Parents Use Medical Marijuana To Help Their Epileptic Daughter 3:17 p.m. CDT, May 21, 2014 SPRINGFIELD --- Children who suffer from epilepsy would be able to use medical marijuana to treat their condition under legislation the House overwhelmingly approved today. The measure would add epilepsy to the list of ailments treatable under the states medical marijuana program and specifically allow children to have access. Sponsoring Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, said the legislation creates a "path" that would help many children in need of relief from seizures. "This product is incredibly helpful for young children with epilepsy," Lang said. Lang received support from House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs. Durkin said he was skeptical at first, but he was convinced children would not become addicted. Opponents worried youngsters under 18 could be exposed to marijuana. The bill already had passed the Senate, but Lang changed it to include provisions designed to bar kids from smoking medical marijuana and also from buying it. The House approved the measure 98-18, but the bill has to go back to the Senate for another vote. mzurick@tribune.com Read the original post: Medical marijuana for children with epilepsy advances … Continue reading →

NYU Langone Medical Center last month became the first hospital outside of a clinical trial site to implant a pacemaker-like device in the brain that may be a game-changer for patients with epilepsy. The device, called the RNS System, was implanted April 17, 2014 in a patient with seizures that previously could not be controlled with medication, or intractable epilepsy, by Werner Doyle, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone. The patient has recovered completely from the surgery. The first-of-its-kind device is similar to an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which delivers electrical pulses to the heart to prompt it to beat a normal rhythm and provides a new alternative treatment to vagus nerve stimulation and surgical removal of the focus site -- parts in the brain where the seizures originate -- for people with intractable epilepsy. Prior to last month's surgery, the only implants of the seizure-reducing medical device took place at U.S. medical centers that had previously researched the device's effectiveness and safety, making NYU Langone the first non-study hospital in the U.S. and New York metropolitan area to offer the RNS System to patients. "Medically intractable epilepsy is often a debilitating disorder that puts … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise NYU Langone Medical Center last month became the first hospital outside of a clinical trial site to implant a pacemaker-like device in the brain that may be a game-changer for patients with epilepsy. The device, called the RNS System, was implanted April 17, 2014 in a patient with seizures that previously could not be controlled with medication, or intractable epilepsy, by Werner Doyle, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone. The patient has recovered completely from the surgery. The first-of-its-kind device is similar to an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which delivers electrical pulses to the heart to prompt it to beat a normal rhythm and provides a new alternative treatment to vagus nerve stimulation and surgical removal of the focus site parts in the brain where the seizures originate -- for people with intractable epilepsy. Prior to last months surgery, the only implants of the seizure-reducing medical device took place at U.S. medical centers that had previously researched the devices effectiveness and safety, making NYU Langone the first non-study hospital in the U.S. and New York metropolitan area to offer the RNS System to patients. "Medically intractable epilepsy … Continue reading →

By: Gina Benitez EL PASO, Texas -- According to new data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 68 children in the United States currently have some form of autism. That's a huge jump from just a few years ago. But as more and more children are diagnosed, the demand for professionals in the field grows and KFOX 14 finds out, there may not be enough local specialists to meet that need. Jessica Acker is a licensed professional counselor in El Paso. She treats everything from mood disorders, to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, to autism. Acker works a lot with children with autism but over the last seven years she's been practicing, she's seen what she believes are serious gaps when it comes to the treatment of the disorder locally. "When children have autism, it requires a team approach," Acker said. Acker said that team approach is virtually non-existent. When a child has autism, Acker said there are usually multiple professionals involved. Depending on the child, there may be a developmental pediatrician, a neurologist, a therapist and a dietician, among others, who will all work together to develop a treatment plan for that child. See the original … Continue reading →

By TODD ZEIGLER Copy Writer On Saturday, May 31, supporters of autism treatment and research will line up at 9 a.m. at the Parklands at Floyds Fork to race in FEAT (Families for Effective Autism Treatment) of Louisvilles Outrunning Autism 5k Run/Walk. The average 5k racer, even at a moderate pace, can complete a race in less than an hour. On that Saturday, one racer will start at 9 a.m. and wont stop for 24 hours. Jim Ball, a local attorney and former co-owner of the now-closed Trail Store in Westport Village, will run nonstop until 9 a.m. Sunday morning in the FEAT of Louisville 24-Hour Extreme Event. Ball will run four-mile loops on the trails of the Egg Lawn at Beckley Creek Park. He will attempt to keep the pace at one loop per hour for the entire 24-hour period. This year will be Balls sixth 24-hour extreme run for FEAT of Louisville. Balls two oldest grandchildren suffer from autism. He was approached five years ago about sponsoring the 5k race due to his personal experience with the disorder, which appears during a childs first three years and affects the brains normal development of social and communication skills. Ball … Continue reading →

Celebrating sweeping advances in the treatment and aid of children with autism and their families over the last decade, Childrens Autism Services of Edmonton gathered together alumni to commemorate how far theyve come and discuss how far theyve still got to go. We have never been an organization that has been interested in recycling yesterday. Weve always been an organization that has been interested in moving forward. Were moving forward and stepping into the future, said Terri Duncan, speech pathologist and founder of Stepping Stones Autism Institute before it became Autism Services of Edmonton in 2007. The journey towards the Maier Centre for Autism, which opened in 2012, started in 2004, in the living room of someone who some may call a visionary. Recognizing the frustration felt by families over the lack of resources and support for their children and determined to open the potential locked underneath the symptoms of their disorder, Duncan then a speech pathologist started Stepping Stones Autism Institute in her home with one family, Jo Reimer and her son, Ryan. In a letter read at celebrations on Friday, May 16, Reimer said she would never forget the day Duncan came into their lives, and watched as … Continue reading →

(CNN) As the worlds leading autism researchers and advocates gathered at the International Meeting for Autism Research last weekend to share the latest discoveries about autism spectrum disorder, a strong theme emerged: Autism is growing up. When you think of autism, you probably think of young children. But children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, and eventually (God willing) elderly people with autism. In fact, most people with autism are adults, and most adults with autism lack services or even a diagnosis. In her conference keynote address, Marsha Mailick, director of the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared data gleaned from 10 years of following the lives of more than 400 people with autism, starting in 1998. This study was prescient; adults are vastly underrepresented in autism research, and longitudinal studies into old age are badly needed. Some good news emerged from Mailicks study: Autistic symptoms, such as impaired verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, and rigid/repetitive behaviors, decreased over time among one-third to half of the study participants, and stayed stable in many others. Independent living skills remained stable in this group, as well. However, leaving high school was a time of vulnerability … Continue reading →