Thursday, June 28, 2012

ROCK HILL: Parents arrested after autistic son, 12, found nude outside Rock Hill home | Crime | Rock Hill Herald Online


ROCK HILL — The York County Sheriff’s office is investigating a case of unlawful neglect of a child after a 12-year-old autistic boy was found nude outside a home in Rock Hill.

At 6:01 a.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office received a 9-1-1 call in reference to a person wandering nude in a yard off Elder Road in Rock Hill.

When deputies arrived, they found a 12-year-old boy wandering without clothing. The boy who is believed to be autistic was unable to speak to deputies, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.

The York County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit was called in to locate the child’s home at 1455 Elder Road in Rock Hill. When deputies entered the home they found three adults, one of which was an elderly and bed ridden, and a 7-year-old child, living in the home and in what could be described as deplorable conditions, the release states.

Deputies observed throughout the home animal urine and feces, rooms filled with piles of trash which included bags of used cat litter. Also there was a limited amount of food in the home.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/06/28/4080032/parents-arrested-after-autistic.html#storylink=cpy

Thursday, June 14, 2012

New York Mets Exploring 'Quiet' Section for Fans with Autism

New York Mets Exploring 'Quiet' Section At Citi Field For Families With Autistic Kids « CBS New York

NEW YORK (WFAN) – Yes, the Mets are exploring the possibility of selling tickets for a “quiet” section at Citi Field. 
The Amazin’s posed the question to their fans in an email survey Wednesday: “The Mets are considering adding a designated ‘quiet’ seating section with lower volume PA announcements and no music or cheerleading. How likely would you be to purchase tickets in that section?”
It “would apply to a section in the second-deck, left-field seats,” which sell for between $20 and $78 apiece under the team’s dynamic pricing plan, according to the New York Post. The paper quoted a few Mets fans who panned the concept, calling it “stupid,” “boring” and “just not baseball.” 
The idea is to make Citi Field more welcoming to families with autistic children, the Mets told WFAN’s Boomer & Carton.  More @ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/14/mets-exploring-quiet-section-at-citi-field-for-families-with-autistic-kids/

Monday, June 11, 2012

Girl, 5, with Autism, drowns in Bradenton pond

Autistic girl, 5, drowns in Bradenton pond


Police say she was at home with her father and grandmother when somehow she managed to wander out a sliding glass door
The house backs up to a retention pond.



Has the iPad killed Dynavox? Don't cry for me, Autism Parents.

Has the iPad killed the one time AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) powerhouse, DynaVox? It sure looks that way.  It sure looks that way and as an autism dad who has both, I am not really sure what the point of the DynaVox is anymore.  It's big, it's bulky, it's way over priced.  Since the introduction of the iPad,  DynaVox, Inc. (DVOX)  stock has dropped about 92% to $1.25 (from $15) as of today. It's really kind of sad, but I have felt that the writing was on the wall for DynaVox for some time.  A few years ago, I begged and pleaded to purchase their software to install on a computer to use with a touchscreen LCD monitor.  They are/were very protective of their software, which is all well and good, but it will be their end.  We no longer need a several thousand dollar (ours was $7k when we got several years ago) piece of equipment to run AAC software.  They should get to work ASAP on a iPad app if they are to have any chance of survival.






















Thursday, June 7, 2012

Autism Wars

Autism Wars added to The Autism Retort!

Angelman syndrome: Brain cell activity imbalance may account for seizure susceptibility

Brain cell activity imbalance may account for seizure susceptibility in Angelman syndrome


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – New research by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine may have pinpointed an underlying cause of the seizures that affect 90 percent of people with Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Published online Thursday June 7, 2012 in the journal Neuron, researchers led by Benjamin D. Philpot, PhD, professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC, describe how seizures in individuals with AS could be linked to an imbalance in the activity of specific types of brain cells.

"Our study indicates that a common abnormality that may apply to many neurodevelopmental disorders is an imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition," Philpot said. This imbalance has been observed in several genetic disorders including Fragile X and Rett syndromes, both of these, like AS, can be associated with autism.



Monday, June 4, 2012

What's Different About The Brains Of People With Autism? | WBUR & NPR

What's Different About The Brains Of People With Autism? | WBUR & NPR


Like a lot of people with autism, Jeff Hudale has a brain that's really good at some things.
"I have an unusual aptitude for numbers, namely math computations," he says. 
Hudale can do triple-digit multiplication in his head. That sort of ability helped him get a degree in engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. But he says his brain struggles with other subjects like literature and philosophy. 
"I like working with things that are rather concrete and structured," he says. "Yeah, I like things with some logic and some rules to it." 
So Hudale, who is 40, does fine at his job at a bank. But he doesn't do so well with social interactions, where logic and rules aren't so obvious. 
"Most people my age are nowadays married," he says. "But me, not only am I totally single, I've never even had a date." 
What Hudale has done for the past 25 years is help scientists understand autism — by letting them study his brain. 
More @ http://www.wbur.org/npr/154175007/whats-different-about-the-brains-of-people-with-autism




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