Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Healthcare system does not take girls with autism or ADHD symptoms seriously

When girls with symptoms of autism or ADHD seek professional medical help, their problems are often played down or misinterpreted, and there is a real risk that they will not get the help or support they need. As such, more training is needed in this area, particularly in the public sector, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg.

4 Oct 2010

IRSF awards $1.5M in research grants for Rett syndrome treatment

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced today that it will award an additional $1.5M in research grants, bringing the 2010 total to $2.15 million for innovative basic and translational research that moves treatments for Rett syndrome a step closer to the clinic.

4 Oct 2010

NIH to award $64M under Transformative Research Projects program

The National Institutes of Health will award up to $64 million over five years to encourage exploration of exceptionally innovative and original research ideas that have the potential for extraordinary impact.

4 Oct 2010

Siblings of children with autism have language delays: Study

Siblings of children with autism have more frequent language delays and other subtle characteristics of the disorder than previously understood. Girls also may be mildly affected more often than recognized in the past.

1 Oct 2010

CSHL professor receives NIH grant to study mechanism behind autism and schizophrenia

Anthony Zador, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Program Chair in Neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), has been awarded a $2.17 million, 5-year grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s Transformative Research Projects Program (T-R01).

1 Oct 2010

First direct genetic link to ADHD

The latest study shows evidence of a genetic link to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. The researchers from Cardiff University, Wales said the disorder was a brain problem like autism and not due to bad parenting. The paper appeared in the acclaimed journal Lancet.

30 Sep 2010

Some Democrats, including Reid, embrace health law as fall campaign battles continue

Politico: Some House Democrats are touting the new health law — and their support of it — as a positive in their fights to keep their seats in midterm elections this fall. The Democrats are "framing key provisions as a 'Patient's Bill of Rights.' Spurred by last week's release of a series of rigid insurance rules, the lawmakers are defying this election season's conventional wisdom placing by health care front and center." Among them are Reps. Dina Titus and Shelley Berkley or Nevada.

29 Sep 2010

Congressional races taking shape around health reform positions

Some Democrats are maintaining an independent voice on the issue of health reform. "Aware that their stock has taken the same tumble as home values, Congress' most vulnerable Democrats are declaring their independence from their party's agenda in Facebook profiles, television advertisements, news interviews and campaign websites leading up to the Nov. 2 election. That's when Republicans hope to retake control of the House they lost four years ago."

28 Sep 2010

Kids with preexisting illness get new protection for coverage but hurdles remain

When an insurance company refused to cover Deborah Gustlin's son because he has Asperger's syndrome, she took a drastic step 'I decided to lie,' says the 51-year-old resident of Morgan Hill, Calif.

24 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 23, 2010

A flurry of news coverage today highlights the health law's six-month anniversary and the specific provisions that take effect today, as well as the GOP's scheduled release of their "Pledge To America," which includes a repeal of the health overhaul among its priorities.

23 Sep 2010

People's Care ranks #2140 on Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies

Inc. Magazine included Southern California-based People's Care in its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the country's fastest growing private companies. The list represents a comprehensive look at an important segment of the United States' economy: independent entrepreneurs. People's Care joins other prominent brands on the list, including music website Pandora, 7-Eleven and Radio Flyer.

23 Sep 2010

Genomic imprinting can influence carrier's selfish or altruistic behavior

If you are more inclined to love thyself than thy neighbor, it could be your mother's fault. Those are the findings of Francisco -beda, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.-beda, along with fellow evolutionary biologist Andy Gardner from Oxford University, examined the impact that genomic imprinting has on the carrier's selfish or altruistic behavior.

23 Sep 2010

Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant. Each year, FASD affect an estimated 40,000 infants in the United States—more than spina bifida, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy combined.

22 Sep 2010

Danya International unveils new website for autism spectrum disorders

Danya International, Inc. (Danya), a communications, research, and technology company, unveils the new AutismOnline.com Web site encompassing research-based products and resources for individuals of all ages with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The AutismOnline.com Web site was introduced during a launch event today at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

21 Sep 2010

Research on signaling pathways may help to design therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders

Researchers at the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children's National Medical Center have discovered that the two major types of signaling pathways activated during brain cell development-the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway and the Notch pathway-operate together to determine how many and which types of brain cells are created during growth and repair in developing and adult brains.

17 Sep 2010

Researchers to contribute to brain circuit mapping in Human Connectome Project

Thirty-three researchers at nine institutions will contribute to the Human Connectome Project (http://www.humanconnectome.org/consortia). Using powerful, custom-built brain scanners, a supercomputer, new brain analysis techniques and other state-of-the-art resources, they will trace the anatomical 'wires' that interconnect thousands of different regions of the human brain's gray matter.

16 Sep 2010

Anonymous Funding promotes drug development for Fragile X syndrome treatment

Funding from an anonymous wealthy family has been the secret to progress, at long last, in developing drugs that show promise for helping millions of people worldwide with Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic cause of autism. That's the topic of a fascinating article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

16 Sep 2010

Scientists discover 13 genes linked to human body mass

Johns Hopkins scientists who specialize in unconventional hunts for genetic information outside nuclear DNA sequences have bagged a weighty quarry 13 genes linked to human body mass. The experiments screened the so called epigenome for key information that cells remember other than the DNA code itself and may have serious implications for preventing and treating obesity, the investigators say.

16 Sep 2010

Researchers find clue behind ASD affecting males than females

New research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada provides further clues as to why Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects four times more males than females. The scientists discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing ASD. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

16 Sep 2010

MRI brain scans can accurately predict young person's age

Using MRI technology and mathematical analysis, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Washington University in St. Louis are now able to accurately predict a young person's age simply by studying their brain scans. The research, which will likely have several clinical applications, including assessment and diagnosis, is published in the current edition of the journal Science.

15 Sep 2010