Archive for the 'Autism News' Category
Video Games Educate Autistic Children
, 06 18th, 2009
In a recent study, researchers found that autistic children were able to learn through playing educational video games. Published around the web on autism news websites, The study found that about 40% of the autistic children involved showed improvements in their ability to learn and focus in the controlled environment of a video game. The children were able to grasp new concepts like math and reading better through a video game than in a classroom. In addition, an initial study of online video games showed that autistic children found it much easier to relate to their peers. Autistic children are often characterized as having difficulties with social interaction and communication, and through video games, it was possible for autistic children to interact and communicate with others in the online game environment. While there are no notable video games designed for teaching autistic children, there is definite potential for the field.
Video games have been used increasingly more often to educate children, and most children have responded well to interactive education through video games.
Chelation Treats Behavioral Disorders
, 06 03rd, 2009
With a chelating agent, it’s possible to cleanse dangerous heavy metals from the body. It has been shown that chelation can be an effective treatment for certain behavioral disorders in adolescents. Chelation targets the dangerous metal toxins like mercury, arsenic, and lead, and converts them to inert forms of waste that are excreted through the body’s natural processes of waste disposal. In addition, chelation is approved by the FDA, and has been shown to be effective treating a number of different conditions. Chelation can also be an effective treatment for autism, as it can remove mercury from the body, which is one of the environmental factors that contributes to autism. Chelating do have a few potential dangers, so it’s important to be aware of all the factors before treating an adult or child with a chelating agent.
Chelating agents are available over the counter, and can be used in the home by the average person with no medical experience. Chelation is an excellent way to cleanse toxins from the body even if not treating a specific condition. We all build up small amounts of heavy metals in our bodies over the course of our lives.
Obama Promises Federal Autism Overseer
, 03 20th, 2009
President Obama made a lot of promises during his campaign, and one that affects all autistic children and parents of autistic children was his pledge to appoint a Federal ASD Coordinator. Obama agreed to appoint this official to oversee and coordinate a nationwide effort to deal with ASD. But as the government is attempting to implement so many changes right now, including stabilizing the economy and reforming the health care, it’s likely the Federal ASD Coordinator will be put on hold. But for those most affected by autism, any autism news from the White House is good news.
In addition, the new stem cell research program funding which has been approved by the Obama Administration could bring good news to millions affected by autism. Better treatments for autism do exist.
Scientists Search for Accurate Autism Diagnosis
, 01 28th, 2009
There’s no scientific method to diagnose autism except through monitoring its symptoms such as social withdrawal, impaired emotional response, and lack of communication skills. There’s no laboratory test available to diagnose autism, thus scientists have been searching for biomarkers that would allow them to diagnose autism more easily. In the Autism news of late, scientists have been looking for abnormal proteins or fluids in the body, including monitoring the saliva of autistic patients. One protein, called phosphorylation, has been identified as having a much lower presence in autistic children versus healthy children.
If Scientists could develop a test for autism, they could identify autistic children or children at risk for autism at birth, rather than waiting until the age of 2 or 3 to identify the symptoms of autism. There is no cure for autism, but treatment is available, and the earlier autism is identified, the easier it is to begin the process of treatment.
Chelating Agents in Earth Science
, 12 05th, 2008
The process by which heavy metal ions are extracted from minerals and rocks through natural processes is often called chelation. In earth science, chelating agents, like peptides and sugars, work to remove heavy metals, and cause the movement of these metals in the soil. In addition, accumulation of metals in plants and smaller organisms can be attributed to chelating agents. The same idea of chelation that was pioneered by natural processes has also been used to detoxify metals from the human body.
Utilizing different chelating agents, through chelation the human body can be rid of toxic metals such as lead and mercury. Chelation treatment has also been used to treat autism, as one of the supposed causes of autism is mercury poisoning.
Preventing autism and catching it early
, 10 16th, 2008
Science has yet to find a way to effectively prevent autism, but there are many preventative steps that can be taken both during and after pregnancy, based on the results of past studies. It has also been shown that treating and diagnosing an autistic child as early as possible may better help the child socialize and learn communication skills. So while the causes of autism are still relatively unknown, here are some rules of thumb to follow:
• Insist on early autism screening if any behavioral problems (such as not using language as a form of expression) are noted before two years old. Typically-developing children should be babbling and using hand gestures by 12 months, using single words by 16 months, and beginning to string words together by the second birthday.
• Ask for genetic testing if the child has a lack of social or verbal development before age two.
• Schedule metabolic testing to prevent the onset of autism; heavy metal poisoning has been linked to autism, so a child’s bloodstream should be checked for metal toxicity.
• Look into the possibility of vaccinations containing trace amounts of mercury causing autism; but remember that the evidence for these claims is inconclusive. Consider these studies with caution.
• Avoid eating foods that may have an unsafe level of mercury, such as seafood, when pregnant.
Autistic children have trouble imitating others
, 10 14th, 2008
A new study by UC Davis researchers about important autism news may have discovered why autistic children have trouble imitating others; they spend less time looking at the faces of people who are modeling new skills.
The study employed eye-tracking headgear and software that measures the point at which a child is looking when learning a task, according to medicalnewstoday.com. The study showed that autistic children focused on the action that was being demonstrated (and rarely looked at the face), while typically-developing children looked at the face often to check for information about what to do, or how to respond. The finding is considered significant because autistic children have trouble learning from others, and this may be a key as to why.
Benefits of a heavy metal detox
, 10 02nd, 2008
Heavy metal detoxification has become a fairly popular method among the health-conscious in recent years. The detoxification helps remove mercury and other disease-causing metals from the body.
But for those with autism, a heavy metal detox is more of a necessity than a fad. Mercury, which can cause neurological disorders, sensory impairment, disturbed sensations and a lack of coordination, is believed to be a cause of autism. Autistic children can take medications such as PCA-Rx for mercury poisoning. The removal of the toxic heavy metals from their systems can alleviate some symptoms and help autistic children improve their social skills.
Jenny McCarthy: Autism Celebrity Activist
, 09 22nd, 2008
Jenny McCarthy is an actress, comedian, model, mom, and New York Times-bestselling author named the official spokesperson of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). She participates in fundraisers and has a video blog to raise awareness for autism spectrum disorders. She is also the co-founder of teach2talk, a company that produces developmentally appropriate educational resources for children. The Teach2talk product lines target core speech and language, play behavior, and social skills by using video modeling.
McCarthy collaborated with a speech language pathologist to create the products for children with a wide range of chronological and developmental ages. She and her fellow Teach2talk co-founder, speech pathologist Sarah Clifford Scheflen, partnered to create the revolutionary curriculum, which utilized the results of scientific research, peer reviews, and testing in clinical settings to help create the autism therapy learning tools.
PCM-Rx Provides Safe Way to Help Your Child Sleep
, 09 11th, 2008
As parents know, one of the biggest challenges with an autistic child is getting them to sleep. PCM-Rx, an autism treatment bearing similarities to PCA-Rx, is being recommended as a good means to help your child do just that, and can also be used to simply help them calm down.PCM-Rx is a powerful detoxifier and helps the body get rid of toxins such as pesticides and heavy metals. It’s administered in a 30-ml oral spray bottle.
According to http://www.helpyourautisticchild.com, PCM-Rx contains the same detoxification qualities as PCA-Rx and is basically identical to it, but includes the additions of lemon balm, melatonin, SAMe (this is how it was spelled on the site) and withonia somnifera. The site describes the effects of the treatment as “calming,” and it’s been well-received among its readers.