autism

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Journal Retracts Study Linking Autism with Vaccination

Says infamous paper wasn't properly randomized

(Newser) - Ever heard of that study linking the MMR vaccine with autism? Well, never mind, says the Lancet, the British medical journal that published the study back in 1998. The journal today retracted and discredited the study, saying its author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, hadn’t properly randomized the study or cleared...

Kids With Autism Don't Need Special Diet: Docs

Report calls for more research, brings relief to some parents

(Newser) - Children with autism are not particularly prone to digestive issues, and special diets have no effect on the condition, new research shows. Digestive problems do affect kids with autism, but a specific malady called “leaky gut” or “autistic enterocolitis,” says a report out today. The findings refute...

UK Pentagon Hacker to Be Sent to US for Trial

Man with Asperger's was seeking info on UFOs

(Newser) - A British man who hacked his way into Pentagon computers looking for information on UFOs has lost his final appeal against extradition. Gary McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, is now expected to be sent to the US for trial within weeks, the Independent reports. The 43-year-old Londoner could face...

Brits Hold Up Hacker's Extradition

Asperger's sufferer accused of cracking Pentagon systems

(Newser) - American authorities keen to get their hands on a man accused of the biggest military hack in history are going to have to wait. British authorities have "stopped the clock" on the extradition of Gary McKinnon while lawyers examine new medical evidence, say officials. McKinnon, who has Asperger's...

Anti-Vaccine Push Threatens Kid Health
 Anti-Vaccine Push  
 Threatens Kid Health 
ANALYSIS
Oct 20, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

Anti-Vaccine Push Threatens Kid Health

'Pseudo-science' campaign blamed for rising rates of child illnesses

(Newser) - A flourishing anti-vaccination movement based on bad science and distrust of Big Pharma is pressing the rewind button on decades of advances in reducing child illness, writes Amy Wallace. Parents who believe—despite the lack of credible evidence—that vaccines harm children are endangering other people's children as well as...

IT Firm Puts Autism to Work
 IT Firm Puts Autism to Work 
Oct 15, 2009 12:25 PM CDT

IT Firm Puts Autism to Work

Software tester finds niche for those with the disorder

(Newser) - A Danish entrepreneur—and father of a son with autism—has figured out a profitable way to serve the needs of blue chip companies and the underemployed members of the autism community. Thorkil Sonne’s company, Specialisterne, does repetitive software testing, turning its employees’ disability into an asset. “This...

Medical Weed's Been Great for My 9-Year-Old
Medical Weed's Been Great for My 9-Year-Old
Perspective
Oct 6, 2009 12:13 PM CDT

Medical Weed's Been Great for My 9-Year-Old

Marijuana helps autistic, allergic child with debilitating pain

(Newser) - Almost as soon as Marie Myung-Ok Lee began giving daily doses of marijuana to her 9-year-old son J, she noticed a big change: He returned from school with his whole shirt on. J is autistic, has an inflammatory bowel condition, and has had two serious spinal cord surgeries. Before pot,...

Autism Much More Common Than We Thought: CDC

New survey shows 1 in every 100 kids autistic

(Newser) - Roughly 1 in every 91 American 8-year-olds has been diagnosed with autism, a rate significantly worse than the 1 in 150 estimated in 2007, finds a new CDC survey that will be released later this year. The study showed that autism is “an urgent public health concern,” CDC...

Autistic Surf Pro 'Becomes One With the Wave'

Documentary shows raves, and difficulties, for Clay Marzo, 20,

(Newser) - That a 20-year-old Hawaiian might be among the world’s best surfers isn’t a surprise—but Clay Marzo has Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Just Add Water, a documentary out next month, juxtaposes Marzo’s inability to handle everyday social situations with a seemingly innate mastery...

Asperger's Man Could Be Next Susan Boyle

Briton who can barely leave the house wows X Factor judges

(Newser) - A young singer with Asperger’s syndrome who once spent 7 years without leaving his home is poised to take the British reality TV world by storm, the Independent reports. 21-year-old Scott James’ yet-to-be broadcast audition on the show X Factor features a rave review from Simon Cowell, earning him...

Case of Autistic Marine Sheds Light on Recruitment Ethics

Struggling to fill quotas, recruiters' practices called into question

(Newser) - Operating in a war-weary America, military recruiters face a difficult task—and some are skirting ethics to fill their quotas, the Los Angeles Times reports. While substantiated cases against recruiters are relatively few—593 claims were verified in fiscal 2007, which saw 319,229 enlistees—the case of an autistic...

Genetic Link Between Anorexia, Autism: Study

(Newser) - Anorexia might not be a social or psychological malady but rather an inherited genetic problem, Time reports. Furthermore, researchers see commonalities between that condition and autism. “Both autism-spectrum conditions and anorexia share a narrow focus of attention, a resistance to change and excellent attention to detail,” one doctor...

In Police Report, Travolta Admits Son's Autism

Star went against Scientology teachings on diagnosis: Enquirer

(Newser) - In a breach of Scientology protocol, John Travolta admitted his son was autistic, the National Enquirer reports. A statement to Bahamas police following the January death of 16-year-old Jett included a line from Travolta, “My son Jett suffered from a seizure disorder and he was autistic.” In the...

New Autism Research Tests Brain's 'Reflexes'

(Newser) - Scientists are taking a new approach to autism research using magnetic field generators that test the brain’s reflexes, the Boston Globe reports. Much like tapping a patient on the knee to gauge a physical reaction, trans-cranial magnetic stimulation triggers activity in specific areas of the brain through a charged...

Castration Drug Claims Rile Autism Community

Experts blast flimsy science, lack of testing

(Newser) - A drug used to chemically castrate sex offenders is being touted as a "miracle" autism treatment, but many leading doctors say the use of the chemical is medically indefensible, the Chicago Tribune reports. Lupron blocks testosterone, and users embrace the unsupported theory that autism emerges from a link between...

Scientists Locate Brain's Sentimental Center

Same Spot as Sex Urges

(Newser) - It turns out sex and sentimentality are linked after all, reports Reuters. Scientists have pinpointed areas of the brain that determine an individual's warm and fuzzy feelings—which they say are the same regions that control sex and some food urges. Researchers hope the findings may help explain brain evolution...

Autism's Secret: The Kids Grow Up
 Autism's Secret: 
 The Kids Grow Up 
glossies
May 15, 2009 7:50 PM CDT

Autism's Secret: The Kids Grow Up

(Newser) - Autistic children do something that most medical research on the subject rarely addresses: They grow up, Karl Taro Greenfeld writes in Time. The brother of autistic, 42-year-old Noah, Greenfeld recounts the struggles of shuffling a low-functioning autistic between state facilities, visiting him, worrying about him, and watching him degenerate...

Pot, Not Dangerous Drugs, Best for My Autistic Son

(Newser) - Marie Myung-Ok Lee gives marijuana to her 9-year-old autistic son and has no intention of stopping, she writes for doubleX, a new Slate spinoff for women. It’s working to calm him and curb his aggressive behaviors, writes Lee, who had her own misgivings initially. “I was already the...

At Least 10% of Autistic Kids Recover: Study

(Newser) - At least one in 10 children burdened by autism eventually recover, but no one knows why, according to a new study. Psychology professor Deborah Fein presented the results at a conference in Chicago this week, saying parents ought to know, even though recovery is "not a realistic expectation for...

Oprah Helps McCarthy Spread Vaccine Lies

They may turn parents off of vital vaccines: Allen

(Newser) - “Chastising a celebrity is an exercise in futility,” Arthur Allen acknowledges in Slate, but he tries anyway, blasting Oprah Winfrey for giving vaccine skeptic Jenny McCarthy platforms from which to spread “dangerous misinformation that could bring some once-controlled diseases back.” McCarthy believes her son got autism...

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