Autism, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 25, 2013

Pictures Better than Sign Language for Communicating with Kids with Autism

Children with autism who don't speak could benefit from using pictures to communicate, and having even their small attempts at speaking rewarded, new research suggests. These methods of encouraging communication may be better for these children than sign language, which is commonly taught to children with autism, researchers found. About...

Apr 25, 2013

Autism May Be Linked to Placenta Abnormalities

Children at an increased risk of autism may have abnormal structures in the placenta that can be detected at birth, a new study finds. The findings suggest behavioral interventions aimed at social and motor skill development in these children could be started right away, the researchers said. Studies have shown...

May 30, 2013

Fever During Pregnancy Linked with Baby's Risk of Autism

Women who don't take steps to treat a fever during pregnancy may be increasing their risk of having a child with autism or another developmental disorder, a new study suggests. The children of women who had fevers while pregnant were at twice the risk of other children to develop a...

May 30, 2013

Diabetes, Obesity During Pregnancy Linked with Autism, Developmental Delays in Children

Women who are obese or have diabetes while they are pregnant may be more likely to have a child with autism or developmental delays, a new study reports. Though the study does not show them to be a cause of children's developmental difficulties, it is the first time a strong...

May 30, 2013

Flame Retardants' Affect on Fetus May Trigger Autism

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Exposure to even low levels of flame retardants may affect the brain of a developing fetus and possibly contribute to autism, new findings in mice suggest. In the study, female mice exposed to a particular flame-retardant chemical in utero and during lactation were less social, compared...

May 30, 2013

Could a Blood Test Detect Autism? Study Aims to Answer

A simple blood test might be able to reveal whether a child has autism, according to researchers who recently launched a study to evaluate such a test. The study, which began this week and involves 660 participants at 20 facilities around the United States, will examine whether the test can...

May 30, 2013

1998 Study Linking Autism to Vaccines Was an 'Elaborate Fraud'

A landmark study linking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism was an elaborate fraud, according to a new article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The original study, published in 1998 in the journal Lancet by former doctor Andrew Wakefield, was retracted in February of last year...

May 30, 2013

Autism And Morality: Outcomes Matter More Than Intentions

Imagine this: Janet and her friend are kayaking in a part of the ocean with many jellyfish. Janet had read that the jellyfish aren't dangerous, and tells her friend it's alright to swim. Her friend is stung by a jellyfish and dies. Who's to blame? Researchers who used this scenario...

May 30, 2013

Author of Vaccine-Autism Scare Planned to Cash In on Findings

Andrew Wakefield, who wrote the now-discredited 1998 study claiming a link between autism and a commonly administered vaccine, quietly planned businesses in Britain meant to capitalize on his findings, according to a new article. The article was published today (Jan. 11) in the British Medical Journal as one of a...

May 30, 2013

A Short Time Period Between Pregnancies May Boost Autism Risk

A short time period between pregnancies may increase a later-born child's risk of autism, according to a new study. The results show second-born children were three times more likely to have autism if they were conceived less than 12 months after their older sibling was born. The more time that...

May 30, 2013

Vaccines and Autism Timeline: How the Truth Unfolded

The idea that vaccines cause autism received yet another blow this week, with a new article in the British Journal of Medicine declaring the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield, which originally found an autism-vaccine link, an elaborate fraud. MyHealthNewsDaily brings you a play-by-play look at the events that have unfolded...

May 30, 2013

Therapy for Autism Plummets After High School

Many teenagers with autism stop receiving speech therapy and other needed mental and physical health care services once they leave high school, according to a new study. Graduating seniors lose access to the services they obtained through their school-based special education programs. The loss is problematic because the need for...

May 30, 2013

Publisher of Discredited Autism-Vaccine Study Didn't Investigate Fraud Claims

The Lancet, the medical journal that published Andrew Wakefield's now discredited 1998 study linking autism with vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, scrambled to deny allegations in 2004 that the study was a fraud, according to a new article. The article, published Jan. 18 in the British Medical Journal, is...

May 30, 2013

Autistic Brain Excels at Recognizing Patterns

Brain regions associated with recognizing patterns tend to light up more in autistic people than the general population, perhaps explaining why those with autism often excel at visual tasks, a new study finds. The brain regions in question are called the temporal and occipital areas, and are associated with perception...

May 30, 2013

The Many Genes Behind Autism Do Only a Few and Similar Things

There may be hundreds of genes involved in autism, but it's likely that each accounts for only a small number of cases. So the mysterious condition may be better illuminated by studying the roles of these genes in brain development and signaling, rather than by exhaustively searching the human genome...