Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) cover a range of developmental disorders, including Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Rett’s Syndrome. ASD can involve a variety of symptoms, which fall into 3 main categories: Difficulties with social interaction Impaired language and communication Unusual patterns of behaviour and thought Social interactions can be extremely difficult for children with ASD, and [read the full story…]
Shared decision making with family carers is clearly espoused in policy in the UK and elsewhere. The researchers in this U.S. study were interested to look at to what extent parents of children with autism spectrum disorder reported being engaged in such shared decision making. They set out to look at the association between shared [read the full story…]
Yesterday saw the release of the serious case review relating to the appalling treatment of people at the Winterbourne View care home, as exposed in the BBC Panorama programme last year. The review, chaired by Margaret Flynn, points to a lack of leadership amongst commissioners, as well as criticising the role of the Care Quality [read the full story…]
The possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been shown to have no basis in evidence, despite such a link being posited in a 1998 paper in the Lancet. The paper was subsequently retracted following a GMC investigation of its author. The researchers in this US study point out that although the link [read the full story…]
People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often struggle to interact socially in the same way as everyone else. Recognising emotions and communicating can be very difficult for them. One approach that has grown in popularity is social skills groups, which aim to improve social competence, communication skills and quality of life for people with ASD. [read the full story…]
Forty years ago, autism was regularly referred to as childhood schizophrenia and the links between the two conditions have continued to this day. Recent studies have shown that the features of autism spectrum disorders sometimes precede the onset of childhood-onset schizophrenia. This cohort study published by researchers from Cardiff University looks at the relationship between [read the full story…]
Half a million people in England and Wales have autism and most of them were diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. Healthcare professionals sometimes overlook the condition in adults and this can lead to serious problems for the individual, including isolation, confusion and social exclusion. The National Autistic Society have estimated that only 15% of adults [read the full story…]
Previous research has suggested that the likelihood of experiencing mental health problems is increased in children and young people with learning disabilities if they also have autism. The researchers in this study were interested in looking at symptoms of anxiety in this population, hypothesising that they may experience symptoms of anxiety at a greater level [read the full story…]
In 1998 a very small study was published, involving just 3 children with autism, who were treated with a hormone called secretin that controls digestion. Here’s the abstract of the study by Horvath et al: We report three children with autistic spectrum disorders who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and intravenous administration of secretin to stimulate [read the full story…]
Rett syndrome is a neurological disorder mainly affecting females which although present from birth, may remain undetected until around one year of age. Many people with Rett syndrome have a mutation on the MECP2 gene on the X chromosome. The authors of this study were interested in describing the Rett syndrome behavioural phenotype by using [read the full story…]
