Autism and Asperger

• Diagnosis, Imaging, Screening
• General Information
• Guidelines
• Internet Sites
• Risk Factors
• Risk Reduction
• Treatment

Treatment is updated with the most recent articles listed on top.
To view only the last month's articles for the other sub-topics, go to our Monthly Online Newsletters page

If you have any questions regarding our Search Reports, please contact us at info@infomedsearch.com.

REVIEW our Selected Autism - Asperger Articles in 2007. Stay informed and updated!

Autism and Asperger

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Autism "Most parents of autistic children suspect that something is wrong by the time the child is 18 months old and seek help by the time the child is 2. Children with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions, and pretend play. In some, aggression -- toward others or self -- may be present. Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly "regress" and lose language or social skills they had previously gained. This is called the regressive type of autism. People with autism may perform repeated body movements, show unusual attachments to objects or have unusual distress when routines are changed. Individuals may also experience sensitivities in the senses …"

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Asperger syndrome "The child with Asperger shows below-average nonverbal communication gestures, fails to develop peer relationships, has an inability to express pleasure in other people's happiness, and lacks the ability to reciprocate emotionally in normal social interactions. The condition appears to be more common in boys than in girls. There are likely genetic factors, but some theories suggest a prenatal infection may be to blame. While people with Asperger syndrome are frequently socially inept, many have above-average intelligence, and they may excel in fields like computer programming and science. There is no delay in cognitive development, in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, or in curiosity about the environment. Generally, there is no language development delay."

NHS (UK) - Autistic spectrum disorder "Autistic spectrum disorder is the term that is used to describe a group of disorders, including autism and Asperger syndrome. The word 'spectrum' is used because the characteristics of the condition vary from one person to another. Those with autism may also have a learning disability. Those who have Asperger syndrome tend to have average, or above average, intelligence, but still have difficulty making sense of the world. The causes of ASD are still unknown, and research is ongoing. However, research suggests that genetic factors may be involved, and there is also some evidence to show that the condition may be linked to environmental factors, such as pollution, or viruses like rubella (German measles). Recent research suggests that around 1 in 100 people have ASD in the UK. It is thought to affect four times as many males than females, although the reason for this is unknown."

NHS (UK) - Autistic spectrum disorder: Diagnosis for adults "Describing your experiences AS is characterised by something known as the triad of impairments. People with AS will be affected in some way by each of these impairments. The autistic spectrum is very broad and two people with the condition may have very different symptoms. No one person will have all the traits but most people with AS will usually have problems in the following three areas. Social communication Difficulty understanding gestures, body language and facial expressions, a lack of social motivation and difficulties making friends Social understanding Difficulties in group situations, problems understanding double meanings and jokes, and choosing topics that are not appropriate to talk about. Imagination This can include difficulty with imagining alternative outcomes and finding it hard to predict what will happen next. This frequently leads to anxiety and can show itself as: An obsession with rigid routines and severe distress if routines are disrupted. Problems with making plans for the future. Problems with sequencing tasks. Secondary traits of Asperger syndrome People with AS tend to have difficulties which relate to the triad but are not included within it. These can include: obsessive compulsive behaviours, obsessive interests in just one topic, social phobias, acute anxiety, depression, social isolation and clumsiness, often linked to a condition known as dyspraxia."

NHS - Autism: real story (Daniel and his family talk about how cycling has helped them all to cope with autism)

Highlighted Articles

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the First 3 Years of Life (Nature Clinical Practice Neurology 2008) “The age at diagnosis of ASD ranges from 3 to 6 years, but there is increasing evidence that diagnosis in the second year of life is possible in some children. Early diagnosis will lead to earlier behavior-based intervention, which is associated with improvements in core areas, such as social functioning and communication. Early detection of—and intervention to treat—ASD is crucial because it is likely to lead to an improved outcome.”

A Prospective Study of Response to Name in Infants at Risk for Autism (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007) "Conclusions Failure to respond to name by age 12 months is highly suggestive of developmental abnormality but does not identify all children at risk for developmental problems. Lack of responding to name is not universal among infants later diagnosed with ASD and/or other developmental delays. Poor response to name may be a trait of the broader autism phenotype in infancy."

Structure of the Autism Symptom Phenotype: A Proposed Multidimensional Model. (Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007) "Conclusions: The pervasive developmental disorder symptom phenotype is composed of three domains or factors: social-communication, inflexible language and behavior, and repetitive sensory and motor behavior. Each child with pervasive developmental disorder can be characterized by these dimensions, which give an informative picture of the clinical presentation and a quantitative estimate of the severity of the disability."

Continue your InfoMedSearch research with our previous InfoMedLinks. Start with InfoMedLinks 2007.

Searching for more specific information related to your condition? InfoMedSearch researchers can search and provide you with a custom report. We can also keep you updated. Great Price! Check out our Search Services page. Use our experience to find the important medical information you need. Help protect you and your family's health.

Custom Search

Autism and Asperger

Diagnosis, Imaging, and Screening

NEWS:

Accelerated head growth can predict autism before behavioral symptoms start “Children with autism have normal-size heads at birth but develop accelerated head growth between six and nine months of age, a period that precedes the onset of many behaviors that enable physicians to diagnose the developmental disorder, according to new research from the University of Washington’s Autism Center. The study also indicates that this aberrant growth is present in children who have the early onset form of autism as well as those later diagnosed with the regression type of the disorder, according to Sara Webb, who led the research. “

Autism Detected At 9 Months Of Age Using Research Tool “The Early Autism Study, led by Mel Rutherford, associate professor of psychology in the Faculty of Science, has been using eye tracker technology that measures eye direction while the babies look at faces, eyes, and bouncing balls on a computer screen.”

Autism 'may be missed in girls' “They found the girls showed different symptoms, and fewer signs of symptoms traditionally associated with autism, such as repetitive behaviour. The researchers, who presented their work to a Royal College of Psychiatrists meeting, said this might mean cases among girls are missed.“

Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact “Klin said that by using eye-mapping technology, it's possible that a vulnerability for autism could be identified much earlier than is currently possible. And, he said, "The earlier we are able to identify children, the better it is, because early interventions make a difference in optimizing children's outcomes." It's estimated that autism, a developmental disorder that disrupts communication and social interaction, affects about 3.4 out of every 1,000 children between the ages of 3 and 10, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Parents are generally the first to notice early signs of autism. The NIMH says that some known early signs that may indicate an autism spectrum disorder in a child include: • By age 1, doesn't babble, point or gesture. • Doesn't speak a single word by 16 months. • By age 2, hasn't combined two words. • Seems to lose language skills. • Interacts poorly socially. • Doesn't respond to his or her name. • Doesn't smile. • Makes poor eye contact. • Doesn't appear to know how to play with toys and may repeatedly line up toys or other objects. “

Brain morphometry volume in autistic spectrum disorder: a magnetic resonance imaging study of adults. (Psychol Med. 2008) “CONCLUSIONS: Within ASD adults, the bulk volume of cerebellum is reduced irrespective of diagnostic subcategory. Also the significant increase in peripheral CSF may reflect differences in cortical maturation and/or ageing.”

Rise In Autism Is Related To Changes In Diagnosis, New Study Suggests “New research suggests that many children diagnosed with severe language disorders in the 1980s and 1990s would today be diagnosed as having autism. The research supports the theory that the rise in the number of cases of autism may be related to changes in how it is diagnosed.”

Toddlers' Focus on Mouths vs Eyes Predicts Autism Severity “According to the study, it is well recognized that within the first week of life typical human newborns tend to focus their attention on the eyes of others. However, in children with autism, "diminished and aberrant eye contact is a lifelong hallmark of disability."”

Unusual Use Of Toys In Infancy A Clue To Later Autism “Studying a group of children at high risk for developing autism, the researchers found that those eventually diagnosed with the disorder were more likely to spin, repetitively rotate, stare at and look out of the corners of their eyes at simple objects, including a baby bottle and a rattle, as early as 12 months of age.”

ARTICLES:

Detect Autism Early. Interactive Tools for Parents.

Detect Autism Early. Learn the Signs of Healthy Child Development.

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the First 3 Years of Life (Nature Clinical Practice Neurology 2008) “The age at diagnosis of ASD ranges from 3 to 6 years, but there is increasing evidence that diagnosis in the second year of life is possible in some children. Early diagnosis will lead to earlier behavior-based intervention, which is associated with improvements in core areas, such as social functioning and communication. Early detection of—and intervention to treat—ASD is crucial because it is likely to lead to an improved outcome.”

Distinct patterns of grey matter abnormality in high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome. (J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008)

Gray and white matter imbalance - Typical structural abnormality underlying classic autism? (Brain Dev. 2008)

It Looks Like Autism: Caution in Diagnosis. (J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2008)

Morphological features of the medial superior olive in autism. (Brain Res. 2008) “In an effort to discover an anatomical correlate for the functional auditory deficits found in autism, we examined the SOC, a group of brainstem nuclei that function in sound source localization, in post-mortem brain tissue from autistic individuals. The neurons of the medial superior olive (MSO), an SOC nucleus, display a precise geometric organization essential for detection of timing differences between the two ears. We examined the architecture of the MSO in five autistic brains (ages 8 to 32 years) and two age-matched controls (ages 26 and 29 years) and found a significant disruption in the morphology of MSO neurons in autistic brains, involving cell body shape and orientation. The results from this study provide evidence on the cellular level that may help to explain the hearing difficulties associated with autism.”

Neuroanatomy of autism. (Trends Neurosci. 2008)

Positive Screening for Autism in Ex-preterm Infants: Prevalence and Risk Factors (PEDIATRICS 2008) “CONCLUSIONS. Early autistic behaviors seem to be an underrecognized feature of very low birth weight infants. The results from this study suggest that early screening for signs of autism may be warranted in this high-risk population followed by definitive autism testing in those with positive screening results.”

Response monitoring, repetitive behaviour and anterior cingulate abnormalities in ASD. (Brain. 2008)

Structural brain abnormalities in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. (J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2007)

Structural neuroimaging in autism. Review. (Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2008)

Voxel-based morphometry study on brain structure in children with high-functioning autism. (Neuroreport. 2008) “Our findings showed global and regional brain volumes abnormality in high-functioning autism.”

Go to the top