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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: autism

autism stories: 70 news summaries

41 - 60 of 70 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>

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 Autism-Reversing 
 Drugs Show Promise 

MIT scientists stumbled onto workaround for misfiring brain system

Sep 24, 08 12:50 PM CDT
(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.... More »

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medical breakthrough • mental health • autism • MIT • brain • neurons • scientific research • Fragile X Syndrome

Insurers Balk
at Paying for Autism Therapy

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

Sep 16, 08 6:33 PM CDT
(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... More »

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health insurance • autism • patient advocate • School costs • learning disabilities • developmental • special education

Would-Be Dads Have Ticking Clock, Too

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

Sep 10, 08 1:12 PM CDT
(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... More »

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fertility • sperm • autism • schizophrenia • testosterone • bipolar disorder • male fertility • Down Syndrome

New Study Finds No
Vaccine Link to Autism

MMR shot not guilty, say researchers

Sep 4, 08 6:00 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Columbia University • autism • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • vaccine • MMR • measles mumps rubella • Andrew Wakefield • W. Ian Lipkin • Rick Rollens • MIND Institute

Bipolar Risk Rises With Father's Age

Kids with dads over 30 have greater chance of developing disorder

Sep 2, 08 3:26 PM CDT
(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... More »

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mental health • autism • schizophrenia • mental illness • Sweden • bipolar disorder • birth defect

Savage Defends Attack on
Autistic 'Brats'

Radio host infuriates parents after blaming them for spoiling kids

Jul 22, 08 2:32 AM CDT
(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... More »

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talk radio • autism • children • neurological disorder • Michael Savage

Study Yields More Clues About Autism

Scientists find genes needed for learning stuck in the off position

Jul 10, 08 6:20 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Middle East • autism • DNA • genetic defects • scientific study • neurons • synapse

For Top Vaccine Doc,
Autism Battle Hits Home

Expert discusses how disorder affects his family

Jul 1, 08 7:33 PM CDT
(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... More »

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autism • vaccination • vaccine • Peter Hotez • Ann Hotez • Rachel Hotez

 Autism Linked
 to Parents'
 Mental Disorders 

Parents more likely to be ill

May 6, 08 3:18 AM CDT
(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... More »

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depression • autism • schizophrenia • parents • University of North Carolina School of Public Health • Julie Daniels

Software Brings Autism Therapy Into Homes

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

May 1, 08 8:00 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
autism • software • treatment • startup • cognitive behavioral therapy

Autistic Kids Linked to
Sperm Donor

Experts warn it's
impossible to screen
for autism genes

Apr 3, 08 8:07 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
genetics • autism • genetic screening • sperm bank • sperm donors

Schizophrenia Gene Find Surprises Scientists

Glitches vary from person to person

Mar 28, 08 6:08 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
mental health • autism • schizophrenia • mental illness • genetic mutation • genes • genetic research

Digital Tutors May Edge Out
Real Thing

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

Feb 22, 08 3:33 AM CST
(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. More »

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education • autism • science • virtual reality • virtual teacher

Missing Protein May Explain 'Rain Man'

Brain deficiency could play role in creating autistic savants

Feb 13, 08 4:27 PM CST
(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... More »

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autism • neuroscience • cognitive science • synapse

Gluten-Free Diets Gain Converts

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

Feb 1, 08 5:29 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
autism • diet • gluten • wheat • celiac disease

Docs Demand ABC Pull Vaccine-Autism Drama

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

Jan 29, 08 4:17 AM CST
(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,... More »

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television • autism • ABC • vaccine • doctor • pediatricians

Second Life Offers Aid for Asperger's

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

Jan 16, 08 2:18 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
autism • research • Second Life • Asperger's Syndrome

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

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

Jan 10, 08 3:50 AM CST
(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... More »

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autism • DNA • vaccine • medical research • genetic mutation • genes • genetic research

Vaccine Mercury Ruled Out as Autism Cause: Study

Rates continued to climb even after most mercury was eliminated

Jan 8, 08 5:45 AM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
autism • thimerosal • Department of Health • mercury • Montreal Children's Hospital • Dr. Robert Schechter • Judith Grether

New Tech Identifies Rare DNA Disorders

Services link families whose kids were once labeled autistic

Dec 28, 07 11:50 AM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
autism • genetic testing • DNA • genetic code • genetic disorders • chromosomal disorders

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