Kevin R. Wexler/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Al Schiavo and his girlfriend, Julie Skolnik, in the Hawthorne bedroom of Schiavos 10-year-old son, Spencer. The hole in the wall was made by Spencer, whose autism sometimes causes violent outbursts. As most people were finishing last-minute holiday shopping, members of Spencer Schiavos family were frantically working to create what they have called a miracle. Thats what it took, they said, to reverse a surprise insurance company decision that would have forced 10-year-old Spencer to leave an intensive treatment program for his severe autism by the weekend after Christmas. Al Schiavo and his son Spencer at the boys treatment center in Baltimore. Convincing the company, AmeriHealth, to reconsider took dozens of phone calls and letters from Spencers teachers and caregivers, many of whom his family had to track down after they had left their offices for the holidays. Spencer and his twin brother, Griffin, live with their father, Al Schiavo, and Als longtime girlfriend, Julie Skolnik, in Hawthorne. His mother, Hana Greene, lives nearby. Their efforts paid off with a brief phone call on one of the last business days before Spencers time at the renowned Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore was to run out. The … Continue reading →

The diagnosis of autism was shocking, even though Carol Marcantonio first noticed son Evan wasnt developing normally after his first birthday. It was the first time I ever heard the word in reference to someone I love, said Carol. Ten years later, the bond between mother and son is unbreakable, having withstood moments of violence, fear, sorrow, and joy. Courant reporter Josh Kovner and photographer Cloe Poisson spent months with the Marcantonio family, chronicling a mothers crusade to get her son proper treatment while navigating the highs and lows of a system ill-equipped to fully handle the needs of a family faced with such daily burdens. In words, photos and video, The Courant and courant.com on Sunday will provide readers with an intimate look into the world of autism from the view of a 11-year-old boy with a half-smile that can melt hearts and his tireless mother, dedicating her life to preparing her son for a future as an independent adult. Original post: Coming Sunday: An Intimate Look Into The World Of Autism … Continue reading →

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, stroke has dropped one place in the top 10 leading causes of death in the US, becoming the fifth leading cause of death during 2013. Stroke has swapped positions with unintentional injuries in the list, which killed 1,579 more people than stroke in 2013. However, there were no other changes in position between 2012 and 2013 in the list. Between them, the report says, these 10 causes accounted for 73.6% of all deaths in the US in 2013. In 2012, 36.9% of deaths in the US were caused by stroke, while in 2013, this dropped slightly to 36.2%. Although the death rate from heart disease also dropped slightly over the same period, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US, withcancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases in second and third place in the list, respectively. Commenting on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the American Heart Association (AHA) hypothesize that the drop in deaths from stroke is due to advances in the treatment and prevention of stroke. In particular, the AHA note, there are more stroke centers now operating across the US, and there … Continue reading →

This years Descartes-Huygens Prize has been awarded to two physicists, Ludwik Leibler and Willem Vos, for their research in polymer science and nanophotonics. The prize was set up by the French and Dutch governments in 1995 to reward scientists from the two countries for their research and for their contribution to collaboration between France and the Netherlands. Ludwik Leibler is a French physicist who has developed a revolutionary new technique that uses a nanoparticle solution made from polymers to connect human tissue. His share of the prize money (23 000 in all) will allow him to take part in Radboud Universitys Nanomedicine Alliance research programme, where he hopes to study how cells and soft materials, like hydrogels, interact. Willem Vos is a nanophotonics expert and works for the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente. His team recently discovered that a photonics bandgap can completely stop light being emitted from a material. His share of the prize will allow him to forge a partnership between the Institute of Nanosciences and Cryogenics in Grenoble and the University of Twente. During his time in Grenoble, he plans to study ultrafast methods for controlling how light and other particles interact with … Continue reading →