Category: Autism

Preventing Abuse of Your Special Needs Child

Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Education, Featured Topics, Intellectual Disability 01/15/201901/15/2019 admin

Here’s a somber statistic: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are far more likely to be abused by someone they know than a stranger. Abuse is any behavior that is unwanted, intentionally harmful, demeaning or insulting, or causes the victim to be afraid. This may include physical violence, sexual assault, bullying, emotional maltreatment or neglect. Sadly, because an individual with intellectual and developmental disability may be perceived as an “easy target,” the likelihood of abuse […]

Scientists discover genetic ‘missing links’ underlying mechanism of psychiatric diseases

Autism, Education, Featured Topics 01/14/201901/03/2019 admin

By Sarah C.P. Williams UCLA researchers, in global collaboration, gain new understanding of brain architecture of autism, schizophrenia Since the completion of the groundbreaking Human Genome Project in 2003, researchers have discovered changes to hundreds of parts of DNA, called genetic variants, that are associated with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases. Now, a new, large-scale study has linked many of those changes in DNA to their molecular effects in the brain, revealing […]

Stranger Safety for Your Special Needs Child

Autism, Down Syndrome, Education, Featured Topics, Intellectual Disability 01/09/201901/04/2019 admin

When we envision a child with Down syndrome navigating the world without adult supervision, fears about encounters with strangers naturally surface. Many individuals with Down syndrome are friendly and trusting, by nature, and respond warmly to a new acquaintance, a trait that is generally celebrated by those who are privileged to meet them. But, this endearing quality creates a vulnerability that obligates parents to teach them to distinguish between acceptable, harmless exchanges with strangers and […]

2,000 Human Brains Yield Clues To How Genes Raise Risk For Mental Illnesses

Autism, Down Syndrome, Featured Topics, Healthcare, Intellectual Disability 01/08/201901/05/2019 admin

Artificial intelligence model improves prediction six-fold It’s one thing to detect sites in the genome associated with mental disorders; it’s quite another to discover the biological mechanisms by which these changes in DNA work in the human brain to boost risk. In their first concerted effort to tackle the latter, 15 collaborating research teams of the National Institutes of Health-funded PsychENCODE Consortium (link is external) leveraged statistical power gained from a large sample of about […]

Office of Community Support for Military Families With Special Needs

Autism, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disabilities, Military 01/03/201901/03/2019 admin

If your military family has a family member or child with special needs, there are numerous resources, services and programs available to help you. But where do you start? Here are some top resources. The Exceptional Family Member Program Sometimes half the battle of managing your family member’s care is knowing what resources and services are available and how to access them. The Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP, is a great place to begin. […]