Autism

One out of four toddlers born prematurely showed early signs of autism, and the risk was greatest among those children who were the smallest at birth, researchers reported. Premature birth and low birth weight have been recognized in earlier studies as risk factors for a number of developmental problems, including autism and other illnesses. But the study of 91 children, who were born seven to 14 weeks prematurely and weighed 3.3 pounds or less at birth, was the first to directly assess the risk of autism in this population.

Women who reported having had a fever during pregnancy were more likely to give birth to a baby who would later be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a development delay, says a major new study. But the babies of women who treated their fevers with medication fared no worse than babies whose mothers recalled having suffered no fevers at all. The findings, wrote the authors,  "suggest that anti-fever medication used to control fever during pregnancy can reduce or eliminate" the apparent link between maternal fever and autism.

Autism treatment works best the earlier a child is diagnosed and begins therapy. A new screening test for babies at their 1-year-old check-up may be reliable enough to be used in pediatricians' offices around the world, said the authors of a review of the method. The screening test was performed on 10,479 1-year-olds in San Diego. The babies were the patients of 137 different pediatricians. Parents or guardians gave their permission for the babies to be screened. Using a checklist that took about five minutes to complete, doctors asked questions about the child's use of eye contact, sounds, words, gestures, object recognition and other forms of communication.

Re "Setbacks seen for autistic young adults," May 14 As the parent of a young man withAsperger's syndrome, the statistics on post-secondary employment for autistic students are not surprising. My son has a genius IQ and recently earned his bachelor's degree. He has submitted hundreds of resumes but can't land a menial job. Perhaps he is not assertive enough in an interview or has difficulty with eye contact, but this doesn't reflect his ability to troubleshoot a computer or his social networking skills.

Desperate to help their autistic children, hundreds of parents nationwide are turning to an unproven and potentially damaging treatment: multiple high doses of a drug sometimes used to chemically castrate sex offenders. The therapy is based on a theory, unsupported by mainstream medicine, that autism is caused by a harmful link between mercury and testosterone. Children with autism have too much of the hormone, according to the theory, and a drug called Lupron can fix that.

As the father of a 14-year-old autistic son, I must take issue with the erroneous statements made in Frank del Olmo's Dec. 27 Perspective on Autism. While the description of the dramatic progress Del Olmo's son is making no doubt gives much-needed hope to parents struggling with their child's autism, many of his assertions imply that if an autistic child is simply given enough therapy and education early enough, he (or she) can "recover." While a very few autistic people have likely "recovered," their number is undoubtedly quite small.

An early symptom of autism might be found in a baby's gaze, researchers reported Thursday. Diagnosing autism as early as possible is of critical importance. Studies show the earlier therapy begins, the more likely the child can overcome the deficits linked to the brain disorder. The new study, published online in the journal Current Biology , examined babies 6 months to 10 months of age who were at higher risk of developing autism because they had an older sibling with autism.

Re "Setbacks seen for autistic young adults," May 14 As the parent of a young man withAsperger's syndrome, the statistics on post-secondary employment for autistic students are not surprising. My son has a genius IQ and recently earned his bachelor's degree. He has submitted hundreds of resumes but can't land a menial job. Perhaps he is not assertive enough in an interview or has difficulty with eye contact, but this doesn't reflect his ability to troubleshoot a computer or his social networking skills.

Imagine navigating a world of social situations in which you are a very poor judge of other people's motivations and state of mind. It could seem like a very random world indeed. That is the world as seen through the eyes of someone with profound autism . Without the capacity to infer or deduce correctly what other people know, and why other people act as they do, one's sense of cause and effect is severely impaired. When bad things happen, you can only assume it was the work of bad people acting badly.

Children conceived in winter are more likely to develop autism than those conceived in other months of the year, according to a study of more than 7 million births in California. The findings suggest that at least some cases of the disorder may be linked to infectious diseases or other environmental facts, say researchers from UC Davis who conducted the study. Epidemiologist Irva Hertz-Picciotto, graduate student Ousseny Zerbo and their colleagues studied birth records of more than 7.2 million children born in California from 1990 to 2002.

California lawmakers and advocates for children with autism assailed the state Department of Developmental Services during a hearing Monday over the deep racial and ethnic disparities in how it spends money on the disorder. "Families that are already the most disadvantaged get the least," Martha Matthews, an attorney for the advocacy group Public Counsel, testified before a panel of legislators in Sacramento. "This is exactly the opposite of what it should be. " State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, who heads a committee on autism, called for legislation to provide greater accountability in the $4-billion-a-year entitlement program for people with developmental disabilities.

Publication bias: It has long been a problem in medical research. Studies that show a drug or treatment is effective are more likely to be published than studies with negative findings. As a result, the medical literature that guides how diseases and disorders are treated often provides doctors an incomplete picture of the evidence. A case in point is the use of antidepressants to treat the repetitive behaviors -- including hoarding, tapping, head banging and strict adherence to routine -- that are a hallmark of autism.

Pregnant women might now have one more good reason to watch their diet and exercise: A new study links autism and developmental delays in young children to metabolic conditions, like obesity and diabetes, in their mothers. The findings, published in Monday's edition of the journal Pediatrics, found that women who had diabetes or hypertension or were obese were 1.61 times as likely as healthy women to have children with autism spectrum disorders. They also were 2.35 times as likely to have children with developmental delays.

A major health insurance company has settled an enforcement action with state regulators over providing special therapy for autism patients. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Tuesday said that Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Co. agreed to immediately cover the cost of applied behavior analysis therapy, which Jones described as a well-recognized and effective treatment. The settlement with the Insurance Department stems from a dispute that began in July when Jones filed an enforcement action against Blue Shield.

A major health insurance company has settled an enforcement action with state regulators over payments for special therapy for autism patients. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Tuesday announced that Blue Shield of California Life and Health Insurance Co. agreed to immediately cover the cost of applied behavior analysis therapy, which Jones described as a well-recognized and effective treatment. The settlement stems from a dispute that began last July when Jones filed an enforcement action against Blue Shield.

An early symptom of autism might be found in a baby's gaze, researchers reported Thursday. Diagnosing autism as early as possible is of critical importance. Studies show the earlier therapy begins, the more likely the child can overcome the deficits linked to the brain disorder. The new study, published online in the journal Current Biology , examined babies 6 months to 10 months of age who were at higher risk of developing autism because they had an older sibling with autism.

Four that worry physicians The Chicago Tribune examined four treatments in depth. Medical experts said that the therapies have not been proved to help children with autism and that each also carries risks. IVIG treatment What it is: Antibodies culled from donors are infused into the patient intravenously over many hours. FDA-approved for: Pediatric HIV, some bone marrow transplants. Risks: Headaches, anaphylactic shock, meningitis, tiny risk of contracting infectious disease.

I have high-functioning autism, and I also write poetry. Having autism is extremely hard. However, having high-functioning autism can sometimes be even harder. For example, when a high-functioning autistic person communicates with a stranger, often the stranger doesn't realize the person has a disability; therefore you are looked upon as odd, scared and sometimes even stupid. In third grade, I stopped going to school due to severe social anxiety. After three months of staying home, I was able to start attending school part time.

A 1% solution? Re " $1 billion in state cuts to kick in soon ," Dec. 14 After reading the story about $1 billion in state cuts that will affect full-time workers' day care for their children, resources for the developmentally disabled, struggling college students' tuition and our doomed libraries, I turned the page and noticed four ads. Tiffany's advertised $6,500 earrings; Maurice Lacroix had watches for as high as $5,700; Dior...