Pop News Brief: Recently highlighted in Fox news, a study published November 7, 2011, in the online Archives of General Psychiatry reported that the proportion of diagnoses for different autism spectrum disorders varied across 12 University-based sites, even though the sites had similar distributions of patient scores based on standardized measures. The authors of the study suggest that a diagnosis should consist of “dimensional descriptions” of core features rather than the common sub-grouping categories used today.

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Diagnosis Overview

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Pop News Brief: On November 8, 2011, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat spoke to over 50 philanthropists who gathered at the Wallstreet investment bank DH Blair to learn about the new Global Autism Center. The state-of-the-art campus will host research, academic studies, and a foundation geared at advancing autism education and treatment worldwide. Organized by The International Center for Autism Research and Education, the center is slated to open in 2014 on Mount Scopus in the city of Jerusalem, Israel.

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Additional Resources

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Overview: Researchers at the University of California, San Diego reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association that children with autism have a greater number of neurons in an area of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex.

Background: The prefrontal cortex, which is thought to moderate social behavior among other cognitive tasks, is fully developed before birth. The researchers examined postmortem prefrontal brain tissue from 7 autistic and 6 control male children who were 2 to 16 years old.

What’s new: Children with autism have 67% more neurons in the prefrontal cortex as compared to the prefrontal cortex of control children.

Why it’s important: The researchers findings suggest that the biological underpinnings of at least some forms of autism may have their foundations in utero.

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How Does the Brain Develop? How Does the Social Brain Develop?

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Pop News Brief: Dr. Laurent Mottron, a scientist at the University of Montreal, argues in a special autism-focused November 3 issue of the journal Nature that certain characteristics associated with autism should be considered advantages rather than impairments. For example, Mottron employs individuals with autism in his own lab, where he finds their unique abilities such as “finding patterns in a distracting environment” a benefit. Mottron suggests that individuals with autism should be given opportunities that utilize their unique skill sets as opposed to behavioral therapies that attempt to alter non-harmful behavioral patterns.

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Autism Profile

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Pop News Brief: On November 1, 2011, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill requiring insurers to provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The law is scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2012 for insurance policies started or renewed after that date. New York is the 29th state to require coverage for autism related health expenses.

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Autism Therapy Autism Funding and the Political Process

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Overview: Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have used a technique called chromosome engineering to eliminate a small portion of chromosome 16 in mice to evaluate the DNA segment's role in autism-like symptoms.

Background: This segment of DNA, known as 16.p11.2, contains 27 genes is one of the most common genetic risk factors for being diagnosed with autism.

What's new: In the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of October 3, the researchers report that mice lacking 16.p11.2 exhibit similar behaviors to children with autism, such as difficulty adapting to new environments, sleeping deficits, hyperactivity, and repetitive behaviors.

Why it's important: This study is the first to show a causative association between the 16.p11.2 deletion and autistic features.

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What are the Genetic Risk Factors for Autism?

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Pop News Brief: A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) highlighted studies investigating the use of the hormone oxytocin as a treatment for symptoms experienced by people with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism. The article, in part, explored the finding that puffs of oxytocin in the noses of patients with high-functioning autism can reduce repetitive behaviors, decrease irritability, and increase their overall ability to function.

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Overview: Researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center examined the effect of antidepressant use during fetal development in rat pups.

Background: A common target for antidepressant medications, Serotonin, is a neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of happiness—but serotonin also plays an important role during early brain development.

What's new: The researchers report  in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online edition that rat pups exposed to antidepressants shortly before and after birth exhibit abnormal brain features and social behaviors similar to those seen in children with autism.

Why it's important: The study’s findings support the need to examine if human exposure to antidepressants during fetal development is a risk factor for the development of autism.

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What Parental Factors Are Associated with Autism?

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Pop News Brief: Lesley Stahl reported on the use of iPads for individuals with autism in a CBS 60-Minute episode, which aired on October 23, 2011.  Unique iPAD “Language Apps” give a voice to children and adults who lack the ability to speak. According to the report, the iPAD has drastically improved the daily lives of many individuals with autism.

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Autism Profile

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Overview: University of Missouri researchers have discovered that children with autism have distinct facial features as compared to typically developing children.

Background: The researchers used a 3-D camera system to map 17 points on the face, comparing the facial features of 64 boys with autism to the faces of 41 typically developing boys.

What's new: According to the study, children with autism have wider eyes and a broader upper face. They also have a shorter middle region of the face with a wider mouth and philtrum (the indent above the central lip). In fact, subgroups of facial characteristics aligned with particular behaviors, suggesting unique genetic or environmental risk factors shared by children with similar facial features.

Why it's important: The ability to group children who share similar risk factors may enable the delivery of tailored treatment options to each group.

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What are the Genetic Risk Factors for Autism?

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Pop News Brief: In an ironic twist, researchers at the Robotics Research Lab of the University of Southern California are testing the use of a child-sized robot to help children with autism learn how to interact with people. According to the researchers, a robot may be less intimidating than a person to a child with autism. The pilot studies are promising, showing an increase in social behaviors that are normally lacking in children with autism.

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Pop News Brief: On October 9, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the requirement for health insurance providers to offer coverage to children with autism and other developmental disorders. The signed bill makes California the 28^th state to mandate health insurance coverage for those with autism.

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Autism Therapy Autism Funding and the Political Process

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Background: According to a new study, children born at a low birthweight may be at an increased risk for developing autism. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine followed over 1100 infants who weighed less than 4.4lbs at birth to the age of 21 by periodic assessment.

What's new: The group reported in the Oct 17 online edition of Pediatrics that an estimated 5% of children born under 4.4lbs will go on to develop Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The researchers followed low-birthweight infants to age 21, likely capturing both severe and mild forms of ASD.

Why it's important: According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1% of 8-year-old children have ASD, indicating that a low birthweight may increase a child’s risk of developing the disorder by five-fold.

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What Parental Factors Are Associated with Autism?

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