more accurate than earlier versions at identifying children who could benefit from further evaluation, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism – WebMD

Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism – WebMD: Despite some concerns to the contrary, children whose moms used antidepressants during pregnancy do not appear to be at increased risk of autism, a large new Danish study suggests.

The results, published Dec. 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine, offer some reassurance, experts said.

Oxytocin nasal spray may improve brain activity in autistic children | Fox News

Oxytocin nasal spray may improve brain activity in autistic children | Fox News: In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, children who received a single dose of an oxytocin-based nasal spray experienced enhanced activity in regions of the brain regulating social behavior.

Genes and air pollution combine to increase autism risk - Medical News Today

Genes and air pollution combine to increase autism risk - Medical News Today: Drawing on results of previous studies that have shown associations between air pollution and autism, and between autism and the MET gene, the researchers say their new study reveals that the combination of these factors increases the risk of autism.

Oxytocin And Autism: How The ‘Love Hormone’ Temporarily Improves Brain Function In Children

Oxytocin And Autism: How The ‘Love Hormone’ Temporarily Improves Brain Function In Children: A single dose of oxytocin – commonly known as the" love hormone" – delivered via nasal spray, has improved brain function among children with autism who display deficits in processing social information, according to a new Yale University study.

Bacterium can reverse autism-like behaviour in mice : Nature News & Comment

Bacterium can reverse autism-like behaviour in mice : Nature News & Comment: Doses of a human gut microbe helped to reverse behavioural problems in mice with autism-like symptoms, researchers report today in Cell1. The treatment also reduced gastrointestinal problems in the animals that were similar to those that often accompany autism in humans.

Bacterium can reverse autism-like behaviour in mice : Nature News & Comment

Bacterium can reverse autism-like behaviour in mice : Nature News & Comment: Doses of a human gut microbe helped to reverse behavioural problems in mice with autism-like symptoms, researchers report today in Cell1. The treatment also reduced gastrointestinal problems in the animals that were similar to those that often accompany autism in humans.

Probiotics treat autism-like symptoms in mice | Futurity

Probiotics treat autism-like symptoms in mice | Futurity: Mice with symptoms similar to autism improved after they were treated with probiotic therapy.

The results, reported in the journal Cell, offer the first evidence that changes in gut bacteria can influence autism-like behaviors in mice.

Single spray of oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism, study suggests

Single spray of oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism, study suggests: A single dose of the hormone oxytocin, delivered via nasal spray, has been shown to enhance brain activity while processing social information in children with autism spectrum disorders, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study published in the Dec. 2 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Can Synesthesia in Autism Lead to Savantism? | MIND Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network

Can Synesthesia in Autism Lead to Savantism? | MIND Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network: Daniel Tammet has memorized Pi to the 22,514th digit. He speaks ten different languages, including one of his own invention, and he can multiply enormous sums in his head within a matter of seconds. However, he is unable to hold down a standard 9-to-5 job, in part due to his obsessive adherence to ritual, down to the precise times he has his tea every day

Alternative Autism Therapy Focuses On Stimulus Response - Health News - redOrbit

Alternative Autism Therapy Focuses On Stimulus Response - Health News - redOrbit: Our senses work together to paint a picture of the world around us. The way we respond to stimuli outside (a sight or a smell, for instance) depends on how well our senses work together and how the brain processes this ‘integrated’ signal.

However, a simple activity such as smelling a flower can turn into a nightmare when the signals don’t integrate and the brain is not able to understand these garbled signals.

P.L.A.Y. Project Research and Evidence

P.L.A.Y. Project Research and Evidence: The P.L.A.Y. Project is excited to announce that our 3-year NIMH-funded randomized, controlled trial has yielded positive and statistically significant results! For more information about this study, please see the grant summary below. We are in the process of publishing the results and will conduct a formal press release upon publication. To hear Dr. Solomon discuss the details of this study, please listen to his webinar

New Treatment Capitalizes on Autism’s Unique Characteristics | Psych Central News

New Treatment Capitalizes on Autism’s Unique Characteristics | Psych Central News: The methods are tied to learning to self-regulate the autonomic nervous system —including the fight or flight mechanism — that, for many people with autism, is an engine idling on high.

Cognitive Therapy Helps Parents after Child Autism Diagnosis | Psych Central News

Cognitive Therapy Helps Parents after Child Autism Diagnosis | Psych Central News: A new study suggests a form of cognitive therapy may help reduce parental stress and depressive symptoms immediately after their child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The technique is known as problem-solving education (PSE) and has been shown to help mothers of children with autism.

Video could transform how schools serve teens with autism | MSUToday | Michigan State University

Video could transform how schools serve teens with autism | MSUToday | Michigan State University: According to the researchers, the students demonstrated a rapid increase in the level of complex social behaviors each time video-based group instruction was used. Students sustained those social behaviors at high levels, even when the videos were used less often.

The students’ parents also completed anonymous surveys and indicated high levels of satisfaction. One reported their child started asking family members to play games together, a skill the teen had never before displayed at home.

The 5 Scariest Autism 'Treatments' - Forbes

The 5 Scariest Autism 'Treatments' - Forbes: Autism invites its share of quacks. In fact, it might have more quacks in its vicinity than a duck pond. After almost a decade of watching “cures” and “treatments” come and go … or stay and stay and stay, bafflingly … I’ve unconsciously created a list in my head, a la High Fidelity, of the Top 5 Scariest Autism Treatments Ever. And I don’t even mean that tongue-in-cheek for Halloween. I mean, these are dangerous in the “can kill you or cause permanent harm” sense. Yet, they remain in use in some circles and flogged by certain organizations who claim a commitment to curing or ‘recovering’ children from autism. So, from my head to yours:

Theatre could help autistic youth improve social deficits

Theatre could help autistic youth improve social deficits: A novel autism intervention program is using theatre to teach reciprocal communication skills to improve social deficits in adolescents with the disorder, a new study has revealed.

The newly released study assessed the effectiveness of a two-week theatre camp on children with autism spectrum disorder and found significant improvements were made in social perception, social cognition and home living skills by the end of the camp.

Web-based autism intervention tool shows promise

Web-based autism intervention tool shows promise: A new web-based intervention tool for challenging behaviors has been shown to be effective as far as its function-based intervention components are concerned, a team from CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) reported in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders1.

Called the "BIP Builder", it is one of the components of an online autism solution known as Skills® (BIP stands for Behavioral Intervention Plan).

link between pregnancy weight gain and autism | ksl.com

U of U researchers find link between pregnancy weight gain and autism | ksl.com: According to a January 2013 article from The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, Utah vital records data show 51 percent of Utah women had excessive weight gain during pregnancy and 1 in 3 were overweight before becoming pregnant.

“The risk of autism spectrum disorder associated with a modest yet consistent increase in pregnancy weight gain suggests that pregnancy weight gain may serve as an important marker for autism’s underlying gestational etiology,” Bilder said.

Discovery at UNC points to possible environmental cause of autism | Science/Technology | NewsObserver.com

Discovery at UNC points to possible environmental cause of autism | Science/Technology | NewsObserver.com: Shih also said the study could inspire ideas for autism treatments: “If we know that topoisomerase is not functioning optimally, you can imagine that a compound or drug that compensates for that change or restores the function of the topoisomerase could have a positive impact on those individuals whose autism is tied to that.”

Noncontingent Reinforcement - Evidence Based Intervention Network

Noncontingent Reinforcement - Evidence Based Intervention Network: Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is a powerful method to reduce problematic behavior. NCR involves giving the student access to a reinforcer frequently enough that they are no longer motivated to exhibit disruptive behavior to obtain that same reinforcer. A classic example of NCR is a teacher placing a child on his or her lap during group instruction such that the child has no motivation to seek the teacher’s attention while the teacher is conducting story time with the class. There have been many empirical demonstrations of the effectiveness of the NCR interventions with a comprehensive demonstration of the evidence base by Carr, Severtson, and Lepper in 2008.

An Evaluation of the High-Probability Instruction Sequence with and Without Programmed Reinforcement for Compliance with High-Probability Instructions

An Evaluation of the High-Probability Instruction Sequence with and Without Programmed Reinforcement for Compliance with High-Probability Instructions: We assessed the effects of reinforcement and no reinforcement for compliance to high-probability (high-p) instructions on compliance to low-probability (low-p) instructions using a reversal design. For both participants, compliance with the low-p instruction increased only when compliance with high-p instructions was followed by reinforcement. These results suggest that providing reinforcement for high-p instructions may result in increased compliance to low-p instructions.

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Linguistic Contingent Responses take on two different forms: linguistic contingent responses to the child's communicative act and linguistic contingent responses to the child's focus of attention. To provide linguistic contingent responses to the child's communicative act, the adult must add information the child's communication attempts by expanding the semantic and syntactic information.

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: These responses typically add little linguistic information beyond acknowledging the child's behavior. However, non-linguistic contingent responses can influence communication by enhancing joint attention focus, enhancing the child's knowledge of cause and effect, and enhancing the child's exploration of his/her environment. All factors that have been recognized as positively influencing future communicative acts.

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: To sustain communication between the child and the adults in his/her environment, provide structured play activities in which your child must use symbolic forms of communication to interact in order to continue playing with a favorite toy or game. Research on long term memory suggests that meaningful rehearsal of a task is one of the factors that positively influence long term memory (Ormrod, 1990).

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Children with Autism, in particular, tend to be visual learners. They seem to decipher visual instructions more efficiently than verbal commands. Verbal messages, such as spoken words, are difficult for children with autism to process because they disappear fast. Non-transient messages, on the other hand, provide a clear and stable message that the child can refer to with or without the assistance of the adult and without the need to understand the meaning of the word.

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: According to Piaget, a child's sense of knowing comes from schemes or mental structures. Initially, schemes are simple, however, over time, they build upon each other and become more complex. In order for schemes to mean anything to the child, they must be balanced. For this to occur, the child must learn to assimilate (be given) and accommodate (know how to use) any stimuli they are presented. Consistent structured routines will provide the child with the exposure and practice in the area of accommodation (knowing how to use the item).

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: A typical interrupted behavior chain (IBC) strategy uses naturally occurring routines as contexts for communication instruction related to requests for assistance by children who are minimally motivated to communicate

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Provide the child with more appropriate ways to express himself/herself. Challenging or inappropriate behaviors are often attempts for children to communicate a message to others. Through the use of functional communication training, challenging behaviors are viewed as communicative acts that are functionally equivalent to alternative and more conventional methods

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Place items in a spot where the child can see the items, but cannot obtain the item, without the assistance from the adult. This can be done in a number of ways. First, highly motivating items can be placed behind the adult, but in clear view. Since the child cannot go through the adult, he or she must communicate with the adult to receive the item. Second, items can be placed inside a cabinent, container or a closet and picture icons or photographs can be placed on the outside of the closet or cabinet door. Once again, providing the need for adult assistance to obtain the item.

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Time Delay is a natural-environment intervention designed to increase the number of opportunities for communication and to establish environmental stimuli rather than adult verbalization, as cues for communication. Time delay is a strategy to use with individuals who have been verbally cued to communicate and have become dependent on the adult prompts, or individuals who need some encouragement to be more spontateous and independent

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: Incidental teaching refers to the the "interaction between an adult and a single child, which is used by the adult to transmit information or give the child practice in developing a skill." All interactions are child-initiated. However, in order to produce the child's interactions, the adult arranges the environment so that the child must engage the adult's assistance in order to get a desired item

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies

autism strategies classroom chatboard message board IEP information chat room teach teaching information class students autistic support children - communication strategies: The Mand-Model technique will encourage communicative competence because it is designed for children who are generally not initiators of communicative exchanges. This approach is likely to be successful with children when they will be communicating to recieve highly preferred items. For example, food, drink, and toys are more likely to ensure a high level of motivation

The Severity of Autism Is Associated with Toxic Metal Body Burden and Red Blood Cell Glutathione Levels

The Severity of Autism Is Associated with Toxic Metal Body Burden and Red Blood Cell Glutathione Levels: This study investigated the relationship of children's autism symptoms with their toxic metal body burden and red blood cell (RBC) glutathione levels. In children ages 3–8 years, the severity of autism was assessed using four tools: ADOS, PDD-BI, ATEC, and SAS. Toxic metal body burden was assessed by measuring urinary excretion of toxic metals, both before and after oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Multiple positive correlations were found between the severity of autism and the urinary excretion of toxic metals. Variations in the severity of autism measurements could be explained, in part, by regression analyses of urinary excretion of toxic metals before and after DMSA and the level of RBC glutathione (adjusted of 0.22–0.45, in all cases). This study demonstrates a significant positive association between the severity of autism and the relative body burden of toxic metals.

A biomarker of mercury body-burden correlated with diagnostic domain specific clinical symptoms of autism spectrum disorder - Springer

A biomarker of mercury body-burden correlated with diagnostic domain specific clinical symptoms of autism spectrum disorder - Springer: The study purpose was to compare the quantitative results from tests for urinary porphyrins, where some of these porphyrins are known biomarkers of heavy metal toxicity, to the independent assessments from a recognized quantitative measurement, the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), of specific domains of autistic disorders symptoms (Speech/Language, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior) in a group of children having a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Genetic Condition May Be Mistaken for Autism in Some Kids: Report – WebMD

Genetic Condition May Be Mistaken for Autism in Some Kids: Report – WebMD: Some children diagnosed with autism may actually have a genetic deletion disorder instead, according to a new study.

These children are often misdiagnosed because the social impairments associated with their developmental delay can resemble features of autism, said the researchers at the University of California, Davis, MIND Institute.

Rates of autism in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have been reported at between 20 percent and 50 percent. But this study found that none of the 29 children with the syndrome "met strict diagnostic criteria" for autism.

Enrichment therapy effective among children with autism, UCI study finds | UCIrvine News

Enrichment therapy effective among children with autism, UCI study finds | UCIrvine News: Children with autism showed significant improvement after six months of simple sensory exercises at home using everyday items such as scents, spoons and sponges, according to UC Irvine neurobiologists.

They found that a treatment known as environmental enrichment led to notable gains in male subjects between the ages of 3 and 12. Results appear online in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Study co-authors Cynthia Woo and Michael Leon randomly assigned 28 boys to one of two groups, balanced for age and autism severity. For half a year, all subjects participated in standard autism therapies, but those in one group also had daily sensory enrichment exercises.

Clinical research: Autism, bipolar disorder may often overlap — SFARI.org - Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

Clinical research: Autism, bipolar disorder may often overlap — SFARI.org - Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative: As much as 30 percent of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may also have autism, suggests a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry1.

Bipolar disorder affects about 1 percent of children and is characterized by severe mood swings between mania and depression. Some of the symptoms, such as irritability and aggression, are also common in autism.

Studies Link Infertility Treatments to Autism - TIME

Studies Link Infertility Treatments to Autism - TIME: Every parent of a child with autism wonders what might have caused the disorder. Does it secretly run in the family? Was there a toxic exposure during pregnancy? An infection in early infancy? Was the mother or father too old?

Amy Sawelson Landes of Tarzana, Calif., has asked herself all of these questions, plus one more: Could the fact that she had taken an infertility drug to get pregnant have contributed to her son Ted's autism? "It was one of the first things I wondered about," says Landes, who was 37 when Ted was born 18 years ago.

Can a common hormone prevent unborn babies from developing autism? | Fox News

Can a common hormone prevent unborn babies from developing autism? | Fox News: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), both conditions that are neurodevelopmental in origin, may share some similar molecular vulnerabilities, according to a new rodent study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

When researchers from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Ill., exposed pregnant rats to alcohol, they found their offspring experienced symptoms of social impairment and altered-levels of genes that have been previously linked to autism in humans.

Boston Children’s Hospital testing transplant drug on children with autism - Health & wellness - The Boston Globe

Boston Children’s Hospital testing transplant drug on children with autism - Health & wellness - The Boston Globe: After joining a clinical trial at Boston Children’s Hospital, Katie started to speak in complete sentences for the first time, her 30-second attention span extended into minutes, and she was finally able to retain information from one day to the next, said her mother, Susan Mills.

Autism Risk And Labor Induction: Is There A Link? - Forbes

Autism Risk And Labor Induction: Is There A Link? - Forbes: The headlines linking labor induction and autism risk are splashy–aren’t they always with “autism linked to” stories? My favorite misstatement of the research is in this headline from Bloomberg: “Autism risk for children may be raised when labor induced,” as though the cause-and-effect association is established and inducing labor is The Factor that leads to the risk.

Autism’s Unexpected Link to Cancer Genes - NYTimes.com

Autism’s Unexpected Link to Cancer Genes - NYTimes.com: Ten percent of children with mutations in a gene called PTEN, which cause cancers of the breast, colon, thyroid and other organs, have autism. So do about half of children with gene mutations that can lead to some kinds of brain and kidney cancer and large tumors in several organs, including the brain. That is many times the rate of autism in the general population.

Using Movement to Diagnose and Treat Autism | TIME.com

Using Movement to Diagnose and Treat Autism | TIME.com: By taking advantage of disrupted motor connections in the brains of autistic children, researchers say it may be possible for affected kids to guide their own therapy.



Scientists from Rutgers University and Indiana University have developed a novel and objective way to both diagnose and treat children with autism, by focusing on the unique ways that autistic brains process movement.

What parents of boys of ADHD or autism should know about video games - MD Mama - Boston.com

What parents of boys of ADHD or autism should know about video games - MD Mama - Boston.com: A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) spent more time playing video games and were more likely to get addicted to them than boys with "typical development." It seemed to be most linked to attention problems: boys who had particular trouble paying attention, whether they had ADHD or ASD, were the ones most likely to get addicted.

Autism: 'different developmental brain chemistry'

Autism: 'different developmental brain chemistry': The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, reveals that gray matter chemical changes that occur between the ages of 3 and 10 years differentiate children with autism spectrum disorder from those with idiopathic (an unknown cause) developmental disorder.

Autism symptoms not explained by impaired attention

Autism symptoms not explained by impaired attention: Now, a new study suggests that two key attentional abilities -- moving attention fluidly and orienting to social information -- can be checked off the list, as neither seems to account for the diversity of symptoms we find in people with autism.

"This is not to say that every aspect of attention is fine in all children with autism -- children with autism very often have attentional disorders as well," explain psychological scientists and lead researchers Jason Fischer and Kami Koldewyn of MIT. "However, our study suggests that attention impairments are not a key component of autism itself."

Brain differences found between Asperger's and autism | Fox News

Brain differences found between Asperger's and autism | Fox News: Children with Asperger's syndrome show patterns of brain connectivity distinct from those of children with autism, according to a new study. The findings suggest the two conditions, which are now in one category in the new psychiatry diagnostic manual, may be biologically different.