Recently in Autism Category

A judge in central Illinois has ruled that a 1st grader may continue using an autism helper dog in school, the Associated Press says.

Judge Chris Freese, of Douglas County, Ill., ruled earlier this week that the dog should be considered a service animal, which means it's allowed in school under state law. The student's family argued the dog is akin to a seeing-eye dog for a person who is blind, and said it helped keep the boy calm and safe. For example, the dog helped prevent him from running out into cars in the parking lot, the AP story says.

The Villa Grove school district had opposed the dog's presence, claiming that it's not really a service animal, and that it would be difficult to balance the boy's need for the dog with the needs of other children who might have allergies or fear of dogs.

The issue of service animals for students with autism has been grabbing headlines this year. Similar lawsuits have been filed on behalf of children with autism in other states, including California and Pennsylvania, the AP says.

Posted by Lisa Fine at 4:15 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)

A new study finds that 2- to 5-year-old children diagnosed with autism and autism-spectrum disorders had blood-mercury levels similar to those of typically developing children.

The study, published Oct. 19 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives shows mercury levels were mostly affected by the amount of fish children consumed. Those with autism and autism-spectrum disorders were less likely to consume fish, the study says. When adjusted for fish eating, the levels were about the same for both groups of children, it says.

The analysis was conducted through Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment, an ongoing study to identify and understand factors contributing to childhood autism, autism-spectrum disorders, and developmental delays.

Posted by Lisa Fine at 2:53 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)

About one in every 100 U.S. children has a condition on the autism spectrum, which is a higher rate than previous government estimates, according to an Oct. 5 article in the journal Pediatrics.

Increased awareness about autism and better diagnostic methods may help explain this increase, the article says. A previous, 2007 estimate put the rate at one in 150 children.

The new numbers stem from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, which was based on a telephone survey examining 78,037 children ages 3 to 17. Parents reported autism spectrum disorders in about 110 per 10,000 children, with an estimated total of 673,000 U.S. children having an ASD.

The study found disparities in diagnosis. The chances of having an ASD were four times as large for boys as for girls. Non-Hispanic black and multiracial children had lower odds of an ASD than non-Hispanic white children.

Also, about 40 percent of those initially diagnosed with an ASD did not currently have the condition. Non-Hispanic black children were more likely than non-Hispanic white children not to have a current ASD, the article says.

Posted by Lisa Fine at 1:19 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)

A video made for an event designed to mobilize worldwide activism and help raise money for autism research, services, and awareness has ended up sparking controversy within the autism community.

"I Am Autism," a powerful video by Academy Award-nominated director Alfonso Cuarón and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Billy Mann, both fathers of children with autism, was screened on Sept. 22 at Autism Speaks' Second Annual United Nations World Focus on Autism.

It starts out with a horror-movie-style soundtrack. Then the narrator speaks as the voice of "autism." Here are a few lines spoken by the autism voice:

-"I am visible in your children, but if I can help it, I am invisible to you until it's too late."

-"I know where you live, and guess what? I live there too."

-"And if you are happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails."

-"I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily attend the Temple, a birthday party, a public park without a struggle, without embarrassment, without pain."

-"Your money will fall into my hands and I will bankrupt you for my own self gain."

-"I don't sleep, so I make sure you don't either."

-"I will fight to take away your hope."

The second half of the video shows families standing up to autism and fighting back. "You think that because my child lives behind a wall, I am afraid to knock it down with my bare hands?" says one parent. "We are a community of warriors," says another parent. "When you came for my child, you forgot, you came for me," say the parent voices.

The video was inspired by a poem by Mr. Mann. The home movie footage seen in the video was sent in by other parents of children with autism. But not everyone in the autism community agrees with the portrayal of autism, or whether the video would be good for raising awareness.

"This is the latest in a series of unethical fundraising strategies adopted by Autism Speaks," said Ari Ne'eman, an adult on the autism spectrum and president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. "This type of fear mongering hurts autistic people, by raising fear and not contributing in the slightest to accurate understanding of the needs of autistic adults and children."

Marc Sirkin, chief community officer for Autism Speaks, said the video was received well at the event. But controversy came later when it was posted on the Web. It won't be used as a PSA, in an ad campaign or for fundraising, he said. The video has been pulled from the Autism Speaks Web site, but remains on Youtube.

"It is an artifact," he said. "It exists."

He said it was an intensely personal poem from one father's perspective, and not intended to offend anyone. Autism is a disorder arrayed along a spectrum, and everyone's experience is different, he said, which might explain the variety of reactions to the video.

"We've gotten letters," Mr. Sirkin said. "We've gotten really positive feedback and really negative feedback."

It is certainly a stirring video bound to spark strong reactions. Please share your thoughts about the video in the comments.

Posted by Lisa Fine at 10:20 AM | Permalink | 4 Comments | TrackBacks (0)

Dr. Eric London, who served on the scientific-affairs committee of the advocacy organization Autism Speaks, announced yesterday he plans to resign from that position because of the organization's stance on vaccines as a possible cause of autism.

London was a co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research, which merged with Autism Speaks in 2006. In his resignation letter, London said he was stepping away from the New York-based Autism Speaks because it continues to push for research into an autism-vaccine link, and that his continued participation would lend support to an organization "whose scientific agenda and positions I can no longer ethically support."

The arguments which Dr. Dawson and others assert—that the parents need even further assurances and there might be rare cases of “biologically plausible” vaccine involvement—are misleading and disingenuous. Through its website and other communications, Autism Speaks has been influential and contributory in encouraging parents’ doubts. By preferentially investing and advocating for the use of limited financial resources on the “biological plausibility” argument, the organization is adversely impacting the advancement of autism research.

The "Dr. Dawson" London refers to above is Dr. Geraldine Dawson, the chief science officer for Autism Speaks.

Parents and some scientists assert that the rise in autism identification in recent years is connected either to a mercury-derived preservative in vaccines, or certain types of vaccine, like the one for measles, mumps, and rubella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta say there are no proven links between preservatives, measles vaccines, and autism, though cases are clearly on the rise.

This is the second major defection from Autism Speaks, which has grown to become a major player in autism advocacy. Alison Tepper Singer announced in January that she also was leaving the organization for the same reasons London cites—the organization's inappropriate, in her opinion, focus on vaccines as a cause of autism.

Tepper has created her own advocacy group, the Autism Science Foundation. London serves on the ASF's scientific advisory board.

Edited 1:43 p.m. I contacted Autism Speaks for a statement and got this response:

Autism Speaks is currently pursuing a broad program of research, including studies on both genetic and environmental risk factors and the development of new treatments. We believe that our broad agenda will ultimately provide answers to the cause and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. We wish Dr. London well in his new endeavor.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 12:11 PM | Permalink | 3 Comments | TrackBacks (0)

About a year ago, I wrote about a Florida teacher who had been removed from the classroom after she led her kindergarten students to vote one of their classmates, who has autism, out of the room for disruptive behavior.

The Sun-Sentinel newspaper is reporting that Wendy Portillo, the teacher in St. Lucie County, has been reinstated.

Based on the story, the entire episode has been an exhausting ordeal for Portillo:

"I'm overjoyed," Portillo said after an emotional 90-minute hearing in which more than a dozen teachers and parents urged the school board to relent in punishing her. "I'm happy that I'll be able to go back to doing what I love to do."

Portillo still must complete a one-year, unpaid suspension that began last November. It was recommended by Superintendent Michael Lannon and upheld by an administrative law judge who heard Portillo's case in February.

The newspaper wrote in an editorial that it was time to take a look at better teacher training:

Most important is for the district to follow through with proposed changes to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Ms. Portillo did not have sufficient training or support when faced with a very disruptive child who had been identified as needing special instruction.

This story whipped around the blogosphere when it first broke last spring, and columnist Anthony Westbury, with the Treasure Coast Newspapers, believes Portillo really does deserve a break.

What I haven't seen yet is what the district will do to try and prevent such things from happening again. The situation is now resolved in some fashion—though it's unclear where Portillo will be teaching. I think it's worth listening to excerpts of her testimony before an administrative law judge. She said she looked at the whole situation as a teaching moment, and that she never meant to embarrass Alex Barton, the child in the center of this case.

How would you have liked to see this case resolved?

Posted by Christina Samuels at 4:58 PM | Permalink | 5 Comments | TrackBacks (0)

On July 7, I'm hosting a chat on Edweek.org on autism. I haven't yet booked the guests, but before I did, I thought I would throw this open to my blog audience. Are there any particular topics related to autism and education that you'd be interested in having experts explore?

Feel free to leave comments below, and also take a look at our archived chat library here.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 3:27 PM | Permalink | 3 Comments | TrackBacks (0)

This MetroWest Daily News article outlined a part of parenting children with disabilities that is seldom discussed:

Six weeks ago, the Ortizes read in the local paper about a talk in Spanish for Latino parents of children with autism held at the library in downtown Framingham.

They were thrilled.

Since they moved to Framingham from their native Puerto Rico in 1998 looking for help for their then- 3-year-old daughter Yamilex, they have yearned to connect with other Latino parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

They were disappointed when they realized they were the only ones who attended the talk on April 5.

It has been that way for the Ortizes, they said. For the past 10 years, they are often the only Latinos in support groups for families of children with ASD. And because Yamilex's mother, Judith, 46, doesn't speak English, they don't attend support groups. Yamilex's father, Tomas, 59, learned English when he was growing up in New York City, but he, too, feels lonely.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 7:23 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)

Some technical glitches affected the Web site the federal government was using to collect comments on disability research. So, the public participation portion of the comment period has been extended, but only until May 15.

(I wrote about this previously here.)

The public-comment period was separated into two parts. During the first part, which is now over, various "stakeholders" were asked to submit research priorities. The second half, which is the part that has been extended, allows people to read through all the submissions and "vote up" the ones they consider to be the most important.

I received an e-mail reminder today from the agency handling this, the Interagency Committee on Disability Research:

As we indicated previously, the voting was suspended on April 23 to modify the database application due to the overwhelming number of recommendations. If you voted previously, it will be necessary to recast your votes during the new one-week timeframe: May 8-15, 2009. We apologize for this inconvenience and encourage you to return to the site to vote for your research priorities.

It sounds like any votes submitted previously were lost, so be sure to resubmit them and let the agency know what you think should be a priority.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 4:52 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)

Could people with autism have a larger-that-typical amygdala?

(Don't run to your dictionaries -- the amygdala is a brain structure commonly linked with the storage of emotional memories. Amygdala means almond-shaped, and this cluster of nuclei has that appearance.)

Researchers at the University of North Carolina say that toddlers with autism seem more likely to have a large amygdala, and the enlargement is seen in children as young as two years old. If that turns out to be a consistent finding, it may help guide early intervention for children with autism.

This brain abnormality appears to be tied to the ability to share attention and experiences with others, the team said.

"This study adds clarification to a potential fundamental brain mechanism underlying social deficits in autism. It provides potential insights into how this behavior develops," said lead researcher Dr. Joseph Piven, a professor of psychiatry.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 6:58 PM | Permalink | No Comments | TrackBacks (0)