April is Autism Awareness Month During the month of April, the Autism Society of North Carolina encourages the public to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the resources available to individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. Autism affects 1 out of every 110 children born today, making it the second most…
Another possible tool for diagnosing autism even younger
Georgia Tech researchers are leading a team of universities to try to develop computerized tools to help people without specialized training to diagnose autism. With the help of a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the tools include a smart video camera, as well as heart rate and skin monitors to measure responses…
CAP-MR/DD Stakeholder Survey
During the month of September, you are invited to participate in a survey about the CAP-MR/DD Medicaid waivers (Comprehensive Waiver and Supports Waiver). Your feedback is very important to us as we continue to improve the waivers. We want to hear from individuals receiving CAP-MR/DD services, parents and guardians of individuals receiving services, service providers,…
Diagnosing Autism with an MRI Scan?
Sounds a little futuristic—diagnosing autism with a brain scan. In a small study of 60 adults, Dr. Christine Ecker of King’s College London was able to use an MRI to detect which adults had autism with 90% accuracy. The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, has several limitations. First and most importantly, the…
Report on use of antidepressants and autism
According to an article in The Boston Globe, antidepressants may not be helpful for treating the symptoms of autism. However, parents and individuals on the spectrum have reported that they might still help with accompanying depression. As usual, study results need to be taken in context: this is based on a compilation of only 7…
Sensory seeking or avoidant? New study to examine characteristics
THE SENSORY EXPERIENCES PROJECT (SEP) is funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (#42168) to examine the development, functional impact, and cause of various sensory features in children with autism, developmental delay, and/or typical development, ages 2-12 years. The goals of the project are to determine the sensory changes a child…
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Services Subcommittee will be having two meetings, as well as a public workshop, in the coming weeks and months. The first meeting will be a conference call held on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET. For more information see: http://iacc.hhs.gov/events. The purpose of…
Survey about Moving into Adulthood
The Family Advocacy and Support Training (FAST), a project of the PACER Center in Minnesota, is currently conducting a study of the needs of youth with disabilities (12 – 22 years old) as they move into adulthood. Parents or primary caregivers are asked to complete this survey, which is also available in Spanish. The purpose…