autism/news

a collection of dated articles and posts on autism

News

Research

• 2014-02-26 Causal link found between vitamin D, serotonin synthesis and autism in new study
• 2013-11-16 Theory finds that individuals with Asperger's Syndrome don’t lack empathy – in fact if anything they empathize too much
• 2009-05-04 Toddler brain difference linked to autism "Using MRI brain scans, researchers found that the area of the brain called the amygdala was, on average, 13 percent larger in young children with autism, compared with control group of children without autism."
• 2008-09-19 Autism, Brain Overgrowth, and Pruning
• 2007-11-30 Behaviors Associated With Fever in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: a study of 30 autistic children with fevers over 100.4°F found positive but temporary behavior changes in 80% of them, confirming years of anecdotal evidence. (Google autism+fever for more discussion of this study.)
• 2007-06-27 Scientists eye an enzyme as target in fighting autism "US researchers have reversed the symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice by inhibiting an enzyme that affects the connections between brain cells, researchers said Wednesday."
• 2007-02-22 Large study provides new insights in autism's genetic code
• 2006-06-09 Rare counting ability induced by temporarily switching off brain region: another clue about how autism works
• 2006-01-30 Scientific brain linked to autism
• 2006-01-17 Utah researchers confirm chromosome may harbor autism gene
• 2005-12-06
  • Autistic Children's Brains Grow Larger... (than average brains, in first 2 years of life)
  • ...Study Of Children With Autism Finds Broken Mirror Neuron System
• 2005-11-21 In Autism And Related Disorders, Recognizing Emotion Is Different Than Identity (alt alt)
• 2005-01-28 Monkeys Pay to See Female Monkey Bottoms: yes, this is actually relevant to autism. Monkeys also "pay" to see pictures of higher-ranking males, and have to be "paid" to view pictures of lower-ranking males – even without having met the males in the pictures – they are somehow determining rank simply from looking at the picture. This has implications in the field of autism, because autistic people show a marked lack of interest in looking at other people at all, much less in deriving information about social rank and other related attributes.

Other

• 2008-02-17 Girl's writings opening new window on autism: "A 13-year-old named Carly is challenging the conventional notions of autism, demonstrating emotional skills that lay hidden for years, until one day, a computer helped her reveal to the world what it's like to have her condition." Unfortunately, it appears that Carly's ability is rare -- though it's possible more individuals may have such abilities but didn't have the benefit of the applied behavioral analysis therapy she received. Also, just how "rare" is this particular combination (no speech but good grasp of language)? One person has posted videos; surely there must be many others who haven't.
• 2007-06-24 Deaths illustrate autism danger: "Dawn Stasi of Wausau understands the fear parents have about their children going missing. Eight years ago, her then 4-year-old daughter slipped away while Stasi took a quick shower. After a half-hour search, she found her daughter outside, playing in the snow wearing only a diaper. ..."

Articles

• 2011-01-01 His brother's keeper “"Just to give you an example, at my parents' house in New Jersey, he got out -- and he ended up walking onto the New Jersey Turnpike," Eileen Pion finishes.”
• 2008-06-03 Grandfather builds Web browser for autistic boy: "The Zac Browser greatly simplifies the experience of using a computer. It seals off most Web sites from view, to block violent, sexual or otherwise adult-themed material. Instead it presents a hand-picked slate of choices from free, public Web sites, with an emphasis on educational games, music, videos and visually entertaining images, like a virtual aquarium. .. Other programs for children already offer that "walled garden" approach to the Web. But LeSieur's browser aims to go further: It essentially takes over the computer and reduces the controls available for children like Zackary, who finds too many choices overwhelming."
• 2008-02-28 The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know: Amanda Baggs features at the beginning and end; the article seems like a pretty good primer on the current state of the field
  • 2008-02-26 Some quick corrections and clarifications from Amanda regarding the article
• 2007-03-22 Autism: It’s Not Just in the Head "The devastating derangements of autism also show up in the gut and in the immune system. That unexpected discovery is sparking new treatments that target the body in addition to the brain." by Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine.
• 2007-02-23 Baggs: Live on an autistic island? Not me: email Q&A session with Amanda Baggs
• 2002-11-19 New York Times Article: A Boy, a Mother and a Rare Map of Autism's World by Sandra Blakeslee: article about Tito Mukhopadhyay; includes some very interesting details of sensory/neuromotor processing abnormalities
• 1999-01 The Sometimes Son - fever may temporarily cure autism - Brief Article: " I've never seen an estimate of the percentage, but some autistic children, as well as children with certain other neuropsychological disorders, become almost normal when they have a fever. Of course, all children quiet down when they are sick. But the changes that occur in these autistic children are more dramatic--more like a metamorphosis in which the autistic child suddenly becomes almost normal. .. These children experience increased alertness, a decrease in social isolation and self-injurious behavior, an increase in verbal behavior, and an attempt to reach out and communicate with adults. Not only parents but entire institutions report improvements in autistic children with high fever." Note: Research in 2007 has confirmed this link; see Research: 2007-11-30 above.
• 1997 Red Dirt and Water by autistic (or at least non-neurotypical) author Ronald D. Davis, co-author of The Gift of Dyslexia [1] [2] and The Gift of Learning: the author was unable to learn the alphabet until he made models of the letters out of clay. See also main web site Dyslexia the Gift by Davis Dyslexia Association International

Discussion

• 2007-04-07 Autistic Job Search: article written for autistic people about some of the ins & outs of finding and keeping a job
• 2007-01-11 autism thread on TrekBBS does not seem to have been migrated to the new system (2008-06-01)
• 2005-09-26 The Glamorous Disease by Annalee Newitz, AlterNet: neurodiversity and neurotypicality