(see article link for The Sally Ann Test graphic)

Second in a Series

(from Wednesday September 17th)

Most of us do it without even thinking about it.

Whether we're looking at someone we know, or a person walking down the street, or even a photograph in a magazine, we often immediately try to figure out what the person is thinking or planning.

Is she looking at her watch because she wants to know the time, or is she trying to break off the conversation? Did he look up because something moved overhead, or because he's amazed by something I said?

Psychologists call this "theory of mind" -- that is, figuring out what is in someone else's mind -- and they say we start developing this skill as babies, before we learn how to talk.

But there is one group that is particularly poor at theory-of-mind cognition -- people with autism. And now, studies at Carnegie Mellon University have shed new light on what may be malfunctioning in autistic people's brains.

One of the hallmarks of autism is difficulty in social relationships. Children and adults with autism often have trouble making eye contact, interpreting facial expressions and behaving appropriately in social settings.

These behaviors can often embarrass parents and anger strangers. In his book "Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism," George Washington University anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker described how his autistic daughter had walked up to a female stranger and snapped her bra strap, and had once asked a rotund man, "Is there a baby in there?"

The Carnegie Mellon studies suggest that one of the key problems that underlie such behaviors is that the brain areas that do theory-of-mind processing are badly connected in people with autism.  read more »

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Educator Richard Errera, creates "The Asperger Syndrome Read Me Intensity Chart" as a simple, yet revolutionary aid to effectively teach those born with this disorder; to help thousands worldwide.

Miramar, Fla. (PRWEB) September 8, 2008 -- Richard Errera, esteemed educator and holder of a Master of Science Degree in School Psychology, has created and developed a simple, yet revolutionary aid to effectively teach those born with Asperger Syndrome; to help countless thousands worldwide.  read more »

Here is another article/editorial from the Valerie's List Newsletter that I think will be of particular interest to those parents of adults with autism:  read more »

(This was originally published Sept. 14, 2008 in the New York Times.  I was interviewed for this article but wasn't quoted.  WyattsMom)

WHEN Victoria Berrey took a cruise with her mother and sister three years ago, she returned to her home in Santa Clarita, Calif., with one regret: She’d never be able to do a trip like it with her own children, both of whom have autism. “I worried about the confined quarters and the need for the boys to sit still in the dining room,” said Mrs. Berrey, whose older son, Miles, now 12, is on a restricted diet, and whose younger boy, Mathew, 8, has difficulty with any disruptions in routine. “Where would I take Mathew if something happened and he started yelling? What if one of them fell overboard?”

But last March Mrs. Berrey and her sons did enjoy a cruise, a three-day sail on a Royal Caribbean liner with special arrangements for people who have autism. At boarding, the 11 families who had booked the Autism on the Seas package through Alumni Cruises didn’t have to wait in line, and they were able to do the muster call in a private conference room rather than crowd on deck with the thousands of other passengers.

The group sat together at meals, so when one of the kids got antsy or let out a holler, there were no stares or glares or why-can’t-you-control-your-child lectures. Mrs. Berrey was even able to drop off her boys at the kids’ club where the staff had been specially prepped. “I got to experience what other parents experience all the time,” she said.  read more »

Did you guys see this story today?  I cannot imagine treading water with my daughter for 12 hours, not to mention the thought of sharks. Amazing that they survived.  Not so sure I would have ... 

http://autismparents.net/treading-water-with-autism/

Thirty-four-year-old Bradley Huie measures success with a different kind of yardstick than most. But then he's lived his life from a different kind of perspective than most.

"I'm like the Rain Man," says Huie, comparing himself to Dustin Hoffman's autistic character in the 1988 film by the same name. "I have a message and that's, 'Don't give up on your hopes and dreams and what God has given you because we each have a different piece of the puzzle.'"

Huie was in his teens before anyone could put a label on his "piece of the puzzle." That's when he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a neurological disorder that makes communication and social interaction difficult. Some experts believe Asperger's could be a form of high-functioning autism.

Now, Huie and his mother, Cherylyn Grant, want to share their experience with Asperger's, from both the child's and parent's points of view. The two have co-authored a book, "What is it About Me You Do Not Understand? Living the Life of Autism and Asperger's."

"It's about me, about where I've been and what I do," Huie said. But it's also "a survivor's guide that talks about milestones, challenges and what to do in certain situations."

Click on the newslink to read the entire article. 

A physician who sees autism spectrum disorder as a biomedical illness that results in "brain malnutrition" will give a free public talk Sept. 26 and a clinician seminar Sept. 27, both in the Cameron Center auditorium.

Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless, who is the author of the best-selling "Children with Starving Brains," is appearing at events co-sponsored by the Autism Research Institute and the local Lokelani 'Ohana.

McCandless will hold the free talk on biomedical approaches to autism, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26.

The clinician session "Defeat Autism Now," which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 27, is geared for those who provide primary medical care to children and to adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The seminar will cover the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders that can be treated medically and strategies for development of treatment plans and review case histories.

Cost of the seminar is $295 with lunch and light refreshments provided. Checks may be made payable to Lokelani 'Ohana and mailed to 2315 Kahekili Highway, Wailuku 96793. The deadline to sign up for the seminar is Sept. 12.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article. 

Thereby she highlighted new findings on the role of gene mutations, their association with synapse abnormalities, and -- surprisingly -- a connection between circadian rhythms and autism risk. These insights will nurture applied projects on the development of new therapeutic strategies.

The autistic disorder was first described, more than sixty years ago, by Dr. Leo Kanner of the Johns Hopkins Hospital (USA), who created the new label ´early infantile autism´. At the same time an Austrian scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that became known as Asperger Syndrome, characterised by higher cognitive abilities and more normal language function. Today, both disorders are classified in the continuum of ´Pervasive Developmental Disorders´ (PDD), more often referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Click on the newslink to read the full article. 

Featured Story August 29, 2008

Coverage for Autism Therapy Prompts State Mandates and Lawsuits Against Blues Plans

Reprinted from The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, a hard-hitting independent monthly newsletter on business strategies, products and markets, mergers and alliances, and financing of BC/BS plans.

An explosion in the number of children diagnosed with autism has led to lawsuits against Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and other carriers over health insurance coverage for controversial therapies. Concerns over autism therapy also have prompted several states, such as Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania, to enact new autism benefit mandates, forcing Blues plans to revise coverage policies.

On July 1, the father of a 7-year-old with autism filed a lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to force the insurer to reimburse about $8,000 paid for therapy, according to one of the family's attorneys, John J. Conway of Detroit. Another suit over autism therapy coverage was filed in April against WellPoint, Inc. subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente in California.  read more »

The idea of denying children the therapy that helps improve their lives and diagnosed conditions is unthinkable. But that's what is happening in Dalton McGuinty's Ontario with regards to children with autism. The lack of funding for autism services is a provincial shame.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most common developmental disabilities, usually appearing during the first three years of life. It is a serious neurological disorder affecting children and their brain development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills, often resulting in severe and pervasive impairment. The prevalence rates in recent years have been increasing, now with 1 in every 150 children diagnosed with ASD in Ontario alone. The good news is that early diagnosis and intervention programs have dramatically insured positive outcomes for children immediately and into adulthood.

After hearing from the Liberals in the 2003 election that children with autism would receive treatment regardless of their age, families today across our province are learning the hard way that this government's talk is cheap.

Instead of putting sufficient funding behind its promise, the government created a waiting list, where children can languish for years before a coveted space opens up in a treatment program. But with the crisis in funding and the absence of a long-term strategy to deal with autism spectral disorder, families lives have been turned upside-down. Children with autism benefit markedly from one-on-one therapy called IBI/ABA (intensive behavioural intervention). Without it they suffer.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article. 

A new diagnostic tool to help detect autism in young children is the focus of new research at Flinders University in Adelaide.

The new assessment tool has been designed to identify developmental and behavioural issues associated with autism in children less than 12 months old.

At present, autism is rarely diagnosed before a child is 18 months old.

"If we are able to detect signs of autism within the first year of life, parents will be able to immediately implement an early intervention plan, which has already been shown to significantly improve the prognosis of children with autism," said psychology PhD student and researcher Danielle Robson.

Click on the newslink to read the full article. 

Reports of measles are on the rise, with health experts attributing the increase to the decision by some parents to forego vaccinations for their children out of fears the shots could trigger diseases.

Scientific research has found no link thus far between vaccinations and diseases such as autism, but some parents remain suspicious.

Pediatricians and health experts are sounding the alarm, noting that measles, which is virulently contagious, is the first disease to crop up when vaccination rates fall. In the past six months, 131 cases of measles have been reported, more than in any other six-month period in the past 12 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says extensive reports from several leading researchers have found no "proven association" between autism and measles vaccines. Experts recently told the Chicago Tribune that autism "tends to emerge at the same age children receive their shots, leading to a false sense of cause and effect."

"Parental suspicion is now so high that public health officials fear it could undermine one of the most important advances in medical history," the Tribune reported. "Although vaccination rates have remained fairly steady, pockets of vaccine rejection can lead to outbreaks of childhood diseases that were once thought conquered."

Click on the newslink to read the full article. 

A new diagnostic tool to help detect autism in young children is the focus of new research at Flinders University in Adelaide.

The new assessment tool has been designed to identify developmental and behavioural issues associated with autism in children less than 12 months old.

At present, autism is rarely diagnosed before a child is 18 months old.

"If we are able to detect signs of autism within the first year of life, parents will be able to immediately implement an early intervention plan, which has already been shown to significantly improve the prognosis of children with autism," said psychology PhD student and researcher Danielle Robson.

Ms Robson said the assessment tool included a questionnaire for parents, along with a structured play session to score the children on their responses to a number of specific tasks.

"During each session I assess a range of behaviours, including those that previous retrospective research has suggested are impaired in infants who later develop autism, such as eye contact, social and joint attention, sensory motor behaviours and temperament," she said.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

My husband poked me and gave me a significant look when the word "autism" popped up in Bill Clinton's speech last night. Here's what Mr. Clinton had to say:

I will never forget the parents of children with autism and other severe conditions who told me on the campaign trail that they couldn’t afford health care and couldn’t qualify their kids for Medicaid unless they quit work or got a divorce. Are these the family values the Republicans are so proud of?

This was the second time autism had come up at the convention. Hillary had brought up the subject only the night before:

I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism, didn’t have health insurance and discovered she had cancer. But she greeted me with her bald head painted with my name on it and asked me to fight for health care.

In both of these cases, the Clintons mentioned autism as if it were an illness that could be treated and cured through medical means - and that the medical tools needed to cure autism would be covered under publically available medical insurance. The idea was "if only these folks had a decent HMO, everything would be just fine."

Click on the newslink to read the entire article. 

Starting junior high can be a stressful time for any child, but especially if that child suffers from autism.

But for 12-year old Colton Ruder of Olathe, his new canine friend, Coop, helps him cope with the challenges of a new school year.

"At school he was very tense very nervous and he would get sometimes very aggressive," said Colton's mother, Shelley Ruder. "We tried different medications and nothing really worked."

Service dogs have been around for decades. but recently the interest in training dogs to help autistic children has grown.

The Ruders got Coop from Canine Specialty Training in Independence, a company that trains dogs for people with disabilities and veterans.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.