Archive
Autism in the News – Tuesday, 10.26.10
Police recover van fitted for boy with autism, wheelchair still missing (St. Paul, Minn.)
St. Paul Police have recovered the van stolen from a family that uses it to take their autistic son to the doctor. Police say a driver noticed the van traveling near Western and University Aves. Monday afternoon. Read more.
Positive Education Program has opened a state-of-the-art $8 million autism center on the west side of Cleveland. It will offer education and family support to up to 110 children in grades K to 12. Read more.
You can see it on their faces as they come into the studio — they are thrilled to be there. Girls and boys dressed for dancing, tying on dance shoes and imitating the moves of their teacher in front of the mirror in a long, airy room. Read more.
Accelerations Educational Software (AES), a developer of software programs for children with autism and other learning disorders, is pleased to announce its expansion into over 1,000 public school districts nationwide. AES has also been able to provide its autism software to nearly 300 private schools, thousands of homes and several foreign markets. Read more.
When he entered the Times Colonist’s So You Think You Can Write contest, English teacher Dean Norris-Jones hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of his students. Read more
Autism in the News – Monday, 10.25.10
Mom honored for autism fight (Cincinnati.com)
Jennifer Brown remembers the summer day in 1977 when her son was diagnosed with autism. ”Back then, they were still saying autism was caused by poor parenting,” says Brown, who lives in Evendale. “They were still calling parents ‘refrigerator mothers.’ ” Read more.
Okla. gymnastics center lets autistic kids tumble (Norman, Okla.)
Within the last few months, Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy has developed a growing fanpage among a network of 10 at Lincoln Elementary School. Read more.
Stormy Stories of Children with Autism (Philippines)
I was frantically texting and calling Gio’s yaya. While my youngest son and I were dry and comfortable in my mother’s QC house, the water in our Cainta home reached eight feet high during Ondoy. Read more.
‘I just can’t believe it’: Chrysalis award winner (Canada)
Shelley Sinner doesn’t have to go to work, she gets to go to work. She never imagined getting an award for something that brings her such joy, but she’s “very proud” of herself nonetheless. Read more.
White Castle’s Popular Original Slider®-Scented Candles Returns for the Holiday Season (Columbus, Ohio)
White Castle announces the long-awaited return of its steam-grilled-on-a-bed-of-onions Original Slider®-scented candles for the holiday season. Starting at midnight (EDT) on October 27, the candles will be available online only at www.houseofcrave.com, White Castle’s online store, for $13 plus shipping. Read more.
Autism Speaks U Joins Forces With California State University-Northridge
California State University-Northridge’s volunteer program called Unified We Serve is partnering with Autism Speaks U for their campus-wide challenge to support those affected by autism. Their challenge, which is called Unified4Autism, is aiming to get 50 different school teams (both students and faculty) to participate in fundraising or awareness events throughout the year. They will also be forming a college Walk team at their local Walk Now For Autism Speaks event.
California State University-Northridge’s (CSUN) events range from loose change campaigns, to hot dog fundraisers to jewelry parties. One of their most recent events had the poplar band LMFAO perform where they had a booth selling glow sticks to benefit Autism Speaks. In addition to spreading autism awareness, the event raised $1,693. Phillip Hain, the LA Walk Director, attended the check presentation on campus. To read more, click here.
CSUN students purchase bracelets at the "Art for Change" event to benefit Autism Speaks. Photo Credit: Natalia Bereznyuk
CSUN’s United Sorority and Fraternity Council (USFC) organized an “Art for Change” event, which was a puzzle piece art campaign that raised $400 by having students donate pocket change. Marielos Renderos, activities director for the USFC, helped organize this event and coordinate with each organization within the USFC to submit a piece of art, for a total of 12 pieces. Click here to read more about students bringing autism awareness through art.
Autism Speaks U is a program designed to engage college students across the country in autism awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts. Its new website offers a wide range of tools to empower students to establish Autism Speaks U chapters, organize events, and encourage their peers to get involved. College students, faculty and alumni can get involved with Autism Speaks U by visiting www.autismspeaks.org/u.
Autism in the News – Friday, 10.22.10
Penn Hills Man With Autism OK After 7-Hour Search (Penn Hills, Penn.)
An extensive search for a missing man came to an end early Friday morning after he turned up OK in Penn Hills. Read more.
Rumer has it (Ireland)
New soul-jazz sensation Rumer addresses the family scandal that nearly overshadowed her music, finding fans like Burt Bacharach and her Irish roots with Ed power. Read more.
Animal welfare expert with autism to speak at KSU (Manhattan, Kan.)
A leading animal welfare expert who has autism will speak about her experiences next month at Kansas State University. Temple Grandin was the subject of an HBO movie that won several Emmy awards this year. Read more.
Parents’ emotional plea for care respite (Brimbank Weekly)
Horror stories abounded at last week’s disability forum for the western region, held 42 days out from the November 27 state election. Read more.
Young adults get help to fit in (Reporter News)
Chris Rodgers was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome while in high school. Read more.
AUTISM SPEAKS DENOUNCES VETO OF LANDMARK NEW YORK AUTISM INSURANCE BILL
Autism Speaks joined with tens of thousands of families and advocates across New York State to express extreme disappointment in Governor David Paterson’s veto of landmark autism insurance reform legislation – passed unanimously by the state legislature – and challenged the cost projections cited by the governor in justifying his decision. The organization immediately began conferring with key legislative allies to determine a course of action, which could include a call for a post-election session of the legislature and an override effort.
“Today is a sad day for tens of thousands of people with autism and their families, the result of a misguided fiscal decision that will actually cost taxpayers untold millions of dollars in the coming years,” said Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks. “This is a significant setback, but it is far from the end of the battle. We will not stop fighting until every child with autism in New York State has access to the treatments they need and deserve.”
The legislation – co-sponsored in the State Senate by Senators Neil Breslin and Thomas Duane, as well as Charles Fuschillo, Jr., and in the Assembly by Assemblyman Joe Morelle and Speaker Sheldon Silver – received overwhelming bi-partisan support, with unanimous passage in both the State Senate and Assembly.
“We urge the autism community to call Governor Paterson (518-474-8390) and express their disappointment,” said Peter Bell, executive vice president of programs and services for Autism Speaks. “Contact your State Senator and Assemblymember and insist that they see through their commitment to the enactment of this critical legislation and call for an override.” (visit Autism Votes to find your local legislator)
The governor’s veto memo stated that his decision was based purely on fiscal considerations and not the legislation’s merits. The memo, though, cited inaccurate costs projections. Actuarial reports have concluded that the actual costs to the state and local municipalities would be negligible during the first year and no more than $30 million once fully implemented. Moreover, private insurance policyholders would see minor premium increases of less than 0.65% – far less than the inflated figures included in the memo.
Twenty-three states have already enacted legislation to end insurance companies’ discrimination against people with autism. Governor Paterson is only the second governor in the United States to veto such legislation, joining South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who vetoed Ryan’s Law in June, 2007. The S.C. legislature subsequently overrode Sanford’s veto and Ryan’s Law was enacted.
To learn more about Autism Votes, an initiative of Autism Speaks focused on federal and state legislative advocacy, please visit www.autismvotes.org.
What is Causing the Increase in Autism Prevalence?
“Got Questions?” is a new weekly feature on our blog to address the desire for scientific understanding in our community. We received over 3000 responses when we asked what science questions were on your mind. We answered a few here and will address the other themes we received in this weekly post.
In the last two decades, autism prevalence as reported in the scientific literature has increased by more than 600%. In 2009, the latest estimate of autism prevalence in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control was 1 in 110 children[1]. Since then, a number of studies have sought to investigate the cause(s) of this dramatic increase in autism prevalence over time. The most recent findings suggest that at least a portion of the increase in prevalence can be attributed to changes in diagnostic practices and increased awareness of autism over time, as well as other social factors such as advanced parental age. However, converging evidence also suggests that while these factors account for a portion of the increase, they cannot alone explain the dramatic rise in autism prevalence.
The criteria for assessing autism has changed over the last 20 years resulting in a broadening of autism diagnoses and the identification of cases that would not have been diagnosed as such using older criteria. Looking at a population of children in California, researchers from Columbia University reported[2] that approximately 26% of the rise in autism caseload between 1992 and 2005 could be directly attributed to changes in diagnostic criteria, specifically the shift from mental retardation diagnoses to autism diagnoses. In other words, 1 in 4 children diagnosed with autism in California today would not have been diagnosed using older diagnostic criteria.
Another aspect of the autism landscape that has changed over the past 20 years is an increase in the awareness of autism among the general public as well as healthcare professionals. In 2010, the Columbia University research team again examined[3] the California sample in an effort to quantify the influence of autism awareness on the rise in autism prevalence. The investigators found that children living in close proximity to another child that had been previously diagnosed with autism had a better chance of being diagnosed with autism themselves. The proposed explanation is information diffusion, or parents talking to and educating other parents about autism resulting in an increased likelihood of their children being diagnosed. It is estimated that 16% of the increase in autism prevalence over time in California was due to social influence and increased awareness.
An additional social factor that has been implicated in contributing to the increase in autism prevalence is advanced parental age. A number of recent publications investigating the relationship between parental age and autism have demonstrated that older parents are at increased risk for having a child with autism. This is not surprising since increased parental age is associated with a slightly increased risk for other developmental disorders as well. Researchers from the California Department of Public Health reported[4] that parental age and particularly maternal age is a significant risk factor for autism, with a 10-year increase in maternal age increasing the odds of having a child with autism by 38% and mothers over the age of 40 at highest risk. Researchers at Columbia University similarly found[5],[6] that older mothers and fathers were at increased risk of having a child with autism and estimated that the increase in parental age over time can account for 11% of the increase in prevalence over the same time period. The underlying mechanism behind the relationship between increased parental age and risk for autism is currently under investigation.
Based on the abovementioned research, approximately 53% percent of the increase in autism prevalence over time may be explained by changes in diagnosis (26%), greater awareness (16%), and an increase in parental age (11%). While this research is beginning to help us understand the increase in autism prevalence, half of the increase is still unexplained and not due to better diagnosis, greater awareness, and social factors alone. Environmental factors, and their interactions with genetic susceptibilities, are likely contributors to increase in prevalence and are the subject of numerous research projects currently supported by Autism Speaks.
The increase in autism prevalence is real and the public health crisis is growing. More families are affected by autism today then ever before. While Autism Speaks has cast a wide net to explore the role of genetic and environmental factors in increasing the risk for autism, the research community requires additional funding support to increase the pace of discovery. Never before has the need for research into the causes of autism and effective treatments for autism been greater.
[1] Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2009;58(SS-10). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20023608
[2] King, M. & Bearman, P. (2009). Diagnostic Change and Increased Prevalence of Autism. International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 38, Issue 5:1224-1234.
[3] Liu, K., King, M., & Bearman, P. (2010). Social Influence and the Autism Epidemic. American Journal of Sociology, Volume 115, Number 5:1387-1434.
[4] Grether, et al. Risk of Autism and Increasing Maternal and Paternal Age in a Large North American Population. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;170(9):1118-26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19783586
[5] Liu, K., Zerubavel, N., & Bearman, P. (2010). Social Demographic Change and Autism. Demography, Volume 47, Issue 2:327-343
[6] King, M., Fountain, C., Dakhlallah, D., & Bearman, P. (2009) Estimated Autism Risk and Older Reproductive Age. American Journal of Public Health, Volume 99, Issue 9:1673-1679.
Autism in the News – Thursday, 10.21.10
Utah lawmakers explore Medicaid waiver for children with autism (Salt Lake City, Utah)
On average, about one in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, while in Utah the ratio is approximately one in 130. Soon-to-be-released figures will likely show an even greater prevalence of the disorder, according to Michael Hales, director of the state Division of Medicaid and Health Financing, and that means a greater demand for services for children with ASD and a great need for assistance for the children’s parents who are the primary caregivers. Read more.
Preschool class open to abled, disabled kids (Upper Township, N.J.)
At the end of a hallway called “Caring and Sharing Road,” Upper Township Primary School’s youngest students sit on a blue rug decorated with numbered fish as teacher Theresa Bryan reviews the day’s agenda: art class, cupcakes for a birthday, a book about pumpkins. Read more.
Dance, baby, dance! (India)
Although dance therapy is a relatively new profession, it is based on the assumption that the body and mind are in constant reciprocal interaction. Motion influences body image and leads from a change in body image to a change in psychic attitude. Read more.
Hi-Lo Reaches Out To Best Care (Jamaica)
In a bid to ensure that children with special needs are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to become productive members of society, Hi-Lo Food Stores recently presented the Best Care Foundation with an education grant. Read more.
Visit to N.J. pharmaceutical company helps disabled students focus on their abilities (East Hanover)
It wasn’t an ordinary field trip for 50 students who visited the Novartis pharmaceutical company yesterday. Read more.
Tune in Thursday, October 21 to Comedy Central!
Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education is hosted by Jon Stewart and will air at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT. During the airing of “Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education” on COMEDY CENTRAL, viewers who call in to a celebrity operated phone bank and make a donation of $100 or more to the program will receive a complimentary White Castle Original Slider®-Scented Candle. Comedians include Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and many, many more. Viewers will be urged to call in to a celebrity phone bank to make donations. Answering the phones during the broadcast will be many of the comedians as well as George Clooney, Larry David and Jimmy Kimmel. Autism Speaks receives 10 percent of all proceeds. Check your local listings.
Holly Robinson Peete Featured in Delta Sky Magazine
Autism Speaks Board of Directors member Holly Robinson Peete was highlighted as the “Cause Celeb” in the October issue of Delta Sky magazine. Holly is a huge advocate not only for Autism Speaks, but also for the autism cause in general. She and her family have shared their story not only in the media but also in books. Holly and her daughter Ryan wrote a children’s book called “My Brother Charley” and Rodney Peete wrote a personal story of coming to grips with his son’s autism diagnosis in “Not My Boy.” We thank Holly for her willingness to participate in this column and encourage you to take a look!
Check out more about Holly here!
