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.

Scientists Create New Technology to Diagnose and Treat Autism - Yahoo! News

Scientists Create New Technology to Diagnose and Treat Autism - Yahoo! News: A team of scientists from the Indiana University School of Medicine and Rutgers University have developed a computerized tool that tracks an individual's random movements, according to ScienceDaily. The high-tech software creates 240 images per second and senses systematic signatures unique to the individual being screened. This contrasts with the traditional way of looking for autism, which usually relies on subjective evaluations of how a person interacts socially, any communication deficits, and interests and behavior that appear repetitive and restricted.

Autism linked to brain-attacking antibodies Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com

Autism linked to brain-attacking antibodies Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com: About 23 percent of autism cases appear to be caused by certain antibodies from pregnant mothers that interfere with fetal brain development, according to two studies from UC Davis researchers.

The findings, if corroborated, mean that a large segment of autism spectrum disorder cases could be identified with near-perfect accuracy, even before symptoms manifest. But the research doesn't shed light on the great majority of other cases of ASD; in which a variety of factors appear to be involved.

High levels of air pollution during pregnancy linked to increased autism risk - NY Daily News

High levels of air pollution during pregnancy linked to increased autism risk - NY Daily News: Pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of air pollution were twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in low pollution areas, a Harvard University study said on Tuesday.

According to researchers, this is the first large national study to examine links between the prevalence of pollution and the development of the developmental disorder.

Prenatal Exposure to Pollution Raises Risk of Autism in Kids | TIME.com

Prenatal Exposure to Pollution Raises Risk of Autism in Kids | TIME.com: Pollutants in the air are known to affect brain development, but the first national study of in utero exposure and autism rates raises new concerns.


Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) say that early-life exposure to pollution, including diesel particulates, mercury and lead, could contribute to a higher risk of autism disorders.

Autism in children affects not only social abilities, but also a broad range of sensory and motor skills

Autism in children affects not only social abilities, but also a broad range of sensory and motor skills: "This impaired connectivity suggests that autism is not simply a disorder of social and communicative abilities, but also affects a broad range of sensory and motor systems," Müller said.

Disturbances in the development of both the structure and function of the thalamus may play a role in the emergence of social and communicative impairments, which are among the most prominent and distressing symptoms of autism.

Unique Brain Pattern Could Predict Autism in Youngest Children | TIME.com

Unique Brain Pattern Could Predict Autism in Youngest Children | TIME.com: A highly interconnected brain could mean that signals zooming from sensory nerves to other networks become too overwhelming to parse apart and process, which researchers believe is a hallmark of the autistic brain. And in a study published in JAMA Psychiatry, Stanford University researchers report that this pattern of hyperconnectivity in some brain areas could provide a fingerprint for autism that helps doctors to recognize the condition at its earliest stages.

The Right Incentive Can Erase an Autism Deficit: Scientific American

The Right Incentive Can Erase an Autism Deficit: Scientific American: With the right incentive, such as winning a prize, children with autism do fairly well at inferring the thoughts and beliefs of others, according to a study published in the May issue of Developmental Science.

Research has shown that children with autism usually struggle with a widely used test designed to gauge this ability, called theory of mind. The new study suggests that they are able to grasp theory of mind, but don’t have a strong motivation to give the correct answer when taking the classic test.

Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection: In-Vitro Technique Raises Autism Risk

Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection: In-Vitro Technique Raises Autism Risk: Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, in which a sperm surgically extracted from the testes is injected directly into an egg before being transplanted to the womb, was associated with an increased risk of autism and mental disability in children, compared with standard methods.

Some forms of IVF linked to risk of autism, mental disability | Reuters

Some forms of IVF linked to risk of autism, mental disability | Reuters: Couples who have certain types of fertility treatment have a higher chance of having a child with autism or learning difficulties - although the overall risk is still extremely small, scientists said on Tuesday.

Updates to the APA in DSM-V – What do the changes mean to families living with Autism? Includes information on many kinds of interventions.

Excellent video, worth taking the time to watch.

Eating Healthy Fats During Pregnancy May Reduce Baby's Autism Risk | LiveScience

Eating Healthy Fats During Pregnancy May Reduce Baby's Autism Risk | LiveScience: Women who eat certain types of "healthy fat" during pregnancy may reduce their risk of having a child with autism, a new study suggests.

In the study, women who consumed high levels of linoleic acid — a type of omega-6 fatty acid found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds — were 34 percent less likely to give birth to a child with autism compared with women who consumed low levels of the nutrient.

Study Debunks Lyme Disease-Autism Link - US News and World Report

Study Debunks Lyme Disease-Autism Link - US News and World Report: Although a prevalence of Lyme disease as high as 20 percent (or even higher) has been reported in children with autism, the new research found no cases of Lyme disease in children when testing recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was done.

Drug shows benefit for children with autism - thenews.com.pk

Drug shows benefit for children with autism - thenews.com.pk: Children on arbaclofen did improve on an overall measure of autism severity when compared to kids taking an inactive placebo, said lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, an associate professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. He is to present the findings Thursday at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Spain.

Autistic disorder and phospholipids: A review

Autistic disorder and phospholipids: A review: Dysregulated phospholipid metabolism has been proposed as an underlying biological component of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autistic disorder (AD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review provides an overview of fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism and evidence for phospholipid dysregulation with reference to the membrane hypothesis of schizophrenia. While there is evidence that phospholipid metabolism is at least impaired in individuals with AD, it has not been established whether phospholipid metabolism is implicated in causal, mechanistic or epiphenomenological models.

Autism discovery paves way for early blood test and therapeutic options

Autism discovery paves way for early blood test and therapeutic options: The study, led by GGC's Director of Research, Charles Schwartz, PhD, (left) and Staff Scientist, Luigi Boccuto, MD, (right) found that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) showed significantly decreased metabolism of the amino acid L-tryptophan when compared to both typical controls and individuals with other neurodevelopmental disorders. Cells from individuals with autism metabolized L-tryptophan at a decreased rate whereas cells from individuals without autism did not show this change.

Trinity Study: High-Fat Diet Could Help Autism - Courant.com

Trinity Study: High-Fat Diet Could Help Autism - Courant.com: Masino said the ketogenic diet has been used for decades to treat epilepsy and is known to significantly reduce and, in some cases, eliminate, patients' seizures. More recently, the diet has been studied as a means to treating other neurological disorders, including autism. A 2003 study out of Greece found that 18 of 30 children with autism showed improvement.