ALS: ‘Unique’ cells could open up new avenues for therapy

By Maria Cohut Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to the death of nerve cells that control movement, leaving people unable to move and, eventually, to breathe. ALS is fatal and, so far, incurable. Can new findings bring hope for novel therapies? ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States alone. Still, its causes remain largely unknown. There is currently no cure, […]

What is stimming?

By Lori Smith BSN MSN CRNP Reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, CRNP Repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects is referred to as self-stimulatory behavior, abbreviated to stimming. Stimming can occur in people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Some people will stim when nervous, employing behaviors such as pacing, biting their nails, hair twirling, or tapping their feet or fingers. In this article, we will examine why stimming occurs and the different […]

High functioning autism through my eyes

Contrary to what professionals thought when I’d been diagnosed, I loved fiction and cultural critique. By Jonathan Rowland At the risk of explaining the obvious to the neurotypicals — people not on the autistic spectrum — in the audience, I know that I am not every autistic person. I can only speak of my experience as a thirtysomething white cis man who grew up in semirural Hertfordshire. This is still an autistic experience and, while […]

Epilepsy Can Follow Traumatic Brain Injury

Did you know that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause epilepsy? Learn how to protect your brain. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can happen to anyone, especially young children and older adults. TBIs can range from mild (such as concussions) to severe, life-threatening injuries. They can cause changes in: Thinking and memory; Sensations and balance; Language, such as talking and understanding; and Emotions, such as depression, anxiety, or aggression.1 TBIs can also cause epilepsy Epilepsy […]

Early intervention in autism improves language, IQ and social skills

Major study confirms pioneering treatment approach (SACRAMENTO) —Breakthrough research demonstrating that children with autism as young as 18 months can vastly improve their language, cognition and social skills with an early intervention developed by UC Davis Professor Sally Rogers has been replicated in a major new study. Sally Rogers working with a child Rogers, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the MIND Institute, began work on a novel developmental approach to autism in […]