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Use Science and the Scientific Method When Considering Treatment
Autism is a spectrum disorder that varies in degree from mild to severe, with a range of needs that call for a wide array of supports. AHA/Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association’s mission is to attain appropriate educational programs, effective social skills training, increased...
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An Autism Spectrum News Interview with Alexander Kolevzon, MD, Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
We are indeed fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with Dr. Alexander Kolevzon, Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, located in New York City. Dr. Kolevzon eloquently provides us with an overview of our current...
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Mitochondria and Their Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have long been known to have a strong genetic basis. Until recently, the tendency for ASD to run in families was thought to be due solely to the passage of nuclear genes from parent to child. Now scientists are beginning to investigate whether mitochondrial genes...
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Vaccine Court Denies All Three “Thimerosal Causes Autism” Test Cases
On March 12, 2010, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (i.e. Vaccine Court) issued its decision regarding whether thimerosal-containing vaccines can cause autism. The decision, handed down by three Special Masters, was a resounding “No!” In the King case, the Special Master wrote: “This case...
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Potential New Treatments for Fragile X Syndrome and Autism
There are exciting new developments occurring in finding potential new treatments for the fragile X syndrome, and by extension for autism. The fragile X syndrome, an X chromosome-linked syndrome and the most commonly inherited condition associated with intellectual deficiency, is considered to be...
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Medications for ASD and the Future of Psychopharmacology of Autism
The first fact we need to acknowledge when we talk about medications for autism, is that that there are no pharmacologic treatments that actually treat autism. There is no data to date to suggest that any medications actually teach skills or change the developmental course of the disorder. As such,...
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An Autism Spectrum News Interview with Margaret L. Bauman, MD, Director of the Lurie Family Autism Center – LADDERS
We are indeed fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with Dr. Bauman about her work in clinical and basic research at the Lurie Family Autism Center/Learning and Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS). In the interview that follows, Dr. Bauman reveals her...
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Abnormal Micro-RNA: A Possible Cause of ASD and Schizophrenia
Key Concept: Abnormal micro-RNA programming disrupts early brain development causing autistic spectrum disorder, characterized by delays, plateaus and spurts of brain development. Similar abnormal micro-RNA programming disrupts brain development during adolescence causing schizophrenia,...
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Autism Research and Treatment: An Update From the Seaver Autism Center
The mission of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment is to discover the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to develop breakthrough interventions. The Center functions as a collaborative effort that combines psychiatry, psychology, neurology, molecular genetics, and...
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Scientists Find Brain Region Responsible for Our Sense of Personal Space
Finding Could Offer Insight into Autism and Other Disorders In a finding that sheds new light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have pinpointed the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal...
