Autism and Asperger
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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."
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."
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Autism and Asperger
General Information
NEWS:
Autism parents 'infection risk' “Caring for children with developmental problems such as autism or Down's syndrome can weaken parents' immune systems, research suggests. Researchers at Birmingham University found they had a poorer immune response to a vaccine against pneumonia. It appears that stress causes the immune system to function less efficiently, the team wrote in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.”
Autism's mysteries remain as numbers grow “According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, three distinctive behaviors characterize autism: lack of social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. But children with autism display these symptoms in many different ways, some as mild as avoiding eye contact, while others are totally immersed in a world of their own. … "It's a combination of being genetically vulnerable, and then having some kind of social or toxic exposure that tips you over," Goldstein says. If scientists find that trigger, they could find the missing piece of the autism puzzle. It's that missing puzzle piece that frustrates families with autistic children. When the Gaston triplets of Ellicott City, Maryland, were born seven years ago, their parents, Lynn and Randy, were thrilled. For years, they had been trying to have children. After in vitro fertilization, Lynn gave birth to identical twins, Hunter and Nicholas, and a fraternal brother named Zachary. Though they were born prematurely, they grew to be healthy, happy babies. Then something changed. At around 18 months, the boys began to display unusual behaviors. Zach became compulsive, lined up cereal boxes and toys; he wouldn't socialize and kept to himself. Hunter would roam the house at night and scream at the top of his lungs. Nick just stopped talking.”
Autism's Social Struggles Due To Disrupted Communication Networks In Brain
"Baby Sibs" Study Finds Early Accelerated Head Growth May Predict Autism
Diet And Autism Research Focuses On Which Foods May Affect Autistic Behavior ““A lot of children with autism have gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea. Whether these problems are related to brain development is open to question,” said Katherine Loveland, Ph.D., co-investigator and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, pediatrics and biomedical sciences at the health science center. “There are neurotransmitters and neuroreceptors in the gut that correspond with those in the brain. There are some scientific reasons to think that some kids may benefit from this diet.”
Fathering Autism “Hotez's feelings as a parent of an autistic child might seem unremarkable, except that he also happens to be one of the country's more prominent vaccine researchers. … "It is not one disorder; it is at least several, and there are probably hundreds," acknowledged Andrew Gerber, a Columbia University autism expert. "There are autisms-- there is an autism spectrum disorder." … Rachel's family took her to see one of the country's top autism experts when she was 2 1/2 . She received her first diagnosis: "pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified," a catchall term. The family felt adrift. Rachel was placing an extraordinary strain on everyone. There were financial worries. "Rachel was more work than all the other kids combined," Peter Hotez said. The illness brought most normal family activity to a halt. "We didn't go out to dinner for a decade." As Rachel missed developmental milestone after developmental milestone, Ann Hotez did what tens of thousands of other mothers would do in her situation: She blamed herself. She started wondering whether she had done something during her pregnancy with Rachel: Was it the tuna fish she had eaten? “
Gov't: Girl’s Autism-Like Symptoms Linked to Vaccines: Federal Officials Say Vaccines Worsened Condition That Led to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Georgia Girl “The government has not said that childhood vaccines cause autism; rather, officials conclude that the vaccines given to the girl in 2000 aggravated a pre-existing condition -- a mitochondrial disorder -- that then manifested as a regressive neurological disease with some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Those who believe there is a vaccine-autism link call the decision a victory, but those who see no link worry that parents will once again shy away from childhood vaccines.“
Kids With Autism May Have Gene That Causes Muscle Weakness
Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study (PLoS ONE 2008) “This study provides strong evidence against association of autism with persistent MV RNA in the GI tract or MMR exposure. Autism with GI disturbances is associated with elevated rates of regression in language or other skills and may represent an endophenotype distinct from other ASD.”
Lack of Eye Contact May Predict Level of Social Disability in Two-Year Olds with Autism “Toddlers with autism preferred looking at the mouth during these video clips, while developmentally delayed and healthy toddlers looked more often at the eyes. Furthermore, for toddlers with autism, lower levels of fixation on the actresses’ eyes in the videos were associated with greater social impairment in everyday life.”
Maternal Antibodies to Fetal Brain Tissue Might Play Role in Autism “In a recent study, compared with mothers of nonautistic children, about 40% of mothers of children with autistic disorder had either stronger reactivity or more areas of reactivity of serum antibodies with fetal brain proteins. In addition, mothers of autistic children with developmental regression were more likely to have serum antibodies that reacted with certain fetal brain proteins. These findings suggest that, along with other possible genetic and/or environmental factors, placental transfer of maternal antibodies might play a role in autism. “
Rainfall autism theory suggested “They also suggested that being forced to stay indoors for longer periods could affect development, perhaps by increased exposure to television, or to household chemicals, or even through a lack of vitamin D, produced by being out in sun. However, they made it clear that none of these was more than a theory, and called for further research to see if the link was a real one. Mark Lever, chief executive of The National Autistic Society said the latest theory would join a succession of others advanced about the condition and its origins. He said: "In recent years autism has been linked to factors as varied as older aged fathers, early television viewing, vaccines, food allergies, heavy metal poisoning, and wireless technology, to name just a few. "Some of these theories are little more than conjecture or have been discredited, others seem more promising and are in need of further study. As yet, however, very few have been substantiated by scientific research." “
Rise in autism cases may be over-estimated “ "The dramatic increase in rates of diagnosis of autism does not necessarily mean there is an epidemic of new cases," Dr. Dorothy V. M. Bishop from the University of Oxford, UK, told Reuters Health. "A large part of the increase could be due to an autism diagnosis being given to children who would previously be identified as having other conditions." “
Study Finds Vaccine Not Linked to Autism “Dr. Marie McCormick of the Harvard School of Public Health said these results are definitive and significant. "This is the nail in the coffin," she said. "The final bit of research we were looking for to finally discredit this link between the measles vaccine and autism" is proven. But there have been dozens of studies over the years debunking a link between vaccines and autism and the controversy has still continued. The National Autism Association released a statement today calling the study "flawed" and saying that it "fell far short of what the public needs to prove safety of the MMR vaccine." “
Surprising Language Abilities In Children With Autism
ARTICLES:
Autism (NY Times Health Guide)
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
A review of recent reports on autism: 1000 studies published in 2007. (Epilepsy Behav. 2008)
Altered face scanning and impaired recognition of biological motion in a 15-month-old infant with autism. (Dev Sci. 2008) “Results suggested that viewing patterns of the child with autism were driven by the physical contingencies of the stimuli rather than by their social context. If corroborated in larger studies, this observation would advance the hypothesis that mechanisms of social development which rely on preferential engagement with socially contingent conspecifics - and which emerge in the very first weeks of life in typical infants - are developmentally derailed in children with autism.”
Analysis of everyday sounds which are extremely annoying for children with autism. (J Acoust Soc Am. 2008)
Analysis of toddlers' gait after six months of independent walking to identify autism: a preliminary study. (Percept Mot Skills. 2008)
Autism Breakthrough: Girl's Writings Explain Her Behavior and Feelings
Autism in infants: an update. (World Psychiatry. 2008)
Autism Prevalence and Precipitation Rates in California, Oregon, and Washington Counties (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008)
AUTISTIC SPECTRUM AND INCLUSION: Including pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream schools (Support for Learning 2008) “The number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) being educated in mainstream schools is increasing. However, there is growing concern about their educational experiences. Research suggests that such pupils make easy targets for bullies, and are considered difficult to teach by teachers. Furthermore, pupils with ASD are more than 20 times more likely to be excluded from school than those without special educational needs. In light of such evidence, the aim of this article is to outline evidence-based strategies to facilitate the presence, participation, acceptance and achievement of pupils with ASD in mainstream settings. The strategies are presented thematically, as follows: (i) challenge stereotypes and raise expectations, (ii) create order from chaos, (iii) promote peer understanding, (iv) develop social skills, (v) adapt academic subjects, and (vi) modify conversational language. These strategies are not intended to be completely comprehensive – rather, they are starting points on a journey towards inclusion for those with ASD.”
Birth Weight and Gestational Age Characteristics of Children With Autism, Including a Comparison With Other Developmental Disabilities (PEDIATRICS 2008)
California Data Do Not Support a Link Between Thimerosal in Vaccines and Autism (Medscape Pediatrics. 2008)
Can Children with Autism Recover? If So, How? (Neuropsychol Rev. 2008)
Color Perception in Children with Autism. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
Compulsive, self-injurious, and autistic behavior in children and adolescents with fragile x syndrome. (Am J Ment Retard. 2008)
Conversational Behaviors in Youth with High-functioning ASD and Asperger Syndrome. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
Epidemiological Study of Autism Spectrum Disorder in China. (J Child Neurol. 2007)
Epilepsy in Autism is Associated with Intellectual Disability and Gender: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis. (Biol Psychiatry. 2008)
Gastrointestinal Symptoms in a Sample of Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
General movements in infants with autism spectrum disorders. (Georgian Med News. 2008)
High prevalence of bipolar disorder comorbidity in adolescents and young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: A preliminary study of 44 outpatients. (J Affect Disord. 2008) “CONCLUSIONS: The major comorbid mood disorder in patients with high-functioning ASD is bipolar disorder and not major depressive disorder. The autistic spectrum may share common vulnerability genes with the bipolar spectrum.”
Individuals with Autism can Categorize Facial Expressions. (Child Neuropsychol. 2008)
Language Assessment and Development in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
Levels of emotional awareness and autism: an fMRI study. (Soc Neurosci. 2008)
Mortality and causes of death in autism spectrum disorders: An update. (Autism. 2008)
New-onset psychiatric disorders in individuals with autism. (Autism. 2008)
Profiling executive dysfunction in adults with autism and comorbid learning disability. (Autism. 2008)
Psychiatric disorders in individuals diagnosed with infantile autism as children: a case control study. (J Psychiatr Pract. 2008)
Rapid facial reactions to emotional facial expressions in typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder. (J Exp Child Psychol. 2008)
Repetitive and Stereotyped Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Second Year of Life. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
Risk of autism spectrum disorders after infantile spasms: A population-based study nested in a cohort with seizures in the first year of life. (Epilepsia. 2008)
[Schizophrenia or Asperger syndrome?] (Presse Med. 2008)
Sensitivity to eye gaze in autism: Is it normal? Is it automatic? Is it social? (Dev Psychopathol. 2008)
Sleep Patterns in Preschool-Age Children With Autism, Developmental Delay, and Typical Development. (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2008)
Sleep Patterns in School-age Children with Asperger Syndrome or High-functioning Autism: A Follow-up Study. (J Autism Dev Disord. 2008)
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