Study: Women Abused As Kids More Likely To Have Children With Autism

Women who reported physical, emotional, or sexual abuse when they were young were more likely to have a child with autism compared to women who were not abused. The more severely the women were abused, the higher their chances of having a child with autism; compared to women who weren’t abused, those who endured the most serious mistreatment were 60% as likely to have an autistic child. Because it’s possible that a mother’s exposure to abuse as a child could also lead her to engage in behaviors associated with harming the fetus — such as smoking, drinking during pregnancy, using drugs, being overweight, having preterm labor or giving birth to a premature or low birth weight baby — the scientists also calculated how much these factors contributed to the risk of ASD in the next generation. To their surprise, these conditions explained only 7% of the heightened risk among the abused women. That meant that abuse was exerting more lasting effects on the women’s bodies that were translating into an increased risk of autism in their children.

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CDC-HRSA report: Changes in Prevalence of Parent-reported AutismSpectrum Disorder in School-aged U.S. Children: 2007 to 20112012

Read the CDC-HRSA report here. 

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1 in 50 School Kids Has Autism, CDC Says

A government survey of parents says 1 in 50 U.S. schoolchildren has autism, surpassing another federal estimate for the disorder. Health officials say the new number doesn't mean autism is occurring more often. But it does suggest that doctors are diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems. The earlier government estimate of 1 in 88 comes from a study that many consider more rigorous. It looks at medical and school records instead of relying on parents. For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions. The new estimate released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would mean at least 1 million children have autism. The number is important — government officials look at how common each illness or disorder is when weighing how to spend limited public health funds. It's also controversial.

 Read more here. 

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Anti-bullying Toolkit

Top Ten Facts Parents, Educators and Students Need to Know: 1. The Facts - Students with disabilities are much more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers.2. Bullying affects a student's ability to learn.3. The Definition - bullying based on a student's disability may be considered harassment.4. The Federal Laws - disability harassment is a civil rights issue.5. The State Laws - students with disabilities have legal rights when they are a target of bullying.6. The adult response is important.7. The Resources - students with disabilities have resources that are specifically designed for their situation.8. The Power of Bystanders - more than 50% of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes.9. The importance of self-advocacy.10. You are not alone. Together with our partners, we just released a Special Needs Anti-Bullying Toolkit, full of resources and information specifically tailored to parents, educators, and students dealing with bullying and children with special needs.

Click here to read the Toolkit!

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The Effects of Birth Order and Birth Interval on the Phenotypic Expression of Autism Spectrum Disorder

The results indicated that females were more severely impacted by ASD than males, especially first affected siblings. When first and second affected siblings were compared, significant declines in nonverbal and verbal IQ scores were observed. In addition, SRS results demonstrated a significant increase in autism severity between first and second affected siblings consistent with an overall decline in function as indicated by the IQ data. These results remained significant after controlling for the age and sex of the siblings. Surprisingly, the SRS scores were found to only be significant when the age difference between siblings was less than 2 years. These results suggest that some cases of ASD are influenced by a dosage effect involving unknown epigenetic, environmental, and/or immunological factors.

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Archived Webinar on Autism Interventions (archived)

This video is the second in a series of webinars on topics of interest to the autism community. It captures the webinar presented by Dr. Raphael Bernier, an autism researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, in which he presents an overview of the wide variety of autism treatments in use, and the evidence that we have (or don't have) regarding the effectiveness of these treatments. In addition to his research into autism genetics and neurobiology, Dr. Bernier is involved in a nationwide network in the United States that is establishing treatment standards for individuals on the spectrum.

View the webinar here. 

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I Want To Say - video

'I Want to Say' is a 27-minute documentary short, produced by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and production company Bodega, that tells the story of Hacking Autism, a newly adopted Autism Speaks initiative devoted to unlocking the voices of children with autism through technology.The film sprang from the desire to share the true stories of hope of six children with autism who communicated for the first time through the use of touch technology. It highlights the growing prevalence of autism (recently reported to affect 1 in 88), the parents' emotional struggle to communicate with their children, and the hope and promise that came with introducing assistive technology to the autism community.I Want to Say chronicles the lives of several children from the Hope Technology School in Palo Alto, an inclusive school with both typical and special-needs students working together. Students and teachers here, sparked the discovery that touch technology can empower those with autism to communicate with their families after years of silence and even tell their parents they love them for the first time. The film also features Temple Grandin, a hero in the autism community.

 View it here. 

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Peekaboo clue to autism in young children

UK scientists studying a group of four- to six-month-old babies who were at a "family risk" of autism because of their older siblings' diagnosis found they showed different brain responses compared to a group of babies at low risk. Published in the medical journal Proceedings Of The Royal Society, the study found at-risk babies showed less specialised brain responses when viewing socially engaging videos and listening to vocal sounds such as laughter. The scientists rigged the babies up to a near-infrared spectroscopy headset to measure brain activity. The babies were initially shown a random collection of pictures of trucks and cars to get a baseline reading. They were then shown a series of videos designed to elicit a social response featuring female actors moving their eyes from side to side, expressing emotion and playing games like peekaboo and incy wincy spider. The study found the brain activity in both the high-risk and low-risk groups did not differ on the baseline measures. However when it came to the visual and auditory stimuli the at-risk infants showed a different and diminished response to the cues.

 Read more here. 

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Helping Autism With High Tech

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a number of companies displayed new technologies not specifically designed for people with autism, but whose advanced capabilities could be applied to help treat people with these special needs. These include: Big Bird's Words : Many parents of children with autism struggle with basic activities such as going to the grocery store. With Big Bird's Words, parents load a list of grocery items into the smartphone-compatible iPhone app, where their child then learns word identification during the grocery visit. Many individuals with autism have difficulty in less-structured environments such as grocery stores. With this application, families can create a formal structure by integrating their child into the grocery shopping experience, which will enhance vocabulary and transforms difficult daily tasks into something fun and interactive.

 Read more here.

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Resources

Welcome to the Resources section of the VCU-ACE website! The world of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is constantly evolving and autism is anything but simple to navigate. Because of the complexity of ASD, we have divided our resources into eleven different sections. ASD never impacts just one part of life, and it is more than just something with which young children struggle. Autism is pervasive. It impacts every facet of life throughout the entire lifespan, from infancy to adulthood. While there are indeed many challenges for the individual with ASD, no matter their age or ability there are also strategies that can help the individual cope with what can seem like a very chaotic world. There are strategies to help the individual communicate more effectively or to develop and strengthen relationships. There are educational strategies to help the student succeed in the classroom and reach his or her potential. There is support we can provide to adults with ASD in the modern workforce that will help them find meaningful careers. There are things we can do to help this chaotic world seem a little less chaotic. All of us at the VCU Autism Center for Excellence truly believe there are ways to improve the quality of life for every individual with ASD. Throughout the Resources section, you will find web links, guides, factsheets, agency information, trainings, videos, and research articles to help you support individuals with ASD. We offer the following sections for families, educators, providers, professionals, community members, and of course, the individual with ASD: Autism Spectrum DisorderWhat does it mean and where do I start? Screening and DiagnosisHow is a child screened or diagnosed with ASD? Evidence-Based PracticesWhat does it mean and how can it help the individual with ASD? CommunicationWhat is it, why is it important, and what tools are available to help? Early InterventionWhat is it and what can it do for the very young child with ASD? FamiliesWhat supports are there to help families raising a child with ASD? Eligibility and the School Aged ChildWhat is eligibility and how can I help the student with ASD? Adolescence and ASDWhat are the needs and supports for the adolescent with ASD? Adults with ASDHow does Autism impact adulthood and what can I do to support the adult with ASD? Technology and ASDHow can technology help the individual with ASD? Smartphone Technology and ASDWhat's new in Smartphone Technology and how can it help the individual with ASD?

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