Archives for the month of: August, 2009

Coming of Age

August 28, 2009 //
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Nobody knows how many adults have autism, or how well they fare in employment, independent living or overall happiness.

We do know that more than 26,000 kids a year are diagnosed with the disorder in the United States alone, and that between 150,000 and 300,000 of them will become adults in the next five to ten years.

Anticipating the unique needs of those rising numbers, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced Monday its plans to build a center specifically for treating adults with autism. The program will be financed thanks to a $29 million gift from the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation.

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SFARI, August 2009.

Categories 2009, Autism, Blogging, Health and Medicine, SFARI

Rate of Change

August 21, 2009 //
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The autism blogosphere is aflutter over a new survey showing that one percent of kids in the United States have autism. Because that’s markedly higher than the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s current estimate of 1 in 150, or 0.67 percent, some argue that the new survey bolsters the specious idea of an “epidemic” of autism.

The data in the spotlight come from the National Survey of Children’s Health, a telephone survey primarily funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

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SFARI, August 2009.

Categories 2009, Autism, Blogging, Health and Medicine, SFARI

Monkey Mimics

August 14, 2009 //
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One of the few social gestures that can capture the attention of children with autism is when a playmate imitates their actions.

In fact, when their parents play copycat — by immediately mimicking the kids’ gestures or playing with an identical toy, for example — some children with autism suddenly take notice, making eye contact, smiling and speaking more.

A new study on monkeys shows that the animals not only pay attention to imitative play, but prefer to interact with people who show it — suggesting that this impulse is deeply ingrained in innate primate social behavior.

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SFARI, August 2009.

Categories 2009, Autism, Blogging, Health and Medicine, SFARI

Making Sense of Senses

August 7, 2009 //
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Many of the most noticeable symptoms of autism involve trouble with the five senses. Sometimes people with the disorder are extremely sensitive — cowering from sudden noises or bright lights, for example, or reacting aggressively to being touched. Others seek out extra sensation, such as through hand flapping.

Surprisingly, though, most experts don’t consider these issues core features of the disorder. One reason is that no one has definitively calculated the extent to which these behaviors crop up in people with autism. Even if a high prevalence were confirmed, sensory impairments could simply be secondary consequences of a more fundamental deficit, such as a problem with attention or an aversion to social interactions.

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SFARI, August 2009.

Categories 2009, Autism, Blogging, Brain Science, Health and Medicine, SFARI

Gene Ties Trust Hormone to Williams Syndrome

August 3, 2009 //
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Thanks to one charming little girl, researchers say they have pinpointed a gene that’s key to developing normal social behavior.

The 9-year-old has a unique form of Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects roughly 1 in 10,000 people. One of the syndrome’s most distinguishing behaviors is an immediate, exuberant friendliness, even toward strangers.

In this aspect, Williams syndrome seems to be the opposite of autism, which is defined partly by extreme social aversion and a preference for interacting with objects over people. But the disorders are similar in other ways: people with either condition have tremendous difficulty forming long-lasting social relationships, for instance, and have cognitive deficits and high levels of anxiety.

Studying the relatively well-defined genetics of Williams syndrome may help unravel the poorly understood genetic and neurobiological roots of autism, researchers say.

“Both of [the disorders] are strong alterations of social behavior. Those are, I think at least in part, involving the same system,” says lead investigator Julie Korenberg, director of the Center for Integrated Neurosciences and Human Behavior at the University of Utah.

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SFARI, August 2009.

Categories 2009, Autism, Genetics, Health and Medicine, News, SFARI