Children with autism have subtle metabolic differences that show up in their urine. This means that doctors may someday be able to detect autism by simple urine tests.

• Researchers at Imperial College London and the University of South Australia compared the urine of 39 children ages three to nine years old who have autism to that of their 28 siblings and 34 children in a control group.
• They found "clear differences" between the samples of the control group and the children with autism, and "some differences" between samples of children with autism and their siblings.

"We hope that our findings might be the first step toward creating a simple urine test to diagnose autism at a really young age, although this is a long way off," said Dr. Jeremy Nicholson.

The study appears in the Journal of Proteome Research.
 

Labels: autism

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Two new studies found that children who have autism tend to have digestive problems, but a gluten-free diet will not help them.

Researchers from Vanderbilt University medical Center studied 1185 children ages 2 to 18 years old, who had been diagnosed with autistic symptoms. About 45% had problems such as abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. Children over seven years of age tended to have more such problems. About 70% also had sleep problems, according to the study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting.

The second study was from the University of Texas at Austin, where researchers went through 15 major previous studies published on the relationship between diet and autism. They concluded there is no scientific evidence that gluten-free diets improve an autistic child's behavior, and that such diets can reduce bone thickness.
 

Labels: autism

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On June 4, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed legislation that would enact a “lead free” standard for faucets and other plumbing fixtures. The move is an attempt to protect kids and their families from exposure to harmful levels of lead.

“Children under the age of six will absorb and retain about 50% of the lead they ingest. Exposure has been linked to a rage of behavior in children from ADHD to violence later in life.

Get the Lead Out would reduce the allowable lead content from 8% to 0.25% - generally agreed to be a statistically insignificant amount of exposure.” [Source: Targeted News Services]

Similar legislation was adopted in California in 2006, and required manufacturers to phase out fixtures and materials that would increase lead exposure through drinking water. Many have complied ahead of required deadlines.

Labels: lead

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Phillipa Davies of South Wales is asking for help. Her daughter hasn’t been to school in over a month because of her behavioral issues. Though her daughter was expelled for only three days, Davies has refused to take her back, saying the school is mistreating her daughter.

“She told the Post her daughter was even eating her food in the staff room away from the other children… Twenty-five-year-old Ms Davies said that as Sophie got older she had developed behavioral problems and had been found to have tendencies of autism and of ADHD.” [Source: The South Wales Evening Post]

The school district can’t comment directly on Sophie’s case, but the head of schools – Aled Evans – said the school has an excellent reputation for effective teaching. He added that, while Sophie may be experiencing trouble at school, keeping her home and uneducated is not an appropriate solution.

Labels: education, schools

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A study conducted by a team of Swedish researchers has found some unusual connections between ADHD medication and socio-economic factors. The study reviewed medical records of nearly 8,000 Swedish children who were taking medication for ADHD.

Women who had only received the most basic education were 130 percent more likely to have a child on ADHD medication than women with university degrees.

Children were 54 percent more likely to be on ADHD medication if they came from a single parent family rather than having both parents at home. Coming from a family on welfare benefits increased the [likelihood] of ADHD medication by 135 percent … Source: PhysOrg.com

Researchers have yet to draw solid conclusions from the study’s results. Some speculate that difficult socio-economic factors could increase stress in the home, thereby exacerbating ADHD symptoms and making medication necessary. Others hypothesize that medication becomes a behavioral modification tool for parents that are stressed out and don’t have as much time to care for their kids.

Labels: medications, education, parenting

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

A study out of the University of Windsor found that teenagers with ADHD have a greater chance of being neurotic than their non-ADHD counterparts. Carlin Miller, a psychology professor, studied 90 teenagers in New York City who had been diagnosed with ADHD.

“She found that teens with ADHD tended to be more neurotic and inflexible than their peers, and lack conscientiousness… ‘Behaviour [sic] treatments, parent training, cognitive work and coaching are all very helpful,’ said Dr. Sharon Burey, a Windsor pediatrician who specializes in psychological disorders.” [Source: The Windsor Star]

Their lack of empathy and inflexibility can add to the challenges ADHD students have with relationships, but the problems are not insurmountable.

Labels: mental_health

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Children with sleep disorders often have symptoms similar to ADHD, which could result in their conditions being misdiagnosed. Many of these children suffer from sleep apnea, and may even snore.

Researchers studied 100 children ages 7-17. Slightly more than half were female, and the group was three-quarters Caucasian.

The scientists used detailed questionnaires and also looked at race, age, gender, body mass index and skull X-rays to see the jaw. Their results showed no associations with these factors, making [sleep apnea] hard to detect in the children. [Source: CNN]

People who get too little sleep tend to be irritable and have trouble paying attention and staying focused; characteristics commonly associated with ADHD. If not properly diagnosed and treated, however, sleep apnea can cause heart problems, hypertension and even strokes.

Labels: sleep, symptoms

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School's out, summer's here, the kids are excited and the parents are worried.

If this describes your family -- if the thought of three months without the structure and supervision of school has you concerned about your ADD/ADHD child's continued healthy development -- you need to know two things: You are not alone, and an excellent source of assistance is just a phone call (or mouse-click) away.

In the historic town of High Falls, New York, (in Ulster County, nestled between the Shawangunk and the beautiful Catskill Mountains), a renowned summer program is in the midst of its 50th year of offering "exceptional camps for exceptional students."

Since its establishment in 1961, Camp Huntington has provided thousands of special-needs students with life-affirming (and, in many cases) life-changing summertime opportunities. Here's how Camp Huntington's website describes the program's effectiveness:

Camp Huntington has successfully developed a unique program that caters to individual needs and cultivates personal growth. Our comprehensive program emphasizes development of social skills, independent living, vocational orientation and speech and language ability. Those who have attended other regular or special camps without effective response have found their new experience at Huntington to be particularly rewarding and beneficial.

Camp Huntington, which offers specialized summer experiences for campers with ADD/ADHD, is still accepting applications for summer camps. For details visit the Camp Huntington website or call 866.514.5281.

Labels: summer

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Christopher Durgan was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when he was 5 years old. Most of his school career was peppered with trouble. Clashes with classmates and teachers caused him to feel isolated. He was also suspended several times.

Now, he is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. He just completed the two-year electronic engineering technology program at the Charles H. Bohlen Jr. Technical Center, Watertown. And next week he will compete in the computer maintenance technology contest at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Mo. [Source: Watertown (NY) Daily Times]

His turn-around happened during his sophomore year of high school. He learned how to control his anger, and also discovered that he could change things about his life that he didn’t like. At the same time, he developed a strong interest in electronics. In electronics classes, he met fellow students who shared his interest and helped build his self-confidence. He is now excitedly looking forwarding to starting college in the fall.

Labels: students, schools

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Beth Tribble noticed that her child’s behavior often changed dramatically after he ate candy, yogurt or pudding. He would cry, get easily frustrated and sometimes even get terrible headaches. She thinks food dye may be the cause.

“It’s not that the food dyes are the underlying cause of ADHD or hyperactivity, but if a kid is predisposed to it then the dyes can trigger… behavioral outbursts,’ said Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Food Science in the Public Interest. Jacobson says research dating back to 1980 has linked food dyes with behavioral problems in children.” [Source: NBC]

Though not all children react to food dyes, some do – and some react severely. Parents are encouraged to take notice of significant changes in their kids’ behavior after they eat certain foods. Artificial dyes may be to blame.

Labels: causes, hyperactivity, food_additives

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

A certain kind of intervention can improve the way autistic children relate to their parents but does not reduce their symptoms of autism, according to a new study from Great Britain.

Prof. Jonathan Green and his colleagues at the University of Manchester worked with 152 children ages two to four years old and their parents. Parents and children participated in 18 sessions with therapists in which parents learned how to adapt their interactions to their children's impairments.

"On the basis of our findings, we cannot recommend the addition of this intervention to treatment for the purpose of reduction in autism symptoms," said Dr. Green. "The intervention significantly alters parent/child dyadic social communication in ways that are associated with positive child outcomes in longitudinal studies of autism, and likely to be positive for parents themselves."

The study appeared in the British medical journal Lancet.
 

Labels: autism

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Israeli researchers have found a link between autism and in vitro fertilization.

• Dr. Ditza Zachar said that 10.5 percent of the 461 children with autism in her study had been conceived by IVF.
• This rate is 7 percent higher than the general population in Israel.

Dr. Zachar said that her study was not definitive, because many of the mothers of the children in the study were older than average. Older maternal age is a factor that has been linked to autism.
 

Labels: autism

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

In order to prepare themselves for productive employment later in life, children who are properly diagnosed with ADHD need to start learning how to manage their symptoms:

“Mental health professionals estimate that 9 million adults in the United States have ADHD. Symptoms of ADHD… include difficulty paying attention, easy distractions, trouble finishing paperwork, fidgeting, talking too much and procrastination… adults in the workplace with ADHD often may not stop to think before they say or do something. They may commit social faux pas and hurt people’s feelings…” [Source: Pensacola Business Journal]

Clearly, this is an important issue for parents of children with ADHD. Early diagnosis gives kids an important advantage, because it gets them thinking and strategizing about symptom management. The lessons and methods they learn as children will become the foundation for symptom management when they’re adults.

Labels: symptoms, jobs

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