Published: Friday, April 10, 2015 at 4:18 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, April 10, 2015 at 4:18 p.m. Medical marijuana advocates will have a presence at today's Epilepsy Foundation of Florida's annual Walk the Talk fundraising event in Gainesville. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. at the Sidney Lanier Center, 312 NW 16th Ave. Representatives of People United for Medical Marijuana, the political action committee that got medical marijuana on the ballot in 2014 as a constitutional amendment, will be on hand collecting voter signatures as part of the petition drive to get back on the ballot in 2016. Mandy Hancock Anderson, the community development manager at the Epilepsy Foundation's Gainesville office, said the organization is not campaigning in support of the political issue in order to avoid potentially jeopardizing its 501c3 tax exempt status. "We just support anything that increases treatment options for our clients," Anderson said. The national office of the Epilepsy Foundation came out in support of medical marijuana in early 2014. That February, the president and CEO of the Foundation and the chair of the board of directors put out a statement saying the Foundation "supports the rights of patients and … Continue reading →

Autism: How Diet Affects Children with Autism - Raun K. Kaufman Breakthrough Strategies for Autism http://www.autismbreakthrough.com/ Children with autism are often sensitive to foods, especially gluten and cassein. Raun K. Kaufman, the author of "Autism Breakthrough: The Groundbreaking... By: autismtreatment … Continue reading →

By Tara Haelle HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, April 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Sophisticated imaging tests could provide clues to how well a child with an autism spectrum disorder may develop language skills, possibly as early as when the child is just a year old, a new study suggests. "We discovered that at the very first signs of autism in infants and toddlers, language-important brain regions already displayed striking differences between those who later had good versus poor language outcomes," said study co-author Eric Courchesne, a professor of neurosciences and co-director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. The findings also revealed brain differences of two possible subtypes of autism, one "language-learning ready" and one not, he said. "The two subtypes likely have different causes, mechanisms, processes, language-learning potential and treatment-responsiveness potential," Courchesne said. Identifying brain areas linked to children's outcomes could have benefits, but it's too soon to tell, said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "While families may be encouraged by the implications of this study, the reality is that considerable time, money and resources will likely … Continue reading →

When language delays or social detachment mark a baby for a diagnosis of autism, dark clouds cast that child's future in shadow. But researchers have discovered a test that can reliably forecast, some time between a baby's first and second birthday, whether those dark clouds will linger or dissipate. The new study, published Thursday in the journal Neuron, took eight years -- and the participation of 103 babies -- to complete. But if its findings hold up, all it will take in the future to clarify an autistic child's prognosis is a nap, a mellifluous nursery rhyme and a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The new research demonstrates that even in sleep -- and at an age when even some normally developing babies also lack words -- a baby's brain response to spoken language can reveal whether that child is likely to develop speech, comprehension and social skills or whether his social and expressive disabilities are likely to remain profound. The new research also sheds new light on autism itself, suggesting it is not just a "spectrum disorder," but probably more than one disorder -- with more than one cause and very likely more than one approach to effective treatment. "We … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO - April is Autism Awareness Month. For one Filipino American whose loved one is afflicted with this disorder, awareness is key for change. Latest government data shows that one in every 68 children in the US has autism. In the Philippines, where a comprehensive program tracking autism cases has yet to be developed, health officials estimate about one percent of the population or about one million people have the disorder. Autism Hearts Foundation president Erlinda Borromeo said there are a lot of undetected cases in the Philippines because a lot of parents from poor families don't even know their children have autism and that is why their children do not get proper treatment and intervention. "When I went to the Philippines, I saw that there were so many who are in need of support. For families, there seems to be nothing, unless you have money in the Philippines," said Borromeo. Borromeo knows what it means to feel lost when it comes to finding resources for a loved-one. Her grandson, Julien, was diagnosed with autism before he turned two. She took it upon herself to understand the disorder by earning a Master's degree in special education. She also became … Continue reading →

SAN JOSE -- After a recent spring football practice, San Jose State Coach Ron Caragher gathered his team around and told them about a special group of youngsters who would be coming to Spartan Stadium to hang out for a morning with any interested players. Quarterback Joe Gray couldn't wait to volunteer. "I took a quick shower and then signed up my name -- and the names of the other three quarterbacks," Gray said. "I joked that they had no choice." On Saturday, the school is hosting the annual Field Day youth event, where any young fan can meet Spartan athletes in different sports. But a group of 30 kids diagnosed with autism will be getting the red-carpet treatment as part of an innovative collaboration between Caragher's team, the school's Communicative Disorders and Sciences Department and the Autism Tree Project Foundation. The grass-roots program has caught on among SJSU football players and strikes especially close to home for Gray, whose 6-year-old niece is autistic. "These kids need to realize that they are important, will never be left behind and always will have equal opportunities," said Gray, a Los Angeles native. "I want to show them that people are there for … Continue reading →