Autism Treatment and Therapy - Glendale workingwithautism.com Our treatment and therapy center offers services for residents and families in Glendale. Since 1997, we've been the leading provider of autism treatment services in area. Our team is dedicated to helping your child or teenager succeed. We are available to give you a consultation and walk through the various options you have. We specialize in: -assessments -professional consultations -children ages 0-3 years -community integration -behavioral services By: WorkingWithAutism … Continue reading →

Jan. 28, 2013 Synapse development is promoted by a variety of cell adhesion molecules that connect neurons and organize synaptic proteins. Many of these adhesion molecules are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders; mutations in neuroligin and neurexin proteins, for example, are associated with autism and schizophrenia. According to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology, another family of proteins linked to these disorders regulates the function of neuroligins and neurexins in order to suppress the development of inhibitory synapses. Like neurexins and neuroligins, the neuronal proteins MDGA1 and MDGA2 have been linked to autism and schizophrenia, but their function in neurodevelopment was unknown. Both MDGA proteins localize to the plasma membrane, and their extracellular domains are similar to those of cell adhesion molecules. On the other hand, postsynaptic neuroligin proteins are known to help synapses form by associating with neurexins on presynaptic membranes. Neuroligin-2 specifically boosts the development of inhibitory synapses, whereas neuroligin-1 promotes the development of excitatory synapses. Ann Marie Craig and colleagues from the University of British Columbia investigated the function of MDGAs using co-culture assays, in which postsynaptic proteins like neuroligin-1 or -2 are expressed in non-neuronal cells and then tested for their ability to induce presynaptic … Continue reading →

Researchers have identified a unique blood marker that shows a link between gut bacteria and autism in some children diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder. In a new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, they found evidence of abnormal energy metabolism in a group of autistic children as a result compounds produced by gut bacteria frequently found in people with autism. The discovery lays the groundwork for future blood tests to screen for autism and treat the condition early, says co-author Dr. Derrick MacFabe, director of the Kilee Patchell-Evans Research Group at the University of Western Ontario. He collaborated with researchers from the Arkansas Childrens Hospital Research Institute in Little Rock. While gastrointestinal problems are common among children with autism, research to understand the connection and develop potential treatment is still in the early stages. To date, much of the effort has been directed at unravelling the genetic markers of the disorder, and toward early identification and behavioural intervention. However, there is increasing evidence that autism, like many other disorders, is the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors that affect the body and the brain, says MacFabe, whose research team focuses on the role of the gut … Continue reading →

1/29/2013 Researchers at Western University have made a breakthrough discovery that could lead to early detection and treatment for autism. Scientists say they've identified a unique blood marker that shows a link between gut bacteria and autism. The findings could have a big impact as autism rates have climbed over the past decade from one in 10,000 to one in 88 who have been diagnosed. The research was led by Dr. Derrick MacFabe, director of the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group at Western, he told CTV London the discovery could help diagnose and treat patients. "This is very useful in that it's a potential biomarker, or blood test, to identify certain populations of autistic children that may respond to certain treatments. The researchers tracked 213 children with autism and found 17% of them had consistently abnormal levels of the unique blood markers and evidence of abnormal cell energy function. MacFabe co-authored the study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry with researchers from the Arkansas Childrens Hospital Research Institute in Little Rock. He says it indicates environmental factors may play a larger role than previously thought. "It does point toward environmental factors. And our particular view is the environmental factors that … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) January 28, 2013 The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), the worlds largest provider of state-of-the-art, early intensive behavioral intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), is proud to announce Project Hope Foundation will begin to utilize Skills, CARDs online autism solution, to help maximize its treatment program for children with autism spectrum disorders. The foundation will integrate Skills into the treatment plans of over 80 children and will employ the program for a minimum of 5 years. Project Hope Foundation serves the autism community through four core programs that focus on helping families, opening minds, promoting inclusion and expanding potential, said Project Hope Foundations clinical director, Mark Knight. The Skills curriculum will take our treatment program to the next level and allow for the enhanced progress tracking of our clients. Skills offers the first and only applied behavior analysis (ABA) based comprehensive social skills, social cognition and executive functions curricula available. Skills is also one of the only online programs available that provides the ability to write behavior intervention plans (BIP) for challenging behaviors. Skills is designed to be both comprehensive and easy to use, increasing treatment effectiveness to produce positive results for every child. According … Continue reading →

WHEN SHERRY ROSS arrived at work, out of breath, her colleagues knew something was wrong. Ross, an occupational therapist, was a paragon of fitness, exercising every day, eating right, not smoking. She even held a part-time job as a fitness instructor at GoodLife. This was not someone who did much huffing and puffing. Luckily, I was at the Veterans Affairs (Canada) district office and one of the nurses that I work with there noticed that I was extremely short of breath after coming up one flight of steps, which she knows is very unusual for me, given how much I work out, Ross said, recounting the events of Dec. 11. So she asked if I was OK, and noticed that the left side of my face was drooped. I remember her asking me if I was all right, and I said, Yeah, yeah, Im fine. And she said, No, I dont think you are. At 45, Ross was having a stroke. Her mother had one at 47, but she was a smoker. Ross played volleyball and ran cross-country while a student at Halifax West High School, and has been a fitness instructor since 2000. She and her fiance moved into … Continue reading →

Clinical researchers at Glasgow University are aiming to help patients overcome some of the physical disabilities caused by a stroke. The team from the university's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences will undertake the world's first in-human trial of vagus nerve stimulation in stroke patients. Strokes, which affect 280 per 100,000 people in Scotland annually, can result in the loss of brain tissue and negatively affect various bodily functions from speech to movement, depending on the location of the stroke. The study, which will be carried out at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, will recruit 20 patients who suffered a stroke around six months ago and who have been left with poor arm function despite receiving the best available treatment. Each participant will receive three one-hour sessions of intensive physiotherapy each week for six weeks to help improve their arm function. Half of the group will also receive an implanted Vivistim device, a vagus nerve stimulator, which connects to the vagus nerve in the neck. When they are receiving physiotherapy to help improve their arm, the device will stimulate the nerve. Lead researcher Dr Jesse Dawson, a stroke consultant and clinical senior lecturer in medicine, said: "It's a little bit … Continue reading →