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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THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADHD AND ADD

The additional offender groans.

ADHD is different with ADD. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has two main symptoms (hyperactivity and impulsive), while the main symptom of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is the inability to focus (without hyperactivity).
Children with ADHD can be classified into three groups: Hyperactivity and act impulsively, focusing attention disorder (Attention Deficit Disorder), and the concentration of attention and hyperactivity disorder (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).


Many parents do not feel worried if their children who were aged under five years old are very active impressed. Although sometimes exhausting and cause resentment, but that was the act of a healthy toddler.

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PRENATAL ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUG USE LINKED TO 600 PERCENT INCREASE IN LIFE-THREATENING LUNG DISORDER IN NEWBORNS

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has found that women taking antidepressants during the second half of pregnancy run six times the risk of having a child born with a life-threatening lung disorder.

The study, published in the Feb. 9 issue of NEJM, found that the babies suffering from the lung disorder known as persistent pulmonary hypertention cannot get enough oxygen into their bloodstreams because of high pressure in the blood vessels of their lungs, apparently brought on by their mother's use of antidepressants during pregnancy. One in 1,000 newborns typically develops the disorder shortly after birth.

The study has led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to call for manufacturers of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) -- including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Lexapro --

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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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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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BRAIN SCAN CAN PREDICT THERAPY RESPONSE FOR ANXIOUS KIDS

Experts say a brain scan can predict which kids with anxiety disorders will respond to one form of psychotherapy. As a consequence, Georgetown University neuroscientists say the use of psychiatric medication is not necessary for certain children.

Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, utilized functional Magentic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to map regions of brain activity. The results showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to 16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, the researchers found.

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Functional MRI Predicts Outcome to Talk Therapy in Children With an Anxiety Disorder

A brain scan with functional MRI (fMRI) is enough to predict which patients with pediatric anxiety disorder will respond to "talk therapy," and so may not need to use psychiatric medication, say neuroscientists from Georgetown University Medical Center.

Their study, being presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen inside an fMRI scanner were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, which is also known as talk therapy, the researchers found.

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ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE INHERITED THROUGH MATERNAL LINE, STUDY FINDS

A family history of Alzheimer's disease significantly increases the risk for developing this disorder, but a new study in Biological Psychiatry suggests that which of your parents has the disease is very important.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in late-life, affecting over 5 million elderly in the United States alone. In order to develop preventative treatments, it is necessary to identify those individuals who are at highest risk for developing Alzheimer's.

Although individuals with a parental history of Alzheimer's are at increased risk for developing the disease, the specific biological and genetic mechanisms accounting for this increased risk are not known.

An important consideration may be a phenomenon called genomic imprinting, where the pattern of the inherited disease differs based on whether the risk genes are inherited from the mother or the father.

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USE OF MILD PAINKILLERS IN PREGNANCY LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF MALE REPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS, NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS

New evidence has emerged that the use of mild painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen, may be part of the reason for the increase in male reproductive disorders in recent decades. Research published in the journal Human Reproduction shows that women who took a combination of more than one mild analgesic during pregnancy, or who took the painkillers during the second trimester of pregnancy, had an increased risk of giving birth to sons with undescended testicles (cryptorchidism) -- a condition that is known to be a risk factor for poor semen quality and testicular germ cell cancer in later life.

The researchers from Denmark, Finland and France found that women who used more than one painkiller simultaneously (e.g. paracetamol and ibuprofen) had a seven-fold increased risk of giving birth to sons with some form of cryptorchidism compared to women who took nothing.

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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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ENCOPRESIS PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

Encopresis means urination done arbitrarily by the child despite being old that should have been studying the habits of cleanliness. Among the most important training for children is to train them to hold the urethra, and then urinate. This issue is very sensitive, but it is very important for the family, so that they can solve problems that can interfere. This problem is also very sensitive to the children, because this is the channeling of desires that must be learned by children in order to give them freedom. Most experts believe that it requires training in special ways and wise, patient and keep them away from fear and not to condemn the properties owned, if not yet able to respond at the earlier stages.

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