Jim Calhoun, like many coaches, is superstitious. He might have a lucky tie or piece of jewelry he must wear to end a losing streak, or keep a winning streak going. But one item that remains in good times and bad is the blue puzzle piece he wears on the lapel of his suit jacket. The symbol for Autism Speaks, like the cause itself, remains close to his heart at all times. "He has never taken it off," Jeff Calhoun said. "I can't tell you how many people who have mentioned it to me — parents, families touched by autism, who tell me how much it means to them. He is very passionate about it. Just by lending his name and reaching out to people, he has done more than we could ever ask." Said Amy Calhoun: "When I see that blue pin on his lapel, it sometimes brings tears to my eyes. He is taking this on for Reese." The cause is a personal one for the Calhoun family. Jeff and Amy's daughter, Reese, now 8, was diagnosed at 2, and her grandfather's involvement with the advocacy group Autism Speaks is very deep. But because he is scheduled to … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Karen N. Peart karen.peart@yale.edu 203-432-1326 Yale University Children with autism spectrum disorders who also have serious behavioral problems responded better to medication combined with training for their parents than to treatment with medication alone, Yale researchers and their colleagues report in the February issue of Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. "Serious behavioral problems interfere with everyday living for children and their families," said senior author on the study Lawrence Scahill, professor at Yale University School of Nursing and the Child Study Center. "Decreasing these serious behavioral problems results in children who are more able to manage everyday living." Scahill and his team completed a federally funded multi-site trial on 124 children ages 4 to 13 with autism spectrum disorders at three U.S. sites including Yale, Ohio State University, and Indiana University. In addition to autism spectrum disorders, children in the study had serious behavioral problems, including multiple and prolonged tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior on a daily basis. The children in the study were randomly assigned to medication alone for six months or medication plus a structured training program for their parents for six … Continue reading →

THURSDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism may benefit from medications to treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other related disorders, but clearer guidelines are needed, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,000 U.S. teens enrolled in special education programs, to assess the use of psychiatric medications in those with autism, ADHD and both conditions. Patients with both autism and ADHD had the highest rates of medicine use (about 58 percent), followed by those with ADHD only (around 49 percent) and those with autism only (about 34 percent), according to study author Paul Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues. Black teenagers with autism only or with autism and ADHD were less likely to receive medications than whites. "Observations from the present study reinforce the complexity of pharmacologic treatment of challenging behavior in kids with [autism spectrum disorders] and ADHD," Shattuck said in a university news release. "There needs to be a clearer guide for treating kids with both an [autism spectrum disorder] and ADHD." He noted that drug treatment for autism reflects a trial-and-error approach based on associated symptoms, and there is a poor understanding of … Continue reading →

1. Don’t wait. Holland Hospital Dr. Sandip Kothari said the biggest problem with stroke is getting people to the hospital right away. “As soon as they notice some of the symptoms, they need to go to the emergency room. Don’t sleep on it, don’t call your third cousin who is a nurse,” he said. When it comes to chest pain and heart attacks, Kothari said people are trained to go right to the emergency room, so the American Heart Association piggy-backed off that same sense of urgency by referring to strokes as brain attacks. Liz Dirkse, a West Olive resident, suffered a stroke last March. She said she found herself flapping her arms to get her husband’s attention and alert him that something was wrong because she couldn’t speak. “Everything was right on the tip of my tongue, but my brain couldn’t tell my mouth what to do. It seemed that my brain had lost the connection to the rest of my body.” 2. Know the symptoms. Before her stroke, Dirkse knew symptoms varied from patient to patient, and her sudden inability to talk and walk tipped her off to what was happening. Kothari said the major symptoms to be … Continue reading →