http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/feed research listing http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/three-years-of-intensive-applied <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Healy">Healy, O.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/OConnor">OConnor, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Leader">Leader, G.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Kenny">Kenny, N.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, Volume 5, Issue 1, p.4-22 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>The Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS®) applied behavioral analysis (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) system may be helpful for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>The CABAS <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term306"><acronym title="early intervention: Assessment and treatment of a child as early as possible. Early intervention typically describes treatment between the ages and 0 and 3 and certainly before the age of four. ">early intervention</acronym></a> program is a school-wide system for using <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> methods. It applies <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> methods to help the whole child. This <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term116"><acronym title="case study: Intensive study of a single child with the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. ">case study</acronym></a> describes one girl who started intensive <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> in a CABAS system at the age of 2 years 10 months of age. Her communication and socialization skills were at the level of a 1 year-old. The intensive <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> methods were evidence-based, using recent methods that were reported to be potentially helpful. Researchers tested her progress over a 3-year period. When she started, she had a low IQ and had trouble learning. After 3 years of intensive <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> in a CABAS® system, her <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1990"><acronym title="cognitive: Associated with memory, analysis, and problem-solving skills.">cognitive</acronym></a> and communication skills were average for her age group. She was still behind for her age in social skills. She was able to move into a <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2022"><acronym title="mainstream: In education, refers to the classroom setting where normally-functioning children learn during the school day. For children with autism or other special needs, attending classes with normally-functioning children is called mainstreaming.">mainstream</acronym></a> classroom.</p> <p><a href="http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&amp;_&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ805696&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&amp;accno=EJ805696">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/three-years-of-intensive-applied#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism CABAS® Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling Early intervention evidence-based teaching toddler Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:23:52 -0500 scottie 3372 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/making-scenes-imaginative-practi <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Park">Park, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Volume 22, Issue 3, p.234-256 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Acting out imaginary scenes may help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> begin a process called the "healing of belonging."</p> <p>This article described social science theories about the human need for belonging. Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may have a need to find the feeling of belonging. The author believes that acting out imaginary scenes can help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> imagine things being better, and give them hope and desire to heal and belong. The author observed <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a> sessions for 5 preschoolers, and 3 of them had <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1627"><acronym title="autism spectrum disorder: Or ASD. A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">autism spectrum disorder</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1628"><acronym title="ASD: Acronym for autism spectrum disorder(s). A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">ASD</acronym></a>). Over 27 sessions were observed, and 27 were videotaped. In the article, the author described the imaginary play of the children. Children acted out different scenes that they created. For example, one child was a bird sitting on phone wires who might fall off. Another child was a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur. Their choices may show how they currently feel (worried about falling down) or how they hope they might be (strong and powerful like a dinosaur).</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19014014?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/making-scenes-imaginative-practi#comment ASD autism autism spectrum disorders imaginary play imagination occupational therapy preschoolers sensory integration therapy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:41:39 -0500 scottie 3370 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/autism-in-china-from-acupuncture <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Clark">Clark, E.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Zhou">Zhou, Z.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Psychology in the Schools, Volume 42, Issue 3, p.285-295 (2005)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>In China, children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> spectrum disorders may be more likely to receive <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1868"><acronym title="acupuncture: Chinese medicine practice of treating or changing the body by inserting needles into specific points in the body. Acupuncture is a complimentary and alternative therapy that is used in many countries to treat a variety of conditions and illnesses. Acupuncture has been used to treat some people with autism. One small study showed that acupuncture helped children with autism progress more in speech therapy than children who did not get acupuncture.">acupuncture</acronym></a> or herbal medicines than <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>).</p> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">Autism</acronym></a> spectrum disorders are diagnosed in China,but there are few resources for <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> for children these disorders. Therapies often included a mix of traditional medicines and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1868"><acronym title="acupuncture: Chinese medicine practice of treating or changing the body by inserting needles into specific points in the body. Acupuncture is a complimentary and alternative therapy that is used in many countries to treat a variety of conditions and illnesses. Acupuncture has been used to treat some people with autism. One small study showed that acupuncture helped children with autism progress more in speech therapy than children who did not get acupuncture.">acupuncture</acronym></a> with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a>. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> was used less often. A Chinese study reported improvements in social and communication skills with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1868"><acronym title="acupuncture: Chinese medicine practice of treating or changing the body by inserting needles into specific points in the body. Acupuncture is a complimentary and alternative therapy that is used in many countries to treat a variety of conditions and illnesses. Acupuncture has been used to treat some people with autism. One small study showed that acupuncture helped children with autism progress more in speech therapy than children who did not get acupuncture.">acupuncture</acronym></a>. There were very few scientific studies that evaluated the effectiveness of these therapies in China. The largest problem is the severe shortage of trained therapists to help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> in China. Few schools and hospitals are currently able to provide <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> services.</p> <p><a href="http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&amp;_&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ761810&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&amp;accno=EJ761810">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/autism-in-china-from-acupuncture#comment ABA acupuncture applied behavior analysis autism autism therapy children China herbal medicines sensory integration therapy social skills Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:24:45 -0500 scottie 3369 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/errorless-compliance-training-su <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Ducharme">Ducharme, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Sanjuan">Sanjuan, E.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Drain">Drain, T.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Behavior Modification, Volume 31, Issue 3, p.329-344 (2007)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Success-focused <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term106"><acronym title="Asperger Syndrome: Neurobiological pervasive developmental disorder that is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills. Individuals with Asperger (or Asperger&#039;s) syndrome often have average or above average intelligence and typical language development. Asperger syndrome can be difficult to diagnose.">Asperger syndrome</acronym></a> who have not done well with other behavioral therapies.</p> <p>Three children (4-10 years old) who were diagnosed with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2014"><acronym title="Asperger&#039;s: See Asperger Syndrome in the glossary.">Asperger's</acronym></a> had been fighting their <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> during behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions. Therapists tried errorless compliance training. With this training, the therapists ask for simpler things that the child could definitely do successfully. They are highly praised for their success. Then the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> gradually makes the request slightly more difficult, with a high chance of success for the child. The idea is to give many opportunities for praising the child. All three children improved and were more cooperative with their therapists. The children were also more agreeable with their parents in general.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17438346?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/errorless-compliance-training-su#comment ABA applied behavior analysis asperger syndrome autism behavioral therapy children errorless compliance training positive reinforcement success-focused therapy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:01:58 -0500 scottie 3365 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/behavioural-and-developmental-in <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Ospina">Ospina, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Seida">Seida, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Clark">Clark, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Karkhaneh">Karkhaneh, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hartling">Hartling, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Tjosvold">Tjosvold, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Vandermeer">Vandermeer, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Smith">Smith, V.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> PLoS One, Volume 3, Issue 11, p.1-32 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">Therapy</acronym></a> choices for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may be best guided by the needs of the individual child.</p> <p>The authors looked at 101 research studies that tested the effectiveness of different types of behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. The <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> interventions included <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>), Lovaas, TEACCH, and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1908"><acronym title="DIR: Methodology that is used to help build social interactions with other people. In the name, “D” stands for developmental, “I” stands for individual difference, and “R” stands for relationship-based. This method emphasizes meaningful play and relationship building that is tailored to each child.">DIR</acronym></a>. They compared three studies that were designed better than the others. Even though these studies were small, children who received intensive Lovaas <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> showed improvement in skills compared to those who received special education. However, the authors believe that the choice of behavioral therapies should be designed for the needs of the individual child because they feel there is no single <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> that works for every child.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015734?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/behavioural-and-developmental-in#comment ABA adaptive behavior applied behavioral analysis autism Developmental Individual-difference relationship-based therapy DIR language Lovaas method preschool socialization TEACCH Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:46:38 -0500 scottie 3362 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/brief-report-comparative-aba-and <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Hilton">Hilton, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Seal">Seal, B.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, Volume 37, Issue 6, p.1197-1201 (2007)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Identical twin brothers with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> showed different improvements using Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1908"><acronym title="DIR: Methodology that is used to help build social interactions with other people. In the name, “D” stands for developmental, “I” stands for individual difference, and “R” stands for relationship-based. This method emphasizes meaningful play and relationship building that is tailored to each child.">DIR</acronym></a>) and Applied Behavioral Analysis (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Their mother wanted to see which <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> might work better for both of her sons. Each twin (2 years, 4 months old) began with separate <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1908"><acronym title="DIR: Methodology that is used to help build social interactions with other people. In the name, “D” stands for developmental, “I” stands for individual difference, and “R” stands for relationship-based. This method emphasizes meaningful play and relationship building that is tailored to each child.">DIR</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) and separate therapists. They each attended 16 <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions. The child who received <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> showed more improvement responding to his name and using signs than his brother. He also had some tantrums and aggression. The twin who received <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1908"><acronym title="DIR: Methodology that is used to help build social interactions with other people. In the name, “D” stands for developmental, “I” stands for individual difference, and “R” stands for relationship-based. This method emphasizes meaningful play and relationship building that is tailored to each child.">DIR</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> showed improvement in social interaction and symbolic behaviors. The mother chose to put both boys in <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1908"><acronym title="DIR: Methodology that is used to help build social interactions with other people. In the name, “D” stands for developmental, “I” stands for individual difference, and “R” stands for relationship-based. This method emphasizes meaningful play and relationship building that is tailored to each child.">DIR</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>, even though more gains were seen in the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>-treated twin. The authors said that parents may choose therapies based on several factors including individual and family needs.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17072747?ordinalpos=3&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/brief-report-comparative-aba-and#comment ABA applied behavioral analysis autism autism therapy behavioral therapy DIR toddlers twins Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:35:26 -0500 scottie 3358 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/evidence-based-review-of-interve-0 <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Case_Smith">Case_Smith, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Arbesman">Arbesman, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Volume 62, Issue 4, p.416-429 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Occupational therapists (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term3110"><acronym title="OT: Acronym for occupational therapy (therapist). Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to perform daily functional behaviors and tasks. For children with autism, occupational therapy can help them to function in their environment, such as at home and at school. Occupational therapy utilizes activities and treatments for helping with sensory input and physical movements. It can also help with neuromuscular functions (helping nerves and muscles function better together). Studies have suggested that occupational therapy can help some children with autism.">OT</acronym></a>) may provide services and therapies that support other <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> approaches for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>The authors looked at 49 studies on the effectiveness of six types of therapies that may help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. Three interventions were closely related to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term3110"><acronym title="OT: Acronym for occupational therapy (therapist). Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to perform daily functional behaviors and tasks. For children with autism, occupational therapy can help them to function in their environment, such as at home and at school. Occupational therapy utilizes activities and treatments for helping with sensory input and physical movements. It can also help with neuromuscular functions (helping nerves and muscles function better together). Studies have suggested that occupational therapy can help some children with autism.">OT</acronym></a>. These included <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a>, relationship-based <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> like <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1910"><acronym title="Floortime: Approach that focuses on parents and other individuals spending meaningful interaction time with children to enhance their emotional and social development. For children with autism, Floortime™ is used to help build social interactions with other people. The name comes from the goal of adults getting on the floor with children for meaningful play. The approach emphasizes dealing with children at their level to engage them in a fun way. Floortime™ is part of a broader program called DIR®/Floortime™ (see DIR®).">floortime</acronym></a>, and developmental skill-building <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. All of these therapies were reported to be effective for some children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. Occupational therapists can provide therapies that support these efforts. OTs should design <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> plans specifically for the child, change therapies as the child's needs change, and should include parental involvement and peer mentoring.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18712004?ordinalpos=4&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/evidence-based-review-of-interve-0#comment autism behavioral therapy children developmental skills Floortime intervention occupational therapy OT relationship-based therapy sensory integration therapy Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:06:50 -0500 scottie 3356 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/efficacy-of-applied-behavioral-i <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Spreckley">Spreckley, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Boyd">Boyd, R.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 154, p.338-344 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Applied behavioral analysis (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) therapies may not be better than standard care in special education for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>The authors looked at 13 research studies on the effectiveness of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a>. These were well run studies that used <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term301"><acronym title="discrete trial training: Training that focuses on a single cycle of a behaviorally-based instruction routine, or in other words, one round of trying a behavior. ">discrete trial training</acronym></a> as part of the behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. The studies measured <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1990"><acronym title="cognitive: Associated with memory, analysis, and problem-solving skills.">cognitive</acronym></a>, language, and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2013"><acronym title="adaptive behavior: New behavior that has come from changing a negative behavior into something that is better or more useful. For example, a person who repetitively bangs on something might be taught to use their banging for something useful, helpful, or more acceptable, like making music with a drum.">adaptive behavior</acronym></a> skills. Four of the best studies were compared to similar studies of standard care; however, there were no significant improvements between <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> and the standard care.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950798?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/efficacy-of-applied-behavioral-i#comment ABA ABI adaptive behavior applied behavior analysis Applied Behavior Intervention autism cognitive skills discrete trial training language skills preschool special education Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:14:41 -0500 scottie 3354 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/parent-training-acquisition-and- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Crockett">Crockett, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Fleming">Fleming, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Doepke">Doepke, K.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Stevens">Stevens, J.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Developmental Disabilities, Volume 28, Issue 1, p.23-36 (2007)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Training on behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> techniques needs to be less expensive so that more parents can be trained on interventions that help their children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>The authors described how two parents successfully learned skills for teaching their 4-year-old children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The parents taught attending (focusing attention), ball/toy play, and verbal imitation. Training sessions lasted 2 hours and the parent and child worked together for 6-9 sessions. Their children showed improvements in these skills and there were improvements in other skills that were not taught to parents in the training sessions. The authors believe that parent training in some skills may help parents teach other skills (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term318"><acronym title="generalization: When a child learns a new skill and is able to perform that skill not just in front of the therapist, but in many different settings. For example, a child can learn to initiate conversation with a therapist and that is considered an accomplishment. A more wonderful accomplishment, however, is when the child is able to generalize the behavior and initiate conversation with his classmates at school. Other similar terms include generalizable and generalize.">generalization</acronym></a>). The authors noted that the amount of time and cost involved in current parent training is high. Training would be more helpful if time and cost could be lowered.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16338118?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/parent-training-acquisition-and-#comment ABA applied behavioral analysis autism behavioral therapy discrete trial training generalization parent training parents preschool Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:12:19 -0500 scottie 3352 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/spontaneous-imitation-by-childre <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Stephens">Stephens, C.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Autism, Volume 12, Issue 6, p.645-671 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Imitating musical play routines of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may help increase their social interactions.</p> <p>Imitation is an important way for infants and children to learn to interact socially with other people. Four children (5-8 years old) with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were given musical instruments that matched ones the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> had. They used tambourines, castanets, blocks, rhythm sticks, and maracas to imitate simple lively music. The music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> gave either verbal praise or imitated the child's actions when the child played, danced, and/or sang. When the music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> imitated the children's behavior, the children were more active and responded to the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19005033?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/spontaneous-imitation-by-childre#comment autism imitation music therapy play therapy repetition routine social interaction Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:20:10 -0500 scottie 3349 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/modeling-longitudinal-change-in- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Siller">Siller, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Sigman">Sigman, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Developmental Psychology, Volume 44, Issue 6, p.1691-1704 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> who were more social had faster growth in speech and language skills during childhood than other children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. </p> <p>The authors tested language skills in 28 children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> (2-5 years old) during a 4 year period. They also tested how well the children paid attention to others who tried to get their attention (child responsiveness), and how well parents responded to their children when their children asked for attention during play (parent responsiveness). Children with greater child and/or parent responsiveness had better language skills during childhood. The authors could not determine for sure whether parent responsiveness was the reason for the better speech skills, or whether something else related to parent responsiveness was important.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18999331?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/modeling-longitudinal-change-in-#comment autism child responsiveness longitudinal change parent responsiveness speech and language Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:44:09 -0500 scottie 3343 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/use-of-complementary-and-alterna-0 <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Wong">Wong, V.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 39, Issue 3, p.454-463 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may be used less frequently for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> in Hong Kong than in the U.S. and Canada.</p> <p>The author interviewed 430 Hong Kong mothers about use of CAM therapies for their children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> spectrum disorders (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1628"><acronym title="ASD: Acronym for autism spectrum disorder(s). A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">ASD</acronym></a>). Almost half of the mothers said they used CAM therapies. The three most common therapies were <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1868"><acronym title="acupuncture: Chinese medicine practice of treating or changing the body by inserting needles into specific points in the body. Acupuncture is a complimentary and alternative therapy that is used in many countries to treat a variety of conditions and illnesses. Acupuncture has been used to treat some people with autism. One small study showed that acupuncture helped children with autism progress more in speech therapy than children who did not get acupuncture.">acupuncture</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term82"><acronym title="sensory integration: Neurological process that organizes sensation from one&#039;s own body and the environment. Sensory integration makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment. Children with autism are believed to have difficulties integrating sensory information. ">sensory integration</acronym></a>, and Chinese medicine. Over half of mothers who used both CAM and traditional interventions did not report using CAM to their child's doctor. When compared to U.S. and Canadian families, a lower percentage of Hong Kong mothers reported using CAM.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18784992?ordinalpos=7&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/use-of-complementary-and-alterna-0#comment alternative medicine ASD autism autism spectrum disorder CAM Canada Chinese culture complementary and alternative medicine Hong Kong Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:07:52 -0500 scottie 3341 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/low-dose-naltrexone-for-disease- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Brown">Brown, N.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Panksepp">Panksepp, J.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Medical Hypotheses, Volume 72, p.333-337 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Low-dose <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1829"><acronym title="naltrexone: Brand name is Revia® or Vivitrol®. Naltrexone may be prescribed for autistic children to help improve ability to socialize and make eye contact. Naltrexone may also to help reduce pain sensitivity, self-injury behaviors, and repetitive behaviors. Naltrexone is usually prescribed for people who are trying to stop an addiction to alcohol or opioids (e.g., morphine or heroin). This drug is an opioid antagonist, so it binds to opioid receptors and blocks the binding of alcohol or other drugs to the receptors. In this way naltrexone stops the opioids from having an effect on the brain so that the patient is better able to overcome his or her addiction. Some children with autism have higher than normal levels of beta-endorphins in their nervous system, and naltrexone can lower beta-endorphin levels. An extended release injectable form of naltrexone is also available and is called Vivitrol®.">naltrexone</acronym></a> may help increase social interactions and cheerfulness in some children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>A dose of about 0.25 mg/kg <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1829"><acronym title="naltrexone: Brand name is Revia® or Vivitrol®. Naltrexone may be prescribed for autistic children to help improve ability to socialize and make eye contact. Naltrexone may also to help reduce pain sensitivity, self-injury behaviors, and repetitive behaviors. Naltrexone is usually prescribed for people who are trying to stop an addiction to alcohol or opioids (e.g., morphine or heroin). This drug is an opioid antagonist, so it binds to opioid receptors and blocks the binding of alcohol or other drugs to the receptors. In this way naltrexone stops the opioids from having an effect on the brain so that the patient is better able to overcome his or her addiction. Some children with autism have higher than normal levels of beta-endorphins in their nervous system, and naltrexone can lower beta-endorphin levels. An extended release injectable form of naltrexone is also available and is called Vivitrol®.">naltrexone</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> every other day helped some children, and better social behaviors were seen on the days in between. The theory for how this works is that low-dose <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1829"><acronym title="naltrexone: Brand name is Revia® or Vivitrol®. Naltrexone may be prescribed for autistic children to help improve ability to socialize and make eye contact. Naltrexone may also to help reduce pain sensitivity, self-injury behaviors, and repetitive behaviors. Naltrexone is usually prescribed for people who are trying to stop an addiction to alcohol or opioids (e.g., morphine or heroin). This drug is an opioid antagonist, so it binds to opioid receptors and blocks the binding of alcohol or other drugs to the receptors. In this way naltrexone stops the opioids from having an effect on the brain so that the patient is better able to overcome his or her addiction. Some children with autism have higher than normal levels of beta-endorphins in their nervous system, and naltrexone can lower beta-endorphin levels. An extended release injectable form of naltrexone is also available and is called Vivitrol®.">naltrexone</acronym></a> increases production of opioids and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term380"><acronym title="dopamine: Chemical that is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. Dopamine is important for normal functions of neurons, and plays a role in turning neurons on. Dopamine is important in many nervous system functions, including mood, sleep, movement, and motivation. ">dopamine</acronym></a> activity in the brain, which can make the brain feel happier.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19041189?ordinalpos=7&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/low-dose-naltrexone-for-disease-#comment autism cheerfulness dopamine drug therapy low-dose naltrexone opioids social interaction Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:51:33 -0500 scottie 3339 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/minocycline-promotes-dendritic-s <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Bilousova">Bilousova, T.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Dansie">Dansie, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Ngo">Ngo, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Aye">Aye, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Charles">Charles, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Ethell">Ethell, D.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Ethell">Ethell, I.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Medical Genetics, Volume 46, Issue 2, p.94-102 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">Treatment</acronym></a> with the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> minocycline may help <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term396"><acronym title="neuron: Type of cell in the brain, spinal cord, and throughout the body that communicate information with biochemical and electrical signals. ">neuron</acronym></a> growth in mice with a Fragile X-like condition, and may be helpful for people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1661"><acronym title="Fragile X Syndrome: Or FXS. Family of genetic disorders defined by gene changes in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. FXS is the most common inherited form of mental retardation, and approximately 25% of children with FXS have autism. About 2.5-6% of children with autism have FXS. ">Fragile X Syndrome</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1662"><acronym title="FXS: Acronym for Fragile X Syndrome. Family of genetic disorders defined by gene changes in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. FXS is the most common inherited form of mental retardation, and approximately 25% of children with FXS have autism. About 2.5-6% of children with autism have FXS. ">FXS</acronym></a>) some of whom also have <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. </p> <p>Neurons in the brain need healthy dendrites in order to function normally. The mice in the study were genetically altered to lack certain genes, like people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1662"><acronym title="FXS: Acronym for Fragile X Syndrome. Family of genetic disorders defined by gene changes in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. FXS is the most common inherited form of mental retardation, and approximately 25% of children with FXS have autism. About 2.5-6% of children with autism have FXS. ">FXS</acronym></a>. These mice have <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> spectrum behaviors, and their dendrites tend to be small and not fully developed. The minocycline <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> led to better-developed dendrites in neurons of the brains of these mice. The mice also showed less <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1770"><acronym title="anxiety: Distress or uneasiness caused by fear of something bad that might happen. People with autism can have anxiety about things that most people do not feel anxious about. ">anxiety</acronym></a> and more exploring after <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18835858?ordinalpos=8&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/minocycline-promotes-dendritic-s#comment anxiety autism behavior explore Fragile X FXS minocycline mouse model neurons treatment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:59:03 -0500 scottie 3337 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/a-back-door-approach-to-autism-a <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Mirenda">Mirenda, P.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Volume 24, Issue 3, p.220-234 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Therapies for motor (movement) skills, language, and reading development may help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> learn to communicate.</p> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1690"><acronym title="augmentative and alternative communication: Or AAC. Augmentative and alternative communication is a broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech, including electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language.">Augmentative and alternative communication</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1689"><acronym title="AAC: Acronym for augmentative and alternative communication. AAC is a broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech. Examples of AAC include electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language.">AAC</acronym></a>) therapies tend to focus on very basic communication skills. There is growing evidence that additional therapies may help improve the effectiveness of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1689"><acronym title="AAC: Acronym for augmentative and alternative communication. AAC is a broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech. Examples of AAC include electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language.">AAC</acronym></a>. The author believes that motor , language , and reading are important skills in communication. The author suggests that therapists and parents to add these additional interventions to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1689"><acronym title="AAC: Acronym for augmentative and alternative communication. AAC is a broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech. Examples of AAC include electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language.">AAC</acronym></a> therapies to help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> learn to communicate.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18830911?ordinalpos=4&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/a-back-door-approach-to-autism-a#comment AAC augmentative and alternative communication autism communication intervention language motor skills parents reading development Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:16:40 -0500 scottie 3334 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/whey-watchers-and-wheat-watchers <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Goday">Goday, P.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Nutrition in Clinical Practice, Volume 23, Issue 6, p.581-582 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>The potential benefits of a <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2372"><acronym title="gluten: Protein found in many grains, including wheat and barley. Food starch also contains gluten, while corn starch does not. Gluten-containing grains and food starch are added to some canned and processed foods, like soup. Some people can have adverse reactions to gluten, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free diets prohibit a number of grains, while wheat-free diets only prohibit wheat.">gluten</acronym></a>-free <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2371"><acronym title="casein: Protein found in diary products, including milk and cheese. Casein can also be added to foods, particularly processed foods. Some people can have adverse reactions to casein, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a casein-free diet.">casein</acronym></a>-free (GFCF) diet for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may not be worth the risk of poor <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1887"><acronym title="nutrition: Total intake of any foods, liquids, and supplements that are taken in the body by eating or drinking. “Good nutrition” refers to a balanced diet of foods and drinks geared toward good health.">nutrition</acronym></a> from the restricted diet.</p> <p>This author states that current studies have not shown consistent benefits of a GFCF diet for many children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. However, many parents currently are enthusiastic about the GFCF diet. Nutritionists think that parents should be educated about following the diet. Parents need to make sure they provide children with good overall <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1887"><acronym title="nutrition: Total intake of any foods, liquids, and supplements that are taken in the body by eating or drinking. “Good nutrition” refers to a balanced diet of foods and drinks geared toward good health.">nutrition</acronym></a>, whether on the GFCF diet or not.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19033216?ordinalpos=6&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/whey-watchers-and-wheat-watchers#comment autism casein free GFCF gluten free nutrition wheat whey Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:29:41 -0500 scottie 3331 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/parents-experiences-of-home-base <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Grindle">Grindle, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Kovshoff">Kovshoff, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hastings">Hastings, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Remington">Remington, B.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 39, p.42-56 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Home-based therapies may be more beneficial to children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> if therapists also provide parent support.</p> <p>Parents are often involved with home-based early intensive behavior <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> (EIBI) for their children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. They say it helps them, their child, and the rest of the family. But there are difficulties: daily life activities along with the added <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> duties made some parents more stressed and they had less energy to continue the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. If <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> providers help support parents, home-based <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may be carried out longer and be more helpful.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535893?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/parents-experiences-of-home-base#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism early intensive behavior intervention EIBI home-based therapy parent support Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:25:03 -0500 scottie 3320 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/systematic-reviews-of-psychosoci <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Seida">Seida, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Ospina">Ospina, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Karkhaneh">Karkhaneh, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hartling">Hartling, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Smith">Smith, V.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Clark">Clark, B.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Volume 51, Issue 2, p.95-104 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Therapies and interventions that focus on behaviors, or communication and social skills may be helpful to children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>This report talks about different articles that each look at a type of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. The authors of this report looked at 9 review articles of behavioral therapies, and 7 review articles of communication-focused therapies. Many of the articles reported improvements in children's behavior and communication, but the authors said that many of the studies used poor scientific methods and were incomplete. They said studies should be done more carefully to help figure out exactly which therapies are helpful.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19191842?ordinalpos=4&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/systematic-reviews-of-psychosoci#comment autism autism therapy behavior communication intervention psychosocial intervention scientific methods social skills Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:56:20 -0500 scottie 3318 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/use-of-vocational-rehabilitative <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Lawer">Lawer, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Brusilovskiy">Brusilovskiy, E.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Salzer">Salzer, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Mandell">Mandell, D.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 39, p.487-494 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>With on-the-job support, adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> can do well at vocational rehabilitation service jobs.</p> <p>This study looked at job success for adults (18-65 years old) who worked in the U.S. Vocational Rehabilitation Service. There were 382,221 adults in this program in 2005, and 1,707 of them were diagnosed with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were given the most expensive support services while working. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">Intervention</acronym></a> included job coaching, follow-up, and job retention services. At the end of their program, 42% of adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were employed in a competitive job, 2% were working in a sheltered setting, and 56% were not employed. Adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> had higher success rates than adults with other disabilities. The success of employment was higher with more on-the-job support.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18810627?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/use-of-vocational-rehabilitative#comment adults autism job coaching on-the-job support vocational Vocational Rehabilitation Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:39:57 -0500 scottie 3315 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/can-one-hour-per-week-of-therapy <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Vismara">Vismara, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Colombi">Colombi, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Rogers">Rogers, S.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Autism, Volume 13, Issue 1, p.93-115 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Social communication may be improved in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> when their parents learn <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> methods to use at home at least one hour a week.</p> <p>Eight families of toddlers with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> took part in 1-hour <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions for 12 weeks. The parents and children were together during the sessions and the parents learned about <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> techniques. Parents learned how to use methods from the Early Start Denver Model of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> in their daily routines at home. After 12 weeks, children were speaking more often and interacting more with their parents and therapists. Children continued to improve in 4 more follow-up sessions over 3 months with no <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> help. The techniques were also helpful for children with aggressive behaviors.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19176579?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/can-one-hour-per-week-of-therapy#comment ABA agressive applied behavior analysis autism autism therapy Early Start Denver Model home parents therapist training Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:40:15 -0500 scottie 3313 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effectiveness-of-mirtazapine-in- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Coskun">Coskun, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Karakoc">Karakoc, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Kircelli">Kircelli, F.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Mukaddes">Mukaddes, N.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, Volume 19, Issue 2, p.203-206 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Mirtazapine may help manage sexual behaviors in children and adolescents with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Ten children and adolescents (5-16 years old) who had excessive masturbation (self sexual stimulation) received different doses of mirtazapine for 8 weeks. Patients were evaluated before and after <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. Except for one child who dropped out of the study, all children showed some improvement. Side effects included increased appetite, weight gain, and drowsiness. The authors believe that behavioral therapies should tried first to help change these types of behaviors. However, mirtazapine may help when behavioral therapies do not work.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19364298?ordinalpos=18&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effectiveness-of-mirtazapine-in-#comment autism behavior therapy drug therapy masturbation mirtazapine sexual behavior Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:52:37 -0500 scottie 3310 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-role-of-vitamins-and-mineral <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Cornish">Cornish, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Mehl_Madrona">Mehl_Madrona, L.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Integrative Medicine Insights, Volume 3, p.33-42 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">Vitamin B6</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term536"><acronym title="magnesium: Essential mineral that is needed for the health of every cell in the body. ">magnesium</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may help some children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>In one older study, 42% of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> had low levels of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">vitamin B6</acronym></a>. These results prompted doctors to try <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">vitamin B6</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> for patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. Parents of some children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> reported improvements in behavior with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">vitamin B6</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> alone. Some children also showed improvement after combined <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">vitamin B6</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term536"><acronym title="magnesium: Essential mineral that is needed for the health of every cell in the body. ">magnesium</acronym></a>. A recent large study (Rimland and Edelson) of 5,780 autistic children and adults reported clinical improvement in 47% of the patients who received combined <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term533"><acronym title="vitamin B6: Or pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient found in fish, meat and bananas. It is an essential vitamin, which means it can only be obtained through the diet. Vitamin B6 is important for the health of every cell in the body. ">vitamin B6</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term536"><acronym title="magnesium: Essential mineral that is needed for the health of every cell in the body. ">magnesium</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.la-press.com/the-role-of-vitamins-and-minerals-in-psychiatry-a1113">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-role-of-vitamins-and-mineral#comment autism B6 magnesium minerals psychiatry vitamin vitamin therapy Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:26:03 -0500 scottie 3307 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effects-of-verbal-cues-versus-pi <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/West">West, E.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Volume 23, Issue 4, p.229-241 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Picture cues during <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> learn and perform tasks.</p> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> learn to independently perform tasks by getting instruction from others, and then moving to cues or reminders of what they are supposed to do. Verbal and picture cues have been used during <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> to help the children work by themseleves as they learn a task. This study looked to see which worked better: picture cues or verbal cues. The study also tested whether the learning lasted and was generalized over several <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions. Four children (3-6 years old) were taught a new task using the two different cues during several <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> sessions. Three children learned a task using the visual cues, while the fourth child was successful with verbal cues. The results showed that most of the children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were good at learning from pictures.</p> <p><a href="http://foa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/23/4/229">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effects-of-verbal-cues-versus-pi#comment autism generalizable picture cue therapy verbal cue visual cue Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:24:09 -0500 scottie 3304 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/an-application-of-the-picture-ex <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Charlop">Charlop, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Malmberg">Malmberg, D.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Berquist">Berquist, K.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Developmental Phys Disabil, Volume 20, p.509-525 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Braille labels added to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term72"><acronym title="picture exchange communication system: Or PECS. Method of using picture symbols to communicate. ">picture exchange communication system</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1653"><acronym title="PECS: Acronym for picture exchange communication system. Method of using picture symbols to communicate. ">PECS</acronym></a>) cards can be used by a visually-impaired <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> to help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Braille labels that described the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1653"><acronym title="PECS: Acronym for picture exchange communication system. Method of using picture symbols to communicate. ">PECS</acronym></a> card were added to each card. The <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1892"><acronym title="therapist: Person trained to provide a certain therapy. For example, a child with autism who rarely speaks words would meet with a speech therapist.">therapist</acronym></a> could understand and respond to requests from children using these Braille-labeled cards. The three children in this study showed improvements in their behaviors during this <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/732642vt64351p48/">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/an-application-of-the-picture-ex#comment autism Braille PECS picture exchange communication system visually-impaired Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:43:04 -0500 scottie 3302 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/using-joint-activity-schedules-t <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Betz">Betz, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Higbee">Higbee, T.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Reagon">Reagon, K.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 41, p.237-241 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may be more involved in behavior <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> activities and complete more of them if they are paired with another child.</p> <p>Three pairs of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> (4-5 years old) used joint activity schedules during <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. The joint schedules seemed to help the children be more involved in the activity. This included taking turns, playing games, and setting up and cleaning up games. When the joint schedules were changed to individual schedules for one pair of children, their involvement dropped. As soon as they switched back to a joint schedule, they became involved again. Therefore, joint schedules may be a useful <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> tool and may also increase interactions between children during <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18595287?ordinalpos=3&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/using-joint-activity-schedules-t#comment activity schedule autism therapy autsim behaviorin joint activity peer engagement preschool social interaction Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:11:46 -0500 scottie 3299 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/predicted-and-observed-outcomes- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Thomas_Stonell">Thomas_Stonell, N.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Oddson">Oddson, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Robertson">Robertson, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Rosenbaum">Rosenbaum, P.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Communication Disorders, Volume 42, Issue 1, p.29-42 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Parents of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> reported improvements in their child's behavior after speech and language <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Parents of 210 preschool children were asked about their expectations before speech and language <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>, and then asked about any improvements in their children after <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. Parents said play, social skills, and confidence, as well as speech, improved after <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. Their behaviors at home, in school, and in public were also better. These additional behaviors are not generally used by therapists to prove success. But, perhaps speech and language therapies could be expanded to include these additional behaviors.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18835607?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/predicted-and-observed-outcomes-#comment autism behavior confidence parents play social skills speech and language speech therapist Fri, 29 May 2009 09:55:47 -0500 scottie 3292 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-use-of-weighted-vests-with-c <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Stephenson">Stephenson, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Carter">Carter, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> J Autism Dev Disord, Volume 39, Issue 1, p.105-114 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Weighted vests used as part of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a> may not work for all children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> spectrum disorders (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1628"><acronym title="ASD: Acronym for autism spectrum disorder(s). A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">ASD</acronym></a>).</p> <p>Five recent studies on weighted vests reported some improvements in behavior of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1628"><acronym title="ASD: Acronym for autism spectrum disorder(s). A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">ASD</acronym></a>. The children ranged in age from 2-11 years old. Weighted vests seemed to reduce stereotypic (repetitive) behaviors in 5 of the children. The vests increased attention or <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term86"><acronym title="on-task: Focused on the activity of the moment instead of being distracted by other activities. ">on-task</acronym></a> time for 10 children. However, these were small studies and could not measure behaviors reliably. Therefore, the use of weighted vests in <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a>, in general, may not lead to consistent benefits for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1628"><acronym title="ASD: Acronym for autism spectrum disorder(s). A diagnostic term that includes a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with varying degrees of severity. ASDs are marked by difficulty or impairments in communication skills and social interactions, and the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors like hand-flapping. Autism disorder is the term for a severe form of autism on this spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders include autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The term “autism” is usually used to describe disorders included on the autism spectrum.">ASD</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&amp;_&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ822619&amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&amp;accno=EJ822619">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-use-of-weighted-vests-with-c#comment ASD autism autism spectrum disorder behavior sensory integration weighted vest Thu, 28 May 2009 13:32:38 -0500 scottie 3290 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/ideia-and-the-means-to-chance-be <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Bloh">Bloh, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Axelrod">Axelrod, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, Volume 5, Issue 2, p.52-56 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Many schools in the United States are now training school staff in <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) methods.</p> <p>This review article describes the guidelines of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> and looks to see how <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> is being used in the schools. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> can be used to help teachers study the classroom and predict the behavior of the child with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> in response to the classroom. People who practice <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> are guided by five documents that describe the ethics of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> methods have been used in education, health, and parenting. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in the United States requires that schools provide <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> to students who need it.</p> <p><a href="http://www.jeibi.net/Issues/JEIBI-5-2.pdf">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/ideia-and-the-means-to-chance-be#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism classroom IDEIA Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act school teacher Wed, 27 May 2009 08:41:28 -0500 scottie 3288 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-cost-of-fad-treatments-in-au <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Zane">Zane, T.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Davis">Davis, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Rosswurm">Rosswurm, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, Volume 5, Issue 2, p.44-56 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> and their parents may be best served by only using proven <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> therapies such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>).</p> <p>The authors note that parents really need therapies for their children that work. This review article describes two fad <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> therapies: <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1890"><acronym title="sensory integration therapy: Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to take in sensory information and process the information productively. For children with autism, one or more senses can be over-sensitive or under-sensitive as compared with normally developing children of the same age. Sensory integration therapy is designed to help the child develop more appropriate sensory input processing and responses.">sensory integration therapy</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term74"><acronym title="Relationship Development Intervention: Or RDI. Treatment program that centers on the belief that individuals with autism can participate in authentic emotional relationships if they are exposed to them in a gradual, systematic way.">Relationship Development Intervention</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2003"><acronym title="RDI: Acronym for Relationship Development Intervention™. Treatment program that centers on the belief that individuals with autism can participate in authentic emotional relationships if they are exposed to them in a gradual, systematic way.">RDI</acronym></a>). They define fad treatments as treatments that do not have quality research showing that they work. Fad treatments cost money, can be hard on the emotions of the parents, and give false hope. Many parents turn to fad treatments because they want to do as much as they can for their child as fast as they can.</p> <p><a href="http://www.jeibi.net/Issues/JEIBI-5-2.pdf">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-cost-of-fad-treatments-in-au#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism rdi relationship development intervention sensory integration therapy Tue, 26 May 2009 08:28:30 -0500 scottie 3285 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/hyperbaric-treatment-for-childre <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Rossignol">Rossignol, D.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Rossignol">Rossignol, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Smith">Smith, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Schneider">Schneider, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Logerquist">Logerquist, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Usman">Usman, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Neubrander">Neubrander, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Madren">Madren, E.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hintz">Hintz, G.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Grushkin">Grushkin, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Mumper">Mumper, E.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> BMC Pediatric, Volume 9, p.21-36 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Hyperbaric <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> (40 hourly sessions) may improve function, language, social skills, eye contact, and sensory awareness in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Many children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> have poor blood flow and low levels of oxygen in their brains. While this has been measured, no one knows why the brains of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> are different from the brains of other children. This study was done to see if hyperbaric <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> could help relieve the symptoms of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. This trial is the first <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term385"><acronym title="controlled study: Experiment using good scientific methods, including double-blind procedures and placebo controls.">controlled study</acronym></a> of hyperbaric <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The use of hyperbaric <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen was safe with no side effects.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19284641?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/hyperbaric-treatment-for-childre#comment autism eye contact HBOT hyperbaric hyperbaric oxygen language sensory integration social skills Mon, 25 May 2009 09:18:51 -0500 scottie 3281 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/psychiatric-comorbidity-and-drug <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Gurkan">Gurkan, K.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Akcakin">Akcakin, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Kilic">Kilic, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Bilgic">Bilgic, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Neurology, Psychiatry, and Brain Research, Volume 15, p.1-8 (2008)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Many children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> also have other mental health issues that can be treated.</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to compare the pattern of mental health problems in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2019"><acronym title="high functioning: Refers to higher skill levels in people who have some kind of special need or impairment. For people with autism, there is a range of severity of autism between individuals. For example, someone who has good communication skills and appropriate behaviors is said to be high functioning.">high functioning</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> to children without <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors looked at children with Autistic Disorder (AD), <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term106"><acronym title="Asperger Syndrome: Neurobiological pervasive developmental disorder that is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills. Individuals with Asperger (or Asperger&#039;s) syndrome often have average or above average intelligence and typical language development. Asperger syndrome can be difficult to diagnose.">Asperger Syndrome</acronym></a> (AS), and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term170"><acronym title="pervasive developmental disorder: Or PDD. PDD is defined as a broad category of disorders in which there is a delay in the development of basic functions including communication and social interaction. PDD includes autism spectrum disorders (autism disorder, childhood disintegration disorder, Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, and PDD-not otherwise specified or PDD-NOS) (see autism spectrum disorders). ">Pervasive Developmental Disorder</acronym></a> Not Otherwise Specified (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1668"><acronym title="PDD-NOS: Acronym for pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. PDD-NOS is a diagnostic term for a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) on the autism spectrum that does not fit diagnostic criteria under the other four types of PDD on the autism spectrum (autism disorder, childhood disintegration disorder, Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome). ">PDD-NOS</acronym></a>). They rates of mental health problems in these children was 72.2% of cases of AD, 81.8% of AS, and 90.9% of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1668"><acronym title="PDD-NOS: Acronym for pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. PDD-NOS is a diagnostic term for a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) on the autism spectrum that does not fit diagnostic criteria under the other four types of PDD on the autism spectrum (autism disorder, childhood disintegration disorder, Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome). ">PDD-NOS</acronym></a>. These rates are very much like the rates seen in other studies. The most frequent diagnosis was disruptive behavior disorder and the second most common was <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1770"><acronym title="anxiety: Distress or uneasiness caused by fear of something bad that might happen. People with autism can have anxiety about things that most people do not feel anxious about. ">anxiety</acronym></a> disorder.</p> <p><a href="http://journalseek.net/cgi-bin/journalseek/journalsearch.cgi?field=issn&amp;query=0941-9500">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/psychiatric-comorbidity-and-drug#comment anxiety disorder asperger syndrome autism behavior high-functioning autism PDD-NOS Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Fri, 22 May 2009 16:27:36 -0500 scottie 3279 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/developing-stimulus-control-for- <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Brusa">Brusa, E.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Richman">Richman, D.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, Volume 4, Issue 3, p.264-269 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">Applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) may be useful in helping children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> overcome problem stereotypic behavior.</p> <p>This <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term116"><acronym title="case study: Intensive study of a single child with the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. ">case study</acronym></a> describes the use of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1648"><acronym title="control: As in scientific control. An untreated condition or group in a scientific study or experiment that is used to compare the treated condition or group, and to observe possible changes that occur because of the treatment. Well-designed experiments and studies use good controls. ">control</acronym></a> problem behavior (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term379"><acronym title="stereotypy: Repetitive physical movements common in autism, like hand flapping. ">stereotypy</acronym></a>) in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The eight year-old boy in this study played with string so much that it got in the way of his schooling. The authors found that they were able to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1648"><acronym title="control: As in scientific control. An untreated condition or group in a scientific study or experiment that is used to compare the treated condition or group, and to observe possible changes that occur because of the treatment. Well-designed experiments and studies use good controls. ">control</acronym></a> his playing with a string by using a stimulus. The authors were not certain what helped to stop the boy from playing with the string: spoken comment, taking the string away, or giving him a reward if he stopped playing with the string. The authors note that once a child learns to stop the problem behavior (such as playing with a string), it may be a good idea to allow the child to request a time when it is ok to do the problem behavior.</p> <p><a href="http://www.behavior-analyst-online.org/newIJBCT/IJBCT%20-VOL-4/IJBCT4.3SI.pdf">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/developing-stimulus-control-for-#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism behavior problem behavior stereotypic behavior stereotypy Thu, 21 May 2009 14:42:18 -0500 scottie 3276 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-treatment-of-food-selectivit <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Matson">Matson, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Fodstad">Fodstad, J.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 3, Issue 2, p.455-461 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may benefit from screening for feeding problems and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> of any problems that exist.</p> <p>Children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> often have feeding problems and these feeding problems can be severe. While feeding problems may be severe, few therapists look closely at and work on feeding problems. This review article describes the current state of the field with respect to feeding problems in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors suggest that all children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> be screened for feeding problems. Behavior based interventions such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may be helpful in treating feeding problems.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&amp;_method=list&amp;_ArticleListID=921127669&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=ae5b7dca33778bddd574451e36d0bdb6">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-treatment-of-food-selectivit#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism feeding feeding problems food selectivity nutrition Wed, 20 May 2009 10:43:51 -0500 scottie 3275 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-contributions-of-executive-f <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Zingerevich">Zingerevich, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/LaVesser">LaVesser, P.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 3, Issue 2, p.429-437 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Occupational therapists (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term3110"><acronym title="OT: Acronym for occupational therapy (therapist). Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to perform daily functional behaviors and tasks. For children with autism, occupational therapy can help them to function in their environment, such as at home and at school. Occupational therapy utilizes activities and treatments for helping with sensory input and physical movements. It can also help with neuromuscular functions (helping nerves and muscles function better together). Studies have suggested that occupational therapy can help some children with autism.">OT</acronym></a>) may be able to best help children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> by addressing problems with executive function as well as sensory processing.</p> <p>This study was designed to see if the ability to think clearly affects whether or not a child can function well in the school setting. This study was designed with occupational therapists and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1898"><acronym title="occupational therapy: Or OT. Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to perform daily functional behaviors and tasks. For children with autism, occupational therapy can help them to function in their environment, such as at home and at school. Occupational therapy utilizes activities and treatments for helping with sensory input and physical movements. It can also help with neuromuscular functions (helping nerves and muscles function better together). Studies have suggested that occupational therapy can help some children with autism.">occupational therapy</acronym></a> in mind. The results show that children who cannot think clearly are less likely to be active in school functions. The study also looked at sensory processing issues in the children and found them to also be important for a child to function well at school. Other factors that may be important include motor skills, social skills, and emotional skills.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&amp;_method=list&amp;_ArticleListID=920427297&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=4966e6dad5b685d051bff780cac294f7">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-contributions-of-executive-f#comment autism emotional skills executive function motor skills occupational therapy OT school sensory integration therapy sensory processing social skills Tue, 19 May 2009 08:38:10 -0500 scottie 3272 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/long-term-effects-of-neurofeedba <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Kouijzer">Kouijzer, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/deMoor">deMoor, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Gerrits">Gerrits, B.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Buitelaar">Buitelaar, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/vanSchie">vanSchie, H.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 3, Issue 2, p.496-501 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2026"><acronym title="neurofeedback: Type of biofeedback therapy that involves individuals monitoring their own brain waves while learning to consciously change them. Neurofeedback is being used to help people with a variety of neurological conditions, including autism.">Neurofeedback</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may help to train a more flexible brain and therefore improve executive functions and social behavior in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>The authors published <a href="http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/neurofeedback-improves-executive" target="_blank">research</a> showing that 40 sessions of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2026"><acronym title="neurofeedback: Type of biofeedback therapy that involves individuals monitoring their own brain waves while learning to consciously change them. Neurofeedback is being used to help people with a variety of neurological conditions, including autism.">neurofeedback</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> improved <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> symptoms in seven children. This study looks to see if <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2026"><acronym title="neurofeedback: Type of biofeedback therapy that involves individuals monitoring their own brain waves while learning to consciously change them. Neurofeedback is being used to help people with a variety of neurological conditions, including autism.">neurofeedback</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> results in lasting gains in social skills and IQ. This second study compares 12-month follow-up data with pre-and post-data from the first study. The authors suggest that the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2026"><acronym title="neurofeedback: Type of biofeedback therapy that involves individuals monitoring their own brain waves while learning to consciously change them. Neurofeedback is being used to help people with a variety of neurological conditions, including autism.">neurofeedback</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> worked by teaching the children how to decrease the theta power and activity of a part of the brain. The authors suggest that the children in the study achieved changes to the structure of the brain that are long lasting.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&amp;_method=list&amp;_ArticleListID=919864745&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=010a1c99c3e09cffbd9fd8a363a02ef6">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/long-term-effects-of-neurofeedba#comment autism behavior brain executive function flexible IQ neurofeedback social social skills theta power Mon, 18 May 2009 10:58:55 -0500 scottie 3268 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/serving-the-needs-of-immigrant-f <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Welterlin">Welterlin, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/LaRue">LaRue, R.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Disability &amp; Society, Volume 22, Issue 7, p.747-760 (2007)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Immigrant children who have <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may receive better care when cultural differences are taken into consideration by doctors and therapists. </p> <p>Families can vary in their beliefs as to what Western culture considers to be "abnormal". Immigrant families often encounter language barriers, misunderstanding of Western health services, and varying cultural beliefs. Parents may be hesitant to accept <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> prescribed for their child due to these difficulties. To help patients receive the care that they need, a better understanding and acceptance of different cultural beliefs may help doctors and therapists better care for their patients.</p> <p><a href="http://direct.bl.uk/bld/PlaceOrder.do?UIN=219154158&amp;ETOC=RN&amp;from=searchengine">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/serving-the-needs-of-immigrant-f#comment autism autism treatment cultural difference doctor immigrant language barrier therapist Fri, 15 May 2009 08:45:11 -0500 scottie 3262 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/autistic-enterocolitis-fact-or-f <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Galiatsatos">Galiatsatos, P.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Gologan">Gologan, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Lamoureux">Lamoureux, E.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Can J Gastroenterol, Volume 23, Issue 2, p.95-98 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Early studies suggest that there is a connection between gut problems and brain problems in people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may complain of pain, bloating, and/or diarrhea. These gut problems cannot be described simply as Crohn's disease. This <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term116"><acronym title="case study: Intensive study of a single child with the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. ">case study</acronym></a> describes two patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> and problems in the gut. Some people think that the gut problems are caused by an immune response to proteins in the diet. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">Autism</acronym></a> patients and their families often report that special diets such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2372"><acronym title="gluten: Protein found in many grains, including wheat and barley. Food starch also contains gluten, while corn starch does not. Gluten-containing grains and food starch are added to some canned and processed foods, like soup. Some people can have adverse reactions to gluten, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free diets prohibit a number of grains, while wheat-free diets only prohibit wheat.">gluten</acronym></a>-free and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2371"><acronym title="casein: Protein found in diary products, including milk and cheese. Casein can also be added to foods, particularly processed foods. Some people can have adverse reactions to casein, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a casein-free diet.">casein</acronym></a>-free diets help with gut problems and symptoms of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors suggest that doctors refer patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> for a work-up and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> of gut symptoms.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19214283?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/autistic-enterocolitis-fact-or-f#comment autism bloating casein-free Crohn’s diarrhea diet diet therapy enterocolitis GFCF GI gluten-free gut pain Thu, 14 May 2009 10:31:11 -0500 scottie 3260 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/early-social-communication-inter <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Aldred">Aldred, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Green">Green, J.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> British Journal of Hospital Medicine, Volume 70, Issue 3, p.234-236 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">Intervention</acronym></a> that addresses the core communication problems in <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> at an early age may promote social and communication skills.</p> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">Autism</acronym></a> is often diagnosed when children are young and there is a high burden of care for the families of the child with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. This paper describes the first large scale trial of a social communication <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> approach for preschool children. The <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> promotes parent-child communication in areas such as looking at the same thing (joint attention), starting a conversation, and reading non-verbal signals. The authors believe that if these skills can be taught to a child with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> at a young age then language skills will come in as the child ages. The trial has started, but the results are not yet in.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19274002?ordinalpos=2&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/early-social-communication-inter#comment autism burden of care communication intervention joint attention non-verbal parent social communication social skills Wed, 13 May 2009 09:37:00 -0500 scottie 3258 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/high-dose-paroxetine-treatment-f <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Sasayama">Sasayama, D.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Sugiyama">Sugiyama, N.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Imai">Imai, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hayashida">Hayashida, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Harada">Harada, Y.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Amano">Amano, N.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Volume 63, Issue 2, p.251-256 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Paroxetine may help to treat fears and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1770"><acronym title="anxiety: Distress or uneasiness caused by fear of something bad that might happen. People with autism can have anxiety about things that most people do not feel anxious about. ">anxiety</acronym></a> in people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Many people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> also have obsessive compulsive disorder (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1986"><acronym title="OCD: Acronym for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Type of anxiety disorder with obsessive thoughts and/or repetitive behaviors. Obsessive thoughts are thoughts not based in reality that focus on something so much that it affects normal daily life. Examples of repetitive behaviors or rituals include cleaning, washing hands, or counting. Rituals are often performed with hopes of making obsessive thoughts go away. When people with OCD do these rituals and other people notice, it often increases their anxiety even more.">OCD</acronym></a>). This <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term116"><acronym title="case study: Intensive study of a single child with the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. ">case study</acronym></a> describes a 15-year-old girl with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term106"><acronym title="Asperger Syndrome: Neurobiological pervasive developmental disorder that is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills. Individuals with Asperger (or Asperger&#039;s) syndrome often have average or above average intelligence and typical language development. Asperger syndrome can be difficult to diagnose.">Asperger syndrome</acronym></a> and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1986"><acronym title="OCD: Acronym for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Type of anxiety disorder with obsessive thoughts and/or repetitive behaviors. Obsessive thoughts are thoughts not based in reality that focus on something so much that it affects normal daily life. Examples of repetitive behaviors or rituals include cleaning, washing hands, or counting. Rituals are often performed with hopes of making obsessive thoughts go away. When people with OCD do these rituals and other people notice, it often increases their anxiety even more.">OCD</acronym></a> who was prescribed high-dose paroxetine <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a>. The girl became obsessive when she was in grade school and would work for hours to write her homework neatly. She was placed in the hospital because of her severe fear of germs and prescribed paroxetine at 60 mg/day and given behavior <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. Her fears went away with the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a>, but the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1986"><acronym title="OCD: Acronym for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Type of anxiety disorder with obsessive thoughts and/or repetitive behaviors. Obsessive thoughts are thoughts not based in reality that focus on something so much that it affects normal daily life. Examples of repetitive behaviors or rituals include cleaning, washing hands, or counting. Rituals are often performed with hopes of making obsessive thoughts go away. When people with OCD do these rituals and other people notice, it often increases their anxiety even more.">OCD</acronym></a> remained.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335398?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/high-dose-paroxetine-treatment-f#comment anxiety autism drug therapy fears germs obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD paroxetine Tue, 12 May 2009 12:38:36 -0500 scottie 3257 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/early-and-intensive-behavioral-i <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Love">Love, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Carr">Carr, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Almason">Almason, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Petursdottir">Petursdottir, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 3, p.421-428 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">Applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a>) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> programs can vary a great deal and these variations may influence the efficacy of the program.</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to find out the details about 211 early and intensive behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> (EIBI) programs for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors note that many programs describe themselves in broad terms such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> or EIBI. About half of the staff in these programs was trained using written and oral lessons, modeling, practice, and feedback. Almost three quarters of program supervisors have an advanced degree. The authors also found that there were many differences between the EIBI programs surveyed.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&amp;_method=list&amp;_ArticleListID=916115857&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=39ea0fdf55b1851c9dfd235e55315c8f">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/early-and-intensive-behavioral-i#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism early and intensive behavioral intervention EIBI feedback modeling oral survey written Mon, 11 May 2009 11:25:34 -0500 scottie 3254 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effects-of-vibroacoustic-music-o <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Lundqvist">Lundqvist, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Andersson">Andersson, G.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Viding">Viding, J.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 3, Issue 2, p.390-400 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may reduce problem behavior in people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>This study was performed in order to see if vibroacoustic music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> reduced problem behavior in adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors note that patients who received the music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> did not hurt themselves as much (self-injurious behavior). The patients injured themselves less and less after many sessions of music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. The assistants noted that the patients seemed to feel more and more secure as they spent time with the sound of the musics. The authors do not know how the music <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> was able to change the behaviors of the patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.science-direct.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&amp;_method=list&amp;_ArticleListID=914718518&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=37a370134478770e6db84fc2abab3c2a">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/effects-of-vibroacoustic-music-o#comment anxiety autism behavior music therapy self-injurious behavior stereotypic behavior vibroacoustic Fri, 08 May 2009 08:39:31 -0500 scottie 3252 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/exploring-cognitive-intervention <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Phelan">Phelan, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Steinke">Steinke, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Mandich">Mandich, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, Volume 76, Issue 1, p.23-28 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>A new approach to <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1898"><acronym title="occupational therapy: Or OT. Type of therapy that focuses on improving abilities to perform daily functional behaviors and tasks. For children with autism, occupational therapy can help them to function in their environment, such as at home and at school. Occupational therapy utilizes activities and treatments for helping with sensory input and physical movements. It can also help with neuromuscular functions (helping nerves and muscles function better together). Studies have suggested that occupational therapy can help some children with autism.">occupational therapy</acronym></a> may be helpful in teaching children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> to tie their shoes, keyboard, ride a bike, and do other daily tasks.</p> <p>Motor problems are common in children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. This <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term116"><acronym title="case study: Intensive study of a single child with the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. ">case study</acronym></a> looks at a new <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> approach to treating <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>, the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1990"><acronym title="cognitive: Associated with memory, analysis, and problem-solving skills.">Cognitive</acronym></a> Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP). The CO-OP approach was first designed to help children with movement (coordination) problems. The authors found that the CO-OP approach helped the two boys in the study learn to do a better job with day-to-day tasks. The authors note that the children's ability to perform the daily tasks varied over the course of the study.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19341019?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/exploring-cognitive-intervention#comment autism CO-OP cognitive orientation to occupational performance coordination motor occupational therapy OT Thu, 07 May 2009 08:46:27 -0500 scottie 3250 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/retrial-of-selective-serotonin-r <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Henry">Henry, C.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Shervin">Shervin, D.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Neumeyer">Neumeyer, A.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Steingard">Steingard, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Spybrook">Spybrook, J.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Choueiri">Choueiri, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Bauman">Bauman, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, Volume 19, Issue 2, p.111-117 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>SSRI <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> may not be helpful for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Many youths with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> do not respond well to SSRI (selective <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1792"><acronym title="serotonin: Chemical that is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Serotonin is produced by certain types of neurons and by certain cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Serotonin is important in regulating mood, sleep, body temperature, appetite, and other processes in the body. ">serotonin</acronym></a> reuptake inhibitors) <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> (paroxetine, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1930"><acronym title="fluoxetine: Brand name is Prozac® or Sarafem®; also in Symbyax® in combination with olanzapine. Fluoxetine (fluoxetine hydrochloride) is an antidepressant that may be prescribed for people with autism to help decrease aggression and depression. It can also help reduce repetitive behaviors, and improve language and social interactions. In some individuals, fluoxetine can make these symptoms worse, so each individual must be monitored closely. Fluoxetine is indicated for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder in children and adults. This medication is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). One possible serious side effect is increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. The risk of this side effect needs to be weighed carefully with the clinical need. Families should be aware of the need for close observation of the child or adolescent taking this medication, and maintain communication with the doctor who prescribed it.">fluoxetine</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1934"><acronym title="sertraline: Brand name is Zoloft®. Sertraline is an antidepressant that may be prescribed to help reduce anxiety and repetitive behaviors in people with autism. Sertraline is indicated for major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and social anxiety disorder. This medication is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. One possible serious side effect is increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. The risk of this side effect needs to be weighed carefully with the clinical need. Families should be aware of the need for close observation of the child or adolescent taking this medication, and maintain communication with the doctor who prescribed it. Also called sertraline hydrochloride.">sertraline</acronym></a>, etc.). This study reports on the outcome of youths with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> who received a second round of SSRI <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> after <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> failure on a first SSRI. Only one third of children who received a second round of SSRI <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> had a good response to the second SSRI <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>. This response rate was low and was lower than has been shown in other studies. The authors also found that side effects were common on the SSRI <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19364289?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/retrial-of-selective-serotonin-r#comment anxiety autism citalopram drug therapy fluoxetine paroxetine sertraline side effects SSRI Wed, 06 May 2009 14:28:44 -0500 scottie 3249 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/intranasal-insulin-to-improve-th <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Schmidt">Schmidt, H.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Kern">Kern, W.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Giese">Giese, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Hallschmid">Hallschmid, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Enders">Enders, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of Medical Genetics, Volume 46, Issue 4, p.217-222 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Intranasal insulin may help some children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> move better and gain IQ points.</p> <p>This study was designed to see if squirting insulin into the nose (intranasal) of children with a type of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> (Phelan-McDermid syndrome) would help with the symptoms of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The trial involved six children who were treated with intranasal insulin for up to one year. The children were different ages (9 months to 6.5 years) and had different symptoms of the syndrome. Patient three was the least impaired patient (age 3) and she was the only one who had a bad response to the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a>. The authors do not know why the intranasal insulin helped the children.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18948358?ordinalpos=4&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/intranasal-insulin-to-improve-th#comment 22q13 autism deletion genetic syndrome insulin intranasal insulin Phelan-McDermid syndrome Tue, 05 May 2009 09:04:56 -0500 scottie 3246 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/what-s-the-scoop-on-autism-spect <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Wallace">Wallace, L.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> EP Magazine, Volume February, p.28-30 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Parents who put their children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> on special diets may want to first review the potential benefits and risks of the diet.</p> <p>This review article describes the research behind the diet <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> for <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. These diets include <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term216"><acronym title="gluten-free diet: Dietary change used as an alternative therapy for autism. All foods with gluten (e.g., barley, rye, oats, and wheat) are removed from the diet. ">gluten-free diet</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term217"><acronym title="casein-free diet: Dietary change used as an alternative therapy for autism. All foods with the milk protein casein (including all dairy products) are removed from the diet. Casein can also be found in other baked goods or prepared foods.">casein-free diet</acronym></a>, and the specific carbohydrate diet. The author notes that some diet interventions are backed by research and some are not. Each child will have a unique response to a change in diet. Parents who choose to try a diet <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">treatment</acronym></a> should realize that the diet may or may not work for their child.</p> <p><a href="http://www.eparent.com/main_channels_healthcare/Autism_Nutrition.asp">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/what-s-the-scoop-on-autism-spect#comment autism casein casein-free diet GFCF gluten gluten-free intervention specific carbohydrate diet Mon, 04 May 2009 16:44:52 -0500 scottie 3245 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-cost-effectiveness-of-expand <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Motiwala">Motiwala, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Gupta">Gupta, S.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Lilly">Lilly, M.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Ungar">Ungar, W.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Coyte">Coyte, P.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Healthcare Policy, Volume 1, Issue 2, p.135-151 (2006)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Canada may save millions of dollars if it provides <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a> to all young children in Ontario who have <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p>Intensive behavioral <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1882"><acronym title="intervention: An action taken to help the person improve their health and behaviors. For people with autism, interventions can include behavioral therapy, nutritional supplements, medical therapy, and others. For example, ABA therapy is a type of intervention designed to help children with autism improve behaviors.">intervention</acronym></a> (IBI) is a term used for behavioral therapies such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term297"><acronym title="applied behavior analysis: Or ABA. An approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. Applied behavior analysis uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior. ">applied behavior analysis</acronym></a> (<a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1619"><acronym title="ABA: Acronym for applied behavior analysis. Approach to teaching behaviors and cognitive skills to children with autism. ABA uses careful monitoring and positive reinforcement or prompting to teach each step of a behavior.">ABA</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1893"><acronym title="therapy: Intervention intended to help people with autism improve their health and behaviors. Therapy usually implies repeated sessions of treatments or activities. For example, speech therapy involves repeated visits with a trained therapist (or specialist) who works with the child to improve speech.">therapy</acronym></a>). IBI has been shown to improve the ability of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> to function in society. The purpose of this study was to see if there would likely be a cost savings if Canada were to pay for IBI for all children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> who are between the ages of two and five years and who lived in Ontario. In Ontario, Canada the rate of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> is believed to be 2.09 per 1,000 children. The authors estimate a cost savings of 45 million dollars in 2003 money.</p> <p><a href="http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&amp;pubmedid=19305662">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-cost-effectiveness-of-expand#comment ABA applied behavior analysis autism Canada cost savings IBI intensive behavior intervention Ontario Fri, 01 May 2009 10:05:40 -0500 scottie 3240 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/services-for-children-and-adoles <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Wegner">Wegner, L.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Macias">Macias, M.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Pediatric Annals, Volume 38, Issue 1, p.57-61 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>In order to provide a <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2968"><acronym title="medical home: Personalized network of medical and home caregivers and therapy providers who together create a therapy program for the person with autism.">medical home</acronym></a> for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>, doctors will likely have to spend time developing and working with teams of community-based specialists.</p> <p>This article describes how insurance can be billed to pay for the many services that are often required for children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The authors start by stating that every parent who takes their infant and young child to visit the doctor should ask about child development. If there seems to be a problem, then a screening test can be given and these can be charged to insurance. The time needed to score and explain the test to parents can also be billed to insurance. The article goes on to describe how codes can be used to bill insurance for care of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19213294?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/services-for-children-and-adoles#comment autism code community-based specialist insurance insurance code medical home screening test team Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:59:19 -0500 scottie 3238 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/what-is-the-current-status-of-re <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Marcason">Marcason, W.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue 3, p.572 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>Food and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1887"><acronym title="nutrition: Total intake of any foods, liquids, and supplements that are taken in the body by eating or drinking. “Good nutrition” refers to a balanced diet of foods and drinks geared toward good health.">nutrition</acronym></a> professionals can help parents of children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> by making sure that children on special diets get important nutrients.</p> <p>This short article was written as a response to a question of the month. The author notes that some parents use diet therapies such as <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term218"><acronym title="yeast-free diet: Dietary change used as a complimentary therapy for autism. In this diet, all foods that are believed to support the growth of yeast (sugar, alcohol, simple starches) are removed from the diet. Antibiotics are also avoided in an attempt to prevent yeast overgrowth. ">yeast-free diet</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2372"><acronym title="gluten: Protein found in many grains, including wheat and barley. Food starch also contains gluten, while corn starch does not. Gluten-containing grains and food starch are added to some canned and processed foods, like soup. Some people can have adverse reactions to gluten, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free diets prohibit a number of grains, while wheat-free diets only prohibit wheat.">gluten</acronym></a> free diet, and <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2371"><acronym title="casein: Protein found in diary products, including milk and cheese. Casein can also be added to foods, particularly processed foods. Some people can have adverse reactions to casein, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a casein-free diet.">casein</acronym></a> free diet as treatments for <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2372"><acronym title="gluten: Protein found in many grains, including wheat and barley. Food starch also contains gluten, while corn starch does not. Gluten-containing grains and food starch are added to some canned and processed foods, like soup. Some people can have adverse reactions to gluten, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free diets prohibit a number of grains, while wheat-free diets only prohibit wheat.">gluten</acronym></a> free, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term2371"><acronym title="casein: Protein found in diary products, including milk and cheese. Casein can also be added to foods, particularly processed foods. Some people can have adverse reactions to casein, including allergic responses. Some people with autism may benefit from a casein-free diet.">casein</acronym></a> free diet is known as GFCF diet and is one of the most common <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> interventions. The diet can be hard for parents to follow and the food may cost more than the common American diet. Two studies are now being done in Norway and in the United States to see if this diet helps children with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19248872?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/what-is-the-current-status-of-re#comment autism autism intervention casein free diet diet therapy GFCF gluten free diet nutrition yeast Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:49:24 -0500 scottie 3236 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-costs-of-services-and-employ <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Cimera">Cimera, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Cowan">Cowan, R.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Autism, Volume 13, Issue 3, p.285-302 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p>While adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> may hold jobs, they tend to work fewer hours and earn less in wages than people with other disabilities.</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to explore both the costs of services received by adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> and the outcomes that these adults achieve as a result of the services/costs. The study found that the number of adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> increased every year of the study (2002-2006). The costs of services acquired by adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were higher than most other people served by vocational rehabilitation. The cost of serving people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> seems to have decreased with time, despite the increase in people with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> (2002-2006). Outcomes for adults with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> were mixed.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19369389?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-costs-of-services-and-employ#comment adult autism employment jobs service costs Vocational Rehabilitation Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:03:59 -0500 scottie 3234 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-role-of-antipsychotics-in-th <style type="text/css" media="all">@import "/modules/biblio/biblio.css";</style><div class="biblio_authors"><H3>Authors:</H3> <a href="/biblio/author/Malone">Malone, R.</a>; <a href="/biblio/author/Waheed">Waheed, A.</a></div> <div class="biblio_source"><H3>Source: </H3> Drugs, Volume 69, Issue 5, p.535-548 (2009)</div> <h3>Layperson Summary:</h3> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1769"><acronym title="antipsychotic: Medication that is usually used to treat psychosis, which is a mental state that involves a loss of contact with reality. Antipsychotics are also used to treat other nervous system conditions or disorders, such as autism. ">Antipsychotic</acronym></a> drugs may help to reduce problem behaviors and improve function in patients with <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1894"><acronym title="treatment: Something given to or performed on a person to improve health or behaviors. A treatment can include medical interventions such as giving medications. A treatment can also include non-medical interventions such as acupuncture. A treatment is usually considered something done in limited numbers. A series of treatments is often called therapy.">Treatment</acronym></a> of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a> requires many approaches: educational, behavioral, and psychosocial. The purpose of this review article is to describe the use of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1769"><acronym title="antipsychotic: Medication that is usually used to treat psychosis, which is a mental state that involves a loss of contact with reality. Antipsychotics are also used to treat other nervous system conditions or disorders, such as autism. ">antipsychotic</acronym></a> drugs to treat symptoms of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>. The antipsychotics drugs include: <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term224"><acronym title="haloperidol: tranquilizing medicine used to treat psychiatric symptoms">haloperidol</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1813"><acronym title="risperidone: Generic name is risperidone. Available as tablets, oral solution, or orally-disintegrating tablets, this psychotropic medication is used to treat: 1) aggression, irritability, and severe behavior problems in autistic children 5-16 years old; 2) bipolar mania in individuals 10 years old and up; and 3) schizophrenia in adolescents and adults. Side effects might include weight gain, increased appetite, and sleepy or groggy feelings. ">risperidone</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1936"><acronym title="olanzapine: Brand name is Zyprexa®, Zyprexa® Zydis®, or Zyprexa® Intramuscular; also in Symbyax® in combination with fluoxetine. Olanzapine is a psychotropic medication that may be prescribed off-label for people with autism to reduce disruptive and repetitive behaviors. Olanzapine is indicated for treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (mania). Zyprexa® Intramuscular is indicated for the treatment of agitation in people with schizophrenia and bipolar mania. Olanzapine works as a dopamine and serotonin type 2 antagonist, and has other effects on the nervous system. Side effects can include weight gain, increased appetite, and dry mouth.">olanzapine</acronym></a>, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1941"><acronym title="ziprasidone: Brand name is Geodon®. Ziprasidone is an antipsychotic medication that may be prescribed for people with autism to help reduce hyperactivity, aggression, self-abusive behavior, temper tantrums, lability (mood swings), social withdrawal, and repetitive behaviors. Ziprasidone is currently in clinical trials to test effectiveness in children with autism. Some children have improved with treatment. Ziprasidone is indicated for schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and agitation in people with schizophrenia. Ziprasidone works as a dopamine and serotonin type 2 antagonist, and has other effects on the nervous system.">ziprasidone</acronym></a>, aripiprazole, <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1837"><acronym title="clozapine: Brand name is Clozaril®. This is an antipsychotic medication that may be prescribed off-label for children with autism to help reduce hyperactivity, fidgeting, and aggression. Clozapine lowers binding of dopamine to most types of dopamine receptors and other types of receptors on cells in the nervous system. Clozapine is usually used to treat people with severe schizophrenia, or people who repeatedly threaten to commit suicide. As a rare side effect, there is increased risk of seizures or agranulocytosis (a change in white blood cells that can be severe and result in death). The risks are a concern particularly in children and adolescents and in people who might already have a risk for seizures. The risks also increase with increasing dose of the medication. Other side effects can also occur. People taking clozapine need to be carefully monitored with regular blood tests for possible side effects.">clozapine</acronym></a>, and quetiapine. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term224"><acronym title="haloperidol: tranquilizing medicine used to treat psychiatric symptoms">Haloperidol</acronym></a> has been around for a long time and there are many studies that show <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term224"><acronym title="haloperidol: tranquilizing medicine used to treat psychiatric symptoms">haloperidol</acronym></a> to be safe and effective. <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1813"><acronym title="risperidone: Generic name is risperidone. Available as tablets, oral solution, or orally-disintegrating tablets, this psychotropic medication is used to treat: 1) aggression, irritability, and severe behavior problems in autistic children 5-16 years old; 2) bipolar mania in individuals 10 years old and up; and 3) schizophrenia in adolescents and adults. Side effects might include weight gain, increased appetite, and sleepy or groggy feelings. ">Risperidone</acronym></a> is the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1769"><acronym title="antipsychotic: Medication that is usually used to treat psychosis, which is a mental state that involves a loss of contact with reality. Antipsychotics are also used to treat other nervous system conditions or disorders, such as autism. ">antipsychotic</acronym></a> <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term1778"><acronym title="drug: Chemical or medication that leads to changes in the body, usually with the goal of improving health. In some cases drugs can be abused, as in illegal drugs. Drugs include medications prescribed by medical professionals, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. ">drug</acronym></a> that has been best studied in <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary#term105"><acronym title="autism: Neurodevelopmental brain disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interactions and ability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal). People with autism often have atypical patterns of interest or behavior. The term “autism” is commonly used as a general term to include several disorders that fall under the category of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are sometimes also called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).">autism</acronym></a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19368416?ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">Scientific Abstract</a></p> http://autism.healingthresholds.com/research/the-role-of-antipsychotics-in-th#comment antipsychotic aripiprazole autism behavioral clozapine drug therapy haloperidol olanzapine quetiapine risperidone ziprasidone Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:53:00 -0500 scottie 3232 at http://autism.healingthresholds.com