Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Movement patterns may distinguish autism subgroups

Movement patterns may distinguish autism subgroups —


Analysis of the movement patterns of people with autism suggests a new approach to classifying the disorder, as well as opportunities for individualized treatment, according to research presented at theSociety for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans. Motor difficulties are common among people with autism, although they are not considered one of the core features of the disorder. In a new study, Elizabeth Torres and her colleagues analyzed thousands of movements made by several dozen adults and children with and without autism in the laboratory setting. More @ http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/conference-news/2012/society-for-neuroscience-2012/movement-patterns-may-distinguish-autism-subgroups



Monday, November 26, 2012

The Holidays & Autism: Challenges During the Holiday Season for Children Who Tend to Wander

The Holidays & Autism: Challenges During the Holiday Season for Children Who Tend to Wander

The holiday season can be a particularly challenging time for both children with autism and their families. The value of planning for the holidays cannot be overestimated for those with sensory sensitivities, who thrive on routine, and are easily disoriented. The holidays are filled with sights, sounds, and smells. The average household is turned into a busy, frantic, festive place. The stores are brightly lit, excessively noisy with holiday music and busy with shoppers rushing in every direction. All of these sudden and dramatic changes for a child on the spectrum can easily create a sensory overload, making the holidays a difficult time for both the child with autism and their parents. 

More @ http://www.theautismeducationsite.com/2011/11/25/the-holidays-autism-challenges-during-the-holiday-season-for-children-who-tend-to-wander/

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Stop the presses, autistic mice cured for the 854,382th time, your kid still Shit Out of Luck though ...

Autism-like behaviors reversed in mice: New hope for understanding autism

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2012) — Researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal have identified a crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which can bolster new therapeutic avenues.  

Regulation of protein synthesis, also termed mRNA translation, is the process by which cells manufacture proteins. This mechanism is involved in all aspects of cell and organism function. A new study in mice has found that abnormally high synthesis of a group of neuronal proteins called neuroligins results in symptoms similar to those diagnosed in ASD. The study also reveals that autism-like behaviors can be rectified in adult mice with compounds inhibiting protein synthesis, or with gene-therapy targeting neuroligins. Their results are published in the journalNature.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Autistic boy left alone on school bus all day - San Antonio Express-News

Autistic boy left alone on school bus all day - San Antonio Express-News


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A severely autistic Southern California teenager was left inside a school bus alone for nearly seven hours.
The Anaheim Union High School District, which operates its own transportation services, has been investigating the Sept. 11 incident involving the Savanna High School student.
The 15-year-old boy's mother says her son, who is unable to speak and suffers from seizures, sat inside the special education student bus parked at the district transportation yard for most of the day.


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Autistic-boy-left-alone-on-school-bus-all-day-4012623.php#ixzz2BT2U7aUH



Friday, November 2, 2012

Concerns raised over possible exploitation of mentally disabled voters

FayObserver.com - Concerns raised over possible exploitation of mentally disabled voters

Jimmy Green's stepdaughter had never voted before. The 57-year-old is mentally disabled, and Green said she doesn't understand the concept of casting a ballot.  But this week, she called her parents to say she had voted for President Obama. The care home in Fayetteville where she lives registered its residents to vote and drove them to the polls, Green said.  "My concern is that somebody told her who to vote for," he said. "She didn't even know there's two different parties."

...

"The audacity of it to me, it is shameful, but both parties do it," said Talbot, a former Fayetteville city councilman. "When you haul people that are not competent and you do their voting for them, that's fraud."


Academic Integrity Fund (Andrew Wakefield) added to The Autism Retort


The Academic Integrity Fund has been added to The Autism Retort.

Doctors working in the public interest are under attack like never before; they must be protected. You – and only you – must decide what kind of doctors you want for your family. Increasingly, what should be your decision is being made by corporate profiteers and bureaucrats. The surest way to see justice for these doctors and to ensure that your family’s rights are protected is to get their accusers before a jury. The jury represents the voice of the people of the United States of America – those who stand by the founding principles of this great country. Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Now is the time to fight for the professional integrity of those who champion your cause.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Driver Kicks Autistic Girl Off Schoolbus, Literally | Care2 Causes

Driver Kicks Autistic Girl Off Schoolbus, Literally | Care2 Causes


A Florida school bus driver, Stephanie Wilkerson, has been arrested for literally kicking an autistic girl off her bus.
Yes, the driver actually used her foot to apply force to an 8-year-old student as she was going down the bus’s stairs. The child fell and fractured her ankle. The incident, which was recorded in a surveillance camera, occurred on September 28 after the bus pulled up at Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School.
As the Tampa Bay Times says, before the incident, the child was trying to get off the bus and Wilkerson told her to wait her turn. The child reportedly slapped and pushed the driver.
As school district spokesperson Scott Hegarty emphasizes, “It doesn’t matter what preceded [Wilkerson kicking the child]. That kind of behavior is not acceptable.”
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/driver-kicks-autistic-girl-off-schoolbus-literally.html#ixzz2B03wi310

Autism - Google News

The Autism Retort: 25 Newest Blogs Posts


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