Autism in the News – 12.15.11
Autism And Blinking Patterns Examined In New Study (The Huffington Post)
Eyes may be the key to the soul, but the act of opening and closing them — and the rate at which children do it — may provide clues to the mind. According to a new study, “blinking patterns” might contain new insights into how children with autism think. Read more.
New MIT center to fund autism research (The Boston Globe)
A new center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will focus on unraveling the neuroscience behind social behaviors, helping to push forward research and, the scientists hope, to advance diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Read more.
A mother writes asks for help for autistic son and a daughter (The Boston Globe)
Having a child with a neurological disability can be so overwhelming that all other day-to-day aspects of living fall by the wayside. That is the case for a single mother who recently wrote to Globe Santa to ask for gifts for her 11-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old son this holiday season. Read more.
Families cling to hope of autism ‘recovery’ (The Los Angeles Times)An autism treatment called applied behavior analysis, or ABA, has wide support and has grown into a profitable business. It has its limits, though, and there are gaps in the science. Read more.
Author Raises Autism Awareness With “Chicken Boy” (Bloomfield Patch)
Each and every Wednesday night, Gregory G. Allen engages in the same cherished ritual with his godson, Gabriel. They bond over a trip to T.G.I. Friday’s, where the youngster faithfully orders his favorite foods: chicken fingers and french fries, side of ketchup, followed by a slice of red velvet cake. Read more.
There are many other recent published papers related to environment and autism; why only these are discussed here- especially when blinking is really not a top priority?
Toxicol Environ Chem. 2011 May;93(5-6):1251-1273. The plausibility of a role for mercury in the etiology of autism: a cellular perspective.
Garrecht M, Austin DW.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22163375
BMC Pediatr. 2011 Dec 12;11(1):111. [Epub ahead of print]
Effect of a vitamin/mineral supplement on children and adults with autism.
Adams JB, Audhya T, McDonough-Means S, Rubin RA, Quig D, Geis E, Gehn E, Loresto M, Mitchell J, Atwood S, Barnhouse S, Lee W.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22151477
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2011 Dec 13. [Epub ahead of print]
Weight Gain and Metabolic Risks Associated with Antipsychotic Medications in Children and Adolescents.
Maayan L, Correll CU.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22166172
Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2011 Dec 13. [Epub ahead of print]
Prevalence and Correlates of Psychotropic Medication Use in Adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder with and without Caregiver-Reported Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Frazier TW, Shattuck PT, Narendorf SC, Cooper BP, Wagner M, Spitznagel EL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22166171
J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Dec 13. [Epub ahead of print]
The Home TEACCHing Program for Toddlers with Autism.
Welterlin A, Turner-Brown LM, Harris S, Mesibov G, Delmolino L.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22160347
J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print]
Daily Health Symptoms of Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Smith LE, Seltzer MM, Greenberg JS.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22167342
Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Dec 6. doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.165. [Epub ahead of print]
A review of research trends in physiological abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures.
Rossignol DA, Frye RE.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22143005
An opthamologist can help with atypical blinking and other eye muscle issues such as lack of vision, tracking problems and problems making eye contact. It is called
ocular motor dysfunction
and can be treated with vision therapy and or glasses.