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News and Information as of Feb 09, 2010 |
Older mothers kids have higher autism risk, study finds
Mon, 8 Feb 2010 07:10:54 - Pacific Time
A 10-year study examining 4.9 million births in the 1990s has found more evidence that theres a link between autism and the mothers age at conception. The risk of having a child with full syndrome autism increases with maternal age, concluded researchers at the University of California, Davis, who examined data from all births in their state for the decade. The findings are published in the February issue of the journal Autism Research. The link between the parents age and childrens health is not entirely new. Prior studies have indicated that babies born to older women have higher risks of birth defects, low birth weight and certain chromosome problems, such as Down syndrome. A 2007 Kaiser Permanente study conducted in California reported that autism risk increased with both the mothers and fathers age. An Israeli study based in statistics from 1980s had isolated only paternal age as being linked with increased risk for autism. Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies Childrens Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, said the latest research had a far larger sample size. Autism is a growing disorder; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that one in 110 children had the condition in 2006. But its causes remain unknown. In the latest study, researchers found that mothers over the age of 40 had 51 percent higher odds of having children with autism compared with mothers between the ages 25 and 29.The fathers age also played a factor, but only when he had a child with a woman under 30. Read More...
Troubled teens, canines help each other
Mon, 8 Feb 2010 07:06:57 - Pacific Time
A dozen teens from Oakland Countys Childrens Village are paired with a handful of rambunctious dogs from Oakland Pet Adoption. Both need help to make a better life for themselves on the outside. The teens, placed by the courts into the Oakland County facility for troubled youth and juvenile offenders, have been challenged with the task of training the dogs -- who have lingered at the shelter because of behavioral problems -- into well-behaved, adoptable pets. The pets are there to offer unconditional love to youngsters in the criminal justice system. The animal-assisted therapy program is also in place at the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center in Mount Clemens, the Kingsley Montgomery School in Waterford and at Crossroads for Youth in Oxford. Teachers Pet creator Amy Johnson said during the 12-week program, the teens learn the basics of animal handling, identifying stress in dogs and why its important to be able to put yourself in the dogs paws. They work on performing commands such as sit, stay, down and leave it; how to walk on a leash; and to not jump on people. We talk about body language of the dogs, humane responsibility of dog ownership. If we can talk about stress in dogs, we can talk about stress in kids, Johnson said. We never have to say the program is for them. They are there to help the dogs. It is through the power of the human-animal bond that the teens, many of whom are struggling with gangs and problems at home, are able to experience their own personal growth and behavioral improvements, officials say. These kids are getting treatment they dont even realize they are getting, said Laura Beale, a Childrens Village supervisor. It teaches them compassion, teamwork, to help each other, even though the others are animals. Read More...
Tackling the genetic onset of Down syndrome
Mon, 8 Feb 2010 07:00:30 - Pacific Time
Chromosome 21 is the smallest of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans, yet it is responsible for Down syndrome, the most common genetic mental retardation. Down syndrome (DS) is caused by the erroneous replication of human chromosome 21 (HC21), which results in three copies of the chromosome instead of the normal pair of two. The most common cause of this ‘trisomy’ on HC21 is the failure of the chromosome pair to divide in an egg cell, often linked to advanced maternal age. Such an egg cell has two copies of HC21, and when fertilized, accepts another copy of HC21 from the sperm cell, resulting in a total of three, instead of the normal two, copies of the chromosome. Unlocking the molecular pathology of trisomy 21 is greatly anticipated. Worldwide, it is estimated that up to one in every 700 babies is born with DS, and there are no specific therapeutic treatments. Yet little is known as to what determines the various phenotypes associated with the disorder. Patients typically suffer from neurological and behavioral difficulties, including language delays and attention difficulties, and some also face immunological, digestive and cardiac problems. The severity of mental retardation differs by patient and age, sometimes the symptoms are alleviated with age, while for others the symptoms become worse, developing into conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. We’d like to understand the molecular pathways responsible for the disease so that we can contribute to the development of effective therapies in the future, says Kazuhiro Yamakawa, head of the Neurogenetics Laboratory at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, Saitama. In fiscal 2008, Yamakawa’s team secured a grant from the President’s Fund under the category of ‘challenging research’ for a two-year project aimed at developing a highly efficient system to generate transgenic mouse lines for DS research. Their goal is to establish a high-throughput system to generate partial-trisomic DS mouse models and to identify the gene or genes responsible for DS features. In the 14-member laboratory, which also studies epilepsy, Yamakawa and four young researchers participate in this exciting project. Read More...
Study Shows Effectiveness of Abstinence Education
Fri, 5 Feb 2010 07:09:31 - Pacific Time
A study of middle-school students that found for the first time that abstinence-only education helped to delay their sexual initiation is already beginning to shake up the longstanding debate over how best to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This is a rigorous study that means we can now say that it’s possible for an abstinence-only intervention to be effective, Dr. John B. Jemmott III, the University of Pennsylvania professor who led the study, said Tuesday, hours after results of the study were released. That’s important, because for some populations, abstinence is the only acceptable message. In Dr. Jemmott’s research, only about a third of the students who participated in a weekend abstinence-only class started having sex within the next 24 months, compared with about half who were randomly assigned instead to general health information classes, or classes teaching only safer sex. Among those assigned to comprehensive sex-education classes, covering both abstinence and safer sex, about 42 percent began having sex. Dr. Jemmott’s research followed 662 African-American students at urban middle schools, who were paid $20 a session to attend the classes, plus follow-up and evaluation sessions. The abstinence-only classes covered HIV, abstinence and ways to resist the pressure to have sex. Because African-Americans tend to have a higher rate of early sexual initiation than others, we thought that within two years, a reasonable number would start having sex, Dr. Jemmott said. If we went younger, we couldn’t show that intervention works. The research, published in the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, appears just as the Obama administration is eliminating federal financing for abstinence-only programs, and starting a pregnancy-prevention initiative that will finance programs that have been shown in scientific studies to be effective. Recognizing the political sensitivity of the research, and how unexpected are its results, the journal ran an accompanying editorial cautioning that public policy should not be based on the results of a single study and that policy makers should not selectively use scientific literature to formulate a policy that meets preconceived ideologies. The results may be surprising to some in that the theory-based abstinence-only curriculum appeared to be as effective as a combined course and more effective than the safer-sex only curriculum in delaying sexual activity, the editorial said. None of the curricula had any effect on the prevalence of unprotected sexual intercourse or consistent condom use. The executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, Valerie Huber, said she hoped that the new study would lead to restored federal support for abstinence programs. Read More...
White House Meeting Draws ‘R-Word’ Apology, Pledge From Emanuel
Thu, 4 Feb 2010 07:42:15 - Pacific Time
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel apologized to a group of disability advocates Wednesday for using the word retarded and said he would pledge to help end use of the word. Emanuel met with leaders from Special Olympics, The Arc of the United States and the American Association of People with Disabilities as well as two self-advocates and a parent advocate Wednesday at the White House. The meeting came more than a week after The Wall Street Journal quoted Emanuel using the phrase f—ing retarded. He sincerely apologized for his mistake and the pain it caused in our community, the advocates said in a joint statement following their meeting with Emanuel. This is another small step on the road to a country that accepts the gifts of all. Last week, Emanuel called Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver to apologize for the comment. But the private apology was considered inadequate by many in the disability community. The issue erupted, however, when former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote about Emanuel’s use of the slur on her Facebook page this week and called for him to be fired. In addition to the apology, Emanuel said he would take the Special Olympics pledge to end use of the r-word. The pledge is part of the organization’s Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.Furthermore, Emanuel said the administration would review proposed federal legislation that would replace references to mental retardation with the term intellectual disability throughout federal law. Read More...
Andrew Wakefield responds to article about journal retraction of autism study report
Thu, 4 Feb 2010 07:29:54 - Pacific Time
Dr. Andrew Wakefield has responded in an e-mail message to Tuesdays article citing the medical journal Lancets retraction of his 1998 article purporting to link autism to the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The article stated that Wakefield now practices in Austin, Texas. In fact, he does not practice medicine, but performs research aimed at the development of new treatments for autism. His statement: The allegations against me and my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusion. In fact, the Lancet paper does not claim to confirm a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Research into that possible connection is still ongoing. He is correct -- sort of. The paper does not claim to confirm the link, which has subsequently been refuted by innumerable studies showing that the incidence of the autism epidemic is unrelated to vaccination. But many who read the paper drew the clear inference that the vaccine is the cause. Since the papers publication, millions of dollars of research funds that could have been spent looking for the causes of the disorder have instead been diverted to investigating the potential link to vaccines. More important, a large number of parents, particularly in England but also in the United States, refused to have their children vaccinated with MMR, leading to outbreaks of measles with serious consequences. But perhaps for fellow researchers the more relevant question today is whether results from Wakefields current and ongoing studies can be trusted. Reseachers build upon each others findings, often trusting that scientific standards have been applied and that the results are legitimate. Wakefield is executive director of Thoughtful House for Children, which submitted the e-mailed statement on his behalf. Read More...
Studies Reveal Why Kids Get Bullied and Rejected
Wed, 3 Feb 2010 07:28:17 - Pacific Time
Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a childs behavior that can lead to social rejection. The factors involve a childs inability to pick up on and respond to nonverbal cues from their pals. In the United States, 10 to 13 percent of school-age kids experience some form of rejection by their peers. In addition to causing mental health problems, bullying and social isolation can increase the likelihood a child will get poor grades, drop out of school, or develop substance abuse problems, the researchers say. It really is an under-addressed public health issue, said lead researcher Clark McKown of the Rush Neurobehavioral Center in Chicago. And the social skills children gain on the playground or elsewhere could show up later in life, according to Richard Lavoie, an expert in child social behavior who was not involved with the study. Unstructured playtime -- that is, when children interact without the guidance of an authority figure -- is when children experiment with the relationship styles they will have as adults, he said. Underlying all of this: The number one need of any human is to be liked by other humans, Lavoie told LiveScience. But our kids are like strangers in their own land. They dont understand the basic rules of operating in society and their mistakes are usually unintentional, he said. The studies are detailed in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. They were funded by the Dean and Rosemarie Buntrock Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation. Read More...
Lines of justice blurred with pens, mugs and tee shots
Tue, 2 Feb 2010 07:13:12 - Pacific Time
In Pennsylvanias ultra-competitive world of juvenile justice, where private agencies and for-profit corporations provide the vast majority of youth treatment and detention services, cheap trinkets and expensive dinners can go a long way in winning a county contract or securing a renewal. The practice, discussed at a state hearing Monday, has blurred the line between an accepted way of doing business for the service providers and the ethical responsibilities of the judges, probation officers and county officials who accept their pens, mugs and meals. Bernadette M. Bianchi, executive director of a trade association for service providers within the state, described it as a moving line, with no clear definition for where the social courtesies and innocuous swag end and the appearances of a conflict of interest begin. Providing coffee and snacks during a meeting is accepted as a simple social courtesy, Bianchi told the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice. However, a catered dinner and open bar at a reception could be construed as an attempt to influence referrals. One private provider, the not-for-profit Glen Mills School in suburban Philadelphia, has hosted lavish parties on its grounds for judges and probation officers who referred juveniles to the institution, including the former judge at the center of the Luzerne County kids-for-cash scandal, Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. Members of the countys juvenile probation staff also attended the parties at the school, which receives more than $100 per day from the county for each juvenile placed there, two of the staffers said at a previous Interbranch Commission hearing. The school may have also paid for hotel rooms for judges and other officials, as well as rounds of golf and lessons on a course located on its grounds, according to the probation employees and commission members. Another provider, the operator of the for-profit detention facilities at the center of the kids-for-cash scheme, sponsored a food-and-alcohol-filled party for county officials around the time the facilities were opening, a juvenile probation officer told the Interbranch Commission. Read More...
Drugs tested to improve learning in Fragile X syndrome, may give autism hints
Tue, 2 Feb 2010 01:18:05 - Pacific Time
A pill to ease a type of mental retardation? An experiment is under way to develop one, aimed at a genetic disorder that might unravel some of the mysteries of autism along the way. Chances are youve never heard of the target - Fragile X syndrome - even though its the most common inherited form of intellectual impairment, estimated to affect almost 100,000 Americans. Its also the most common cause of autism yet identified, as about a third of Fragile X-affected boys have autism. Now a handful of drug makers are working to develop the first treatment for Fragile X, spurred by brain research that is making specialists rethink how they approach developmental disorders. We are moving into a new age of reversing intellectual disabilities, predicts Dr. Randi Hagerman, who directs the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, a study site. Fragile X, more common in males than females, ranges from learning disabilities to severe cognitive impairment, along with emotional and behavioural problems. The genetic defect disrupts a basic foundation of learning: How brain cells respond to experiences by forming connections between each other, called synapses. Those structures arent destroyed - theyre too immature to work properly. The process of learning is just that much more difficult but not impossible, because theres nothing wrong with the synapse, says Dr. Stephen Warren, an Emory University geneticist who led the discovery of Fragile Xs mutated gene. The experimental drugs have an unwieldy name - mGluR5 antagonists. But they aim to get the brain back on track by simply blocking an overactive receptor that plays a key role in weakened synapses. The goal is to strengthen synapses, to make learning easier and behaviour more normal. These are early-stage studies, beginning in adults to look for side effects. Specialists expect, if they work, any effect would be bigger in childrens still-developing brains. Scientists are watching closely because this looks like a really promising pathway for some types of autism, too, says Dr. Andrea Beckel-Mitchener of the National Institute of Mental Health which, along with the patient advocacy group FRAXA, helped fund the underlying research. Read More...
News Archive
States to government: hands off education: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 04:00:47 - Pacific Time: Read More...
JDAI - Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:00:40 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Andrew Wakefield found to have Acted Unethically in Autism Study: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:54:02 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Does a Parents Gender Impact a Childs Success?: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:29:49 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Kids of bipolar parents at risk for mental woes: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:05:50 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Report reveals negative reaction to No Child Left Behind: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:00:19 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Mixed-handedness tied to learning problems, ADHD: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:00:07 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Many children hear voices; most arent bothered: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:22:37 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Researchers hope to help Down syndrome families: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:22:20 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Hotel includes suite outfitted for parents of autistic child: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:44:05 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Conference Highlights Juvenile Justice Models for Change: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:33:00 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Getting Behind No Child Left Behind: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:31:59 - Pacific Time: Read More...
States Giving Juvenile Justice Responsibility To Counties: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:40:17 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Siblings Play Formative, Influential Role as Agents of Socialization: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:31:29 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Studies demonstrate link between Alzheimers disease, Down syndrome: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:42:20 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Experts urge screening for obesity in kids: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:01:49 - Pacific Time: Read More...
What are the long-term effects of ADHD meds?: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:58:53 - Pacific Time: Read More...
OSR#1: Industrial chemical or autism treatment?: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:51:15 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Environment Plays Key Role in Developing Reading Skills: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:48:07 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Seven Years After Accusations, Judge Orders Special Education Teacher Fired: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:29:32 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Movies for kids still depict unsafe behaviors: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:28:43 - Pacific Time: Read More...
New study links phthalates to ADHD: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:17:14 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Breast feeding for over six months could aid mental health: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:40:55 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Disconnect Between Brain Regions in ADHD: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:30:12 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation: Sat, 9 Jan 2010 06:37:28 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Educators await Obamas mark on No Child Left Behind: Sat, 9 Jan 2010 06:34:40 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Special Olympics cuts competitions in many states due to low sponsorhip, fundraising: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 06:11:29 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Court to decide LAUSD battle with charters: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 05:58:45 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Special-Ed Funds Redirected: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 07:59:26 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Down’s Syndrome children ‘prone to heart diseases’: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 07:13:22 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Studying Young Minds, and How to Teach Them: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:11:37 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Seizure drug limits aggression in kids with ADHD: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:51:34 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Rewiring brains of poor readers, dyslexics, autistic, ADHD, developmental disorders: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:15:58 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Amount of Gene Surplus Determines Severity of Mental Retardation in Males, Researchers Find: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:28:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Professionals find their calling in special education: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 06:44:40 - Pacific Time: Read More...
St Johns Wort Ineffective for ADHD: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 06:07:10 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Developmental Delay Could Stem From Nicotinic Receptor Deletion: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:13:41 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Doctors are failing to spot Aspergers in girls: Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:07:12 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Aspergers Syndrome: Stress Hormone a Clue: Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:05:37 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Aspergers Syndrome - How to Deal With Meltdowns: Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:02:13 - Pacific Time: Read More...