http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Today, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the nation's largest online autism research project, reveals the preliminary results of the first major survey on wandering and elopement among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and announces the launch of a new research survey on the association between pregnancy factors and ASD. The wandering and elopement survey found that approximately half of parents of children with autism report that their child elopes, with the behavior peaking at age four. Among these families, nearly 50% say that their child went missing long enough to cause significant concern about safety. http://phys.org/news222528799.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:33:32 EST news222528799 A new study found that treatment-resistant epilepsy (TRE) is common in idiopathic autism. Early age at the onset of seizures and delayed global development were associated with a higher frequency of resistance to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Full findings appear online in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). http://phys.org/news222406287.html Medicine & Health Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:31:37 EST news222406287 Today, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), with support from leading autism advocacy groups, launches the first major survey to study the experience of wandering and elopement, or escaping, among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The tendency of individuals with ASD to wander or "bolt" puts them at risk of trauma, injury or even death, yet information on this critical safety issue is lacking. http://phys.org/news220696523.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:36:09 EST news220696523 Free time is not always a fun time for people with autism. Giving them the power to choose their own leisure activities during free time, however, can boost their enjoyment, as well as improve communication and social skills, according to an international team of researchers. http://phys.org/news218208255.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:24:59 EST news218208255 Mouse models are yielding important clues about the nature of autism spectrum disorders, which impact an estimated one in 110 children in the U.S. In labs at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, researchers are studying strains of mice that inherently mimic the repetitive and socially impaired behaviors present in these disorders. http://phys.org/news217773506.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:38:38 EST news217773506 Although traditionally considered two quite separate conditions, many similarities in characteristics have previously been found in those with a clinical diagnosis of an eating disorder and a clinical diagnosis of autism. http://phys.org/news216565420.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:20:11 EST news216565420 Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that when one copy of the SHANK3 gene in mice is missing, nerve cells do not effectively communicate and do not show cellular properties associated with normal learning. This discovery may explain how mutations affecting SHANK3 may lead to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The research is currently published in Molecular Autism. http://phys.org/news211745694.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:30:01 EST news211745694 Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have begun a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test a potential drug treatment for Rett syndrome, the leading known genetic cause of autism in girls. The drug, mecasermin, a synthetic form of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), is already FDA-approved for children with short stature due to IGF-1 deficiency. http://phys.org/news211741637.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:20:02 EST news211741637 Eastern Virginia Medical School researchers have identified a potential novel treatment strategy for the social impairment of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), an aspect of the condition that has a profound impact on quality of life. http://phys.org/news211043727.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:15:40 EST news211043727 Children with autism are far more likely to have deficits in their ability to produce cellular energy than are typically developing children, a new study by researchers at UC Davis has found. The study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that cumulative damage and oxidative stress in mitochondria, the cell's energy producer, could influence both the onset and severity of autism, suggesting a strong link between autism and mitochondrial defects. http://phys.org/news210357860.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:45:43 EST news210357860 As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders continues to increase, the one thing that won't change is the need for those children to develop social skills. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are developing an effective social competence curriculum, with a virtual classroom component, that could help educators meet the demand of this growing population. http://phys.org/news209385561.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:10:03 EST news209385561 With few exceptions, jumping genes-restless bits of DNA that can move freely about the genome-are forced to stay put. In patients with Rett syndrome, however, a mutation in the MeCP2 gene mobilizes so-called L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of the disease when they find their way into active genes, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://phys.org/news209222325.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:19:26 EST news209222325 New data show that many children with autism spectrum disorders have greater academic abilities than previously thought. In a study by researchers at the University of Washington, 90 percent of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders showed a discrepancy between their IQ score and their performance on reading, spelling and math tests. http://phys.org/news209221494.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:05:11 EST news209221494 The handwriting problems that affect children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are likely to continue into their teenage years, according to a study from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Md. The research is published in the November 16, 2010 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://phys.org/news209060785.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:50:04 EST news209060785 Using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Rett syndrome, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created functional neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment. http://phys.org/news208703438.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:11:16 EST news208703438 A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease. http://phys.org/news208703308.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:08:48 EST news208703308 Autism was described as early as 1940, but a marked increase in the prevalence for the broader class of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) during the past decade highlights the demand for treatment of affected individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the prevalence of ASD was one in 110 children in 2006 and increased at an average annual rate of 57% between 2002 and 2006. The rising prevalence has heightened concern about the financial impact of treating ASDs in the private and public health care systems.[1] http://phys.org/news206964960.html Medicine & Health Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:16:18 EST news206964960 When girls with symptoms of autism or ADHD seek professional medical help, their problems are often played down or misinterpreted, and there is a real risk that they will not get the help or support they need. As such, more training is needed in this area, particularly in the public sector, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg. http://phys.org/news205403863.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:00:01 EST news205403863 Siblings of children with autism have more frequent language delays and other subtle characteristics of the disorder than previously understood. Girls also may be mildly affected more often than recognized in the past. http://phys.org/news205144257.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:31:15 EST news205144257 People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are thought to have a specific profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses—difficulties appreciating others' thoughts and feelings, problems regulating and controlling their behavior, and an enhanced ability to perceive details—but few studies have tracked children's cognitive skills over time. Now new longitudinal research provides clues that can inform our understanding of ASD. http://phys.org/news203744311.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:40:02 EST news203744311 If someone near you yawns, do you yawn, too? About half of adults yawn after someone else does in a phenomenon called contagious yawning. Now a new study has found that most children aren't susceptible to contagious yawning until they're about 4 years old—and that children with autism are less likely to yawn contagiously than others. http://phys.org/news203744058.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:34:39 EST news203744058 An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, has identified misfolding and other molecular anomalies in a key brain protein associated with autism spectrum disorders. http://phys.org/news203347302.html Chemistry Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:22:05 EST news203347302 (PhysOrg.com) -- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have identified a gene that causes most of the features associated with brachydactyly mental retardation syndrome, a complex disorder involving developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, sleep disturbance, skeletal anomalies, obesity and behavioral problems. http://phys.org/news202133778.html Medicine & Health Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:16:49 EST news202133778 There is still much that is unknown about autism spectrum disorders, but a University of Nevada, Reno psychologist has added to the body of knowledge that researchers around the world are compiling to try to demystify, prevent and treat the mysterious condition. http://phys.org/news201979457.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:40:01 EST news201979457 A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has provided concrete evidence that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) process sensory information such as sound, touch and vision differently than typically developing children. http://phys.org/news201429075.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:00:03 EST news201429075 People with Williams syndrome-known for their indiscriminate friendliness and ease with strangers-process spoken language differently from people with autism spectrum disorders-characterized by social withdrawal and isolation-found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://phys.org/news201172466.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:00:09 EST news201172466 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers are studying whether a small robot with a big personality holds the potential to help children with autism. http://phys.org/news200229593.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:40:01 EST news200229593 An international consortium of genetics experts has issued a consensus statement recommending chromosomal microarray (CMA) as the new standard practice for genetic evaluation of children with unexplained developmental delay, autism or birth defects. http://phys.org/news192975659.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 May 2010 13:50:33 EST news192975659 Historical research by Peter J. Snyder, PhD, reveals more of Charles Darwin's thinking when he completed what may be the first example of a prospective "single-blind" study of human perception of emotional expression. Through scrutiny of Darwin's work, including previously unpublished handwritten notes on his experiments, Snyder explains how this early experiment has direct implications to current work today in the areas of schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and other neuropsychiatric conditions. The paper is published in the Volume 19, Issue 2, 2010 of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences. http://phys.org/news192196356.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 May 2010 12:54:12 EST news192196356 Parents of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) sometimes report that their children suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as diarrhea and constipation. However, studies on how prevalent these symptoms are have had conflicting results. http://phys.org/news192028970.html Medicine & Health Sun, 02 May 2010 14:23:17 EST news192028970