The Facts About Truth
May 14, 2012—I was reading an article online the other day when I was suddenly reminded of the rather strange relationship that has existed between truth and fact since autism transitioned from being an obscure neurological condition into an epidemic. The article mentioned the widely known and often-repeated truth that 80% of married couples who have an autistic child end up divorced. Eight out of ten.
It’s a heartbreaking statistic which speaks to the emotional devastation that can result from being told your child is on the spectrum and the stress of having to deal with the difficult behaviors and the hours of extra work involved in raising a special needs child. I’ve discussed it with others in the autism community and wondered aloud if it played a role in the failure of my own marriage. Even when you try to view it objectively, it’s hard to imagine anything sadder: people who, more than ever, need love and support, finding themselves alone. It’s one of those brown-smelly-icing-on-the-crap-cupcake things where you get the feeling people who are already overburdened have been unfairly targeted by circumstance. It is truly one of the saddest parts of the whole autism experience. And it’s not true.
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People with Autism Possess Greater Ability to Process Information, Study Suggests
March 22, 2012—People with autism have a greater than normal capacity for processing information even from rapid presentations and are better able to detect information defined as 'critical', according to a study published today in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Economic and Social Research Council, may help explain the apparently higher than average prevalence in the IT industry of people with autism spectrum disorders.
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Gene Expression Abnormalities in Autism Identified
San Diego; March 22, 2012—A study led by Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has, for the first time, identified in young autism patients genetic mechanisms involved in abnormal early brain development and overgrowth that occurs in the disorder. The findings suggest novel genetic and molecular targets that could lead to discoveries of new prevention strategies and treatment for the disorder.
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Detecting Early Signs of Autism in the Brain
London; January 26, 2012—In their first year of life, babies who will go on to develop autism already show different brain responses when someone looks at or away from them. Although the researchers are careful to say that the study, reported online on January 26 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology, is only a first step toward earlier diagnosis, the findings do suggest that direct brain measures might help to predict the future development of autism symptoms in infants as young as six months.
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A Clue to the GI Problems that Plague Many Kids with Autism?
January 11, 2012—New research conducted in the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, reports that children with autism and gastrointestinal disturbances have high levels of a bacterium called Sutterella in their intestines.
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Autism Linked with Excess of Neurons in Prefrontal Cortex
San Diego; November 8, 2011—A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence shows that brain overgrowth in boys with autism involves an abnormal, excess number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.
The scientists discovered a 67 percent excess of cortical cells—a type of brain cell only made before birth—in children with autism. The findings suggest that the disorder may arise from prenatal processes gone awry, according to lead researcher Eric Courchesne, PhD, professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Autism Center of Excellence.
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Researchers Identify Epigenetic Signatures of Autism
WORCESTER, MA; November 7, 2011—Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to map epigenetic changes in neurons from the brains of individuals with autism, providing empirical evidence that epigenetic alterations—changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence—may play an important role in the disease
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Six New Autism Studies Presented by Rochester Researchers
May 13, 2011—Much about autism is unknown, but researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are working to learn more about the neurodevelopmental disorder and its most effective treatments. A team of researchers from URMC joins researchers from across the world in San Diego this week for the 10th annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR). Studies include complementary medicine use, medication use, risk for lead toxicity and nutrition.
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Finding Out
July 30, 2010—Not long ago, I was speaking with my son’s teacher from third grade, Melissa Spence, about the special diets some parents feed their autistic children and she remarked that it was a lot more common in the earlier grades than in hers. We agreed that it was one of the things parents tended to do soon after their child was assessed and less so later on.
That got me thinking about my own experience learning Christopher was autistic and what that first year was like. Looking back, one thing became abundantly clear: ‘finding out’ was much more a process than an event.
The point was driven home not long afterward when Mel (as she prefers to be called) asked for my help with an assignment for a class she’s taking—Mel got her degree and credentials at Boston College, but she’s having to retake a few classes here in L.A. and I’ve become her go-to parent when input from one is required. In this case, input took the form of an interview conducted by email. When I was done, I realized it was a pretty good account that first year and my process of ‘finding out.'
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Popular Autism Diet Does Not Demonstrate Behavioral Improvement
May 19, 2010—A popular belief that specific dietary changes can improve the symptoms of children with autism was not supported by a tightly controlled University of Rochester study, which found that eliminating gluten and casein from the diets of children with autism had no impact on their behavior, sleep or bowel patterns
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UCLA Imaging Study Provides Clues about Imitation or "Empathy Impairments" in Autistic Children
May 4, 2007—New imaging research at UCLA shows that impairments in autistic children’s ability to imitate and empathize can be linked to dysfunction in the brain’s mirror-neuron system.
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