autism

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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...

Vaccine Mercury Ruled Out as Autism Cause: Study

Rates continued to climb even after most mercury was eliminated

(Newser) - Mercury in vaccines, long suspected as a cause of autism, has been ruled out in a new study of children suffering from the brain disorder.  Most mercury was removed from the vaccine preservative thimerosal  in 2001—but instead of autism rates falling, they continued to rise in California, according...

New Tech Identifies Rare DNA Disorders

Services link families whose kids were once labeled autistic

(Newser) - New procedures that scan all 46 human chromosomes are helping doctors classify disorders once lumped together as "developmentally delayed" or "autistic"—and helping parents connect to families whose children also have uncommon conditions. The New York Times looks at the lives of parents isolated by their experience...

Parents See Kids' Disorders in Themselves

A child's illness can explain family quirks, reveal long-held secrets

(Newser) - Parents whose kids have psychiatric disorders will often seek, and find, signs of the same illness in themselves, the New York Times reports. Some ailments do run in the family—depression and bipolar disorder, for example—but parents at times dig up symptoms to show solidarity with kids and lessen...

Fevers Offer Clues to Autism
Fevers Offer Clues to Autism
Dec 4, 2007 4:50 PM CST

Fevers Offer Clues to Autism

Studies show symptoms recede when kids have high temperatures

(Newser) - Fevers may alleviate symptoms of autism, including repetitive movements, irritability, and hyperactivity, a recent study shows. The findings confirm what parents have long observed, fueling the hypothesis that heat affects neurotransmitters in the brain that are somehow involved in autism. The research could lead to clues to a cure for...

'Top Model' Draws Focus to Asperger's

Reality TV contestant with disorder becomes a viewer favorite

(Newser) - Although she has been eliminated from "America's Top Model," contestant Heather Kuzmich, a consistent viewer favorite, continues to bring attention to Asperger's syndrome. Kuzmich, who has the neurological disorder, says she hopes to keep modeling and become a spokesperson for others with the condition, the New York Times...

Diagnosis Helps Parents Look Beyond ADHD

Disorder, known for 3 decades, affects kids' sensitivity to stimuli

(Newser) - Some kids whose behavioral difficulties don't quite match up with symptoms of ADHD or autism may warrant a different diagnosis: sensory processing disorder. Most doctors aren't familiar with the term because it isn't in psychiatric manuals, but occupational therapists have been treating the disorder since the '70s. Still, reports Time,...

Pediatricians Urge More Autism Screening

All children should be evaluated twice by age 2

(Newser) - Children should be screened twice for autism by the time they are 2 years old, says a leading pediatricians group. Although there is no cure for autism, early therapy can help lessen symptoms, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in two reports released today. The group lists warning signs parents...

Testosterone in Womb Linked to Autistic Traits

Supports theory that problem is 'extreme male brain' disorder

(Newser) - An eight-year study has found a link between high levels of fetal testosterone and autistic traits in children, reports the BBC. Scientists don't know whether the testosterone causes the autistic tendencies or if the hormone is a by-product of autism, but the findings appear to support the head researcher's theory...

Scientists Find Switch to Turn On Brain Cells

Breakthrough could treat mental disorders

(Newser) - Neuroscientists are experimenting with switching targeted groups of brain cells on and off using remote-controlled lasers, promising hope for treatment of mental disorders, reports the New York Times. The technique, using cells altered with a photo-sensitive protein called channelrhodopsin-2, could one day be used to treat a host of problems...

Pesticide Exposure May Increase Autism Risk

Limited study posits link between disorder and environmental factor

(Newser) - Certain pesticides may be partially responsible for causing autism, a small study reveals. The autism rate among the children of 29 women living near California fields sprayed with organochlorine pesticides was six times higher than that in kids of women living farther away, the LA Times reports. But researchers warn...

Autism-Vaccine Link Becomes Federal Case

Hearing into possible connection gives families day in court

(Newser) - Nearly 8 years after the government asked vaccine makers to reduce the use of a preservative that contains mercury, hearings began today to probe the connection between autism and childhood vaccines. If the U.S. Court of Federal Claims finds a link, the plaintiffs could qualify for compensation through a...

Cho Diagnosed as Autistic, Say Relatives

Uncle in Seoul says parents didn't have money for treatment

(Newser) - Virginia Tech assassin Cho Seung-Hui's relatives in Seoul, tracked down by the  London Mirror, report that Cho had been diagnosed as autistic after arriving in the U.S. His grandfather's sister, Kim Yang-Sun, said Cho caused his mother "a lot of problems"  as a child and "never...

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