http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A first-ever vaccine created by University of Guelph researchers for gut bacteria common in autistic children may also help control some autism symptoms. The groundbreaking study by Brittany Pequegnat and Guelph chemistry professor Mario Monteiro appears this month in the journal Vaccine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-vaccine-autism-symptoms.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:44:29 EST news286019061 One of the defining characteristics of autism is difficulty communicating with others. However, it is unclear whether those struggles arise only from the poor social skills commonly associated with autism, or whether autistic children suffer from more specific linguistic impairments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-reveals-linguistic-deficits-autistic-children.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:34:51 EST news285928484 Mimicking the behaviour of mum and dad has long been considered a vital way in which children learn about the world around them. Now psychologists at The University of Nottingham have shown that copying unnecessary behaviour is more likely to be a social phenomenon than part of the practical process of acquiring new skills. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-social-phenomenon-scientists.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST news284638543 A new study of patterns of brain communication in toddlers with autism shows evidence of aberrant neural communication even at this relatively early stage of brain development. The results are presented in an article in Brain Connectivity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-disruptions-brain-role-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:09:43 EST news283082974 A new study finds that two genes individually associated with rare autism-related disorders are also jointly linked to more general forms of autism. The finding suggests a new genetic pathway to investigate in general autism research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-misregulated-genes-big-autism-role.html Genetics Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:35:36 EST news283077329 (Medical Xpress)—Children with an autism spectrum disorder may be at greater risk for contemplating suicide or attempting suicide than children without autism, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-autistic-children-greater-suicide-ideation.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:27:04 EST news282299218 Introducing a fleet of social robots in a hospital, so that they can interact with children affected by cancer, will be the final outcome of a new international research project that Universidad Carlos III of Madrid is participating in. The objective is to design and build these devices and to advance the study of societies in which humans and robots mix. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-robots-pediatric-ward-oncological-hospital.html Other Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:54:11 EST news282218042 (Medical Xpress)—Results of a recent clinical study by researchers from Western and the University of Arkansas reveal the presence of a unique blood marker, which may further the understanding of possible gut linked environmental contributors to autism. The findings may also forecast potential blood tests for early screening to identify and potentially treat the condition, even before symptoms present. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-team-potential-blood-autistic-patients.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 29 Jan 2013 06:37:00 EST news278663797 (Medical Xpress)—A new University of Michigan study finds that an overactive part of the brain hinders autistic teens from coping in unfamiliar social settings, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and anxious. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-overactive-brain-autistic-teens-adjusting.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:26:30 EST news276935182 If designers want to develop effective products for children with autism, they first need to immerse themselves in the group they are targeting. This is the claim made by Helma van Rijn, who will be awarded her PhD for her thesis on this subject at TU Delft on Tuesday 18 September. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-five-step-approach-children-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:36:08 EST news275132160 Young autistic children who can spontaneously imitate adults and use objects in a functional way may be more likely to respond well to a therapy called the Early Start Denver Model, new research shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-reveals-autism-treatment-clues.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:31:23 EST news273832275 (Medical Xpress)—Robots are being used as classroom buddies for children with autism in a groundbreaking initiative that aims to improve social interaction and communication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-robots-classroom-buddies-children-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:12:49 EST news271663956 Australian researchers have harnessed tablet technology to develop an iPad app that is set to revolutionise the way parents around the world provide in-home therapy for their autistic children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-ipad-app-revolutionising-therapy-autistic.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:39:17 EST news266657951 When you try to read other people’s thoughts, or guess why they are behaving a certain way, you employ a skill known as theory of mind. This skill, as measured by false-belief tests, takes time to develop: In children, it doesn’t start appearing until the age of 4 or 5. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-child-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:38:54 EST news263709527 The introduction of a pet can have a positive effect on autistic children's behavior, as reported in research published Aug. 1 in the open access journal PLOS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-pet-individuals-autism-prosocial-behavior.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:00:01 EST news263057193 (Medical Xpress) -- Zeno doesn’t make judgments. He has empathetic eyes in a beautiful hazel hue. His lifelike skin is called Frubber and allows his face to smile, frown and look inquisitive. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-quicker-diagnosis-treatment-autistic-children.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:00:02 EST news261041326 Onscreen, Michael Mendoza's digital avatar stands before a wonderland of cakes and sweets, but his message is all business: "I. Get. Frustrated when people push me and call me - and call me - a teacher's pet!" http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-video-games-autistic-students-classrooms.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:50:01 EST news258027922 (HealthDay) -- Sensory therapies using brushes, swings and other play equipment are increasingly used by occupational therapists to treat children with developmental issues such as autism, but a large pediatricians organization says there isn't much evidence that such therapies actually work. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-sensory-therapies-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 28 May 2012 10:20:01 EST news257416894 (AP) -- In most developed countries, children with autism are usually sent to school where they get special education classes. But in France, they are more often sent to a psychiatrist where they get talk therapy meant for people with psychological or emotional problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-french-autistic-kids-psychotherapy.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 18 May 2012 09:22:05 EST news256551718 (HealthDay) -- Many parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder don't feel they can turn to their pediatricians for advice on treatments, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-parents-kids-autism-dont-faith.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 16 May 2012 17:50:01 EST news256399336 A major study of the relationships between maternal metabolic conditions and the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder has found strong links between maternal diabetes and obesity and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-maternal-obesity-diabetes-autism-developmental.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:01 EST news253087182 For children with autism, being born several weeks early or several weeks late tends to increase the severity of their symptoms, according to new research out of Michigan State University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-autistic-kids-born-preterm-post-term.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:04:51 EST news252677064 (HealthDay) -- Nearly two-thirds of American children with autism have been bullied at some point in their lives, and these kids are bullied three times more often than their siblings without autism, a new survey finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-two-thirds-kids-autism-bullied.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:30:01 EST news252332288 Children with autism look away from faces when thinking, especially about challenging material, according to new research from Northumbria University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-dont-im.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:14:15 EST news250362826 Playing with interactive toys could help children with autism to improve their social interaction with other children, say University of Sussex psychologists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-augmented-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:04:32 EST news249206659 The underlying reason autism is often associated with gastrointestinal problems is an unknown, but new results to be published in the online journal mBio on January 10 reveal that the guts of autistic children differ from other children in at least one important way: many children with autism harbor a type of bacteria in their guts that non-autistic children do not. The study was conducted by Brent Williams and colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-bacteria-gut-autistic-children-non-autistic.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:09:14 EST news245354941 From the day her son was diagnosed with autism nine years ago, Stacie Funk has made it her full-time job to find him the best possible help. Hiring lawyers and experts to press her case, she established herself as a mother whose demands could not easily be dismissed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-autism-hardest.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:50:04 EST news243518485 The benefits of virtual worlds can be used to help autistic children develop social skills beyond their anticipated levels, suggest early findings from new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Researchers on the Echoes Project have developed an interactive environment which uses multi-touch screen technology where virtual characters on the screener act to children's actions in real time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-digital-worlds-autistic-children-social.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:07:36 EST news238410445 Autism is a mysterious developmental disease because it often leaves complex abilities intact while impairing seemingly elementary ones. For example, it is well documented that autistic children often have difficulty correctly using pronouns, sometimes referring to themselves as "you" instead of "I." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-cmu-brain-imaging-reveals-autistic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:12:07 EST news231426698 A responsive, mechanised toy designed especially for autistic children six months and up has been created to teach positive play behaviours. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-toy-autistic-children-positive.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:44:22 EST news228735806