Autism is a condition some children grow out of, a study has indicated. Experts studied 34 school-age children and young adults who had been diagnosed with autism early in life but now appeared to be functioning normally. Tests confirmed that the group, aged eight to 21, no longer suffered symptoms of the developmental condition that makes it difficult to communicate and socialise. The results, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, provide no estimate of the proportion of children likely to recover from autism. Dr Thomas Insel, director of the US National Institute of Mental Health which supported the study, said: Although the diagnosis of autism is not usually lost over time, the findings suggest that there is a very wide range of possible outcomes. For an individual child, the outcome may be knowable only with time and after some years of intervention. Subsequent reports from this study should tell us more about the nature of autism and the role of therapy and other factors in the long term out come for these children. Previous studies looking at the likelihood of autism recovery have proved inconclusive. Questions remained over the accuracy of the original diagnosis, and whether children … Continue reading →

Autistic children who recovered appeared to have milder social difficulties but more repetitive behaviours By studying children who appear to grow out of the disorder experts hope to create better therapies By Claire Bates PUBLISHED: 12:13 EST, 15 January 2013 | UPDATED: 13:36 EST, 15 January 2013 Autism is a condition some children manage to grow out of, a study has shown. Experts studied 34 school-age children and young adults who had been diagnosed with autism early in life but now appeared to be functioning normally. Tests confirmed that the group, aged eight to 21, no longer suffered symptoms of the developmental condition that makes it difficult to communicate and socialise. Autistic children who recovered appeared to have milder social difficulties but more repetitive behaviours The results, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, provide no estimate of the proportion of children likely to recover from autism. But the researchers say they offer hope that in at least some cases, the handicap of autism can be left behind. More here: Children can GROW OUT of autism, claim scientists … Continue reading →

Newswise (SALT LAKE CITYUniversity of Utah (the U) researchers, in collaboration with several groups from around the country, published a paper on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, following one of the biggest studies of its kind, that extends our understanding of genes related to autism spectrum diseases (ASDs) and advances methods for early detection and treatment. Nori Matsunami, M.D., Ph.D., a research scientist in the Department of Human Genetics at the U, was one of the three lead authors who contributed equally to the paper and worked with Mark Leppert, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the Department of Human Genetics. With colleagues from the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Lineagen Inc. (Salt Lake City) and Golden Helix Inc. (Bozeman, Mont.), the study identifies 24 new copy number variants (CNVs) missing or duplicated stretches of DNA with a strong link to autism. Utah has long been leading the way in disease-relevant genetic discoveries, Leppert said. The newly identified variants were discovered based on CNVs and gene sequence variants originally found in multigenerational Utah ASD families. The ability to replicate the association in a second, large ASD population is a major step forward in understanding the genetic markers associated with ASD. Startup company … Continue reading →

Autism is a condition some children manage to grow out of, a study has shown. Experts studied 34 school-age children and young adults who had been diagnosed with autism early in life but now appeared to be functioning normally. Tests confirmed that the group, aged eight to 21, no longer suffered symptoms of the developmental condition that makes it difficult to communicate and socialise. The results, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, provide no estimate of the proportion of children likely to recover from autism, but the researchers say they offer hope that, in at least some cases, the handicap of autism can be left behind. Dr Thomas Insel, director of the US National Institute of Mental Health which supported the study, said: "Although the diagnosis of autism is not usually lost over time, the findings suggest that there is a very wide range of possible outcomes. "For an individual child, the outcome may be knowable only with time and after some years of intervention. Subsequent reports from this study should tell us more about the nature of autism and the role of therapy and other factors in the long-term outcome for these children." Previous studies looking … Continue reading →

Washington, January 15 (ANI): In a new study, researchers have extended out understanding of genes related to autism spectrum diseases (ASDs) and advances methods for early detection and treatment. Nori Matsunami, one of the three lead authors from the University of Utah (the U), contributed equally to the paper and worked with Mark Leppert. With colleagues from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Lineagen Inc. (Salt Lake City) and Golden Helix Inc. (Bozeman, Mont.), the study identifies 24 new copy number variants (CNVs) - missing or duplicated stretches of DNA - with a strong link to autism. "Utah has long been leading the way in disease-relevant genetic discoveries," Leppert said. "The newly identified variants were discovered based on CNVs and gene sequence variants originally found in multigenerational Utah ASD families. The ability to replicate the association in a second, large ASD population is a major step forward in understanding the genetic markers associated with ASD," he said. Startup company Lineagen, Inc., which launched in 2002 based on U technology, is providing a related test for ASD diagnosis. The study validates the genetic markers used in this test. The product, called FirstStepDx PLUS, tests for many ASD markers, including the 24 … Continue reading →

Public release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine Irvine, Calif. With $14 million from the William & Nancy Thompson Family Foundation and the Children & Families Commission of Orange County, UC Irvine is helping lead the charge against a disorder that affects about 1 in 88 children in the U.S. autism. The funding created the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California, which will provide unparalleled access to assessment, diagnosis, care coordination, family support and education for children, teens and young adults. Along with facilitating this continuum of care, the generous funding will augment an aggressive UC Irvine research campaign to find new treatments that is affiliated with the new center. "In addition to all that the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California will offer, we must stand behind world-class research," says William Thompson, chairman of the William & Nancy Thompson Family Foundation. "This is taking place right now at UC Irvine. Real breakthroughs must start with research that is directed toward novel treatment approaches, and the research team at UC Irvine is distinctively set up to do this. These efforts walk hand … Continue reading →

International health care product major, Covidien plc. (COV), has initiated a new study, SWIFT PRIME. The main objective of this study is to find out the efficacy of the Solitaire FR Revascularization Device to treat acute ischemic stroke. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is clogged. The Solitaire FR device, an overlapping stent-based technology, mechanically removes blood clots from blocked vessels, restoring blood flow to the brain in patients ailing from stroke. The device has won the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2012 and is already approved outside the U.S. for the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke, offering physicians with an innovative treatment technology over the existing therapy options. The new clinical trial has enrolled its first patient at the Buffalo University and may enroll roughly 800 patients across 60 medical centers worldwide. Deemed to be one of the largest global medical studies, it will examine the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy using the Solitaire device in stroke care. The trial will also incorporate a health economic analysis. The … Continue reading →

Jan. 15, 2013 Stroke victims affected with loss of speech caused by Broca's aphasia have been shown to speak fluidly through the use of a process called "speech entrainment" developed by researchers at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. Aphasia, a severe communication problem caused by damage to the brain's left hemisphere and characterized by halting speech, occurs in about one-third of people who have a stroke and affects personal and professional relationships. Using the speech entrainment technique, which involves mimicking other, patients showed significant improvement in their ability to speak. The results of the study are published in a recent issue of the neurology journal Brain. "This is the first time that we have seen people with Broca's aphasia speak in fluent sentences," said Julius Fridriksson, the study's lead researcher and a professor with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Arnold School. "It is a small study that gives us an understanding of how the brain functions after a stroke, and it offers hope for thousands of people who suffer strokes each year." In Fridriksson's study, 13 patients completed three separate behavioral tasks that were used to understand the effects of speech … Continue reading →