autism

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Schools Accused of Abusing Time-Out Rooms

Experts say seclusion rooms being misused to discipline troubled kids

(Newser) - The practice of locking misbehaving children in school "time-out rooms" is troubling a growing number of parents and educators, the AP reports. The rooms—often tiny converted storage spaces—are meant to give kids a place to calm down, but experts say they are being used instead to discipline...

Denis Leary: Autistic Kids Are 'Just Stupid'

Comedian's caustic book says disorder is all in parents' heads

(Newser) - Denis Leary is not a sensitive man. His new book, Why We Suck, seems bound to offend people, the New York Post reports, particularly autistic people. Leary asserts that autism is booming because parents “want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can’t compete academically,” so they...

Autism-Reversing Drugs Show Promise

MIT scientists stumbled onto workaround for misfiring brain system

(Newser) - MIT scientists have discovered one of the mechanisms of Fragile X Syndrome, one cause of autism, and are developing drugs to treat it, NPR reports. The disorder, triggered by a genetic mutation, interferes with the normal links between brain cells, making those networks something like a car without a brakes....

Insurers Balk at Paying for Autism Therapy

Schools now foot the bill, but advocacy group pressing for change

(Newser) - A national autism advocacy group is pushing insurance companies to pick up the tab for intensive new therapies now footed by local school districts, the Boston Globe reports. They say the rising number of autism cases will swamp school budgets and make it unlikely that kids will get the help...

Would-Be Dads Have Ticking Clock, Too

Men's age can affect ability to conceive earlier than women's

(Newser) - When a couple has trouble conceiving, don't necessarily blame the woman and her limited supply of eggs—men's fertility starts dropping even before women's, Time reports. In addition to fecundity issues, older men also risk siring children with higher rates of autism, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and bipolar disorder. Male fertility...

New Study Finds No Vaccine Link to Autism

MMR shot not guilty, say researchers

(Newser) - A new study concludes that a childhood vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella is not linked to autism, reports the Washington Post. Researchers studied bowel biopsies from 38 autistic children and found no link between the vaccine and the digestive problems often associated with autism. The results, which contradict the...

Bipolar Risk Rises With Father's Age

Kids with dads over 30 have greater chance of developing disorder

(Newser) - Children born to fathers older than 30 have an 11% higher chance of developing bipolar disorder than kids with younger dads, and the risk increases with the father’s age, new research reveals. The rate climbs to 37% of offspring of fathers aged 55, Reuters reports, compared to the overall...

Savage Defends Attack on Autistic 'Brats'

Radio host infuriates parents after blaming them for spoiling kids

(Newser) - Right-wing mouth Michael Savage isn't backing down from his remarks characterizing autistic kids as nothing more than "brats," outraging thousands of parents, the New York Times reports. The radio host said in a broadcast last week that autism was a "fraud" and 99% of cases were created...

Study Yields More Clues About Autism

Scientists find genes needed for learning stuck in the off position

(Newser) - Scientists have found six new genes linked to autism, inching closer to a fuller understanding of the disorder and how to treat it, the AP reports. The genes in question are necessary for learning but are essentially stuck in the "off" position. The finding lends credence to the philosophy...

For Top Vaccine Doc, Autism Battle Hits Home

Expert discusses how disorder affects his family

(Newser) - For one of the country's highest-profile vaccine researchers, the accusation that the medical establishment is covering up a link between autism and vaccinations hits a nerve. Peter Hotez's 15-year-old daughter, Rachel, has autism, a fact that colors every aspect of her family's life. Her parents, Peter and Ann, declined to...

Autism Linked to Parents' Mental Disorders

Parents more likely to be ill

(Newser) - A new study of autistic children may provide insight into the causes of autism and its epidemic rates in developed countries. Researchers have found a link between autism and mental disorders among parents—including schizophrenia, personality disorders and clinical depression. Mothers and fathers diagnosed with schizophrenia are about twice as...

Software Brings Autism Therapy Into Homes

Computer network is alternative to expensive, hard-to-get therapists

(Newser) - A Seattle software company is offering new hope to parents of autistic children who struggle to get, and afford, behavioral therapy, which can cost upward of $30,000 a year and isn't usually covered by insurance. Jigsaw Learning has created a game-like computer network, called TeachTown, that provides some aspects...

Autistic Kids Linked to Sperm Donor

Experts warn it's impossible to screen for autism genes

(Newser) - A New York professor who wanted to become a mother contacted a sperm bank and chose sperm from a donor with a high IQ. When her son turned out to be autistic, she contacted other mothers who used the same donor and discovered some of their kids were autistic as...

Schizophrenia Gene Find Surprises Scientists

Glitches vary from person to person

(Newser) - Scientists have tracked down the genetic roots of schizophrenia, but in a surprising twist researchers found that the genetic errors to blame often vary from person to person, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The discovery suggests that multiple glitches in the genetic code are behind schizophrenia, with the exact combination unique...

Digital Tutors May Edge Out Real Thing

Virtual educators don't get frustrated and kids aren't afraid of errors

(Newser) - The best education available these days may be a virtual one, scientists are finding. Today´s digital educators can teach anything from social to language skills—and don't get tired, bored or irritable, LiveScience reports. The programs are a perfect match for autistic kids, who often find face-to-face interactions overwhelming.

Missing Protein May Explain 'Rain Man'

Brain deficiency could play role in creating autistic savants

(Newser) - The absence of a certain brain protein may play a role in the development of “autistic savants”—patients who exhibit the socio-cognitive impairments of autism but possess exceptional aptitude in highly specific areas, Live Science reports. Researchers found mice lacking the Shank1 protein, used for building synapses, learned...

Gluten-Free Diets Gain Converts
Gluten-Free Diets Gain Converts
Feb 1, 2008 5:29 PM CST

Gluten-Free Diets Gain Converts

Celiac disease, autism forced some to change; others just feel better without it

(Newser) - The tide is turning against gluten as more people ditch the protein—found in bread and just about anything made with wheat, barley, or rye—from their diets, the Chicago Tribune reports. Adherents—and not just those suffering from celiac disease, who cannot tolerate the stuff—blame gluten for a...

Docs Demand ABC Pull Vaccine-Autism Drama

Pediatricians worry that 'Eli Stone' will give autism fears a shot in the arm

(Newser) - Angry pediatricians are demanding the first episode of new ABC legal drama "Eli Stone" be pulled because of its dangerous message about childhood vaccinations, reports USA Today. Doctors say the storyline, in which a woman wins a $5.2 million judgment against vaccine companies because of her son's autism,...

Second Life Offers Aid for Asperger's

Online virtual world helps socially awkward patients pick up, practice skills

(Newser) - Sufferers from Asperger’s syndrome, characterized by an inability to pick up social cues, are getting an unlikely assist from the virtual world Second Life, ABC News reports. Researchers have found that the site, in which users communicate through online avatars, is more effective than other therapies for guiding patients...

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

Could be 'tip of the iceberg' of gene flaws linked to disorder

(Newser) - Researchers studying the DNA of autistic children have discovered a pair of genetic mutations that raise the risk of developing autism as high as a hundredfold, USA Today reports. The defects in chromosome 16 occur in just 1% of autistic kids, but that figure represents some 10,000 children. A...

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