Growth hormone improves social impairments in people with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

Wow, exciting news! A study done by at the school of medicine at Mount Sinai shows that a growth hormone currently approved by the FDA for treating short stature is "associated with significant improvement in both social impairment and restrictive behaviors in people with Phelan-McDermid." 

As these are two of the things that prove to be the most limiting for children in terms of having typical interactions with others, this could be a life changing discovery.  Just as is exciting is that this study opens up research regarding the treatment of the symptoms of ASD. The director of the Seaver Autism center at Mount Sinai says "This clinical trial is part of a paradigm shift to develop targeted, disease modifying medicines specifically to treat the core symptons of ASD." 


Growth hormone improves social impairments in those with autism-linked disorder

Play may be stressful for children with autism

I think anyone who knows a child with autism well knows that typical play often doesn't seem to be something that they enjoy. Many of them prefer to play differently than other children. They often choose to be alone rather than engaged with others and they use toys differently than typical children do.

This article explains a study that was done to get more information about children with autism when they are playing. It appears that the stress hormone, cortisol, is elevated (relative to the levels in typical children) when children with autism are "playing."  This begs the question of whether pushing them to interact in a way that is typical, in the effort to develop better social skills, is really the correct thing to do. More research needs to be done but it offers interesting ideas.


http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20150213/play-may-be-more-stressful-for-kids-with-autism-study

Behavior therapy or medical interventions?

Having worked for many years with children with behavioral health disorders and then children with autism, I am a firm believer in the necessity of behavioral therapy. But, I believe that medication can be a godsend for many of these children, as well. I understand why people are hesitant about having their child on medications but I always advocate exploring all options.

That being said, not all medicine is created equal and there can be many harmful side effects. Having recently called South Florida home and working in the field of Behavior Analysis, the debate about legalizing marijuana was in my backyard...more accurately, in the homes of some of my clients.  While I fully understand the difficulties that many families face and can appreciate the desperate desire for relief from maladaptive behaviors, I have to advocate for the slightly (or maybe significantly) longer course of treatment that is behavior intervention over the "quick fix" that marijuana may provide.

The long term negative effects on the developing brain from marijuana means that children may end up in worse shape down the road. Additionally, there haven't been any studies completed to determine the efficacy (if there even is any) of marijuana on behavioral issues. The article below gives a good overview of the current science.

The other article speaks in support of behavioral intervention and is backed by a new study of the success in decreasing pica (a potentially deadly disorder) through behavior intervention. The findings of the research are published int he Journal of Autism and Developemental Disorders and looked at 11 children, all but one having autism and looking for treatment specifically for serious problems with pica. The interventions were slightly different for each child as they were individualized but they all had similar components and the treatment success was at 96% by the end of the study.

Behavioral therapy effective against pica in children with autism spectrum disorder

Medical marijuana for children with developmental and behavioral disorders?

Possible causal factors of autism

Lately it appears as if the "to vax or not to vax" argument has been ramping back up in the States. While I understand the fears that parents have, the science simply doesn't back them up. Additionally, I'd take my chances with autism over polio or the various other scary (and preventable) diseases out there.

This article succintly presents some of the factors that appear to be linked to autism. The top five that they identify are genetics (which is looking less valid based on new research,) pesticides, air pollution, some medications, and the age of the parents.

5 Things Scientists (Not Celebs) Say May Cause Autism

From a mom's perspective

This is a nice piece written from the perspective of a mother of a child with autism. I like how she describes both the joys and sadnesses of life with her child.  

I Know What Causes Autism

New test using saliva may allow autism diagnosis

Once again, scientists are looking to discover a biological test that will allow an earlier autism diagnosis than the current ones that use behavioral observations. They have tested the saliva of six children with autism and compared it to the saliva of six neuro-typical children and found noticeable differences. Clearly they need to complete testing on more children but it is a promising start and may help both earlier and easier diagnoses of autism in the future.  


Can a saliva test diagnose autism?

New therapy for infants with risk markers for autism

I am always looking for new treatments for children with autism and this one interests me because it is used with such young children. Research points to the success of early intervention plans in helping children with autism and this treatment is used with infants, which means it is targeting children 3-4 years earlier than current early intervention programs. 

The premise behind the treatment is that if an infant is showing some of the early risk markers for autism such as "lack of attention to a parent, reduced social interest or engagement, and decreased eye contact" it may be beneficial for them to start the video feedback therapy.  It entails taking video of parents engaging with their child and then watching the videos and getting feedback about the interactions. Parents can then tailor their interactions with there child in a way that helps the child decrease the maladaptive social behaviors.

The most interesting piece of this is that these types of interventions, when used on older children, help improve the parent and child interactions but don't do much in terms of improving the overal social skills of the child. Whereas, when done in infants, it appears to actually decrease some of the risk markers for autism in those infants. 

Video-based therapy might benefit babies at risk of autism