Autism
Frequently, parents ask me if there is any connection between vaccinations and the rate of autism. I have not seen any solid scientific evidence linking vaccinations to autism. Autism symptoms become most evident around the age of 18 months because that is when many parents notice that their child is not as verbal as other children. This is [...]
Clinical trials are studies for drugs that are seeking FDA approval. Clinical trials have a high standard of care, including study subjects being seen by a physician at every visit. For information on available clinical trials, go to www.centerwatch.com http://clinicaltrials.gov/ The clinicaltrials.gov site also lists non-drug research studies and research studies on drugs already approved by [...]
This is an amazing story of a mom of an autistic son who transformed her grief and despair into creating the first school for autistic children in China. The school helps 3,000 autistic children a day. http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/31/china.autism/index.html Note to CNN: The title to this article on your front page was "Mom Considered Killing Autistic Son". How [...]
Two studies have found no link between vaccines and autism. Because the language delays in autism show up around 18 months (the same time as the MMR vaccine is administered), it was assumed that the vaccine caused autism. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22921581/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23001150/
I thought this was a great article on the impact of special-needs children on "mainstream" siblings. The article discusses what I have found in my counseling practice - siblings of special-needs kids tend to be more mature, more keenly aware of injustice, and have conflicting emotions about their sibling. Giving sibs an opportunity to talk with [...]
Fragile X is the leading cause of mental retardation and is the most common genetic cause of autism. Scientists were able to reverse the damage caused by Fragile X in mice by ihibiting a brain chemical called PAK. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070627/hl_afp/ushealthautism I'm an animal lover as much as the next person, but this study is exactly why we [...]
I am asked often if there is a link between autism and vaccines. Autism symptoms usually start to be more prominent around 12 to 18 months, around the same age when some vaccines are administered for the first time. (Here's a vaccination schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.cispimmunize.org/IZSchedule_2006.pdf Here's an interesting website regarding studies [...]