Analyzing baby sounds to detect autism early?

A new technique that identifies early differences in vocal development between children with an autism spectrum disorder or language delay and those developing on a normal trajectory could give pediatricians and other caregivers a tool for earlier detection of autism, and as a result facilitate earlier intervention. To distinguish the vocal patterns of normal infant and child development from those of children with autism or a speech delay, a team of researchers led by D.K. Oller of the School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Memphis recruited 232 children between the ages of 10 months and four years — including 77 who had been diagnosed with autism, 49 with identified language delay and 106 whose development was characterized as typical.Children were outfitted with small, portable recording devices fastened to their clothing and researchers collected more than 1,400 all-day recordings. After analyzing the recordings and excluding cries or other sounds, the researchers identified a total of 3.1 million individual utterances.

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A Little-Known Problem in Children With Autism: Wandering Away

Within a matter of seconds, your child slips from your watchful eye and wanders away. Soon, he or she is nowhere to be found.

For any parent, few things strike more fear than a missing child. But for parents of children with autism, the potential for wandering may be more dire: children with autism have a tendency to flee, and can sometimes put themselves in harm's way. Although it is a little-known problem, wandering is perhaps the leading cause of death among children with autism, reports CNN.

In a recent feature article, CNN's Elizabeth Landau told the story of Michael Browne, a 10-year-old boy with severe autism, who is frequently inclined to bolt. "We constantly have our eye on the door and on Michael, and it's a hard way to live," Michael's mother, Melanie Browne, of Katy, Texas, told Landau. "I think that's the hardest part of raising him, is just the wandering issue."

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Lab Report: Health, Science and Medicine

SECONDHAND SMOKE

Hypertension in Kids? Yes, if Parents Smoke

The health hazards of smoking are well known, and these dangers extend to nonsmokers exposed to the secondhand wisps of cigarette toxins as well. But researchers now report on a particularly worrisome problem--high blood pressure--emerging among a particularly worrisome population: children whose parents are smokers.

Compared with youngsters of nonsmoking parents, preschoolers exposed to secondhand smoke had a 21% greater chance of hypertension, defined as blood-pressure values in the top 15% for their age group. That's especially troubling, say experts, since high blood pressure in childhood can carry over into adulthood.

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IQ SCORES FAIL TO PREDICT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

New data show that many children with autism spectrum disorders have greater academic abilities than previously thought. In a study by researchers at the University of Washington, 90 percent of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders showed a discrepancy between their IQ score and their performance on reading, spelling and math tests.

"Academic achievement is a potential source of self-worth and source of feeling of mastery that people may not have realized is available to children with autism," said Annette Estes, research assistant professor at the UW's Autism Center.

Improved autism diagnosis and early behavioral interventions have led to more and more children being ranked in the high-functioning range, with average to above average IQs.

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STUDY FINDS EVIDENCE OF GENDER BIAS TOWARD DIAGNOSING BOYS WITH AUTISM

Social factors can play a key role in whether or not a child is diagnosed as autistic, a new study has found.

Boys were more likely to receive a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) than girls, even when symptoms were equally severe, according to researchers at the universities of Exeter and Bristol.

"We wanted to find out what distinguishes those children without diagnosis but with autistic traits from those who have received a formal ASD diagnosis in the clinic," explained lead researcher Ginny Russell, from Egenis at the University of Exeter. "We thought that there may be social and demographic factors that explain why some children are diagnosed and others are not. Understanding social factors that act as access barriers may provide useful insights for clinicians in practice."

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NEW APPROACH FINDS SUCCESS IN TEACHING YOUTH WITH AUTISM

As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders continues to increase, the one thing that won't change is the need for those children to develop social skills. Statistics show that if these students are able to communicate effectively, they can achieve success in the classroom, and later, in the workplace. In addition to the challenges facing each individual student, educators find themselves facing dwindling resources.

Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are developing an effective social competence curriculum, with a virtual classroom component, that could help educators meet the demand of this growing population.

Janine Stichter, a professor of special education at the MU College of Education, and her team have developed a curriculum that has shown success in an after-school format and is now being tested during daily school activities,

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THE LINK BETWEEN VACCINES AND AUTISM: TRUE OR FALSE?

Does vaccination increase the likelihood of autism?

One hypothesis is that vaccination in general, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) virus live vaccine, and vaccines that contain mercury cause autism. Actress Jenny McCarthy is one of the most outspoken proponents of the autism-vaccine hypothesis. She has appeared on numerous TV shows, radio shows and other media outlets where she has claimed that there is definitely a link between vaccines and autism.

Former presidential candidate John McCain stated, “It’s indisputable that autism is on the rise amongst children, the question is what’s causing it. There’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.”

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SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY AFFECTS MYELIN GENES IN OFFSPRING

Smoking during pregnancy may interfere with brain development. New animal research shows maternal smoking affects genes important in the formation and action of a fatty brain substance called myelin that insulates brain cell connections.

The research was presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, held in San Diego.

The finding may explain why the children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, autism, drug abuse, and other psychiatric disorders. "Myelin deficits have been previously observed in adults with various psychiatric disorders," said Ming Li, PhD, of the University of Virginia, who directed the study.

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Autism Linked to Multisensory Integration

A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has provided concrete evidence that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) process sensory information such as sound, touch and vision differently than typically developing children. The study, which appears in the August 17 online issue of Autism Research, supports decades of clinical and anecdotal observations

An EEG cap is used to measure the brain's response to sensory stimuli. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

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Do Toxins Cause Autism?

It took a few thousand years for us to realize the severity of lead poisoning, although the signs were certainly there: “crazy as a painter” was a catch phrase rooted in the demented behavior of lead-poisoned painters in antiquity. Mad as a hatter? Before the use of mercury was banned in the 1940s, hat makers used it in their craft–which left many of them drooling, twitching, lurching, befuddled and mumbling. Seems to me that when a segment of the population is suffering from a mysterious condition, it would be prudent to examine the possibility of environmental toxins as the culprit.

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Autism Attacks The Infant

Autism is a term used to denote a disorder that is created within an infant within six months of its birth. The symptoms of this behavior become prominent as the child starts to grow. There are several symptoms which show that the child is suffering from Autism and one of such instance is lack of social interactions.

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