Tag: behavior
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newsAutism and fragile X syndrome are characterized by very different brain processes, even though the two disorders show similar social deficits, say authors of the first functional imaging study to compare the two disorders1.
Fragile X syndrome is a form of inherited mental retardation that stems from a rare mutation in...→
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newsVariants in contactin-associated protein-like 2 or CNTNAP2 — a gene thought to be involved in nerve cell communication — are associated with language deficits in families affected by specific language impairment (SLI), a developmental disorder that affects roughly seven percent of kindergarten-age children, according to a study published in late November...→
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spotlightIn the fall of 1980, when he left his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, for undergraduate studies at Cornell University in upstate New York, John Constantino was determined to pursue one of two careers: a doctor or a school teacher.
“If I didn’t make it in med school, I figured being a...→
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newsIn imaging studies of children with autism, researchers are increasingly turning to methods that enhance natural sleep, rather than the traditional approach of sedating the children.
Scanning children during natural sleep makes it easier to compare brain function across groups of typically developing and autistic children, says Eric Courchesne, professor of neuroscience...→
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workshop reportWorkshop organizers: Nancy Kanwisher, Cathy Lord New York; September 7-8, 2008
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Goal:
To characterize the cognitive phenotype, the set of cognitive abilities that are impaired or spared in autism spectrum disorders.
Summary:
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior. Because there are no biological markers for...→
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newsIn the fall of 2006, Liz and Peter Bell started to notice behavioral and neurological regression in their 13-year-old son, Tyler.
His symptoms quickly progressed from what his parents thought was typical teenage sluggishness to full-blown catatonia. One morning, his mother started the shower for him and then went to help the...→
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blogAmong many parents of children with autism, food free from wheat and dairy is considered one of the most effective ways to improve the symptoms of autism — despite little solid evidence to support that claim.
Given the diet’s popularity, though, it’s clear that what’s needed are studies that look rigorously at...→
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newsDirectly contradicting a report of a promising autism mouse model, mice carrying a mutation in the neuroligin-3 gene show no signs of the disorder, according to a study published in Autism Research 1.
The study, published in June, has left researchers in the field struggling to reconcile the results with those...→
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newsParents of some children with autism rely on others’ mouths rather than eyes to read emotions, just as individuals with autism do, according to a study published today in Current Biology 1.
The study is the first to quantify specific face-processing traits in parents of children with autism, bolstering the longstanding...→
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blogFor many parents with autism, the ultimate goal is to have their children lead lives that are as ‘normal’ as possible — and that includes attending mainstream schools, where their child would be just like everyone else.
The problem is, many of these children are not like everyone else, and aren’t treated...→
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