Gina St. Aubin

When children are diagnosed with Autism, parents quickly become aware that the identification of Sensory Processing Disorder is likely not far behind.  If a diagnosis has not been made, many SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) behaviors may still be exhibited regardless of intensive or focused therapies needed.  What is not as widely known is that children on the spectrum may also have epilepsy.

In a 2005 study conducted by Lidia Gabis, John Pomeroy, and Mary R. Andriola entitled “Autism and epilepsy: Cause, consequence, comorbidity, or coincidence?”, the researchers found that children diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) who also had “significant cognitive impairment are at a higher risk to have some form of epilepsy.”  Forty percent of children with autism in this study were also diagnosed with epilepsy. That’s 40% of children in one study!  

This would coincide with reports of many parents that regressions occur with no known reason or that therapy that once was effective is no longer beneficial for their child.  Some parents even report that their child is a ‘different person than the day before’…sometimes the hour before. The thought of epilepsy as being a part of the puzzle of Autism may be furthest from consideration since most people think of epilepsy as an obvious manifestation, as in a grand mal seizure.  However, epilepsy comes in many forms. 

Read in Full:  http://www.examiner.com/special-needs-parents-in-national/autism-and-epilepsy-a-missed-connection

 

 

Epilepsy on the Frontier – My Story

• November 9th, 2010 9:40 pm MT

This is National Epilepsy Month. Most of my readers know me as a journalist, social worker, politician, or musician. I am all of those things. I am also a person with epilepsy. I had my first seizure at age 11. This is a glimpse into my story in recognition of National Epilepsy Month.

When I was a child, my parents told me frequently not to tell anyone I had epilepsy – we never even used the word at home – it was taboo. It was acceptable to say I had migraines or strained muscles – side effects of seizure activity. It was okay to need a tutor in Math because I just couldn’t get it – not because I would skip steps when my brain blipped. It made me feel bad about myself and let others think I, with a Mensa IQ, was just plain stupid.

When I went off to college I rebelled. I joined the Independent Living Movement, an off-shoot of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. I spoke out about being a person with a disability and the right to live and work integrated into the community. That cost me too. Prior to the Americans With Disabilities Act, I remember getting fired from a white-collar job. Although my seizures were at the time under control, the employer said it was too much of a liability for me to remain employed. Later I had a child, a beautiful baby who has grown into a a magnificent adult. I knew the supports I needed and arranged for them yet because I was vocal about my epilepsy I lived through the scrutiny of federally and state funded childrens services who routinely, at that time, reviewed the fitness of all parents with epilepsy. Although I quickly passed their checkpoint, it was not without the humiliation of caseworkers judging my fitness while convicted crank dealers down the street were left to their own vices with their children.

Now as a middle-aged adult, I have taken a middle ground. Perhaps I have adopted the Ecclesiastes approach to epilepsy.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.”

Read in Full:  http://www.examiner.com/economy-in-billings/epilepsy-on-the-frontier-my-story

 

Epilim, the anti-epilepsy medicine containing sodium valproate and, in its controlled release Chrono formulation, valproic acid. Photograph: Mark Thomas/Science Photo Library

Epilim: the anti-epilepsy drug at centre of legal case

Medicine important in treating epilepsy, migraines and bipolar disorder, but not recommended for women of childbearing age

James Meikle

guardian.co.uk, Monday 8 November 2010 14.33 GMT

Epilim, the drug under scrutiny in a test case expected to be abandoned at the high court next week, remains an important drug in the treatment of epilepsy, migraines and bipolar disorder.

In all, it is probably taken by 200,000 people in the UK although the manufacturers say it is no longer recommended as a first choice epilpesy treatment for women of childbearing age.

Women who take Epilim, the brand name for sodium valproate, are at a slightly greater risk of having difficulties conceiving or of having a child with disabilities than those on other treatments, according to the charity Epilepsy Action.

Regulators say the drug’s manufacturers provide clear warnings over potential risks, but lawyers for families of children alleged to have been affected claim the company was slow to do so.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, responsible for drug safety in the UK, told the Guardian: “Epilepsy is a serious neurological condition and it is important that is treated effectively, including during pregnancy. It is widely recognised that women who take anti-epileptics during pregnancy have a higher risk of having a child with a birth defect than women in the general population – it is estimated that the risk of 2-3 times higher. The likelihood of having a child with birth defects is further increased if the woman takes more than one anti-epileptic medicine during pregnancy.”

It said all anti-epilepsy medicines carried clear warnings about the safety of their use during pregnancy and the potential risk of birth defects.

“For sodium valproate the product information advises about the potential for birth defects and recommends that any woman taking sodium valproate who is likely to become pregnant should receive specialist advice on these risks. There is also a recommendation that if taken during pregnancy sodium valproate should be used as monotherapy at the lowest effect dose.”

It also recommended the use of folic acid prior to pregnancy to help reduce the risk of having a baby with spina bifida, which was one of the birth defects seen in children whose mothers took sodium valproate during pregnancy. Other defects included: head and face deformities, including cleft palate; deformities of the bones, including hip dislocation; malformations of the arms and legs; deformities of the tube from the bladder to the penis; heart and blood vessel malformations, including heart defects; and defects of the lining of the spinal cord.

Read in Full:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/08/epilim-anti-epilepsy-drug

 

 

Children who have hypertension are much more likely to have learning disabilities than children with normal blood pressure, according to a new University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) study published this week in the journal, Pediatrics. In fact, when variables such as socio-economic levels are evened out, children with hypertension were four times more likely to have cognitive problems.

Among the study’s 201 patients, all of whom had been referred to a pediatric hypertension clinic at URMC’s Golisano Children’s Hospital, 101 actually had hypertension, or sustained high blood pressure, determined by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring or monitoring by a school nurse or at home. Overall, 18 percent of the children had learning disabilities, well above the general population’s rate of 5 percent. But the percentage among those without hypertension was closer to 9 percent, and among those with hypertension, the rate jumped to 28 percent. All of the children were between 10- and 18-years-old, and the children’s learning disability and ADHD diagnoses were reported by parents.

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207389.php

 

Half Of American High School Children Bullied During Last 12 Months

 

Article Date: 27 Oct 2010 – 6:00 PDT

 

Bullying and being bullied have become a part of life for a considerable proportion of American high school children, according to the largest study ever which examined attitudes and conduct in the USA. The study, created by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, reports that 47% of high school kids said that they were bullied to the point of becoming “seriously upset” over the last 12 months, while 50% admitted to bullying somebody. 43,321 schoolchildren responded to the survey. According to the Institute, their findings have a margin of error of no more than one percent.

 

Read in Full: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205925.php

 

Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students

 

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2010) — Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) are vulnerable to bullying, harassment, compromised achievement, and emotional and behavioral health problems. A national survey of LGBTQ youth in secondary schools found that nearly all of them heard homophobic remarks in school, and three-quarters heard such remarks often. Moreover, 40 percent had been physically harassed and 20 percent had been physically assaulted.

 

A new Social Policy Report from SRCD on Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students provides an overview of the research evidence on the state of LGBTQ youth in secondary schools today, including the newest findings about the degree to which these youth are at a high risk of being bullied and harassed. Given that the research they present shows that students are better equipped to succeed and achieve when they feel safe in school, the authors also include recommendations to federal and state policymakers in addition to education administrators and professionals on how to better foster safe school environments for LGBTQ and all students.

 

Read in Full: 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101104094036.htm

 

Teens’ Take On Bullying

Article Date: 12 Nov 2010 – 4:00 PST
Both the bully and the victim’s individual characteristics, rather than the wider social environment, explain why bullying occurs, according to Swedish teenagers. The new study, by Dr. Robert Thornberg and Sven Knutsen from Linköping University in Sweden, also shows that 42 percent of teenagers blamed the victim for the bullying. The study is published online in Springer’s journal, Child & Youth Care Forum.

 

In one of the rare studies investigating young people’s views on why bullying takes place in school, Thornberg and Knutsen explored how teenagers explain bullying to better understand their actions as participants or bystanders in bullying situations. The authors also looked at whether teenagers attribute bullying to the characteristics of the individuals involved rather than to society in general, whether there are any differences in explanations depending on their own previous bullying experiences, as well as potential gender differences when deciding who is to blame – the bully or the victim.

 

Read in Full: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207617.php

 

What If Your Child’s The Bully?

Article Date: 13 Nov 2010 – 1:00 PST

 

No parent wants to learn that their child is being bullied. But it may be even harder to hear that their child is the bully. What does a parent do when they’re told?

 

“Take a deep breath and don’t panic,” advises Sally Kuykendall, Ph.D., assistant professor of health services at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “Resist the temptation to respond defensively with ‘not my child.’ Understand that your child may be testing behaviors.”

 

“Parents need to consider their child’s social skills and whether or not they’re mimicking violence they’ve been exposed to in the media, at home or in the community,” Kuykendall suggests.

 

Kuykendall highlights the need for parents to engage in conversation with their child and to keep that conversation going. “Confront excuses. Don’t allow them to tell you they were ‘just joking.’ Set clear and consistent limits. Let your child know what is socially acceptable behavior. Don’t let your child blame the victim or rationalize the attacks,” she warns.

 

Read in Full: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207791.php

 

SAMHSA Awards Up To $22.4 Million In Funding To Help Prevent Suicide

Article Date: 04 Nov 2010 – 4:00 PDT

In the United States, suicide claims over 34,000 lives annually, the equivalent of 94 suicides per day; one suicide every 15 minutes. To address this national crisis the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding a total of up to $22.4 million in additional funds over the course of the next five years to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). The center which is operated by the Education Development Center, Inc., in Massachusetts, provides state-of-the-art suicide prevention expertise to states, tribes, and communities throughout the country.

Read in Full: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206680.php

 

PHQ-9 Test Screens for Teen Depression

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 2, 2010

A major component of health reform involves a more active role for primary care physicians in diagnosing and caring for individuals with depression.

As such, primary care clinicians know teen depression is common, but they’ve lacked a reliable screening test for it.

Now researchers at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle Children’s, and Group Health report that the old standard Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 item version (PHQ-9) is also a good screening test for major depression in adolescents.

Led by Laura P. Richardson, MD, MPH, the team tested the PHQ-9 as a screening tool for depression in 442 teenage patients, ages 13-17, at Group Health.

The test is brief, available free of charge, easy to score and understand, and proven to find major depression (meeting DSM-IV criteria) in adults.

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/02/phq-9-test-screens-for-teen-depression/20445.html

 

Surge in Teen Suicides?

By John M Grohol PsyD

Minnesota has seen its usual number of teen suicides this year. But because a cluster of suicides involve students from Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota, some people may believe there’s a “surge” in suicides that is an anomaly.

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) went behind the statistics, though, to see if such an adjective was appropriate to describe this cluster. As it turns out, it wasn’t.

With 33 teen suicides so far this year, Minnesota is on pace for the average of 42 it has seen annually since 1990.

At worst, that misperception risks “normalizing” suicide, leading teens to accept it as a normal occurrence, said Daniel Reidenberg of the Bloomington, Minn.-based Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE.

“Then when they are confronted or faced with a bad situation,” he said, “they think suicide is a normal response.”

In other words, no surge. Just a coincidence that a number of suicides occurred around a single community.

And social networking websites, like Facebook, may be helping teens not only memorialize such suicides, but also gives teens a place to express their own suicidal ideation. Which may be good, or it may be bad, depending upon how you look at it.

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/11/04/surge-in-teen-suicides/

 

Poor School Grades Linked to Increased Suicide Risk, Swedish Study Reveals

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2010) — School leaving grades can be an indicator of an increased risk of suicide at a young age. A new study from the medical university Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, shows that young people leaving the Swedish elementary school (year nine at age 16) with the lowest average grades, run approximately three times the risk of committing suicide compared with those who graduate with top or very high grades.

“The correlation is clear, despite having excluded young people who had been in hospital for mental health problems or drug-related diagnoses,” says Charlotte Björkenstam, doctoral student at Karolinska Institutet and managing director of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare’s cause-of-death register.

The researchers examined the leaving grades of almost 900,000 former graduates born between 1972 and 1981, when Swedish schools applied a five-point numerical grade scale. A follow-up was then made with respect to suicide up to the ages of 25 to 34. Their results show that those with the very highest grades had the lowest risk of committing suicide. People whose leaving grades were above average but below top level evinced a higher risk than those with top grades, and those who had left year nine with average grades had a higher risk still.

Read in Full:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026090830.htm

 

Most Treated Teens Recover From Depression, But Half Get It Again

Editor’s Choice

Article Date: 02 Nov 2010 – 12:00 PDT

Treatment for teenage depression appears to be effective for the vast majority of patients, however, in nearly half of all cases the condition comes back, especially among female patients, researchers from Duke University report in an article published in Archives of General Psychiatry.

It is associated with functional impairment, risk of suicide and risk of adult depression. Thus, it is important to investigate not only the efficacy of adolescent major depressive disorder treatments but also whether they reduce the risk of subsequent negative outcomes, especially depression recurrence.

 

John Curry, Ph.D., and team studied 86 male and 110 female adolescents who took part in the TADS (Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study). They were randomly chosen to one of four-short-term treatments:

• Fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac) treatment
• CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)
• A combination of Prozac with CBT
• A placebo (dummy drug)

The researchers followed up on them for five years.

96.4% of them recovered from their initial depression episode during the five-year follow-up period, and 88.3% got better within 24 months.

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206485.php

 

Teenage depression treatment: Medication, therapy or both? It may depend on marital conflict.

Written by Nestor Lopez-Duran PhD on Thursday, November 4.2010

Recently I discussed a study that examined the rates of psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents. I mentioned how by age 18, about 16% of girls and 8% of boys will experience a depressive disorder (major depressive disorder or dysthymia). Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions in adolescents and unfortunately it is not just a temporary phase. Research suggests that depression that starts in childhood or adolescence is actually more chronic and more impairing than adult onset depression.

Read in Full:  http://www.child-psych.org/2010/11/teenage-depression-treatment-medication-therapy-or-both-it-may-depend-on-marital-conflict.html

International Collaboration Amasses Largest Database To Advance Drug Development In Depression And Schizophrenia

Article Date: 11 Nov 2010 – 1:00 PST

In a remarkable and unprecedented collaboration NEWMEDS (Novel Methods leading to NeW MEdications in Depression and Schizophrenia) have pooled resources to bring together data of 23,401 anonymized patients from 67 trials on 11 compounds in over 25 countries to form the single largest database of clinical trial data ever amassed in psychiatric research.

It is widely recognized that despite tremendous growth in biomedical knowledge, the deciphering of human genome and almost daily round of discoveries – the rate of development of new drugs has been slow. This is especially true in psychiatric disorders. One barrier to development has been the competitive relationship between rival companies and the other has been the limited exchange of science across the industry-academic divide.

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207315.php

 

Follow-Ups Prove Powerful Tool for Treating Depression in Primary Care

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2010) — In the 15 minutes a primary care doctor typically has with a patient, she’s expected to diagnose the current ailment, help manage ongoing health issues and provide preventive care. In this setting, confronting all but the most obvious and immediate mental health needs of patients is an ongoing challenge.

A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System, however, points to an encouraging strategy for improving and sustaining mental health results in chronically depressed patients by providing small amounts of flexible, targeted follow-up care — without overburdening busy doctors’ offices.

The study, published in the September/October issue of Annals of Family Medicine, shows that patients who received interventions that included self-monitoring tools and follow-up phone calls from a care manager were more likely a year and a half later to have symptoms that were in remission and to have fewer reduced-function days than those receiving usual primary care treatment.

Read in Full:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026121741.htm

 

Increase Depression Screens During Pregnancy

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 5, 2010

A new study discovered depression during pregnancy is more common than predicted.

Researchers performing depression assessments at two Women, Infant and Children clinics in New Mexico discovered 23 percent of women met criteria for depression.

Nationwide, 10 percent to 16 percent of pregnant women meet the criteria for depression, and 70 percent show some depressive symptoms, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

In June, ACOG said that screening of pregnant women for depression should be “strongly considered” but that there is not enough evidence to recommend it.

The authors of the new study say their findings suggest that screening for depression should be a routine part of prenatal and postnatal care.

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/05/increase-depression-screens-during-pregnancy/20569.html

 

Depression Linked to Circadian Rhythm Gene Activity

By Traci Pedersen Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 12, 2010

Scientists have found a link between depression and an alteration in the body’s so-called Clock gene, which plays a role in regulating circadian rhythm.

The Ohio State University research found more activity in the Clock gene in individuals who had experienced depression than in participants with no history of mood disorders.

“We know that there are a lot of insomnia symptoms in depression, especially early morning awakening,” said Jean-Philippe Gouin, lead author of the study and a graduate student in psychology at Ohio State University.

Higher activity levels of this gene suggest something is wrong with the body’s 24-hour biological and behavioral cycle, and in turn could create sleep disturbances — a common symptom of depression — and affect other physiological functions regulated by circadian rhythm.

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/13/depression-linked-to-circadian-rhythm-gene-activity/20782.html

Immune System Involved in Depression, Animal Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2010) — A new animal study suggests the immune system plays a role in depression. The research was presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, held in San Diego.

Activation of the immune system caused mice to learn to run less on wheels in their cages — an activity they normally like. The mice resumed their normal activity when the action of interleukin-6, an immune hormone that carries “sickness” signals to the brain, was blocked.

“Our findings suggest that blocking the action of interleukin-6 might reduce depression symptoms, like fatigue or loss of interest in pleasurable activities, in people who are depressed and who have elevated levels of interleukin-6,” said Simon Sydserff, PhD, a senior research scientist at BrainCells Inc., who conducted the research while with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

Read in Full:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101116101836.htm

 

Social Class May Impact Treatment For Depression

Article Date: 06 Nov 2010 – 1:00 PDT

Current treatments for depression don’t help working-class and poor patients as much as they help middle-class patients improve their ability to function at work, according to a recent University of Illinois at Chicago study.

Depression has a profound impact on an individual’s productivity. That’s particularly true among individuals in lower social classes and with lower levels of education, such as many of those in sales and support jobs, says Lydia Falconnier, assistant professor in UIC’s Jane Addams College of Social Work.

Falconnier reviewed data from the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program from 1982 to 1986. Participants included 239 patients with major depressive disorder.

“This is particularly important since a lot of research shows negative outcomes for children of depressed mothers,” said Falconnier, the study’s principal investigator.

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206924.php

 

Can Music Therapy Treat Depression?

Article Date: 11 Nov 2010 – 3:00 PST

A Swedish study that appears in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics applies music therapy to the treatment of depression.

Evidence suggests that music therapy should be further explored as a possible treatment. Music therapy is generally not associated with negative side effects and can be easily implemented. These factors contribute to high adherence and favorable treatment outcomes. Previous efficacy studies of music therapy for depression treatment suffered from a lack of specific stimuli, methodological shortcomings, or utilization of small samples.

…  Based on possible neurophysiologic and neurochemical effects, receptive music therapy, as explored in this pilot controlled trial, appears to be associated with reduced depressive symptoms and high treatment compliance, and may therefore potentially represent an effective depression treatment alternative, alone or in combination with psychosocial and pharmacological approaches.

Sources: Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, AlphaGalileo Foundation.

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207432.php

 

What Not to Say to a Depressed Person

By Therese J. Borchard

I’m always on the lookout for articles that touch on ways to communicate to a friend or family member who is depressed because, well, it’s a delicate issue and one that deserves some education. I found this quiz on Everyday Health on what you should and should not say to a loved one struggling with depression.

1. Snap out of it!

Your loved one hasn’t left the house in what seems like days. Should you tell him to pull himself up by his bootstraps and just snap out of it?

Don’t say it.

You may be tempted to tell someone who’s depressed to stop moping around and just shake it off. But depression is not something patients can turn on and off, and they’re not able to respond to such pleas. Instead, tell your loved one that you’re available to help them in any way you can.

2. What do you have to be depressed about?

In a world full of wars, hunger, poverty, abuse, and other ills, you may feel impatient when someone you love feels depressed. So do you remind him how lucky he is?

Don’t say it.

You can’t argue someone out of feeling depressed, but you can help by acknowledging that you’re aware of his pain. Try saying something like “I’m sorry that you’re feeling so bad.”

3. Why don’t you go for a nice walk?

Exercise is a known way to lift your mood. Is it a good idea to suggest that your loved one with depression go out and enjoy some fresh air and activity?

Say it — but with a caveat.

By definition, depression keeps you from wanting to engage in everyday activities. But you can show your support by offering to take a walk, go to a movie, or do some other activity with your loved one. How about: “I know you don’t feel like going out, but let’s go together.”

Read More …  http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/11/13/what-not-to-say-to-a-depressed-person/

12 November 2010

The National Autistic Society (NAS) today welcomes the Government’s commitment to supporting people with autism and other disabilities into work but expresses substantial concern about the increased sanctions proposed for those looking for work.

Mark Lever, NAS chief executive, says:

Our research shows that 79% of adults with autism on incapacity benefit want to work, yet only 15% are in full-time employment, because they lack the information, advice and support to be able to be able to hold down a job. We hope that the Government is committed to fulfilling their pledge to support disabled people remaining in or returning to work. 

We do however, have substantial concerns about the increased discretion given to Jobcentre Plus Advisors to decide when to apply sanctions that could see people with autism and other disabilities have their benefits wrongly taken away from them. Autism is a complex disability and it is unrealistic to expect Job Centre staff to have required expertise to understand it without specific training. Unless additional support is given, this could devastatingly result in thousands of people with autism and other disabilities living without essential benefits and well below the poverty line. 

Source:  http://www.autism.org.uk/en-gb/news-and-events/news-from-the-nas/media-response-increased-sanctions-for-those-looking-for-work.aspx

 

Article Date: 16 Nov 2010

A new study suggests that the handwriting problems that affect children with autism are likely to continue into their teenage years. The research is published in the November 16, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The research found that the teenagers with autism earned 167 points out of 204 total possible points on the handwriting assessment, compared to the 183 points scored by teens in the group without autism. These results showed statistical significance in the study. The teenagers with autism also had motor skill impairments.

Read in Full:  http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=207961

By Victoria Allen

A YOUNG Scot with Asperger’s syndrome has finally found love… with the first girl he’s ever been able to look in the eye.

Craig Thomson, 25, has a severe form of the condition, which means he struggles with social skills.

He has always been afraid of eye contact, even with his mum and dad, but things were different when he met partner Gemma Shaw.

Craig said: “It’s not natural for me to look someone in the eye. It’s like letting someone hear my thoughts.

“But with Gemma, it doesn’t matter. We’re so close and I’m so comfortable that it’s not scary any more.

“I never thought I would be that close to anyone.”

Craig, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, is often trapped in his own world because of his condition.

He is happiest when things are planned and becomes anxious around unpredictable people.

Craig can’t figure people out using facial expressions or social cues. He can’t express his feelings and he hates to be touched.

When he’s anxious, he often comforts himself by repeating actions. He has seen the film Terminator 2 more than 500 times.

But despite his problems, Craig was determined to find love.

And when he joined an online dating site, he was honest about his condition.

He wrote in his profile: “I have social problems, I don’t like eye contact and can’t recognise facial expressions.

“I have temper tantrums and obsessive compulsions, like turning lights on and off eight times before bed.”

Many women would have been put off, but Gemma, 23, liked Craig’s honesty.

She replied, they met a few weeks later and they were living together within six months.

Craig said: “I felt very comfortable with Gemma. When I gave her a kiss, it felt right.

“The biggest myth about people with my condition is that we’re not capable of love. We are – we just express it differently.”

Gemma said: “I’ve never thought of Craig as autistic – I just think of him as Craig.

“The first time he looked me in the eye, it was almost impossible for him. It means we’re meant to be together.”

Source:  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/2010/10/28/man-with-asperger-s-syndrome-finds-love-with-first-girl-he-was-able-to-look-in-the-eye-86908-22664220/

 

Researchers say they have identified a unique ‘signature’ of autism in the brains of children with the condition

Alok Jha, science correspondent

guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 November 2010 20.00 GMT

The pattern of brain activity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is markedly different from that of children without the condition, according to a new brain-imaging study.

The work, which shows that ASD has a “signature” in the brain, may lead to a better understanding of which parts of the brain the condition interferes with and how some people, despite having a high genetic risk of developing the condition, manage to compensate for its effects.

ASD is a genetically influenced condition that affects the development of children’s brains, with symptoms that include difficulties with social communication, interaction and imagination.

Hundreds of genes may contribute to the condition and scientists believe that individual cases of ASD could correspond to different patterns of genetic variation, which could lead to measurable differences in the way that the brains of autistic children function.

Dr Martha Kaiser and Professor Kevin Pelphrey of Yale University led a team of researchers that explored this idea by studying how children’s brains responded to videos of people moving around them.

“As intrinsically social creatures, humans typically exhibit robust visual sensitivity to other people’s movements,” they write today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“This is well illustrated by the discovery that point-light displays (ie videos created by placing lights on the major joints of a person and filming them moving in the dark), although relatively impoverished stimuli, contain sufficient information to identify the kind of motion being produced (eg walking, dancing, reaching) as well as the identity of the agent.”

Previous research found that two-year-olds with autism did not turn to face point-light displays of “biological motion”.

In their study, Kaiser and Pelphrey placed 62 children aged from 4 to 17 years old into functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners and monitored their brain activity as they watched a point-light display of biological motion and another of scrambled dots.

In the group, 25 children had ASD, 20 were the siblings of children with ASD but did not display any symptoms themselves, and the remainder were “typically developing” children.

The researchers identified three signatures of brain activity that corresponded to the different children’s responses to the point-light displays.

Relative to the other groups, there was reduced activity in specific brain regions in children with ASD when they were watching biological motion compared with scrambled motion.

These included the right amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, areas which other research has identifed as having changed activity in adults with ASD.

The researchers found additional brain regions that showed reduced activity in both the siblings group and the ASD group, relative to the typically developing group.

They interpreted this result as a reflection of the underlying genetic vulnerability that the siblings group might have to ASD.

The scientists also found what they called “compensatory activity” in the siblings group – brain regions that were working harder than normal and might be helping the children overcome their increased genetic risk of ASD.

Read in Full:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/15/children-autism-patterns-brain-activity

 

Laurie Erickson

When thinking of autism it may help to think of a rainbow. There are many points and colors (and shades of colors) in a rainbow, but they are all part of the same rainbow. This is why, in the medical field, Autism is referred to as a spectrum. The easiest way to think of Aspergers is to think of it as being somewhere on the rainbow, part of the spectrum. A lot of people call Aspergers high functioning Autism. And for most practical purposes, this is true. The misnomer is that a person with Aspergers can have a bad day or a bad week and have behaviors that look very much like a person with more severe Autism. This stress can be due to being over stimulated or overwhelmed, or even under-stimulated; boredom can also be very stressful for people with Autism. This is especially true for those people who are not able to keep themselves adequately occupied.

Something else to keep in mind for anyone on the Autism spectrum, the level of stress or anxiety a person can handle one day is not necessarily an accurate measurement of the stress they can handle on a regular basis. And often times, people with Autism, including Aspergers, have delayed reactions to stress. People with Autism have a hard time knowing how they feel, it may take weeks or even months for an Autistic person to become aware of feelings like sadness or grief. An Autistic child often needs a lot of coaching to learn how to appropriately express happiness or love. Younger children often use hitting or even biting to express happiness when seeing a favorite friend. The feeling of happiness is so overwhelming that the child simply can not help but act impulsively. Impulse control is a real difficulty for all Autistic children. It can also be very challenging to remain patient and understanding as the parent of an Autistic child.

Read in Full:  http://www.examiner.com/autism-parenting-in-portland/aspergers-and-autism-what-s-the-difference

 

Brian Field

I want to fix my child with autism, make him normal like all the others kids. There isn’t a parent out there with such a child that hasn’t – at least for a fleeting moment – had such a thought. Those adults with autism, even those who may be non-verbal, often bristle at the notion of “fixing” or “curing” autism; after all, in removing autism from their beings, they would cease to be the person who they are – different, but no less valuable or important that anyone else.

What about those people suffering from sinistralism? Throughout history, across the world, those with sinistralism were thought improper in society, wrong, even evil – thus, the term being taken from the Latin word sinestra today used as the root for “sinister.” In many cultures those with sinistralism were forced to adopt mainstream practices, or hide their so-called affliction, when all this condition really stems from is a neurological predilection. Sinistralism, by the way, just means you’re left-handed.

And not so dissimilarly, autism spectrum disorders nowadays are looked upon just as that – disorders, to be fixed and cured – when we might well reconsider them as just another shade of neurological diversity. And like those left-handed members of the population, who is to say that those with autism should be forced to adapt to the mainstream conceits of society when tools and means can be developed for such individuals to facilitate operating in the world.

To continue the parallel, it is our society that defines and dictates the qualitative worth of the minority. Just as the peoples of the Andes consider that left-handers possess special spiritual abilities, including magic and healing, so too might our society better value those individuals with autism for non-typical or non-linear thinking, intense focus on problem solving, inspiration, for example, regardless of outward behaviors that seem odd to the majority.

Read in Full:  http://www.examiner.com/autism-in-national/the-cure-for-autism-mainly-understanding