Epilepsy is common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A new study indicates their epilepsy is surprisingly photosensitive as well. Since photosensitive epilepsies can be triggered by flickering lights, the self-stimulatory behavior of ASD children, such as hand flapping in front of the face, has the potential to dramatically increase the risk of inducing […]
Archive | Autism
Undiagnosed Autism And Developmental Delay In Children With Epilepsy
Research presented today at the American Epilepsy Society’s 65th annual meeting suggests that systematic screening for developmental delay (DD) and autism should be routine for all children seen in epilepsy clinics. Investigators at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, evaluated the potential of giving screening questionnaires to parents of pediatric epilepsy patients seen in an epilepsy monitoring […]
Boys With Regressive Autism, But Not Early Onset Autism, Have Larger Brains Than Age-Matched Healthy Counterparts
In the largest study of brain development in preschoolers with autism to date, a study by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers has found that 3-year-old boys with regressive autism, but not early onset autism, have larger brains than their healthy counterparts. The study is published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of […]
Small, Preliminary Study Finds Abnormal Number Of Neurons In Brains Of Children With Autism
In a small, preliminary study that included 13 male children, those with autism had an average 67 percent more prefrontal brain neurons and larger than average brain weight, than children without autism, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA. The study was carried out by Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., of the NIH-UCSD […]
Wide Variation In Best-Estimate Clinical Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorders
In a study conducted at 12 university-based research sites, there was wide variation in how best-estimate clinical diagnoses within the autism spectrum were assigned to individual children, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The research was carried out by Catherine Lord, Ph.D., […]
Researchers Characterize Epigenetic Signatures Of Autism In Brain Tissue
Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with autism show changes at numerous sites across the genome, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study was carried out by Hennady P. Shulha, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass., […]
Researcher Urges Scientists To Stop Emphasizing The Shortcomings Of People With Autism
We must stop considering the different brain structure of autistic individuals to be a deficiency, as research reveals that many autistic people – not just “savants” – have qualities and abilities that may exceed those of people who do not have the condition, according to a provocative article published today in Nature by Dr. Laurent […]
Autistic Brains Develop More Slowly Than Healthy Brains
Researchers at UCLA have found a possible explanation for why autistic children act and think differently than their peers. For the first time, they have shown that the connections between brain regions that are important for language and social skills grow much more slowly in boys with autism than in non-autistic children. Included in this […]
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