KITCHENER Autism is not a disorder that acts alone. Up to 84 per cent of children with autism spectrum disorder suffer from some type of anxiety disorder but because of overlapping symptoms and a lack of standard diagnostic tests many go untreated. Irene Drmic, a psychologist and post-doctoral fellow at Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, discussed the issue of autism and anxiety at the fourth annual Autism Update hosted by KidsAbility on Friday. There are a lot of kids with some sort of comorbid disorder, said Drmic about the fact that children with autism are more likely than their non-autistic peers to suffer from multiple disorders. Anxiety disorders, such as separation anxiety and social anxiety, are the most prevalent among autistic children. The anxiety can translate to aggression or avoidance in the child and have a negative impact on their development. It causes considerable stress with daily functioning, Drmic explained. But anxiety disorders are manageable with proper treatment. While more research is needed to define the difference between symptoms of anxiety and autism and fine-tune treatments for the challenges autism presents, Drmic said cognitive behaviour therapy is a viable option. The problem currently lies with access. The … Continue reading →

HUDSON Columbia Memorial Hospital has a new way to fight strokes. The hospital is using a new clot-busting drug known as Tissue Plasminogen Activator, or TPA. The New York state Department of Health certified the hospitals stroke center in March for its ability to treat stroke victims more effectively. The hospital made the announcement on Friday at an event meant to bring attention to its new center, and was attended by the administrator of the New York Statewide Program for the Designation of Hospitals as Primary Stroke Centers. Along with the new drug, the hospitals radiologic technologists, who are on site 24 hours a day, have been trained to provide neurological CT scans of the brain to determine if there is any bleeding, said Medical Director Norm Chapin. Chapin said that more than 150 people were trained as part of the new requirements that go along with being designated a stroke center. According to a statement from the hospital, those include formal training for the staff to handle acute stroke patients, a plan for providing long-term, post-stroke treatment and formal stroke training for ambulance personnel. With the TPA drug, the stroke victims see an average improvement of 50 percent, said … Continue reading →