By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, March 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Children conceived through assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization, are twice as likely to have autism as those conceived without assistance, a new study finds. But researchers only found an association, which may be explained by multiple births and other risks, not the infertility treatment itself, experts said. The study included nearly 6 million children born from 1997 to 2007. After taking into account factors such as mother's education and multiple births, the increased risk was seen only for mothers under 35, the researchers said. "The risk of autism appears to be largely modifiable by restricting IVF to single-embryo transfer," said lead researcher Peter Bearman, a professor of social sciences at Columbia University in New York City. Bearman added that there was no significant increased risk of the neurodevelopmental disorder for children of women who gave birth to one child. "Knowing that one can largely reduce the risk of autism by restricting the procedure to single-egg transfer is important for women who can then make better informed decisions," he said. The report was published March 19 online in the American Journal of Public Health. Assisted reproductive … Continue reading →

Children conceived through assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization, are twice as likely to have autism as those conceived without assistance, a new study finds. But researchers only found an association, which may be explained by multiple births and other risks, not the infertility treatment itself, experts said. The study included nearly 6 million children born from 1997 to 2007. After taking into account factors such as mother's education and multiple births, the increased risk was seen only for mothers under 35, the researchers said. "The risk of autism appears to be largely modifiable by restricting IVF to single-embryo transfer," said lead researcher Peter Bearman, a professor of social sciences at Columbia University in New York City. Bearman added that there was no significant increased risk of the neurodevelopmental disorder for children of women who gave birth to one child. "Knowing that one can largely reduce the risk of autism by restricting the procedure to single-egg transfer is important for women who can then make better informed decisions," he said. The report was published March 19 online in the American Journal of Public Health. Assisted reproductive technology includes all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are … Continue reading →

A man reaches out to his son, who has autism, in Portland, Oregon. Photograph: Stephen Voss / Alamy/Alamy Jack, a nine-year old boy in a bright blue shirt, runs into the kitchen for his after-school snack. In between bites of an apple, he jumps up and down. David, his behavior interventionist, follows behind, preparing a form for recording data on his clipboard. After break time, he will conduct a two-hour session of applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, a widely used treatment program for autism. Today, David will work with Jack to reduce some of his challenging behaviors, teaching him appropriate communication, as well as social and self-help skills, with the intention of closing the developmental gap between him and his typically developing peers. Please go get the map and spread it out on the floor, prompts David. Jack follows this two-step instruction, meeting one of the goals identified by his family and behavior team. Great job! says David, making a tick mark on his data sheet. David asks Jack if he would rather eat ice cream or pizza. I dont want to talk about pizza, says Jack. David prompts him to try his response again. I dont like pizza. David … Continue reading →