Petitioning Texas State House, Texas State Senate, Greg Abbott Change the laws that discriminate against the autistic and mentally disabled. Petition by Syleta Harkins Portland, Oregon 51,491 (as of 6/8/15) Supporters Sign Syleta’s petition Caregivers left my autistic sister, Rebekah, in a hot van for over five hours. When they finally found her, she was unconscious and clinging to life. A month later, she was dead. My family wants justice for Rebekah’s wrongful death. In […]
Tag: Autism
Zebrafish model gives new insight on autism spectrum disorder
University of Miami study of zebrafish reveals how dysfunction of SHANK3 or SYNGAP1 genes play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that affects approximately two percent of people around the world. Although several genes have been linked to multiple concurring conditions of ASD, the process that explains how specific genetic variants lead to behaviors characteristic of the disorder remains elusive. Now, researchers are utilizing […]
Autism and rare childhood speech disorder often coincide
Some children with autism should undergo ongoing screenings for apraxia, a rare neurological speech disorder, because the two conditions often go hand-in-hand, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Over the course of a three-year study, 64 percent of children initially diagnosed with autism were found to also have apraxia. The study also showed that the commonly used Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) accurately diagnoses autism in children with apraxia. “Children with apraxia […]
Sleep quality influences the cognitive performance of autistic and neurotypical children
One night of poor sleep significantly decreases performance on intelligence tests in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and also in neurotypical children (without ASD). This is the conclusion made by researchers at the Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, affiliated with the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and Université de Montréal. Sleep Quality Influences the Cognitive Performance of Autistic and Neurotypical Children One night of poor sleep significantly decreases performance on intelligence tests in children with […]
Sexuality Workshops for Parents of Children with Special Needs Increase in Demand
Discussing sexual behaviors, personal space boundaries or hygiene and self-care during puberty with a child is difficult enough for any parent, but possibly even more perplexing for a parent of a child with developmental disabilities on the autism spectrum. A new sexuality workshop for parents of special needs children, created and presented by Michelle Brill, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences at Rutgers University Cooperative Extension was recently held […]