The hunt for gene mutations that contribute to autism has proceeded slowly, largely because autism encompasses a spectrum of diseases. Just as its symptoms vary widely among individuals, so do the genetic mutations that cause them. Now, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Christopher Walsh, in collaboration with scientists and physicians in the United States, Turkey, [...]
Gov. Blagojevich uses amendatory veto to expand House Bill 4255 requiring health insurance companies in Illinois to also cover a range of autism treatment for youth until the age of 21. Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today used his amendatory veto power to expand House Bill 4255 to require insurance companies to cover autism diagnosis, occupational [...]
Many of the seemingly disparate mutations recently discovered in autism may share common underlying mechanisms, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mutations may disrupt specific genes that are vital to the developing brain, and which are turned on [...]
Scientists have found a variation in a gene that may raise the risk of developing autism, especially when the variant is inherited from mothers rather than fathers. The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. Inheriting the gene variant does not mean that a [...]
Some cases of autism may be a failure of the young brain to wire itself properly in response to a baby’s social and physical surroundings, according to a new systematic analysis of disease genetics. The newfound mutations may interfere with the brain’s ability to create the connections normally sculpted by a child’s early experiences, report [...]
Actress and author Jenny McCarthy has established herself as a tireless crusader in the search for an autism treatment and advocate for nutritional regimens to help manage autism. McCarthy incorporated the Global Health Trax(TM) (GHT) flagship specialty probiotic product, ThreeLac(TM), into her autistic son’s nutritional regimen and shared her experience about fighting autism in her [...]
Michael Savage spoke of autism that made national headlines. On his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is “[a] fraud, a racket. … I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.” Two [...]
In Autism, faulty brain connections conceal intentions of others. Picking up on innuendo and social cues is a central component of engaging in conversation, but people with autism often struggle to determine another person’s intentions in a social interaction. New research from Carnegie Mellon University sheds light on the neural mechanisms that are responsible for [...]
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) wants to identify the number of Montana children under five who have autism, state officials said Wednesday. To help pinpoint that information, DPHHS will spend $384,000 to offer free autism screenings at various clinics across the state effective immediately. The effort will create a list of [...]
There have been numerous calls in recent days for Michael Savage, who hosts “The Michael Savage Show” for Talk Radio Network (the “Network”), to be fired or suspended for his brief 84 seconds of commentary concerning autism during the July 16th broadcast of the Show. Promptly after the Network’s management learned of the comments in [...]
