By CHARLOTTE MOORE PUBLISHED: 20:33 EST, 18 March 2012 | UPDATED: 03:17 EST, 19 March 2012 The call from the kitchen was the high-pitched screech used for real emergencies. George, the eldest of my three sons, was begging for someone to come quickly to his aid. Although he is a 5ft 10in grown man of 22, he sounded terrified. Was his younger brother attacking him again? It wouldnt have surprised me it happens often enough. Proud of her family: Charlotte Moore at home with her autistic sons, George (left) and Sam (right). Her youngest boy, Jake (second right) does not have the condition Giving them freedom: George (left) and Sam (right) are finding ways to channels their interests and hobbies Although two years younger than George, Sam was by no means beyond delivering a good thump to his brother when irritated. And George can be very irritating. In the sanctity of the next room where my partner Simon, youngest son Jake and I were eating lunch, we all exchanged looks. Ill go, said Jake, putting down his plate. See the original post: Autism: One mother talks of life bringing up her disabled sons … Continue reading →

Posted: Friday, March 16, 2012 3:00 am | Updated: 2:19 pm, Wed Mar 14, 2012. MENDHAM A new organization has been formed to bolster professional training to support people on the autism spectrum. The organization, the Profectum Foundation, will present a three-day conference on March 16-18, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway. The conference will focus on the DIR model to autism treatment. DIR is an acronym for Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-based model, said Profectums executive director, Monica Osgood. Profectums mission is to advance the training of parents and professionals to help children and families with special needs worldwide, Osgood said . The number of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders is rising, Osgood said. A primary challenge related to this epidemic is the lack of professionals trained to support these individuals. Training offered by Profectum provide on-line opportunities for learning and educational webcasts followed with interactive on-line discussions. The conference will provide an understanding of the DIR multidisciplinary model; how to assess a childs individual profile including: sensory processing, motor development, language development and visual-spatial development and more. Presenters will include Osgood; Serena Wieder, founder of DIR Institute and co-author of Engaging Autism and The Child with Special … Continue reading →

Public release date: 19-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jane RUbinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 212-084-38287 Autism Speaks An international consortium of scientists, led by Roche, King's College London, and Autism Speaks, is collaborating on one of the largest ever academic-industry research projects to find new methods for the development of drugs for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). European Autism Interventions A Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications (EU-AIMS) is the largest single grant for autism research in the world and the largest for the study of any mental health disorder in Europe. The project, which will take place over the next five years, brings together top scientists from universities around the world, experts from Autism Speaks the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization as well as major global drug companies from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA) including Roche, Eli Lilly, Servier, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Pfizer and Vifor Pharma. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affects an estimated 1% of children worldwide and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, juvenile diabetes and pediatric cancer combined. With a wealth of knowledge and research findings related to ASD emerging every year, it has been hard to take … Continue reading →

(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nate Johnson plays with his son Owen, 3, at their home in Draper Friday March 16, 2012. An unprecedented collaboration between the state and private industry is set to begin this summer as Utah launches a pilot program to fund treatment for autistic children. Nathan Johnson's son, Owen, 3, is among a growing number of Utah children diagnosed as autistic. Though his son already receives services at the Carmen Pingree Center for Children with Autism, he would like to see programs like Pingree grow throughout the state. Utah government and private businesses are set to launch a collaboration with the potential to transform the lives of hundreds of families with young autistic children. The state will run a two-year pilot that will pay for therapy for about 350 children between the ages of 2 and 6. Insurance companies and at least one bank are expected to donate $1 million, which will be added to state dollars. Do you want to apply to receive therapy for your child? More information will be available on the Utah Department of Health website health.utah.gov in the coming weeks. "Autism is not going away," said Rep. Ronda Menlove, … Continue reading →

19 March 2012 Last updated at 02:38 ET By Eleanor Bradford BBC Scotland Health Correspondent Scotland is to play a major role in a trial of artificial hibernation to treat strokes, it has been revealed. Stroke patients from all over the UK will be offered a chance to take part in the Edinburgh University study. The treatment involves cooling the body by two degrees to prevent further damage to the brain. Cooling pads and cold intravenous fluids will be used to bring the body's temperature down from 36.8 degrees to between 34 and 35 degrees. The technique is already used to reduce brain injury after cardiac arrests and birth injuries. It is hoped it will have the same effect in stroke victims. Dr Malcolm Macleod, head of experimental neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, said: "People may have heard stories about people falling through the ice and making an amazing recovery because they've been cold at the time. "There have been a number of small studies looking at whether cooling the body could improve outcome for stroke. It's not enough to tell us for sure if it works but it suggests there may be substantial beneficial effect." What this trial … Continue reading →

LONDON (ShareCast) - Shares in biomarker specialist Proteome Sciences (Xetra: 935051 - news) rose almost 5% on Monday morning after it announced the EU was to award 11m to a consortium of which it is a member. Euro-HYP-1, a consortium of academic, clinical and industrial European partners that includes Proteome, has been awarded the grant for new research into the treatment of strokes. The study will examine the benefits of cooling the brains of victims after they have had a stroke. Pilot studies had shown that cooling the brain within six hours of a stroke could be remarkably effective in saving patients and reducing brain damage, Proteome said. The grant will be used to fund an EU-wide multicentre Phase 3 clinical trial in 25 countries involving 60 participating universities to treat 1,500 volunteer stroke victims with mild hypothermia. "Early diagnosis and hypothermic therapy may provide a low cost and effective way to treat the 15m people annually who have a stroke and which is the second leading global cause of death," said Dr. Ian Pike, Chief Proteome's Operational Officer. Shares in the firm were up 4.6% at 10.15am. Read the rest here: Stroke consortium to get €11m grant … Continue reading →