autistic son and seek the appropriate treatments

I have an autistic son and seek the appropriate treatments for his condition. I would like to try ayurvedic medicine for his condition. Could you please advise as to which courses you have for ayuvedic treatments. Read more

Very Premature Babies Show Raised Risk for Autism

(HealthDay News) -- Two new studies shed additional light on two different aspects of autism: One tried to pinpoint a risk factor for development of the disorder, while the other looked at the financial toll that having an autistic child takes on a family.

Both studies were expected to be published in the April issue of Pediatrics and were released early in honor of World Autism Day on April 2.

The first looked for early autistic behaviors, though not specifically for a diagnosis of autism, in premature infants who were born at a very low birth weight -- about 3.3 pounds -- and found that several factors associated with these early births were linked to a positive result on an autism screening test.

"The bottom line is that there appears to be a high prevalence of positive screening for autism in survivors of extreme preterm birth and ongoing follow-up is needed to understand if this initial positive screen is transient or persistent," said study author Catherine Limperopoulos, the Canada Research Chair in Brain and Development and an assistant professor in the department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal.

"There is a suggestion [from this study] that preterm infants may be at risk for developing autism, but this is really a preliminary finding that needs to be replicated in a large, prospective study," said Andy Shih, vice president of scientific affairs for Autism Speaks, in New York City.

Limperopoulos and her colleagues studied 91 babies who weighed less than 3 pounds at birth. MRIs were done on these infants around the time they were born. The researchers collected information on the child's health and demographic information, as well as information on their prenatal environment.

At around 22 months, the researchers conducted an autism screening test, called the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or M-CHAT, as well as other behavior tests. The M-CHAT test is only used to screen children who might have an elevated risk of autism; it is not a definitive diagnostic tool.

Twenty-five percent of these toddlers tested positive on the M-CHAT, suggesting that they had an increased risk of developing autism. Factors that were significantly associated with a positive M-CHAT screen included lower birth weight, lower gestational age, being male, having an abnormal MRI, being ill when delivered, an infection in the mother before birth, or the mother experienced hemorrhaging during labor and delivery.

Limperopoulos said this study wasn't designed to determine causality, but that some type of prenatal or perinatal insult might increase the likelihood of autism.

"I think it's a great study," said Dr. Sara Hamel, a developmental pediatrician in the Child Development Unit at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "A group of infants born preterm and at a low birth weight underwent screening for autism features, and about 25 percent screened positive. That doesn't mean they have it, but that they're at risk. This study really lends weight to the idea that if you screen children around 18 months old, you'll find a number of kids who test positive and need further diagnostic assessment."

The second study assessed some of the financial impact that having a child with autism can have on a family's finances, and found that when a child has autism, the family earns an average of $6,200 less each year, or about 14 percent.

"We think parents are making different decisions about labor participation," said study author Guillermo Montes, a senior researcher at Children's Institute in Rochester, in New York. "In some cases, one parent stays home, another may turn down a promotion or might take a job that doesn't require as much travel," which ultimately reduces the family's earning power.

And, he added, the income lost is just part of the equation.

"This is just the income they don't make," he noted. "The literature has shown that these families have additional health-care expenses, [and] pay for special diets and other therapies not covered by their health insurance," Montes said.

More information
To learn more about autism, visit the Autism Society of America.

Autism signs noticeable as early as age two

Jun 05 (HealthCentersOnline) - Developmental delays associated with autism and related disorders may be noticeable in toddlers by age two, which may offer a chance for critical early intervention, according to a new study.
Autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are typically diagnosed after age 3 or 4. Early detection of autism and ASD is essential because prompt treatment may have a dramatic effect on reducing its impact and significantly improve a child's functioning and quality of life.
Autism is a disorder of the brain that causes patients to have trouble with learning, socializing and behavior. About 300,000 - or 1 in every 175 - U.S. children have autism, according to recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Autism is one of five conditions known as pervasive developmental disorders (sometimes collectively referred to as autism spectrum disorders). These conditions all affect a person's ability to interact socially and communicate with others.
ASD begin in childhood and last a lifetime. They result in impaired social skills (e.g., difficulty interacting with peers), language (e.g., lack of speech or unresponsiveness) and behavior (e.g., repetitive habits).
The study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. The researchers examined infancy development and early childhood development in 87 infants starting at age 6, 14 and 24 months respectively using a standardized development test. Participants in the study included babies at high risk for autism (siblings of children with the condition), and infants at low risk (with no family history of the disorder).
Researchers measured childhood development using a standardized test called the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) that assesses five areas of development, including gross and fine motor skills, visual perception and receptive and expressive language skills.
Based on data and clinical judgment at age 24 months, toddlers were classified as unaffected, language delayed (LD) or with ASD. Researchers observed statistically significant differences between the ASD and unaffected groups by age 14 months. By 24 months, major differences were noticeable between the ASD group and both the unaffected and LD groups.
At age 14 months, four of the five mean MSEL scores were significantly lower in toddlers with ASD than those in the unaffected group. By age 24 months, the ASD group performed significantly worse than those in the unaffected group in all areas of development, and worse than the LD group in three areas. Nearly half of the toddlers in the ASD group showed developmental worsening between ages 14 and 24 months.
This study along with previous ones also conducted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders has identified several developmental "red flags" for parents and pediatricians or other child health professionals to watch for in children.

They include:

• Poor eye contact
• Reduced responsive smiling
• Diminished babbling
• Reduced social responsibility
• Difficulty with language development, play and initiating or sustaining social interaction

Pediatric health experts urge parents and other caregivers who notice any signs of a developmental delay in their child to seek immediate assessment with a professional medical practitioner.
The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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