Tuesday, May 31, 2011

New Evidence Favors the Folate Hypothesis for Autism

Brian Hoyle

May 31, 2011 (Denver, Colorado) — A new study has documented the presence of a polymorphism in the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) — essential for the metabolism of vitamin B₉ (folate) — which almost doubles the chance of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The data provide further genetic evidence for a link between folate and autism.
Daniel Schulteis, MD, from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, presented the study results here at the Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research 2011 Annual Meeting.
Although autism is generally regarded as having a genetic basis with environmental triggering factors, the details have yet to be completely defined, and no single theory has prevailed, Dr. Schulteis noted. Dietary supplementation with folate has been anecdotally liked to the improvement of symptoms of ASD, "despite a lack of medical evidence and endorsement," Dr. Schulteis told Medscape Medical News.
Indeed, a converse link between autism and excess folate has been suggested. Genetic evidence for a folate connection with autism was first reported in a study of 168 autistic children that chronicled the doubled prevalence of MTHFR polymorphisms in those with autism, compared with those in the control group (J Am Phys Surg. 2004;9[4]:106-108).
Dr. Schulteis and his colleagues established the MTHFR registry in 2002, and used the accumulated data to examine the reported genetic link in detail. The database contains information on patients who have been screened for the 677A→T and 1298A→C MTHFR polymorphisms in connection with other clinical concerns.
Scrutiny of the records of 487 patients younger than 26 years of age revealed that 246 (51%) had 1 of the 2 mutations. The 677A→T mutation was predominate, affecting 67% of the patients. Fourteen of these individuals had ASD, which is appreciably greater than the accepted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted prevalence of 4.43 (or 1 in 110) in young people. The prevalence rate of ADS in the control subjects conformed to the 1 in 110 rate.
Of the 14 cases, 9 (64.3%) harbored either a homozygous (n = 2) or heterozygous (n = 7) MTHFR polymorphism (χ², 24.06; P < .001; risk ratio [RR], 1.76). The 677A→T polymorphism displayed the greatest statistical risk (χ², 17.81; P < .001; RR, 1.459), especially the heterozygous polymorphism (χ², 18.507; P < .001; RR, 1.647).
The prevalence of ASD in those with MTHFR polymorphisms was 1.7 times greater than it was in the control population.
"Our results add credence to the folate hypothesis, at least in this select number of ASD cases. These data should not be taken as a recommendation for change regarding folate supplementation, but are an indication of the need for further prospective studies," Dr. Schulteis explained to Medscape Medical News.
"The study design appears good. The number of samples evaluated was somewhat limited, but were selected based on conditions often associated with the MTHFR C677T polymorphism. The conclusions are appropriate based on these data, and support the hypothesis that individuals with this particular polymorphism are at increased risk to develop autism," Eugene J. Rogers, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, told Medscape Medical News.
Dr. Schulteis pointed out that the study was specifically intended to address the role of the 2 particular mutations.
"Other genes that impair folate transport and metabolism may also contribute to the risk of abnormal neurodevelopment, but MTHFR C677T is also a known risk for placental abruption (miscarriage) under 'normal' folate nutritional status, which is minimized under conditions that enhance maternal folate status during pregnancy."
"Therefore, it is highly likely that the folic acid food fortification/supplementation era has increased the birthrate of individuals with this polymorphism. They require more folic acid for neurodevelopment after birth, and are more susceptible to functional folate deficiency and neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism, than those without this polymorphism," Dr. Rogers noted.
"This study was small but was statistically significant, implying that larger studies will most likely show a stronger association between the presence of MTHFR C677T and autism. These studies need to be done now," he added.
The authors and Dr. Rogers have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) and Asian Society for Pediatric Research 2011 Annual Meeting: Abstract 3843.506. Presented May 3, 2011.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1219969328542551061

Autism awareness scant as crisis mounts: hearing

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — Activists and experts pressed the US Congress on Tuesday to do more to help promote worldwide awareness of autism, which they said is becoming an escalating health crisis.
"Autism is a 'developmental disability pandemic.' It is largely under recognized, under appreciated in its impact and under resourced," argued Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, who leads a House subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights.
A developmental disability, autism can interfere with social and communication skills. There is no cure, and its causes are unknown, though genetics and environmental factors are thought to play a role.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes ASD (autism spectrum disorder) as an "urgent public health concern."
The disability that affects one's ability to communicate and interact with others and typically appears during the first three years of life.
But a new population-wide study of South Korean children has just shown autism rates much higher than in the United States, suggesting more people worldwide may have the disorder than previously thought.
By examining 55,000 children age 7-12, even those not enrolled in special education programs, researchers found that one in 38 children had some form of autism, including the more mild social disorder known as Asperger's Syndrome.
In the United States, the autism prevalence rate is believed to be one in 110.
But US studies have tended to focus on children in special education programs, and have not screened entire populations in the regular school system where high-functioning autistic children may be enrolled, as was done in South Korea.
"I think the (South Korean) study has set the stage for more investigation," Andy Shih, scientific affairs chief at Autism Speaks, told the panel.
Shih called the findings in South Korea "startling," and said they "raised important questions about if we are underestimating" ASD prevalence in the United States.
Around the world, recent years have seen many Western countries put in place screening programs. But developing countries lag far behind in screening and in some cases, particularly in Africa, in overcoming cultural stigma enough to make progress on diagnosis and care fronts, Smith and others noted.
"Communication is the key," said Brigitte Kobenan, an Ivory Coast native who has a son with autism and founded Autism Community of Africa. She said many government officials in Africa were not aware of the condition. And people in some African nations treat a child with ASD as a bad omen, hiding them for fear they will get no support and only be ostracized.
But media campaigns and social workers can get the word out as a first step, Kobenan added.
Arlene Cassidy, of Autism Northern Ireland, said on a remote connection that boosting autism's profile for research and as a public health issue was critical.
"The status quo is against us... The funding priority overall is still very low," Cassidy said. "When there's no data, there's no problem," she said. "The key is finding the budget... and quantifying the need."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gSg6KZ8LQz7Uz5_95H6ran7JCxdg?docId=CNG.836b5e3d9530f1a41a32f2a2dc8f9d11.ed1

Monday, May 30, 2011

Asperger's Syndrome: High-Functioning Autism to Lose Its Name

By KATIE MOISSE

May 25, 2011

Eileen Parker was 41 years old when she discovered her quirky, misunderstood behavior had a name: Asperger's. The syndrome, which is marked by impaired social interaction and sensory overload, joins other neurological disorders on the autism spectrum. And for Parker, the label came as a relief.
"It opened up my world," said Parker, who is now 45. "Having been on the outside, I all of sudden found I was on the inside with millions of other people."
Parker said the Asperger's diagnosis, which is used interchangeably with high-functioning autism, made it easier for her to get along with others -- even her husband and their four kids.
"They could finally understand why I was a certain way. They said, 'Oh, that's why you're like that.'"
The American Psychiatric Association formalized the diagnosis of Asperger's in 1994, 50 years after it was first described by Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger. But the association plans to remove the term "Asperger's" from its new diagnostic manual, set for release in 2013 -- a decision that has sparked criticism from advocacy groups.
"When the term 'Asperger's' started to get used, it was a tremendous relief for families of children and adults with the syndrome. They finally had a name for what was going on; they could finally understand what the struggle in their lives was about," said Dania Jekel, executive director of the Asperger's Association of New England. "My worry is that we'll go back 16 years to a time when folks with Asperger's syndrome will not be recognized."

But members of the American Psychiatric Association's Neurodevelopment Disorders Workgroup, the group spearheading the change, said removing the term "Asperger's" from its manual and instead refering to it as an autism spectrum disorder will help focus the diagnosis on an individual's special skills and needs at that moment in time.
"The Asperger's distinction is based on early language delay, but many people come in as adults and have difficulty reporting this reliably," said Francesca Happe, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and a member of the workgroup."We have known for years that autism is a spectrum, which is enormously heterogeneous. ... There is no good basis to distinguish Asperger's from high-functioning autism. The distinction doesn't make scientific sense."
The term "high-functioning" refers to language and intellectual ability -- skills that set Asperger's apart from other disorders on the spectrum. But Jekel worries that removing the term "Asperger's" might open the door for misinterpreting it as just a mild form of autism.
"For many, Asperger's is not mild," she said. "If you have an IQ that's fairly high and you're verbal, people expect you to be like everyone else and get along in the world. But this is something that really can be very, very difficult for people to live with."
In response to an invitation for public comment on the proposed change, Jekel asked that "Asperger's" continue to be used as a descriptive word for a specific region of the spectrum.
"My hope is to have a name not only for Asperger's but for other parts of the spectrum, too," she said. "I think we're lucky to already have a name, and I'd like to see that continued so that families and educators can continue to use this word."
Happe said people are free to continue using the word as a descriptor, acknowledging that it has raised awareness that a person can be on the spectrum of autism disorders and have higher functions.
"When someone uses the term, I know what they mean," she said. "It's a sort of an exemplar-based category."

Asperger's' Label Essential to Services

For Phyllis Anderson, the term "Asperger's" is a ticket to obtaining essential services for her 15-year-old son, Garrett.
"I need the label to get some sort of response from the administrators," said Anderson, who lives in Dallas. "If I can tell them my son has this label, they're a lot quicker to cover their backs and provide for my son. So that label does carry weight in the school system."
For Garrett, who was diagnosed in second grade, the Asperger's label is bittersweet. While helping him to understand why he's different, it makes it harder for him to fit in.
"I know my son has struggled because he just wants to be normal," Anderson said. "But I think it's good to know and understand how you're wired."
For Parker, whose diagnosis came much later in life, the label had a "profound effect." It helped her find life-changing therapies, a new community of people with similar experiences, and even a new calling. She now runs a company that makes weighted blankets, which help people with sensory processing disorders, a symptom of Asperger's, stay calm and sleep better.
"I always knew I was different but didn't know why," Parker said. "I think I started to accept myself more."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AutismSymptomsDiagnosis/aspergers-syndrome-set-lose/story?id=13674552

Founder of electric shock autism treatment school forced to quit

Institute uses punishment machine to discipline severely autistic and emotionally disturbed children by giving them electric shocks

Ed Pilkington in New York
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 May 2011 23.49 BST
Article history

The founder of a controversial school that treats severely autistic and emotionally disturbed children by shocking them into submission with the use of electrodes has been forced to quit the institution and serve five years' probation. Matthew Israel, a Harvard-trained psychologist, has created a treatment that is unique to the US and possibly the world. The Judge Rotenberg Center, just outside Boston, disciplines its students using a punishment machine that Israel invented called the GED, which gives a two-second electric shock to the skin of up to 90 milliamps. At the centre, which was profiled by the Guardian earlier this year, students wear backpacks around the clock with the GED electric generators inside them, and are zapped using remote control devices controlled by their carers. In some cases, they are shocked as often as 30 times a day as a means of dissuading them from behaviour deemed dangerous to themselves or others. The criminal charges brought against Israel relate to an incident in August 2007 at one of the school's residential homes where students sleep at night. A call came in from someone posing as an authorised supervisor, who informed the carers on duty that two teenagers had misbehaved and should be given shock treatment. At 2am, the boys were strapped on boards and given multiple shocks. One of the boys, aged 18, was shocked 77 times over a three-hour period and the other boy, aged 16, was shocked 29 times. It was later discovered that the initial call had been a hoax. The Massachusetts attorney general, Martha Coakley, indicted Israel over allegations that he ordered his staff to destroy video evidence that revealed exactly what happened that night. Prosecutors had previously ordered that the video recordings from the home were preserved. "Dr Israel then attempted to destroy evidence of the events and mislead investigators, and that conduct led to his indictments today. Today's action removes Dr Israel from the school and should ensure better protection for students in the future," Coakley said. The conviction is a substantial blow to Israel, who has weathered a storm of protest about his controversial methods for 40 years. He announced his retirement from the school on 2 May, without referring to the pending criminal case. He said he was moving to California, where his wife Judy lives. "I am now almost 78 years old, and it is time for me to move over and let others take the reins," he said in a resignation letter. But his departure will not materially change the way the school operates, crucially its technique of disciplining children by meting out electric shocks as a form of supposedly therapeutic punishment. Of the school's 225 students, 97 are currently on the electric shock regime. The terms of the plea deal struck between Israel and the prosecutors require the school to introduce additional monitoring to prevent a similar lapse of security happening again. But the shocks themselves can continue. "The case was only about Israel's conduct, it did not address the way the school is run," a spokesman for the attorney general's office said. Laurie Ahern of Disability Rights International, which has been a persistent critic of the school, said that without an end to the shocks, Israel's departure would be irrelevant. "I don't see any radical change at the moment." Hillary Cook, who spent three years at the school until 2009, and who was regularly shocked, said that whatever happened to Israel, she wanted to see the regime of shocks abolished. "I'm just worried about the kids who live there, because I know what it's like. They say the shocks are like a bee sting, and believe me they are not. It should be illegal to physically harm children and disabled people in this country." The school has been a subject of huge controversy over past decades, with regular attempts to shut it down. Last year its use of electric shocks was attacked as a form of torture by the UN rapporteur on torture. In February, the justice department opened an investigation into the school after it received a complaint alleging the centre had violated disability laws. Despite the negative publicity directed at him, Israel managed to keep operating for so long partly because he had the vociferous support of parents of severely autistic children at the school. The centre rarely uses drugs on its students, in contrast to many other homes for autistic people where heavy doses of psychotropic drugs are prescribed. At the time of Israel's resignation, Louisa Goldberg, whose son has been on the shock regime for the past 11 years, said that "Dr Israel's pioneering efforts have given our child back his life and we are extremely grateful for all that he has done for our family." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/electric-shock-autism-treatment-school

Complexities of Autism Extend to Its Treatment

Parents struggle to find blend of therapies for children with mix of behavioral symptoms

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with autism often find themselves struggling to make sense of their child's behavior.
What's worse, there's no single best way to treat the frightening and frustrating neurodevelopmental disorder. Children might have a mix of social impairments, communication problems and repetitive behavior patterns. Each child will require a certain blend of therapies, treatments and interventions, all specifically tailored to the child's particular behavioral problems.

"Every person with autism is different," said Lee Grossman, president and chief executive of the Autism Society. "There's a saying, 'If you've met one person with autism, then you've met one person with autism.'"
That means parents usually have to figure it out for themselves, with help from their medical team.
Experts agree on two basic principles when it comes to treating people with autism, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health:

Early intervention is key to helping a child with autism find a healthy, happy and satisfying life.
People with autism respond best to programs and therapies that are highly structured and specialized to their needs.

"The earlier the child is diagnosed, and the better the quality and quantity of the programs they are in, the better their prognosis long-term," said James Ball, president and chief executive of JB Autism Consulting, in New Jersey, and chairman of the Autism Society's board of directors.
Many of the leading therapy options for autism are not medical and instead involve education and behavioral intervention.
Ball said that a type of behavioral therapy called applied behavioral analysis, which focuses on teaching useful skills that build upon each other, has helped many children with autism.
"It teaches things repetitively so a child can learn and then generalize those skills," he said.
For example, teaching children to brush their teeth would involve breaking down the activity into different skills -- squeezing out the toothpaste, brushing the teeth, rinsing the mouth -- that are repetitively taught and ultimately woven together. "You teach all the separate components up to the whole," Ball said.
Other children with the disorder might need speech therapy, occupational therapy or other forms of behavioral therapy, Grossman said. It all rests on finding a child's strongest and weakest areas and using their strengths to help them overcome their weaknesses.
Kids with autism will often have more success in these therapies if visual aids and cues are used, he said.
They often "have trouble with verbal instruction," Grossman said. "If you can provide a learning environment where they see the instrument and incorporate it into their activities, you'll have a better situation."
Children with autism also may benefit from medical interventions tailored to their symptoms. Medication can be used to treat such autism-related symptoms as seizures, depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Kids with severe behavioral problems sometimes benefit from antipsychotic drugs.
Some parents have found that a dietary intervention can help their child, according to the mental health institute. One particular diet that has proven successful for some children involves removing all gluten and casein from their food. Casein is the main source of protein in milk, and gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains.
Parents also should make sure their child is healthy and not suffering from illnesses that could exacerbate their behavioral problems. "We would encourage all families to get a comprehensive medical exam" for their child, Grossman said.
Health problems such as rashes, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, asthma and the like can create discomfort and throw children off their beneficial therapies. "These are typically overlooked with a child with autism because they are often nonverbal and noncompliant," Grossman said. "The doctor may miss some other treatable conditions."
Families with an autistic child also should understand that every member will need help and should consider undergoing regular family counseling, Ball said.
"It is a whole-family disorder," he said. "Everyone is affected. Families need to come up with a plan so they can meet everyone's needs."
Finding resources can be challenging, Ball and Grossman said. Grossman knows that firsthand as he has child with autism, who now is 23.

"I was very angry and very frustrated because I couldn't find any help," he recalled. "I didn't know what to do." But he said that the group he now runs, the Autism Society, was key in helping him find doctors and therapists to help his son.
Grossman also speaks from personal knowledge when he says that the best way to help children with autism is to pay attention to how they act and what draws their interest and to then use that knowledge to teach them life skills.
"The goal here is to have a person who has a satisfying quality of life and is a contributing member of their community," Grossman added. "With the proper supports, we believe everyone can achieve that."
More information
Autism Speaks has more on autism.
A companion article looks at living with autism, from one family's perspective.
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/05/27/complexities-of-autism-extend-to-its-treatment?PageNr=2

Prenatal vitamins reduce the risk of autism by half, even more for some higher-risk cases

May 25, 2011|By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times / For the Booster Shots blog

Women who reported not taking prenatal vitamins immediately before and during a pregnancy were twice as likley to have a child with autism, UC Davis researchers reported Wednesday. If the women also had a mutation in a high-risk gene, they were seven times as likely to have a child with the developmental disorder, the researchers reported in the online edition of the journal Epidemiology. The study is scheduled to appear in print in July.

Epidemiologist Rebecca J. Schmidt of the UC Davis MIND Institute and her colleagues studied about 700 Northern California families with 2- to 5-year-old children with autism who were participants in the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment study from January 2003 to December 2009. In telephone interviews, the mothers were asked whether and when they took prenatal vitamins and the type of vitamins ingested.
The team found that mothers who took the vitamins prenatally or during the first month of pregnancy were only half as likely to have a child with autism as those who didn't. For mothers who began taking them in the second month of pregnancy, there was no effect, however. This suggests that by the time most women learn they are pregnant, beginning to take the vitamins will provide little or no benefit in terms of autism.
The researchers also found strong associations with two gene mutations that had previously been linked to autism risk. One is the variant of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene associated with less efficient metabolism of folic acid and increased blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine.The other was a variant of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, which is also linked to increased levels of homocysteine. For women who did not take vitamins and had the MTHFR variant, the risk of having an autistic child was 4.5 times normal. For those who did not take vitamins and had the COMT variant, the risk was seven times normal.
"The good news is that, if this finding is replicated, it will provide an inexpensive, realtively simple evidence-based action that women can take to reduce risks for their child, which is to take prenatal vitamins as early as possible in a pregnancy and even when planning for a pregnancy," said epidemiologist Irva Hertz-Picciotto, the senior author of the study. It is important to replicate it, she added, because the study relied on women's recall of their vitamin use, which is not always accurate.

Legal challenge has Rockford's Campus of Care project on hold

By Melissa Westphal

HEALTHYROCKFORD.COM

Posted May 30, 2011 @ 08:49 PM

ROCKFORD — The three-facility Campus of Care project planned for the city’s west side could still see a groundbreaking later this year, but a legal challenge has delayed progress for at least a few more months.

Campus of Care is what officials call the massive development project planned for land bounded by Springfield Avenue, School Street, Pierpont Avenue and West State Street. Once complete, the campus aims to offer services for people with traumatic brain injuries and other traumas, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and autism.

Warriors’ Gateway is the traumatic brain injury and multitrauma facility within Campus of Care and the project that’s furthest along. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board in March approved a certificate of need for the nursing care portion of Warriors’ Gateway.

But the residential portion still needs approval from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and then from Gov. Pat Quinn, a process that could stretch into next year, said Christopher Dials, a director with suburban Cary-based Revere Healthcare, the organization that intends to manage the Campus of Care facilities.

Warriors’ Gateway faced another setback recently when four Rockford-area nursing facilities — Medina Nursing Center, Alpine Fireside Nursing Center, Neighbors Rehabilitation Center and Fairview Nursing Plaza — asked for a reversal of the state board’s approval of the certificate of need.

Representatives from the nursing homes spoke out against Warriors’ Gateway during a public hearing in July, saying the facility would add nursing beds to a community that already has too many. In their review request, nursing home officials say they have existing beds to meet the needs that Warriors’ Gateway purports to serve.

Dials said Revere has a few more weeks to file its argument in the case, but the state review board is the lead defendant.

“It was a surprise and quite honestly something that doesn’t happen very often,” Dials said. “(The nursing homes) are essentially asking to be heard with this filing, so a judge will decide whether he wants to hear the case or not.”

Dials said Revere and its partner agencies are still pursuing funding options for the Campus of Care facilities. Initially, officials had identified U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money for the project, but Dials said they’re not limiting themselves to one funder.

“We’ve had presentations to investors in different parts of the country, and we’re pursuing all avenues, including equity investments,” Dials said. “We could wind up with another model of financing, but, ultimately, it’s too early to call.”

There are two other facilities besides Warriors’ Gateway planned for Campus of Care. Busara Gardens is the memory care facility. It was initially called Ara Gardens but was renamed when a new partner organization joined the team.

The Milwaukee district of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is no longer involved with the project. But Busara Living, a nonprofit agency for seniors based in Maryland Heights, Mo., is now signed on as a partner.

St. Paul Episcopal Church in McHenry is the partner agency for the campus’ Tapestry Center for Autism. And Transitional Living Services, a Woodstock-based agency that helps veterans, is still involved with Warriors’ Gateway.

Dials said various ownership models for Campus of Care are discussed during the talks with funders, so it’s possible that the partner agencies could lease the facilities if they’re built by investors.

Reach staff writer Melissa Westphal at mwestpha@rrstar.com or 815-987-1341.

http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x530597245/Legal-challenge-has-Rockfords-Campus-of-Care-project-on-hold

Young Scottish fashion designer supports Autism Initiative

The 'one to watch in fashion in 2011' is to showcase her new collection.

By Elizabeth McQuillan 30 May 2011 12:14 BST

Named by the Scotland on Sunday as ‘the one to watch in fashion in 2011', Catriona Garforth creates handmade garments that are designed to suit various feminine shapes and sizes.
She will be at the Gallery on the Corner in Edinburgh's New Town to unveil her new spring/summer collection on Saturday, June 4.
The highlight of her visit may be considered to be the silent auction of a one-off bespoke evening gown. Although, if retailed the dress would have been priced in the region of £800 it is hoped that this exclusive piece by this rising star of the fashion world will reach a higher figure - a percentage of all profits from the day will go towards maintaining the work that the Gallery on the Corner does for Autism Initiative UK.
Miss Garforth said: "All the artwork is on a par with people who do not have the same difficulties and it helps them to find a platform for their work when they may have difficulty otherwise.
"I admire the work that is done there, I want to support that but I also want to draw people's attention to their work."
People curious to find out more about Miss Garforth's work will have the chance to quiz her, or even place a commissioned order for her growing client base.
She said: "The way I describe what I do it to say that I make wearable clothes for the woman. For the normal, hard-working woman who wants to treat herself to something a bit special."
Miss Garforth launched her business a year and a half ago and although it is based in Edinburgh she now lives in Turkey where she works with local materials and would love to expand her fashion label to be able to employ tailors in Turkey.
She said: "Everybody who runs their own business has ambition and yes I would like to see mine grow, in the long run I could look to employ some of the wonderful tailors in Turkey who would help me cope with larger orders while also maintaining that handmade touch."
The gallery which is on the corner of Northumberland Street and Dundas Street displays artwork produced by artists who have a disability, mental health problem or those from a disadvantaged background and provides a platform to exhibit and sell artwork in a high profile location.
It is the first social firm developed by Autism Ventures Scotland (AVS). Part of Autism Initiatives UK, AVS has been established to create employment opportunities and experiences for people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) in Scotland.
The traineeships include on the job and vocational training, resulting in a recognised qualification.
The event will be a relaxed drop-in event from 12pm - 6pm on Saturday, June 4.

Exploring the Diagnostic History of Autism

By Lisa Jo Rudy, About.com Guide May 30, 2011

If you've never actually looked into the diagnostic history of autism, it's worth your time to compare and contrast today's "autism spectrum disorder" with earlier diagnostic labels and symptoms. I just came across a nicely-packaged collection of prior descriptions of "autism" as presented in earlier versions of the Diagnostic Manual versions I, II, III and III-R, available at Roy Grinker's "Unstrange Minds" blog. It makes intriguing reading!
For example, autism (not ASD as we know it today) was lumped in with childhood schizophrenia until the 1980 DSM III, and was then listed as "infantile autism" with these descriptive criteria:
DSM III (1980)

Diagnostic criteria for Infantile Autism

A. Onset before 30 months of age

B. Pervasive lack of responsiveness to other people (autism)

C. Gross deficits in language development

D. If speech is present, peculiar speech patterns such as immediate and delayed echolalia, metaphorical language, pronominal reversal.

E. Bizarre responses to various aspects of the environment, e.g., resistance to change, peculiar interest in or attachments to animate or inanimate objects.

F. Absence of delusions, hallucinations, loosening of associations, and incoherence as in Schizophrenia.

Even more interesting (to me!) are the criteria for PDD-NOS, which was first described in the 1980 DSM III. Based on these criteria, my son would come nowhere NEAR PDD-NOS - his present diagnosis!
DSM-III (1980)

Diagnostic Criteria for Childhood Onset Pervasive Developmental Disorder

A. Gross and sustained impairment in social relationships, e.g., lack of appropriate affective responsivity, Inappropriate clinging, asociality, lack of empathy.

B. At least three of the following:

1. sudden excessive anxiety manifested by such symptoms as free-floating anxiety, catastrophic reactions to everyday occurrences, inability to be consoled when upset, unexplained panic attacks,

2. constricted or inappropriate affect, including lack of appropriate fear reactions, unexplained rage reactions, end extreme mood lability,

3. resistance to change in the environment, e.g., upset if dinner time is changed, or insistence on doing things in the same manner every time, e.g., putting on clothes always in the same order,

4. oddities of motor movement, such as peculiar posturing, peculiar hand or finger movements, or walking on tiptoe,

5. abnormalities of speech, such as question-like melody, monotonous voice,

6. hyper or hypo-sensitivity to sensory stimuli. e.g., byperacusis,

7. self-mutilation, e.g., biting or hitting self, head banging.

C. Onset of the full syndrome after 30 months of age and before 12 years of age.

Absence of delusions, hallucinations, incoherence, or marked loosening of associations.
Exploring these past and future diagnostic criteria has really opened my mind to how idiosyncratic such distinctions really are! It reminds me forcibly of the classification activities often undertaken in elementary school classrooms. Kids are broken into groups and given identical collections of 100 buttons, and asked to organize them into groups. Naturally, each group takes a different approach: some organize by color, some by size, some by number of holes, some by shape, and so forth. Which organizational approach is correct? The answer, of course, is "there is no right answer."
Where would you or your child have fit under past diagnostic criteria? How helpful is the present DSM-IV? And... how do you feel about the idea that such diagnostic categories are changed and changed again over the course of any individual lifetime?

http://autism.about.com/b/2011/05/30/exploring-the-diagnostic-history-of-autism.htm

Autistic children may need lifelong financial plan

Moms and dads plan for family trips, college and weddings, but life sometimes throws a curve called autism.
And it's hitting more and more families. An average of one in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder.
These neurodevelopmental disorders can make communication and social interaction difficult, sometimes impossible.
Parents must pencil out how they will pay for everything that is needed -- sometimes for a child's lifetime.
Medical costs alone can be staggering. A person with autism may pay almost double the $317,000 a typical American spends on direct medical costs over a lifetime.
What can parents do? Plan, attorneys and financial advisers say. Otherwise, probate court battles could last for years and leave scars for their children and surviving relatives.
"A lot of people put off this kind of planning because you're talking about death and disability," said Brian Wyatt, a lawyer in Sacramento, Calif., who does special-needs planning.
It's normal to feel overwhelmed, considering the complicated tax and legal issues and the financial commitment. But not all bills will come due at once.
"The earlier people get started on this, the better off they'll be, because it's more time that they'll have to achieve their goals," Wyatt said. A comprehensive plan can be executed in a matter of weeks.
It takes a village to raise a child. In the case of a child with an autism spectrum disorder, the villagers will carry titles such as designated guardian, financial planner, special-needs planner and estate planning attorney.
Whatever their titles, these professionals should put their clients at ease and advise them of all the options. They will have a list of questions to ask and will be able to tailor a plan to any family's situation.
How do you find professionals to help you?
Talk with other parents who have children with autism. See whether your child's doctor has recommendations. Ask friends to ask attorneys for suggestions.
Seek estate attorneys and financial planners who have past experience working with families with special-needs children. Often, they will have ties to the Academy of Special Needs Planners or other specialized professional organizations.
Or, contact the local bar association for attorney recommendations. At http://www.cfp.net and http://www.fpanet.org, you can search for financial planners by ZIP code.
Name a guardian -- this choice is crucial.
Parents will want a guardian for their child and a guardian for the estate, said Elizabeth Ikemire, an expert in special-needs trusts. Naming a guardian for minor children will eliminate the risk of a judge deciding who would care for your children.
Guardianship ends at age 18. Depending on the severity of the child's disability, the parent may need to name a conservator to help with caretaking and health-care decisions.
The estate's guardian, or trustee, will care for the beneficiary's financial matters, so look for people with unimpeachable honesty and integrity.
The same person can be named guardian of the person and estate. That's what Neal and Kristin Hinson, of Lincoln, Calif., have done. Two of their sons, Justin, 7, and Simon, 4, have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Noah, 1, is exhibiting signs of autism. Their 9-year-old daughter, Millie, is a typically developing child.
The Hinsons selected Fred and Rodna Hinson, Neal's parents, to be both guardians and trustees for their four children. If something happened to Neal and Kristin Hinson while their children were minors, they know his parents would rear their kids with love and devotion.
Joel Larsen, of Navion Financial Advisors of Davis, Calif., called it: "the who, what, when, where and how of care delivery."
A financial planner will help determine a figure based on the severity of your child's disability. This evaluation will need to be reassessed as part of scheduled financial checkups.
Parents sometimes assume a family member will be the caregiver after they're gone. If a special-needs child needs care into adulthood, that may not be realistic. Hard choices will have to be made about who will provide the best care.
"Typically," Larsen said, "that's an institutional caregiver, and how do we pay for that?"
The parents, along with their adviser, should determine those answers in an in-depth and comprehensive plan, Larsen said.
When parents invest time and effort in planning, they find it has lasting value.
"The most common thing I hear from families comes at the end of the process, when people say 'I'm so glad we finally did this -- we have peace of mind,'" Wyatt said. "They know they've accomplished something that will live beyond them."
(Reach Niesha Lofing at nlofing(at)sacbee.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com.)

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/specialneeds-cost053011/specialneeds-cost053011/

Speaking with an accent keeps crossbills straight

Fortunately for the females, such songs are only a small selection of bird talk. Other calls, sounding alarm or excitement, are much more critical to survival and make up more of a birds' everyday chirping.

Few scientists study birds' non-mating calls. But Duke post-doctoral researcher Kendra Sewall does, and she says that studying the entire repertoire of bird calls could tell us even more about human disorders like schizophrenia and autism, which are marked by difficulty processing language and social behavior.

By studying how a bird does or does not correctly perceive, process or respond to the calls it uses to survive, scientists may be able to learn more about where abnormal signal processing in humans originates, Sewall says.

She presented her work at a May 24 American Scientist lecture and lunch in the Research Triangle Park.

Sewall spent six years studying the red crossbills of North America and recently discovered how the birds use one of their calls, a contact call, as a social identity badge to ensure their ability to survive and reproduce.

Crossbills are unique in that they are the North American version of Darwin's finches, Sewall says. Over time, the birds have evolved into seven sub-species or "races" based on body size and beak structure. While the birds' genetics are not yet so different to mark the races as distinct species, each race's beak structure is adapted to crack open a specific pinecone so the bird can eat the seeds.

In other words, if a crossbill flies with a flock of the wrong race, it could starve, or at the very least, not be able to mate.

Scientists wondered how crossbills stayed with the right race to visit the right trees. Observing crossbills in the wild, it became clear that the contact call for each race is distinct. The calls have acoustic signatures, or dialects, that distinguish the races, and a crossbill will modify its dialect further, almost like adding an accent, to match a call with its mate.

Seven sub-species stay in touch by their family dialects

Seven sub-species stay in touch by their family dialects

Enlarge

Four different crossbill subspecies, with graphic traces of how their contact calls vary. Credit: Kendra Sewall.

By its dialect and accent, the contact call of a crossbill identifies its origin, or what flock it came from, and also its mate, Sewall says.

For her doctoral research, she captured 42 crossbills and paired them in cages in a lab to see how they match their accents. Some of the pairs were males and females of the same race, using the same dialect, while other pairs were males and females from different races and dialects.

In pairs of the same race, Sewall observed that the birds would chirp back and forth until their contact call converged on the same sound. Both males and females tweaked their contact call subtly to imitate and match the calls of their mate, flock and family members.

That was surprising because it's usually only the male birds that change their songs and calls, Sewall says.
In the mixed pairs, she also observed that both males and females changed their calls. But, in some of these mixed pairs, males and females would chirp back and forth, until their contact calls diverged rather than agreeing.

Observing the birds' ability to change their calls, Sewall became curious about the brain processes underlying animal communication, such as perception, motivation and vocal response. These processes determine both adaptive social behaviors and abnormal or dysfunctional ones.

She says by studying the brain and hormone systems that influence the animals' motivations to engage in making contact calls and other social interactions, scientists might learn about the basis of abnormal or dysfunctional communication and social behavior in humans.

One of the social behaviors she observed in crossbills was courtship feeding, an interaction where the male brings food to the female and regurgitates it into her mouth. Race-matched males performed this task for their mates. Racially mixed males did not.

In fact, the mixed-race males and females were not motivated to interact at all. Instead, the birds sat at opposite ends of the cage, occasionally taunting one another with partially open bills and little flips of their wings.

"Looks like love can't be forced," Sewall says, even with great pick-up lines.
Provided by Duke University (news : web)

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-05-accent-crossbills-straight.html

What Parents Should Know about Measles, By the Numbers

Ken Muise, Yahoo! Contributor Network
May 30, 2011 "Contribute content like this. Start Here."

2011 has been the most severe year for measles outbreaks since 1996. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), of reported incidences from 2001 to 2008, the median number of cases by year was 56. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 118 cases of measles across 23 states. Measles is a highly contagious virus that can result in serious complicated health postures and even be fatal.

"These outbreaks are due in significant part to children not getting vaccinated," said Seth Mnookin, author of "The Panic Virus," a book related to childhood disease and illness, according to CBS/AP. "Some parents think the measles vaccine can cause autism, and some just have a general unease about vaccines."

The majority of the cases, about 90 percent, have been imported from outside the continental United States.

1963: The year the measles vaccine first became available.

1971: The inoculations for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) were combined into one deliverable vaccine.

12-15 months: The recommended time frame for newborns to receive the first dose of the MMR.

95-98 percent: The percentage of immunity that the first dose of MMR will grant to children when delivered.

4-6 years old: The age that a child should receive the second dose of the MMR vaccine. This second dose is a precautionary step to "catch" any person in which the first dose did not grant immunity.

28 days: The minimal time frame that can take place between the first and second doses of both MMR vaccines. Two to three years between doses is not necessary and, due to elongated periods in between doses, many parents fail to return with their children for a second dose.

1957: Any adult born prior to this year is assumed to have had, and built a natural anti-virus to, measles, according to the Immunization Action Coalition.

1989: The year that the CDC, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics changed the recommendation from one to two doses of MMR.

105: The amount of cases that were the result of importation of the ailment from outside the United States in 2011.

5-15 percent: Children who will have minor reactions to the MMR vaccine, such as elevated fever.

3/10,000: The amount of children who have a moderate reaction to the MMR vaccine. These reactions range from high fever to seizure.

1/10,000: Children who have a severe reaction to the MMR vaccine such as lowered consciousness, coma, swelling inside the mouth, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure and shock.

1/1,000,000: The extremely rare case where children have developed encephalitis as a result of the vaccine. This usually takes place within 6-15 days of receiving the vaccine.

1998: The year that a gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield suggested that the MMR vaccine could cause autism in children by causing inflammatory bowel disease, which allows harmful proteins to enter the blood stream. This claim has been fought against long and hard, most notably by Paul A. Offit, M.D., Director of the Vaccine Education Center Children's Hospital in Philadelphia.

20: The number of cases that were imported from Europe and southeast Asia during the 2011 increase in reported cases of measles in the United States.

11: The number of European cases that originated in France.

14: The number of southeast Asian cases that originated in India during the 2011 increase.

105: The number of reported measles cases that were not vaccinated for measles of the 118 reported in the early months of 2011.

24: The number of unvaccinated cases whose parents claimed some sort of religious or cultural exemption from the vaccination.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8101921/what_parents_should_know_about_measles.html?cat=5

How To Battle Ants Without Poisons

With the unofficial start of summer, the never-ending war resumes—as millions of armored and armed invaders break into our homes and endure devastating chemical counterattacks.
“Endure” is just the right verb, scientists say, for the long-term response of ants to our frequently misapplied chemical efforts to kill and control them.
Pesticides have even given advantages to invasive ants that live in supercolonies—like the single colony of Argentine ants that covers most of California—by wiping out native competitors and by wiping out predatory species, like nematodes, that might have helped to keep them in check.
When a pesticide wears off, ants from the supercolony re-colonize the freshly cleared territory.
Ants remain the most successful species on earth. Scientists have estimated their number at ten thousand trillion—or, by another estimate—17.2 million ants per person.
And unlike persons, ants have been found to be resistant to both radiation and industrial pollution. Ants were here 80 million years before humans arrived and, dare I say, are likely to outlive us.
So how can we best avoid them during our stay on their planet?
A few years ago I wrote a story for The Weather Channel about the “crazy raspberry ants” then invading Texas (they now live comfortably in 11 coastal counties). In the course of that story and many others I’ve written about ants over the years, I’ve had an opportunity to ask myrmecologists how we might best keep ants out of our homes. This is what they always say:
1. “Try to identify what they’re going after,” said David Holway of the University of California San Diego. “Is it food, is it some kind of nest site? If you can eliminate that, then that will largely eliminate their incentive for coming into your house.”
Chances are, the ants have come looking for one or more of three things:
“Like all pests, ants need food, water, and shelter to survive,” according to the National Park Service, which has found ants to be smarter than the average bear.
“By limiting these three essentials, you make it more difficult for ants to live in the infested area. Simply by improving sanitation you can often suppress existing populations and discourage new invasions.”
2. Cleanliness is next to antlessness: When myrmecologists — ant scientists — say ants will not be attracted to a meticulous house, they mean meticulous to ant standards. Those little nooks and crannies where crumbs elude us may offer a feast to ants.
“Frequent vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping of floors and washing of counter and table tops eliminates much of the food ants may be foraging on. Trash should be stored away from infested areas and monitored for spills.”

Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Phot...

Enlist the aid of an anteater? Image via Wikipedia

3. Mind the gap: If cleaning isn’t your thing, sealing may do the trick, and there’s almost nothing better than petroleum jelly. Seal any cracks or crevices that ants can use to enter your house. In my experience, petroleum jelly will hold ants at bay for a year. You can use silicone caulk for a permanent barrier.
“Effective door sweeps that close the gap between the bottom of exterior doors and the door sill are essential,” said Thomas Green, president of the Integrated Pest Management Institute of North America.
4. Last call! If you live in a dry climate, ants have likely come looking for water. Scientists at UC San Diego were able to drastically reduce ant populations on irrigated land by shutting off the irrigation.
“In California, what I always tell people is stop watering your lawn,” Holway said. “Use less water and you’ll have less ants. People unfortunately don’t like to hear that, but it’s true.”
Remember that some water sources for ants can escape human notice. According to National Parks, “Ants can get their water from many sources inside a structure: condensation on pipes and air conditioners, leaky plumbing, aquariums, pet dishes, houseplant containers, floor drains, etc.”
5. Before you resort to poisons, try natural insecticides and repellants: The University of Florida maintains a list of botanical insecticides that have some environmental advantages, such as rapid breakdown. They include citrus oils, neem oil, diatomaceous earth and sulfur.
Some types of ants are also said to avoid Borax, basil, bay leaves, catnip, cayenne, cinnamon, coffee, camphor, peppermint, vinegar. Be advised not all may deter your invaders.
“Often that’s very species specific, so what works for one ant might not work for another,” Green said.
It’s worth trying natural deterrents before chemical not only because ants seem to thrive in the aftermath of poorly applied chemicals, but also because humans and other animals don’t.
Beyond Pesticides maintains a database of studies that link pesticides to human illnesses including cancer, asthma, autism and learning disabilities, birth defects and reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
If you must use a chemical, look it up first in the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Pesticide Database. In many cases, you may find that its effects are unknown.

http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/05/30/how-to-battle-ants-without-poisons/?partner=contextstory

Could Repetitive Autistic Behaviors Actually be Useful?

News by Both Hands and a Flashlight
(11 Hours Ago) in Health / Autism

We seem to be in a more intense phase of trying to understand why the J-Man does some of the things he does. I’m a big adherent of the principle that behavior is communication. When our autistic children struggle with the various common modes of communication such as speech, pictures, and so on, we know we can often get a sense of what they want or need by their behaviors. The more we work on refining and honing our abilities to decipher our children’s behaviors and what they are trying to tell us, the more effective we can be in helping them.
Sometimes behaviors are pretty clear about what our child is trying to communicate (e.g., running around the room erratically making a lot of loud noise usually means overstimulation and too much situational stress in our house) and are therefore much easier to understand and then address. However, there are whole ranges of behaviors that are considered by many to be largely without meaning. But what isn’t so clear to me is why.
Some kids slowly tear paper into little strips or pick up small handfuls of sand and watch them fall through their fingers to the ground. Some call these abnormal, ‘non-functional’ behaviors. Autism is in large part defined by these ‘repetitive and stereotyped behaviors’. But why? Is it because these behaviors aren’t ‘productive’ or ‘useful’? Is it because this falls too far outside the norms of what paper or sand is supposed to do?
A classic example in autism is the whole issue of focusing on part of an object (e.g., spinning the wheel of a toy car) rather than the object itself and not using the object for its ‘intended’ purpose (rolling it back and forth and making car noises I suppose).
What if instead we think about someone picking up a rosary and running its beads rhythmically through their fingers while saying the same phrases repeatedly? Even if you personally have a different religious view, you likely have some understanding of why this practice is important to that person. (Note: I’m not meaning to single out Catholics who pray the rosary. You could just as easily pick any of a variety of religious and spiritual practices, and I think my argument still holds up.)
So why are these practices considered quite normal and not the so-called ‘non-functional behaviors’? Couldn’t each be for a real purpose? Is it only because we can come up with an explanation that makes sense to us for saying the rosary and not one for tearing paper into strips or dropping sand to the ground?
For example, our J-Man likes to pick up sand or food crumbs between his fingers and let them drop back to the ground or his plate. Sometimes he arranges the whatever fine particles he’s dropping into lines or patterns. He’ll do this for quite a long time. Why? We don’t know. Does he gain something from doing this? Apparently so. I think just the fact that he does these things regularly means he gets something out of them, but what that is remains a mystery. Often a mystery, however, shouldn’t be dismissed as it may point us in an important direction.
As far as how we respond, we don’t mind when he does this unless one of a few things happen. If he’s making a huge mess (dropping stuff all over the kitchen – we have a two-year-old and ants to consider!), if it’s delaying something he needs to be doing (e.g., playing with sand in sidewalk cracks at school when he should be going to his classroom), or if he’s making himself very dirty (like playing in dirt piles with his school clothes on), we’ll usually make him stop by telling him why we want him to stop and redirecting him.
As parents we do have a responsibility to define boundaries for our children’s behavior regardless of whether they are typically developing or not. This is one of the most important roles a parent plays. But we also need to try to understand these behaviors. It’s often hard to manage both parts of that equation.
I’m not suggesting we let our kids do whatever, just that we try to understand what seems mysterious to us while dealing with the more practical realities of the situation. While attempting to figure out what he’s telling us through his behaviors and why he’s doing them, we try to ask ourselves a few questions before actually stepping in to stop or redirect a behavior:
Is it *significantly* interfering with something he needs to be doing like school work or errands we need to run? (Emphasis on ‘significant’ as some things you just need to learn to roll with.)
Is it negatively impacting others? This doesn’t mean if others feel bothered because they think the behavior is odd that you should stop it. The opinions of others – particularly uninformed ones – often shouldn’t factor in. But if the negative impact is more along the lines of affecting another child’s ability to learn or harming someone else’s property, that’s obviously different.
Is it a behavior that should not be done in public? While I’m not a fan of obsessive nose-picking, I’ve kind of gotten over things like that. There does come a point where you have to start teaching your child about social rules, though, but you also have to gauge how well they’re going to understand those rules at whatever point in their development they are. However, there are some behaviors (e.g., inappropriate touching of self in public or touching anyone else inappropriately anywhere) that are important to address early and with greater care.
Is he tearing up something important (like bills or school documents) or something like a book that we don’t want him to get in the habit of thinking he can tear up?
Is he making a significant mess? Many messes at home we just live with, though we have to be careful with anything that could draw insects or the curiosity of a two-year-old. If we’re in a situation where a mess or getting messy is a more obvious problem (at someone else’s house, when he’s wearing good clothes, etc.), we’ll intervene quickly.
Is it time for him to move on to something else? For things like crumb dropping, we do set a vague time limit. There are other things we want to do and work on during the day.
Is he actually ‘stuck’ in a loop, and does he need help transitioning to something else? It’s certainly possible for our kids to perseverate on something and be unable to break away from it without help. At some point, you have to step in and reengage the child. While I don’t know how to define with any specificity what ‘too much’ is, I think there does come a point when a behavior starts becoming obsessive regardless of who you are. We just kind of go by feel here.
However, none of these actually address why he is doing a particular behavior. All but the last one – and you could even make a case that it is, too – are just about how we perceive his behaviors impacting whatever we’re doing at that moment.
Beyond these parameters though, how is a behavior like arranging crumbs on a table any different than meditating on a waterfall, prayer chants, or even the apparent neurological aid we get from repeatedly mashing the button on the end of a pen?
Ever seen Buddhist monks do sandpainting? Over a period of days they construct amazing artwork by carefully arranging one grain of sand at a time. Isn’t it possible that the J-Man arranging crumbs on a table and Buddhist monks arranging colored sand into paintings both have many layers of purpose and meaning?
Buddhist monks sandpainting

[Photos taken by unsure shot on Flickr]
I mean seriously, do you want to go tell them they are perseverating on grains of sand and that their behavior in creating something they’re just going to sweep away in a few days is non-functional?
Who decides what functional is in many of these cases? We all seem to think we know functional when we see it, but yet no one seems to be able to give an explanation based on something beyond what amounts to ‘just because’. I don’t find this at all satisfying.
I suppose for the nonverbal person who can’t tell us why they do something, we neurotypical people decide what the purpose of something (or lack thereof) is, which is an unfortunate precedent we set all too often. For those who can communicate in some way, often we still decide for them.
Why is the purpose of a toy car to roll? Perhaps many of our kids see things in ways we can’t but with a perspective that is no less important. We do have to set some boundaries, but I worry that we are too quick to correct and try to fix what isn’t ‘broken’. What if instead we chose to wait, reflect on the mystery, and seek to understand?

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/could-repetitive-autistic-behaviors-actually-be-useful

Art of autism book features Utah artist

Ben Diez struggled to put together a sentence until he was nearly 4 years old. Although he developed just like any other child at first, he started to lose his verbal and social skills at 18 months old.
Following years of misdiagnosis, Diez's struggles were finally identified as high-functioning autism.
According to Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism advocacy group, autism is an array of complex developmental brain disorders. Symptoms include developmental, social and communication difficulties and are often accompanied by repetitive behaviors.
Diez, from Layton, wasn't able to learn to read until he reached junior high, but at age 9 he began making complex origami creations by following pictorial instructions.
It became evident that although some things were difficult for Diez, he was visually and spatially gifted.
In seventh grade, Diez learned to draw. His abilities and love of creating have grown from there. Art has become an outlet for his incredible talent and indomitable spirit.
"Autism has been the gift that has allowed me to develop and excel in art," he said.
Diez's talent, along with that of more than 50 other autistic artists, is featured in the new book "Artism: The Art of Autism," created by Debra Hosseini. This book showcases the artistic abilities of incredible people and strives to display them as something more than autistic.
"The challenge (of this project) was to allow the art to illuminate creativity rather than 'disability,'" said Hosseini, the mother of a child with autism. "Autism manifests itself differently in each person diagnosed. (It) becomes part of their personality, and many of the artists appreciate certain qualities of their autism."
"Artism: The Art of Autism" reveals the imaginative abilities of autistic artists from around the world. Like Diez, several other artists live in the United States. However, the book also highlights the creations of artists from Australia, England, India, Pakistan and Canada. They range in age from grade-schoolers to 60somethings.
Siobhan Forrster of Palm Coast, Fla., is only 8, but her paintings are ethereal and striking.
"This is the beautiful and very special side of autism that most people don't see," Siobhan's mom said. "We want to share it with the world so parents don't see autism as a death sentence."
Hosseini hopes that this book has the power to alter people's vision of this disorder.
"I hope this book will shift people's perception of autism and will give hope to parents."
Diez, now 23, recently partnered with animators at BYU on a project. He has harnessed his abilities and powered through his struggles to become something more than just his diagnosis.
"Artism: The Art of Autism" gives autistic artists a voice, and that voice is beautiful.
For more information about the book, visit artismtoday.com

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700139905/Art-of-autism-book-features-Utah-artist.html

Walks Raise Money, Awareness for those with Autism

To the Editor:
(May 2011) The Kelberman Center hosted its annual Walk for Autism on April 2 and 30 at sites across Central New York. In total, the seven walks raised more than $107,000, which will remain local and be used for various programs and services at the Kelberman Center including the Awesome Summer Days camp, Pool Pals, and the Social Skills groups for both adults and children.
The Walks for Autism raised an incredible $30,000 more than in 2010, a testament to our dedicated and generous community. The Walks took place in Oneida, Utica, Rome, New Hartford, Cooperstown, Northern Communities and Boonville. Each walk featured entertainment, refreshments, activities, and prizes.
The annual walks were once again a great success as family and friends enjoyed the morning with others walking for the same cause.
“We Walk for One, We Walk for All” was the theme to represent the person that each community member knows who has autism and the one in 110 currently diagnosed. Kelberman staff would like to thank First Niagara Bank, NYCM Insurance, Gremlin Medical Supply, Recovery Sports Grill and the many other sponsors and hard-working committee members who were instrumental in making this year’s event such a success.
For more information about autism or to make additional donations, contact the Kelberman Center at (315) 797-6241.
Beth Myers, Kelberman Center Associate Executive

http://madisoncountycourier.com/2011/05/30/walks-raise-money-awareness-for-those-with-autism/

An incredible Mother's Day gift from a child with autism

You never quite knew what Tommy might do on any given day. He was full of surprises all the time. Sometimes Tommy would have a voice that literally sounded like a computer with a perfect monotone sound. Other times, Tommy’s voice was so sweet as he sang songs to himself throughout the day. But then just a few days back, he astonished all of us with the best Mother’s Day present he could ever give his mother. Tommy gave a gift that every mother dreams of from her child.

It happened in the middle of the night. Tommy had been having some challenges for the last several weeks with the bathroom. He had started having accidents not making it there on time. We did not know why these accidents had begun, but they had. Maybe it was all the changes ongoing with school. He was learning so quickly. Sometimes, school was overwhelming to him. He wasn’t bed wetting before but now it was something that his mother, Edna, wanted to correct if she could. So Edna followed some simple suggestions from the teacher to help him overcome his recent problem.

The first step Edna did was to take Tommy to the doctor. It appeared that there weren’t any physical problems causing Tommy to have accidents. The teacher suggested changing his nightly routine. His mother had stopped giving him liquids just before bedtime. Edna had begun to limit the amount of water her son was drinking prior to going to sleep. Tommy could communicate to some degree his wants and needs but much of his vocabulary was still limited. The boy was still somewhat echo laic though that was quickly changing. Tommy knew that the word "mother" referred to Edna and he would even respond to kissing her when asked. However, Tommy had never called out the name "MOMMY" without being prompted in one way or another.

Tommy knew his mother wanted him to use the restroom at night. It really didn’t bother him to get wet but Tommy understood that his mother did not like it. Then one night, something different happened. Tommy apparently was having a nightmare. His bad dream probably related to wanting not to have an accident at night. He began crying loudly waking his mother out of a sound sleep. Then she heard him cry out, "Mommy, MOMMY!" She was startled as Tommy had never called for her without out someone saying, "Who is that? Or what is her name?" Edna was shocked and extremely nervous as she ran to her son’s room. Once there, she was able to calm him down pretty quickly and took him to the restroom. He made it without an accident. Then, Edna, with tears coming down her eyes, snuggled beside her little boy. This was a very special week. It was the week that Mother’s Day was being celebrated and her son had called her mommy without any prompting.

The next day, when the teacher came into the cafeteria she saw Edna crying. The teacher had assumed something bad had happened. Instead Edna said, "Nothing bad happened. It’s just that I never heard Tommy call my name. He called out last night, Mommy, mommy while having a nightmare." Edna was extremely happy for she finally heard what every parent wants to hear, her child calling out her name. Tommy needed his mother and he was able to let her know when he wanted her help.

Several years ago, it was not unusual for professionals to state that a child with autism could never remember a person or acknowledge them later in life. Some medical professionals would even comment that the child rearing of the parents, particularly the mother, was the primary cause of children having autism. As late as the decade of 2000, some doctors and family members still said that it was the parents who had caused their child’s autism. It wasn’t even unusual to be told that children with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) could not have feelings towards other people including family members. Those myths could not be further from the truth.

A child with ASD might have difficulty expressing his or her feelings or what they want. They may even miss social cues. That is very different from not having emotions or not having the ability to ever communicate. Fortunately, children and adults with ASD have many tools today available to them for better communication. Plus, there are plenty of social stories, including role playing, to help teach how to communicate thoughts and feeling to avoid misunderstandings. Yet, the voice of a child saying a parent’s name or I love you for the first time remains priceless for the family members who are there at the moment it is given.

Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher, can be contacted at downpamg@aol.com.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/tommy-127104-day-full.html

Autism Increases, Legislation Set to Expire

tes of autism and other developmental disabilities have increased tremendously in America since 1997. How many of us know a child who has a developmental disability? According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the data is alarming. The study, “Trends in the Prevalence of Developmental Disabilities in U.S. Children, 1997–2008,” was conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

According to the advocacy and support group Autism Speaks, the 2006 Combating Autism Act (CAA) is set to expire this year. It authorized funding for biomedical and treatment research for the disorder, and required federal agencies to collaborate in matters to do with autism. The group called for Congress to pass the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 (CARA).

A developmental disability is a lifelong disability characterized by a mental and/or physical impairment in children 18 years and younger. The study aimed to fill in gaps of crucial data needed for health and educational planning, according to the abstract.

Researchers used information about children aged 3 to 17 years from 1997 to 2008. The data came from the National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), which monitor the health of the nation. Diagnoses reported by parents in the survey included, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, seizures, stuttering or stammering, moderate to profound hearing loss, blindness, and learning disorders according to the study abstract.

Developmental disabilities were greater in boys, both in number and severity, and fewer in girls. Hispanic children had the lowest number of disabilities when compared with non-Hispanic white and black children, according to the study.

Developmental disabilities increased from 12.84 percent to 15.04 percent during the study. Autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays increased.

Hearing loss decreased significantly, according to the report.

The study concluded that more health and education services are needed, as well as further study of the influence of risk-factor shifts, changes in acceptance, and benefits of early services.

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is a group of programs funded by the CDC to determine the number of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the United States. Based on data collected in multiple communities throughout the United States, the most recent records showed that 1 in 110 children in the United States have ASD. For boys, the figure is 1 in 70. The CDC reported in 2006 that more than half of the children with ASD, symptoms were expressed before the child had turned 3 years old.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1990 to 1997 require states to provide early identification and provision of services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays, established conditions that are associated with developmental delays, and, at the state’s option, children at risk for developmental delays. Most states offer early intervention programs for families and children with developmental disabilities.

Autism Risk Test in Development for Infants

Last month the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) “NewsHour” broadcast an in-depth series on autism. The host of the program, former anchor Robert MacNeil, interviewed his daughter. Allison MacNeil has a 6-year-old son with autism. MacNeil asked her if she thought the medical community and her contact with it understands this wider definition of autism. She said, “Emphatically no. They can't just refer these kids to early intervention and consider this a psychiatric or neuropsychiatric situation. They've got to stay involved and help the family get referrals for gastroenterology, to neurologists to look at whether or not there's seizure activity.”

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/autism-increases-legislation-set-to-expire-56951.html