To: HEALTH, MEDICAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS Epilepsy Therapy Project Announces "Shark Tank" Winner with Most Innovative Product WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate new therapies for people living with epilepsy and seizures, and the parent organization of epilepsy.com, today released presentation highlights from its successful 2012 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference held in San Francisco and announced the winner of its "Shark Tank" competition for the most innovative new product idea in epilepsy treatment and care. This year's epilepsy pipeline conference featured a stellar line up of leading drug and device developers, investigators and industry leaders and showcased cutting-edge epilepsy therapies in development, including medical technology and therapeutic products. The winner of ETP's inaugural "Shark Tank" competition is Charles Anderson of HiPass Design for his Smartphone-based Movement Detector, a life-saving seizure alarm. Anderson's invention was inspired from a personal concern that he was unable to detect his son's seizures at night. Anderson first devised a computer system that analyzed images from an infrared camera and detected seizure movements with few false alarms. The prototype system, which incorporates an iPhone with camera, sounds an alarm while recording valuable video … Continue reading →

20-02-2012 08:59 A news report on France 3 (a public channel of French television) about the successful treatment of autistic children with antibiotics. Read the original here: Treating Autism With Antibiotics (France 3 19/20, Feb 17, 2012) - Video … Continue reading →

Rooms for Good program to raise funds for the world’s leading autism and science advocacy organization in March and April Nashville, TN (PRWEB) February 21, 2012 Gaylord Hotels knows what it means to give voice to a good cause. The hotel group has been working to support charities through its Rooms for Good program for the last year, and today announced Autism Speaks as its March/April partner. Gaylord hotels will donate 10 percent of proceeds raised through a special package rate available at all four Gaylord Hotels resorts throughout March and April to Autism Speaks. “Gaylord Hotels’ Rooms for Good program has allowed us to help some wonderful organizations,” said Amy A. Atkinson, vice president of marketing and public relations, Gaylord Hotels, “and we are very appreciative of this opportunity to lend another voice to the Autism Speaks campaign. We are excited to be able to work with them again this year to help raise awareness and funds.” The world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, Autism Speaks works to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders by funding biomedical research into the causes, prevention, and treatments; raising public awareness about autism and its effects on … Continue reading →

February 20, 2012 Comments on this story (0) Barbara Turnbull LIFE REPORTER Meaningful work for people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome is possible when abilities are nurtured from a young age, says autism advocate Temple Grandin. That’s a message Grandin will bring to Toronto on Tuesday, as part of a seminar on developing talents for young adults with autism, a complex neurobiological disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others, and Asperger’s, a milder form of the disorder. Grandin, 64, is best known for her revolutionary transformation of livestock-handling facilities and her best-selling books The Way I See It and Thinking in Pictures about how people with autism think. She earned a PhD in animal science from the University of Illinois and is now an associate professor at Colorado State University. She was already in demand as a public speaker when her profile exploded in 2010 with HBO’s Emmy Award-winning movie Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes. That same year, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. She doesn’t get home much these days, she says in a recent telephone interview from Sacramento, Calif., and enjoys sharing her messages with appreciative audiences. Here … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Black children with autism tend to be diagnosed later than white children with the disorder, and this delay can lead to longer and more intensive treatment, researchers say. Lack of access to quality, affordable and culturally knowledgeable health care are among the reasons for the delay in a diagnosis of autism in black children, said researcher Martell Teasley, an associate professor in the College of Social Work at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Teasley also suggested that social stigma attached to mental health issues within the black community may add to the problem. Some black parents may find it hard to accept that their child has autism, so even when the disorder is diagnosed, there may be a reluctance to use autism treatment services. Misdiagnosis is also a potential problem, the study authors noted. "There are no subjective criteria for diagnosing autism. Only brain scans can truly provide appropriate diagnoses, because we are dealing with biological and chemical imbalances in the brain," Teasley said in a university news release. "Not every child is going to have access to this kind of medical evaluation, particularly those who are indigent and don't have health care funding." … Continue reading →