http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Infants at 7 months of age who go on to develop autism are slower to reorient their gaze and attention from one object to another when compared to 7-month-olds who do not develop autism, and this behavioral pattern is in part explained by atypical brain circuits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-atypical-brain-circuits-slower-shifting.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EST news282938650 In a sobering study published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers at UC Davis and UCLA measured food-borne toxin exposure in children and adults by pinpointing foods with high levels of toxic compounds and determining how much of these foods were consumed. The researchers found that family members in the study, and preschool children in particular, are at high risk for exposure to arsenic, dieldrin, DDE (a DDT metabolite), dioxins and acrylamide. These compounds have been linked to cancer, developmental disabilities, birth defects and other conditions. However, the study also points to dietary modifications that could mitigate risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-high-exposure-food-borne-toxins.html Health Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:00:10 EST news272037536 (Medical Xpress)—Positive parenting can be particularly effective in helping young children with developmental disabilities become more independent and cooperative, a Brigham Young University study found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fostering-independence-life-skills-children.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Nov 2012 06:20:01 EST news272009262 The Centers for Disease Control has launched its second phase of a multistate study on autism and JFK Partners at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are collaborating at the Colorado site for the study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-largest-multistate-autism-phase.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:10:01 EST news264937449 A comprehensive study using electronic dental records to profile the oral health status of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has concluded that access to specialized dental care alone is not sufficient to meet the community's substantial oral health needs. The findings, published as the cover article in the August issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, provide a foundation for further investigation into the significant oral health needs of adults with I/DD and the development of preventive oral health strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-oral-health-adults-special.html Dentistry Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:50:01 EST news263013953 A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers found that 31 percent of children identified as at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at 12 months received a confirmed diagnosis of ASD by age 3 years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-questionnaire-parents-one-year-olds-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:55:48 EST news261402938 The American Academy of Neurology has issued an updated guideline outlining the best treatments for infantile spasms, a rare type of seizure that can occur in infants and young children. The guideline, which was co-developed with the Child Neurology Society, is published in the June 12, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-aan-issues-guideline-rare-seizure.html Neuroscience Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:59:53 EST news258649171 (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 (Medical Xpress) -- Preschool children who are more physically active are more likely to show behavioural problems, a study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-children.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 07 May 2012 09:30:02 EST news255600727 Women who smoke in pregnancy may be more likely to have a child with high-functioning autism, such as Asperger's Disorder, according to preliminary findings from a study by researchers involved in the U.S. autism surveillance program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-explores-link-pregnancy-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:35:09 EST news254680416 (Medical Xpress) -- A team of researchers led by University of Kansas scientist Nancy Brady has developed a new way to assess the communication capability of individuals with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities who often communicate with gestures, body movements and vocalizations instead of spoken words. The study was published in the February 2012 American Journal of Speech Language Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-people-severe-disabilities.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:23:27 EST news252130990 (Medical Xpress) -- College students looking at photographs spent more time gazing at the people in the pictures than the surrounding elements, even when those people were quite small or not centrally located, according to Penn State researchers. These findings could help the researchers develop better visual-scene displays (VSDs) -- computer-generated images that help people with disabilities learn to communicate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-people-powerful-appeal-photos.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:30:42 EST news238221017 Autism researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have found a link between low birthweight and children diagnosed with autism, reporting premature infants are five times more likely to have autism than children born at normal weights. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-birthweight-infants-autism.html Medical research Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:17:06 EST news238040218 Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, and BGI, the largest genomic organization in the world and a global leader in whole genome sequencing, jointly announce their partnership to create the world's largest library of sequenced genomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using the Autism Speaks Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), this collaboration will perform whole genome sequencing on more than 2,000 participating families who have two or more children on the autism spectrum. The data from the 10,000 AGRE participants will enable new research in the genomics of ASD, and significantly enhance the science and technology networks of both Autism Speaks and BGI. In addition, Autism Speaks and BGI will collect and sequence genome samples from individuals in China. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-autism-bgi-genome-sequencing.html Genetics Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:14:39 EST news237726861 New research from the University of Utah in collaboration with the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) shows that the presence or absence of intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) varies with risk factors such as gender, parental age, maternal ethnicity, and maternal level of education. The study, published Sept. 15, 2011, in Autism Research, also shows that household income level has no association with either ID or ASD, in contrast to what other studies have suggested. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-autism-intellectual-disabilities-parental-age.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:11:47 EST news235642098 Children who remain in the home after a substantiated report of abuse may have more or less risk of further abuse depending on certain characteristics of their caregivers, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-homes-substantiated-child-abuse-groups.html Health Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:00:13 EST news229009181 Advancements over the last 10 years in understanding intellectual disability (ID, formerly mental retardation), have led to the once-unimaginable possibility that ID may be treatable, a review of more than 100 studies on the topic has concluded. It appears in ACS Chemical Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-common-inherited-intellectual-disability-treatable.html Neuroscience Tue, 17 May 2011 13:07:52 EST news224856447