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Gluten-free bread is a treat for kids on a GFCF diet
Over a quarter of kids with autism spectrum diagnoses follow some kind of special diet. A gluten-free casein-free diet is the most common. Parents keep their kids on this heavily restricted diets because they say the diets work miracles. They’re reported to improve everything from sleep to gastrointestinal problems to behavioral issues.
Do they really work? Parents swear by them, but there’s no science to back up the claims. In this week’s Science of Kids column, my colleague Heather explores the truth about the autism diet.
Recent studies have shown no benefit to autistic kids following a gluten-free diet. The studies have been small, though, and the results aren’t definitive. Legions of parents believe the diets improve life for their individual kids. What’s going on?
What's your favorite autism Facebook fan page?
April is autism awareness month and as parents and writers here at Babble, we are always searching for new information regarding this disorder. From highlighting the top findings of the past year’s research and the most effective autism interventions to the most successful, new treatments, it seems like every day, research gets better at devising ways to help the many children affected by autism, as well as their parents and families.
While sifting through all the new findings and research while raising an autistic child, there is nothing quite as valuable as connecting with other parents who are experiencing the same things you are. Like most parents, Facebook has become a large part of daily life so it makes sense that there are many pages devoted specifically to autism. Babble decided this month would be a great time to compile a list of the Top 30 Autism Facebook Fan Pages.
New reviews out today suggest which treamtents for autism are most effective
New studies published today in the journal Pediatrics about the treatment of autism confirm that some behavioral and medical treatments are effective at the same time that another widely used alternative therapy has been declared to have no benefit. The conclusion, however, is that there is no best overall treatment.
The studies were funded by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in an effort to compare treatments and their effectiveness in 14 “priority disease areas,” including autism-spectrum disorders.
Autism is a condition marked by social and communication deficits, as well as various other developmental delays. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 110 children in the United States is affected.
Highlights from the last year in autism research
April is Autism Awareness Month and, in fact, president Obama declared April 2nd World Autism Awareness Day, recognizing that autism affects nearly one percent of children in the U.S. (1 in 70 boys) and proclaiming it a public health emergency.
This month is dedicated to learning more about children and adults with autism and throwing more weight behind initiatives like early intervention and research into its root causes.
So what have we learned recently about the biological steps that lead to autism? A lot, actually. Here is a look at 5 highlights from the last year in autism research:
Monica Holloway's autistic son Wills
April 2nd marks the fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day, and one autistic teen is hoping President Obama will take celebrating it seriously. The operators of prominent buildings across North America and the world — including the Empire State Building and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada — have pledged to turn their lights blue on the evenings of April 1 and 2, 2011 to raise autism awareness. That’s quite an achievement, since Anthony Malkin, the president of the Empire State Building, refused to turn its lights blue in honor of Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday back in August.
Author Monica Holloway’s son Wills has written a letter asking the President to join “me, my parents, and my two service dogs as we light our house blue,” adding, “If you need blue light bulbs, there is a store here on Ventura Boulevard where we can buy them for you and send them to the White House. My mom knows how to send things by Federal Express.” Continue reading »
Autistic children carry more copy number variants in their genome than children without autism. Some of these variants appear to be inherited, while others are considered new, because they are found “only in affected offspring and not in the parents” of autistic children.
That’s what Autism Speaks and “an international consortium of researchers, along with participating families,” announced while unveiling the second phase of the Autism Genome Project. The results of this phase of study were published today in the scientific journal Nature and sent in a press release by Autism Speaks.
The study also identified new autism susceptibility genes which “may lead to the development of new treatment approaches.”
People such as Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy who are convinced autism is caused by vaccines will be dismayed that according to Autism Speaks vice president for scientific affairs Andy Shih, “Piece by piece, we are discovering genetic mutations that can cause autism.” His plan is to provide families with concrete reasons their children have developed autism, not more speculation. Continue reading »
Turn on a film dubbed in a language that you’ve never actually learned and watch and listen. Gobbledygook…nonsense…just a blare of unintelligible noise spewing out from the screen, a la Charlie Brown’s teacher. That’s exactly how a kid with autism feels every time their mom coos, “I love you,” or their dad laughs at their sibling’s antics. The autistic child’s lack of understanding of speech, sound and expression ultimately hinders their ability to communicate at all. If you can’t understand Chinese, no way will you be able to speak it.
The Susan Gray School for special needs kids at Vanderbilt University has undertaken a research project using sensory integration therapy that they hope may ultimately help autistic children gain a voice.
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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