Urge your Congressperson to support the reauthorization of the Combating Autism Act Committee scheduled for a markup meeting on Wednesday, September 7th Congress is back from their summer recess this week and its time to get back to work! There are less than 30 days left to secure the passage of the Combating Autism Reauthorization…
Diagnosing Autism with an MRI Scan?
Sounds a little futuristicādiagnosing autism with a brain scan.Ā In a small study of 60 adults, Dr. Christine Ecker of Kingās College London was able to use an MRI to detect which adults had autism with 90% accuracy.Ā The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, has several limitations.Ā 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.Ā However, parents and individuals on the spectrum have reported that they might still help with accompanying depression.Ā As usual, study results need to be taken in context: this is based on a compilation of only 7…
Another request for input from policymakers
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration on Developmental Disabilities would like input from the public on how they can best meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. ADD is planning future Projects of National Significance (PNS). PNS will create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to contribute to,…
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…