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Saturday, October 5, 2019

Archived Webinar - Sensory Processing and Autism

Watch the webinar here. 

Archived Webinar - PANS/PANDAS and ASD - Research Updates

Teaching Life Skills and Community Safety Signs





See more here at Teachers Pay Teachers. 

Severe Morning Sickness Tied to Autism Risk in Kids

The form of morning sickness in question is called hyperemesis gravidarum, and it occurs in less than 5% of pregnancies, explained a team at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Women with the condition have intense nausea and can't keep food or fluids down, which can lead to dehydration and poor nutrition during pregnancy.
The new study -- involving data on nearly 500,000 pregnant women and their children born between 1991 and 2014 -- "suggests that children born to women with hyperemesis may be at an increased risk of autism," said lead author Dr. Darios Getahun. 
The study couldn't prove cause and effect, but it found a 53% increased risk of a child being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder if their mother suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum. 
There was one silver lining from the finding, Getahun said: "Awareness of this association may create the opportunity for earlier diagnosis and intervention in children at risk of autism."
The earlier that women experienced severe morning sickness, the stronger the tie to autism. Getahun's team found that hyperemesis gravidarum in the first and second trimester was linked with autism risk in offspring, but not when it was diagnosed in the third trimester.
Girls were more likely to develop autism than boys if their mothers had severe morning sickness, the findings indicated.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Archived Webinar - Self-Advocacy and ASD: Theory and Practice for All Ages Part 2

This webcast will continue to discuss the core components of self-advocacy., emphasizing the importance of disclosure, individual strengths and interests as well as civil rights. Essential self-advocacy theory will be connected directly to strategies people with ASD use to self-advocate. An emphasis on self-advocacy across the lifespan will be made, and resources and ideas will be shared to help attendees get started with self-advocacy supports.

View the recording here. 

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Extreme male brain theory of autism rests on shaky ground

This hypothesis, called the ‘extreme male brain’ theory, postulates that males are at higher risk for autism as a result of in-utero exposure to steroid hormones called androgens. This exposure, the theory goes, accentuates the male-like tendency to recognize patterns in the world (systemizing behavior) and diminishes the female-like capacity to perceive social cues (socializing behavior). Put simply, boys are already part way along the spectrum, and if they are exposed to excessive androgens in the womb, these hormones can push them into the diagnostic range.

Read more here at Spectrum. 

Standard screen misses majority of toddlers with autism

IN BRIEF
  • A popular screening tool (M-CHAT) for autism misses more than 60 percent of children with the condition.
  • The vast majority of children the screen does flag turn out not to have autism, but most have a related condition.
  • Children with autism who screen positive as toddlers are diagnosed more than seven months earlier, on average, than those who are missed.