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Tero Toivanen

Top Autism Facts - Top Autism Facts - 2 views

autism.about.com/...topfacts.htm

autism facts list article

shared by Tero Toivanen on 22 Feb 10 - Cached
  • 1. Autism Is a 'Spectrum' Disorder
  • it is possible to be bright, verbal, and autistic as well as mentally retarded, non-verbal and autistic.
  • 2. Asperger Syndrome is a High Functioning Form of Autism
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • The only significant difference between AS and High Functioning Autism is that people with AS usually develop speech right on time while people with autism usually have speech delays.
  • 3. People With Autism Are Different from One Another
  • 4. There Are Dozens of Treatments for Autism - But No 'Cure'
  • 5. There Are Many Theories on the Cause of Autism, But No Consensus
  • 6. People Don't Grow Out of Autism
  • 7. Families Coping with Autism Need Help and Support
  • 8. There's No 'Best School' for a Child with Autism
  • Even in an ideal world, "including" a child with autism in a typical class may not be the best choice. Decisions about autistic education are generally made by a team made up of parents, teachers, administrators and therapists who know the child well.
  • 9. There Are Many Unfounded Myths About Autism
  • Since every person with autism is different, however, such "always" and "never" statements simply don't hold water.
  • 10. Autistic People Have Many Strengths and Abilities
  • They are also ideal candidates for many types of careers.
  • Tero Toivanen on 22 Feb 10
     
    This brief, pithy article provides the bare bones basics for a quick read - along with links to more in-depth information for those who want to know.
Tero Toivanen

Autism Therapy: pivotal response training | Healing Thresholds - 0 views

autism.healingthresholds.com/...pivotal-response-training

autism therapy Pivotal Response Training PRT ABA Applied Behavioral Analysis

shared by Tero Toivanen on 29 Dec 09 - Cached
  • Future research may allow therapists to know in advance which type of applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) is most likely to work for any given child with autism.
  • This study of six children was designed to see if it is possible to predict which type of ABA therapy will work for which child with autism.
  • The authors were able to predict which children would respond to pivotal response training, but not which ones would respond to discrete trial training. The authors note that all children were first exposed to pivotal response training and then to discrete trial training and this may have influenced the results. Children who liked toys were more likely to respond to pivotal response training than children who did not like toys.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • This study looked at whether or not a type of applied behavior analysis (pivotal response training) could be used to teach play skills to children with autism.
  • . Both children in the study improved their social skills during recess time.
  • Tero Toivanen on 29 Dec 09
     
    Type of training in which certain behaviors are assumed to be crucial for other behaviors. These pivotal behaviors are then targeted so that the behaviors that depend upon them can change as well.
Tero Toivanen

Autism Information - Autism Information You Need To Know - 1 views

autism.about.com/...formation-You-Need-To-Know.htm

autism information you spectrum disorders research facts disorder causes diagnosis diagnoses treatment special education special needs SPED

shared by Tero Toivanen on 16 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • There are plenty of myths about autism spectrum disorders out there.
  • But even those of use who are well-grounded in autism basics may be surprised by some of these facts, which are emerging from recent research.
  • We do know what causes autism -- but only in about 20% of cases.
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  • Quite a few children who are diagnosed with autism at a very young age are no longer diagnosable with autism by the time they’re school-aged.
  • Whatever the reasons, many children who are diagnosed with autism as toddlers will not be diagnosable by the time they're in fifth grade.
  • Early intervention (diagnosis and treatment prior to age three) is very helpful indeed, but there is no “window of opportunity” that slams shut at a certain age. Thus, even children who are diagnosed later or receive less early intervention may do quite well in the long run.
  • Early intervention does, however, provide a now-or-never opportunity to allow non-verbal children to develop some kind of useful tool for communication (picture cards, signs, or even spelling boards).
  • There is no official “cure” for autism. In fact, researchers like Dr. Susan Levy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia argue that even when a young child is no longer diagnosable on the autism spectrum, he is probably still autistic.
  • Late talking is not an indication of a poor prognosis.
  • Children with autism may or may not be visual thinkers. Thus, school programs designed with visual thinking in mind may or may not be appropriate for any individual child with autism.
  • After many years of research, we still don’t know which treatments are most effective for which children -- or whether one treatment is more effective than another. Behavioral interventions are the best-researched treatments for autism, but even top scientists acknowledge that developmental interventions may or may not be equally useful for any given child. Meanwhile, only two drugs -- Risperdal and Abilify -- have been approved for use with children on the autism spectrum, and neither addresses “core” issues of autism (social/communication deficits).
  • Tero Toivanen on 16 Mar 11
     
    Important facts and information about autism.
Tero Toivanen

NIMH · Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) - 0 views

www.nimh.nih.gov/...complete-index.shtml

autism nimh pervasive

shared by Tero Toivanen on 20 Feb 09 - No Cached
  • Tero Toivanen on 20 Feb 09
     
    Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) * Introduction * What Are the Autism Spectrum Disorders? * The Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders * Treatment Options * Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder * Research into Causes and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders * References
Tero Toivanen

Genes implicated in twins' autism | The Autism News - 1 views

www.theautismnews.com/...nes-implicated-in-twins-autism

autism genetics genes twins research diagnoses environment

shared by Tero Toivanen on 05 Jan 10 - Cached
  • Researchers have known for years that when one identical twin has autism, the other is also likely to be diagnosed with it – evidence that autism likely has a genetic component.
  • Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute studied 277 pairs of twins and found that when one identical twin had the disorder, the other developed it 88 percent of the time; for fraternal twins, that figure was 31 percent.
  • Despite this progress in unlocking the mysteries of autism, scientists have simply confirmed that there are likely numerous genetic links to autism.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Each discovery explains just a tiny fraction of autism’s causes. Researchers think the great majority – 90 percent – of autism cases have a genetic cause, but they’ve found fewer than 10 percent of the triggers.
  • researchers have found about 50 genes so far that might be tied to autism, which explain very few cases, he said.
  • Autism isn’t one disease; it’s too individual to locate just one genetic cause. It’s not like cystic fibrosis, a disorder for which researchers have identified one gene – and tests to diagnose it.
  • autism researchers envision that a wide variety of gene defects are responsible for the symptoms collectively known as autism spectrum disorders. The disabilities, different in each child, range from the mild Asperger syndrome to more severe impairments in social interaction and communication.
  • “It’s going to take some work before we understand the true causes of autism,” he said. “We need to make much more headway to ever have enough understanding so that patient management and therapies can be improved.”
  • None of the new findings explains why more children are being diagnosed with autism. Genes, said Goldstein, tell only part of the story.
  • “The idea is there is an environmental interaction with the genetic component,” he said.
  • Autism may be inherited to some degree, but even twin studies show that not all sets of identical twins have autism. And when they do, they don’t always have the same severity of the disorder
  • That connection between genes and the environment, called epigenetics, might explain these distinctions
  • Tero Toivanen on 05 Jan 10
     
    Researchers have known for years that when one identical twin has autism, the other is also likely to be diagnosed with it - evidence that autism likely has a genetic component.
Tero Toivanen

12 Tips to Setting up an Autism Classroom « Principal Kendrick - 6 views

kendrik2.wordpress.com/...setting-up-an-autism-classroom

autism special education special needs students SPED ASD:teaching classroom ASD:educators tips

shared by Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10 - Cached
  • In a world that’s ever changing, routine and structure provide great comfort to a child on the autism spectrum.  Define routines clearly. 
  • Activities are successful when they’re broken into small steps.
  • Make sure children know what to do if they finish ahead of time.  Typically, children with autism do not use free time productively; therefore strive to have as little downtime between activities as possible.
  • ...47 more annotations...
  • 2. Use visuals
  • Remember to keep explanations simple and short about each picture or concentration will wane.   Give written instructions instead of verbal whenever you can.  Highlight or underline any text for emphasis.
  • People with autism like order and detail.  They feel in control and secure when they know what to expect
  • Picture schedules are even more powerful because they help a student visualize the actions.
  • Make sure you have this schedule in a very visible place in your classroom and direct the students’ attention to it frequently, particularly a few minutes before you begin the next activity.
  • Written schedules are very effective for good readers.  These can also be typed up and placed on a student’s desk.
  • 4. Reduce distractions
  • Many people with autism find it difficult to filter out background noise and visual information.  Children with autism pay attention to detail.  Wall charts and posters can be very distracting. 
  • Try and seat children away from windows and doors. 
  • 5. Use concrete language
  • Always keep your language simple and concrete.   Get your point across in as few words as possible. 
  • Avoid using idioms.
  • Give very clear choices and try not to leave choices open ended.  You’re bound to get a better result by asking “Do you want to read or draw?” than by asking “What do you want to do now?”
  • 6. It’s not personal
  • Children with autism are not rude.  They simply don’t understand social rules or how they’re supposed to behave.
  • NEVER, ever, speak about a child on the autism spectrum as if they weren’t present
  • Despite the lack of reaction they sometimes present, hearing you speak about them in a negative way will crush their self esteem.
  • 7. Transitions
  • Children on the autism spectrum feel secure when things are constant.  Changing an activity provides a fear of the unknown.  This elevates stress which produces anxiety
  • Reduce the stress of transitions by giving ample warning
  • Using schedules helps with transitions too as students have time to “psyche themselves up” for the changes ahead.
  • People can be slow when they are learning a new skill until they become proficient
  • Encourage your students to ask each other for help and information
  • Making decisions is equally important and this begins by teaching students to make a choice.  Offer two choices. 
  • When giving a directive or asking a question, make sure you allow for extra processing time before offering guidance.  Self help skills are essential to learn
  • Never underestimate the power of consistency.
  • Avoid this temptation and make sure you allow ample time before you abandon an idea.  Remember that consistency is a key component of success.  If you’re teaching a student to control aggression, the same plan should be implemented in all settings, at school and at home.
  • 9. Rewards before consequences
  • We all love being rewarded and people with autism are no different.  Rewards and positive reinforcement are a wonderful way to increase desired behavior
  • If possible, let your students pick their own reward so they can anticipate receiving it.
  • There are many reward systems which include negative responses and typically, these do not work as well.
  • Focusing on negative aspects can often lead to poor results and a de-motivated student.  When used correctly, rewards are very powerful and irresistible
  • Every reward should be showered in praise.  Even though people on the spectrum might not respond typically when praised, they enjoy it just as much as you!
  • 10. Teach with lists
  • Teaching with lists sets clear expectations.  It defines a beginning, middle and an end.
  • People on the autism spectrum respond well to order and lists are no exception.  Almost anything can be taught in a list format.
  • While typical people often think in very abstract format, people on the spectrum have a very organized way of thought.  Finding ways to work within these parameters can escalate the learning curve.    
  • 11. Creative teaching
  • It helps to be creative when you’re teaching students with autism.  People on the spectrum think out of the box and if you do too, you will get great results.
    • Tero Toivanen
      Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10
       
      Exactly!
  • Often, people with autism have very specific interests.  Use these interests as motivators.
    • Tero Toivanen
      Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10
       
      This is how I work! It's works!
  • Another great strategy to use is called “Teaching with questions”.  This method keeps students involved, focused and ensures understanding.
  • Another great way of teaching is by adding humor to your lessons.  We all respond to humor.
    • Tero Toivanen
      Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10
       
      When you feel well, your students feel well also and learn better!
  • 12. Don’t sweat the small stuff
  • The final goal is for children to be happy and to function as independently as possible.
  • Don’t demand eye contact if a student has trouble processing visual and auditory information simultaneously.
    • Tero Toivanen
      Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10
       
      It may even be painful for the student... There are research about this issue.
  • By correcting every action a person does, you’re sending a message that they’re not good enough the way they are.  When making a decision about what to correct, always ask yourself first, “Will correcting this action help this person lead a productive and happy life?”
Tero Toivanen

Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Taboo: Shhhh! Don't Mention THEM! - 0 views

autisminnb.blogspot.com/...o-shhhh-dont-mention-them.html

autism mentally retarded intellectually disabled

shared by Tero Toivanen on 03 Jun 09 - Cached
  • It is now politically incorrect to refer to anyone as mentally retarded. The polite and proper term to use now is intellectually disabled. Either way there is very little mention of the fact that many persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses are severely intellectually challenged. In the world's autism communities there are many who perceive it as an insult to mention the existence of the intellectually disabled autistic population.
  • some well known autism researchers work hard at showing the world how intelligent autistic persons really are, even those who cannot demonstrate that intelligence with any obvious ability to communicate or function in the real world.
  • The mere mention of the existence of low functioning autistic persons with serious intellectual challenges is forbidden.
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  • The exclusion by autism self advocates of the intellectually disabled autistic population occurs despite the fact that many persons with Autistic Disorder are intellectually disabled. The ICD-10 mentions this fact expressly in its description of Autistic Disorder:
  • Autistic Disorder...In addition to these specific diagnostic features, it is frequent for children with autism to show a range of other nonspecific problems such as fear/phobias, sleeping and eating disturbances, temper tantrums, and aggression. Self-injury (e.g. by wrist-biting) is fairly common, especially when there is associated severe mental retardation.
  • All levels of IQ can occur in association with autism, but there is significant mental retardation in some three-quarters of cases.
  • There are more than 200 known causes of intellectual disability. Some common examples of intellectual disability are: Down syndrome Autism
  • The attempt by higher functioning persons with ASD's and Aspergers to disassociate "autism" from intellectual disability helps stigmatize persons with intellectual disabilities including the many persons with autistic disorder and intellectual disabilities.
  • And some ND's, to counter the fact that most with LFA are retarded, some "famous" autistics like to promote FC as "proof" that they aren't.
  • My cousin is profoundly autistic. He is around 20 and cannot communicate at all, not verbally or in the written word, and has never said a word. Luckily, his family is smart enough to know that if anyone tries use FC on him they will know it is a scam.If a facilitator told my aunt that P was writing poems and understood Shakespeare she would just laugh. She loves P as he is; she knows reality and doesn't try to force him to be someone he isn't.
  • The current Wikipedia article still shows a frequency of 25-70% incidence of mental retardation in people with autism.
  • Yet, the reader is drawn to see not the high percentage (25% is still very high) but the width of the range, therefore there must be something wrong with the ability of standard tests to measure "autistic intelligence".
  • Mentally retarded IMO comes from the intelligence scales. These do not address the learning styles of all people and are inflexible. I do believe there are better ways to understand how someone learns. I also don't believe there are limits on what we learn, the brain's placisity allows us to learn our entire life.
  • I've spoken hundreds of parents and it worries me that so many have problems accepting their children as they are and will be.For some intelligence is the magic word, a kind of hidden cure inside their child.But autistic kids with a normal IQ which they can use function better than those with high IQ's they can't use.
  • I am only concerned about the cases where the FC person NEVER does ANY kind of independent work, which seem to be the majority of FC cases.
  • Tero Toivanen on 03 Jun 09
     
    It is now politically incorrect to refer to anyone as mentally retarded. The polite and proper term to use now is intellectually disabled. Either way there is very little mention of the fact that many persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses are severely intellectually challenged. In the world's autism communities there are many who perceive it as an insult to mention the existence of the intellectually disabled autistic population.
Tero Toivanen

A week ago, a new study published in the Archives of General - 0 views

www.theautismnewswire.com/NewsITems.aspx

study autism research gene mutation ASD sporadic spectrum disorders de novo spontaneous mutations intellectual disability epilepsy

shared by Tero Toivanen on 22 May 11 - No Cached
  • The Howard Hughes Medical Institute describes how researchers using "high-throughput gene sequencing technology" were able to identify several de novo or spontaneous gene mutations in 20 children with sporadic autism spectrum disorders -- that is, their family members showed no other sign of autism.
  • The team identified 21 spontaneous mutations -- meaning they weren't inherited from either parent -- in the children's DNA. Eleven of these were mutations that would alter the protein encoded by the affected gene. In four of the 20 children, the researchers found mutations that were severe, some of which have been previously linked to autism, intellectual disability, and epilepsy.
  • one child had a mutation in the GRIN2B gene, which is crucial for neuronal signaling.
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  • Another individual had an extra nucleotide in FOXP1, a gene that, along with its close relatives, has been heavily implicated in language defects.
  • These new findings support the 'multi-hit' model of autism, which suggests that having more than one mutation can cause or worsen symptoms of autism and other brain disorders. The different combinations of mutations may contribute to the heterogeneity in ASDs.
  • That such different combinations of genetic mutations contribute to a child being autistic could account for why individuals with an ASD diagnosis have some very similar, and very different, features.
  • Tero Toivanen on 22 May 11
     
    "The Howard Hughes Medical Institute describes how researchers using "high-throughput gene sequencing technology" were able to identify several de novo or spontaneous gene mutations in 20 children with sporadic autism spectrum disorders -- that is, their family members showed no other sign of autism."
Tero Toivanen

Should Asperger Syndrome Be Considered an Autism Spectrum Disorder? - 2 views

autism.about.com/...n-autism-spectrum-disorder.htm

autism Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis autism spectrum

shared by Tero Toivanen on 09 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Is Asperger syndrome appropriately included under the autism spectrum umbrella? Or should it, perhaps, be a separate diagnosis of its own, unconnected to autism?
  • Tero Toivanen on 09 Nov 09
     
    Is Asperger syndrome appropriately included under the autism spectrum umbrella? Or should it, perhaps, be a separate diagnosis of its own, unconnected to autism?
Tero Toivanen

Autism Research Blog: Translating Autism: Vision problems in autism: Reduced convergence? - 0 views

www.translatingautism.com/...roblems-in-autism-reduced.html

autism vision problems reduced convergence

shared by Tero Toivanen on 06 Mar 09 - No Cached
  • The authors found that 11% of the typically developing children and 31% of the ASD had a documented visual impairment (myopia, astigmatism, etc). This difference was statistically significant. That is, children with ASD were significantly more likely than typically developing children to have these conditions. Children with autism also displayed significantly poorer visual acuity (but within normal limits), and lower convergence. Convergence refers to the process by which the eyes move towards each other to maintain focus on approaching or close-range objects.
  • The findings of reduced visual acuity in children with autism when compared to typically developing children contradict previous studies that have shown enhanced visual acuity in autism. This brings us to a major limitation of this study that was correctly noted by the authors.
  • Limited convergence therefore would be associated with more limited depth perception. I find this intriguing because the neuropsychological profile of children with high functioning autism is often very similar to what is observed in kids with non-verbal learning disabilities (including relative weaknesses in motor-visual functioning). In addition, many parents with children with ASD report that their kids have trouble with sports and other physical activities. I thus wonder how much the reduced convergence observed in ASD may affect the motor-visual functioning in autism.
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  • Clinically, I was also intrigued by the high rates of vision problems found among the ASD group. Although, as I mentioned, this may be due to a self-selection of the parents who agreed to participate, this is consistent with data suggesting that children with developmental disorders are more likely to have visual problems than typically developing children
  • Tero Toivanen on 06 Mar 09
     
    Analysis of visual functioning in children with autism suggests impairment in visual convergence. A brief review of: Elizabeth Milne, Helen Griffiths, David Buckley, Alison Scope (2009). Vision in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Evidence for Reduced Convergence Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders DOI: 10.1007/s10803-009-0705-8
Tero Toivanen

Real Autism - What Is Real Autism - 0 views

autism.about.com/...realautism.htm

autism diagnosis autism spectrum Real Autism

shared by Tero Toivanen on 10 Jan 10 - Cached
  • Here are answers from a top expert, Dr. Susan Levy of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
  • Dr. Levy says, while about 80% of autism is idiopathic (of unknown cause), there are at present many known causes of autism including FAS, rubella, Fragile X Syndrome, and more. In addition, according to a a report published in Pediatrics in 2009 entitled "Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007," as many as 40% of children who received an autism spectrum disorder at some point in their lives are no longer diagnosable on the autism spectrum.
  • Tero Toivanen on 10 Jan 10
     
    Here are answers from a top expert, Dr. Susan Levy of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Tero Toivanen

Facing Autism in New Brunswick: In Future Will Autism Spectrum Disorders Be Referred To... - 2 views

autisminnb.blogspot.com/...ture-will-autism-spectrum.html

autism brain connectivity autism spectrum disorders research diagnosis

shared by Tero Toivanen on 16 Jan 10 - Cached
  • f brain connectivity is the biological problem that gives rise to autism disorders will  effective treatments and cures be developed targeting the connectivity issues?
  • 'People have started to look at autism as a developmental disconnection syndrome - there are either too many connections or too few connections between different parts of the brain,' says Sahin.
  • Sahin hopes that the brain's miswiring can be corrected by drugs targeting the molecular pathways that cause it.
  • Tero Toivanen on 16 Jan 10
     
    If further study results indicate that autism deficits arise from brain connectivity disorders will the autism spectrum disorders come to be known as the Brain Connectivity Disorders?
Tero Toivanen

Yale Study Suggests Children with Autism Watch for the Wrong Visual Clues - 0 views

autism.about.com/...for-the-wrong-visual-clues.htm

autism Visual Clues

shared by Tero Toivanen on 02 Apr 09 - Cached
  • Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to stare at people's mouths rather than their eyes. Now, an NIH-funded study in 2-year-olds with the social deficit disorder suggests why they might find mouths so attractive: lip-sync—the exact match of lip motion and speech sound.
  • Such audiovisual synchrony preoccupied toddlers who have autism, while their unaffected peers focused on socially meaningful movements of the human body, such as gestures and facial expressions.
  • "Typically developing children pay special attention to human movement from very early in life, within days of being born. But in children with autism, even as old as two years, we saw no evidence of this," explained Ami Klin, Ph.D., of the Yale Child Study Center, who led the research. "Toddlers with autism are missing rich social information imparted by these cues, and this is likely to adversely affect the course of their development."
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  • In theory, this finding could lead to educational techniques that could help very young children with autism build their social referencing skills. This could be hugely important for children with autism, since their challenges with "reading" social cues create so many problems as they enter school, interact with peers, and begin to navigate social relationships.
  • Tero Toivanen on 02 Apr 09
     
    Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to stare at people's mouths rather than their eyes. Now, an NIH-funded study in 2-year-olds with the social deficit disorder suggests why they might find mouths so attractive: lip-sync-the exact match of lip motion and speech sound.
Tero Toivanen

Facilitated Communication - Association for Science in Autism Treatment - 2 views

www.asatonline.org/...facilitated.htm

communication science autism facilitated FC Facilitated Communication research special education ASD:teaching ASD:educators

shared by Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • Tero Toivanen on 30 Dec 10
     
     "Research evidence, replicated across several hundred children with autism spectrum disorders, shows that the facilitators rather than the individuals with autism spectrum disorders control the communication and that FC does not improve language skills (Mostert, 2001). Therefore, FC is an inappropriate intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders."
Tero Toivanen

Mutations in 3 Genes Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders - 1 views

www.theautismnewswire.com/NewsITems.aspx

genes linked autism spectrum disorders research

shared by Tero Toivanen on 08 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Mutations in 3 Genes Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders : Mutations in three new genes have been linked to autism, according to new studies including one with investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • The findings, in a trio of papers revealing new genetic targets in autism, are published in the April 4th online issue of the journal Nature.
  • The genes with mutations identified in the studies – CHD8, SNC2A, and KATNAL2 – were discovered with a new state-of-the-art genomics technology known as exome sequencing, where all protein coding regions of the genome, called the exome, are analyzed.
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  • The researchers say that with further characterization of the genes and sequencing of genes in thousands of families, they will be able to develop novel therapeutics and preventive strategies for autism.
  • The institutions involved in this study sequenced data from more than 500 families (both parents and the affected child), examining the protein-enriched areas of the genome.
  • “When the same mutations are found in multiple affected children and none are found in children without autism, we believe that we have identified mutations that collectively affect a higher proportion of individuals with autism,” said Dr. Buxbaum. “Our studies revealed that the proteins encoded by the mutated genes interact with each other far more than expected, demonstrating significantly greater connectivity than would be expected.”
Tero Toivanen

Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Diagnoses: DSM V Should Separate Autistic Disord... - 0 views

autisminnb.blogspot.com/...ses-dsm-v-should-separate.html

autism diagnoses DSM V HFA Asperger Syndrome

shared by Tero Toivanen on 12 May 09 - Cached
  • This inclusion of substantially different disorders, with wildly different challenges, in one "spectrum" of disorders implies that the very serious challenges of persons with Autistic Disorder who lack a fundamental understanding of the world, who have very limited abstract thought and who have very little in the way of communication skills are somehow fundamentally similar to persons with good to excellent facilities in all these crucial areas of life.
  • Research is resulting in more and more people describing autism in the plural as autism disorders with different causes and different possible treatments.
  • It is time for the DSM to get realistic about the Autism "Spectrum".
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  • It is time to merge High Functioning autism disorders with Aspergers Disorder and separate them from Autistic Disorder.
  • It is time for the DSM to recognize the importance of levels of ability to function in and understand the world and to reflect those levels in their classification of development disorders.
  • Tero Toivanen on 12 May 09
     
    It is time to merge High Functioning autism disorders with Aspergers Disorder and separate them from Autistic Disorder.
Tero Toivanen

MedPie | Autism Among Somalis in Minnesota and Sweden: is it the Low Sunlight? - 0 views

www.medpie.com/...autism-somali-MN.html

autism vitamin D

shared by Tero Toivanen on 08 Apr 09 - Cached
  • High autism rates have been found in Somali imigrants living in Sweden and in Minnesota.  What does Sweden have in common with Minnesota, besides wolves and snow?  They are both at high lattitudes and get low sunlight, especially in the winter.  Swedish researchers have proposed that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the high incidence of autism found among Somali immigrant children.  Vitamin D is made in the skin from sunlight. 
  • Several medical-cultural trends may have combined to produce vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women, infants, and children, possibly predisposing children to autism: widespread use of sunscreen and avoiding outdoor exposure during peak hours, and reduced consumption of fatty cold-water fish by pregnant women, due to fears of mercury contamination. 
  • Herndon et al report that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder consume significantly fewer servings of dairy products than children without ASD, although both children with ASD and those without were deficient in vitamin D.  Dairy products in the United States are supplemented with vitamin D. 
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  • Somali women at high lattitudes may be at even greater risk of vitamin D deficiency if they observe the tradition of covering their skin.
  • Tero Toivanen on 08 Apr 09
     
    Herndon et al report that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder consume significantly fewer servings of dairy products than children without ASD, although both children with ASD and those without were deficient in vitamin D. Dairy products in the United States are supplemented with vitamin D.
Tero Toivanen

Welcome « Growing up on the Spectrum, the Blog - 0 views

growinguponthespectrum.com/...welcome

autism spectrum booki Dr.Koegel Overcoming Autsim

shared by Tero Toivanen on 02 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Growing up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teenagers and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger’s will be released by Viking/Penguin (the same publisher we had the first time) in March, 2009, in time for autism month (April).
    • Tero Toivanen
      Tero Toivanen on 02 Mar 09
       
      Uusi kirja autimista tulossa huhtikuussa.
  • Tero Toivanen on 02 Mar 09
     
    Growing up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teenagers and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger's will be released by Viking/Penguin (the same publisher we had the first time) in March, 2009, in time for autism month (April).
Tero Toivanen

Research adds to evidence that autism is a brain 'connectivity' disorder - 1 views

www.physorg.com/news182327031.html

autism research autism spectrum autism spectrum disorders brain miswiring

shared by Tero Toivanen on 10 Jan 10 - Cached
  • Now, researchers led by Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, of Children's Department of Neurology, provide evidence that mutations in one of the TSC's causative genes, known as TSC2, prevent growing nerve fibers (axons) from finding their proper destinations in the developing brain.
  • Sahin and colleagues showed that when mouse neurons were deficient in TSC2, their axons failed to land in the right places.
  • Further investigation showed that the axons' tips, known as "growth cones," did not respond to navigation cues from a group of molecules called ephrins.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Although the study looked only at retinal connections to the brain, the researchers believe their findings may have general relevance for the organization of the developing brain. Scientists speculate that in autism, wiring may be abnormal in the areas of the brain involved in social cognition.
  • there are either too many connections or too few connections between different parts of the brain
  • Tero Toivanen on 10 Jan 10
     
    Research evidence suggesting that autism spectrum disorders, which affect 25 to 50 percent of TSC patients, result from a miswiring of connections in the developing brain, leading to improper information flow.
Tero Toivanen

A Radical New Autism Theory - Page 1 - The Daily Beast - 0 views

www.thedailybeast.com/...a-radical-new-autism-theory

autism research Asperger Syndrome

shared by Tero Toivanen on 13 May 09 - Cached
  • . As posited by Henry and Kamila Markram of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, suggests that the fundamental problem in autism-spectrum disorders is not a social deficiency, but rather an hypersensitivity to experience, which includes an overwhelming fear response.
  • “There are those who say autistic people don’t feel enough,” says Kamila Markram. “We’re saying exactly the opposite: They feel too much.” Virtually all people with ASD report various types of oversensitivity and intense fear
  • “I think most people with ASD feel emotional empathy and care about the welfare of others very deeply.”
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger’s do not lack empathy—rather they feel others’ emotions too intensely to cope.
  • Tero Toivanen on 13 May 09
     
    A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger's do not lack empathy-rather they feel others' emotions too intensely to cope.
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