Study suggests prenatal diet may play a role in autism
A small team of public health specialists from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health reports a possible link between some cases of autism and prenatal diet.
A small team of public health specialists from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health reports a possible link between some cases of autism and prenatal diet.
Physical activity is important for children; it supports improved health, development and sleep. However, children in the early years (from birth to age 5) with disabilities are consistently underrepresented in national monitoring, ...
Jul 10, 2024
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Specific bacterial and non-bacterial components of the gut microbiome and their functions could contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in male and female children, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology. ...
Jul 9, 2024
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Board gaming is a growing industry, and anecdotally popular among people who display autistic traits.
Jul 12, 2024
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You may have seen some new ways to describe when someone is autistic and also has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The terms "AuDHD" or sometimes "AutiADHD" are being used on social media, with people describing ...
Jul 10, 2024
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Siblings of autistic children have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves—about seven times higher than the rate in infants with no autistic siblings.
Jul 16, 2024
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By the age of three, children are capable of understanding others, "mirroring" those they are with to imitate and anticipate their intentions. They are able to do it thanks to the sophisticated neurofunctional architecture ...
Jul 16, 2024
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects learning capability and social behavior of people. Over the past few decades, awareness regarding ASD has increased, especially regarding its prevalence ...
Jul 29, 2024
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By studying the brains of macaque monkeys during turn-taking exercises, researchers may be one step closer to understanding how individual neurons in the frontal cortex work together to analyze spatial locations of other ...
Jul 30, 2024
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Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.
Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by rare mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines; the vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and lack convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of autism is about 1–2 per 1,000 people worldwide; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports approximately 9 per 1,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with ASD. The number of people diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.
Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills. Although there is no known cure, there have been reported cases of children who recovered. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, though some become successful. An autistic culture has developed, with some individuals seeking a cure and others believing autism should be accepted as a difference and not treated as a disorder.
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