B.A.F.F.L.E.S.

Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Oklahoma Announces Autism Benefits
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma announced the addition of an autism benefit to insured groups effective their next policy year. This change will not in any way affect the current medical coverage that has always been available to children with autism. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is responding to market interests in the benefits and coverage of certain autism-related medically necessary services.

Autism And Schizophrenia Share Common Origin
Schizophrenia and autism probably share a common origin, hypothesises Dutch researcher Annemie Ploeger following an extensive literature study. The developmental psychologist demonstrated that both mental diseases have similar physical abnormalities which are formed during the first month of pregnancy.

A Father's Age Is Associated With Decreased Social Abilities In Boys
New studies from Tel Aviv University suggest that waiting until a man can give his son "all the advantages" may have a disadvantage, too. Tel Aviv University researchers found in several consecutive studies that older dads are more likely to have boys with autism and lower IQs. Most recently, they found that the older a father's age, the greater the chance that his son will display poor social abilities as a teen. Dr.

Clues About Enzyme Role In Arrhythmias Provided By Rare Disease
A University of Iowa study provides insight into a calcium-sensing enzyme already known to play a role in irregular heartbeats and other critical functions. The researchers showed that the enzyme, calmodulin kinase II (CaM kinase II), contributes to arrhythmia in an extremely rare disease called Timothy syndrome and that inhibiting the enzyme prevents irregular heartbeats.

Decreased Levels Of Binding Gene Affect Memory And Behavior
Reducing the activity of a gene called FKBP12 in the brains of mice affected neuron-to-neuron communication (synapse) and increased both fearful memory and obsessive behavior, indicating the gene could provide a target for drugs to treat diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disease and others, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report in the current issue of the journal Neuron.

Brain Deletion Of FK506-Binding Protein Enhances Repetitive Behaviors In Mice
A new study reveals a link between dysregulation of a common signaling pathway and repetitive behaviors similar to those associated with multiple neurological and neurodegenerative disorders including, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Huntington's disease.

ED Miliband Urged To Act On Autism And Winter Fuel Poverty, UK
The UK Autism Foundation has appealed to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to take urgent action and help families and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome who are faced with fuel poverty this Christmas. The Foundation has been in touch with Chancellor Alistair Darling, Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Children's Secretary Ed Balls, over the serious issues connected with winter fuel poverty.

National Autistic Society Response To The Welfare Reform White Paper, UK
Following today's publication of the welfare reform white paper, The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's leading autism charity, voiced concerns that toughening up conditions on benefits could mean people with autism face hefty sanctions, rather than getting the specialist support they need to succeed in employment.

Setback In Child Development Could Be Signs Of Regressive Autistic Spectrum Disorder
We all know how infants can act up during their terrible twos, but when these behaviors are accompanied by developmental setbacks, they could point to something more serious. Researchers are currently learning more about regressive autistic spectrum disorder (RASD), which describes children who have been diagnosed with autism who demonstrate a history of a regression.

Weird, Wild And Wonderful - A Fathers Devotion For His Autistic Son
Weird, Wild and Wonderful A Naturally Autistic Tale Stuart Nicklen 29 January 2009 Â£17.99 Hardback A practical and inspirational book for parents of children with severe autism. Laurence is a 'child out of time'. Born with severe autism, he is very limited in his responses to the outside world, yet needs to somehow learn how to survive in it.

UNC Expands Brain Imaging Study Of Infants At Risk For Autism
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded an additional $3.25 million in funding to substantially expand an ongoing study that uses infant brain imaging to examine the brain and behavioral changes in very early life that may mark the onset of autistic symptoms.

Majority Of Local Authorities Failing Adults With Autism, UK
For the first time, all local authorities in England have been ranked and rated on their approach to adults with autism. The online table, published by The National Autistic Society (NAS), reveals an astounding postcode lottery where only one local authority knows how many adults with autism are in their area.

Autistic Children Require More Money, Time Than Children With Other Chronic Diseases, Study Shows
The more than half a million U.S. children who have autism have health care needs that are more costly and time-intensive than children with other chronic ailments, according to a Maternal and Child Health Bureau study published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Epilepsy Drug May Increase Risk Of Autism In Children
A new study shows that women who take the epilepsy drug valproate while pregnant may significantly increase their child's risk of developing autism. The preliminary research is published in the December 2, 2008, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The ongoing study involves 632 children, nearly half of whom were exposed to epilepsy drugs during gestation.

Brain Waves Show Sound Processing Abnormalities In Autistic Children
Abnormalities in auditory and language processing may be evaluated in children with autism spectrum disorder by using magnetoencephalography (MEG), according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "Using MEG, we can record the tiny magnetic fields associated with electrical brain activity," said Timothy Roberts, Ph.D., vice chair of research in the Department of Radiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Brain's Magnetic Fields Reveal Language Delays In Autism
Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism show that those children process sound and language differently from non-autistic children. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to more accurately diagnose autism and possibly aid in developing more effective treatments for the developmental disorder. Timing appears to be crucial.

Brain Imaging Study Of Infants At Risk For Autism Expanded By UNC
A study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers using brain imaging of infants to examine changes in their brains and behavior that may mark the onset of autistic symptoms is being substantially expanded after receiving an additional $3.25 million in funding.

More Than 100 Scientific Abstracts Presented By GU/GUMC Researchers At Neuroscience 2008
Research highlights include how we see faces in our dreams, understanding how young and old adults learn, helping stroke survivors speak using fMRI, an explanation about autism and facial recognition and ways to possibly forestall Parkinson's disease.

Autism Help For Social Care Professionals - National Autistic Society, UK
The National Autistic Society (NAS) has launched a guide to assessing and supporting adults with autism after the charity's I Exist campaign revealed a widespread lack of understanding and training in the condition amongst social care professionals. There is currently very little guidance for those who carry out assessments of need.

Link Between Nicotine Addiction And Autism
Scientists have identified a relationship between two proteins in the brain that has links to both nicotine addiction and autism. The finding has led to speculation that existing drugs used to curb nicotine addiction might serve as the basis for potential therapies to alleviate the symptoms of autism.

CMPI Responds To Katie Couric And CBS Evening News' Coverage Of Vaccines And Autism Myth
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) has released a statement by its Vice President and Director of Programs Dr.

International Research Effort To Study Autism Joined By UIC
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are taking part in an international effort to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years. The initiative, called the Simons Simplex Collection, is the first coordinated effort to create a database of information about families with only one autistic child.

Autism: Lee Scott MP Shortlisted For E-Politix Disability Champion Award, UK
The UK Autism Foundation is delighted that the Patron of UKAF, Lee Scott MP has been short listed for the ePolitix Disability Champion Award 2008. Lee Scott MP has campaigned night and day for all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome, not only in the London Borough of Redbridge but right across the UK.

New Findings From Genome-Wide Association Studies
Thousands of the world's top scientists and clinicians in the human genetics field are presenting their latest research at the 58th Annual Meeting of The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania November 11-15, 2008.

Combined Senses Give Us A Better View Of The World
From a young age we are taught about the five senses and how they help us to explore our world. Although each sense seems to be its own entity, recent studies have indicated that there is actually a lot of overlap and blending of the senses occurring in the brain to help us better perceive our environment. Researchers J.E. Lugo, R.