Understanding and normalizing the function of brain neurons in autism has moved a step closer. Scientists conducting a gene study reversed behaviours associated with the condition in adult mice using compounds previously developed to treat cancer. Researchers in Canada at McGill University and the University of Montreal have identified a link between the overproduction of […]

New findings by researchers at the University of Bath suggest that people with autism have a different way of reasoning than those not on the autism spectrum.

Autism Awareness Day is being marked by calls from campaigners for politicians, medical officials, schools and the media to pay more attention to the issues of health and bullying that affect people with autism. The initiatives come as the incidence of autism has increased to an estimated one in 50 children in the US, according […]

The father of a boy with autism has approached 26 Dublin schools in a fruitless attempt to find a class for his son. Ian Diamond says he and his wife Josie have searched across the Irish capital to try to find a place for five-year-old Dylan. The Irish government insists all new schools should offer […]

First Bridge Centre is the first provider in the UK of combined diagnostic and treatment services for children with ASD.

Children attending special schools, including those with autism, are to be offered a flu vaccination. The extension of the national flu immunization progamme to special needs children is part of a phased plan to widen its scope. The initiative is based, the NHS says, on the advice of “independent experts”.

There has been a staggering 67 per cent increase in the number of school-age children in Northern Ireland diagnosed with autism, with the rate for girls increasing at a higher level than for boys.

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on developing the motor skills of children with autism if they are to see a boost in their language and socialization, according to two separate studies. The studies throw new light on expressive and receptive language problems, which are known to be an issue for many people diagnosed with […]

A Swedish study involving 24,000 children with autism supports a long-held view that exposure to sex hormones early in life may be an important factor in the development of autism. Led by scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet medical university, the research is the first to highlight the link between polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and autism in children.

Microsoft says it is planning to recruit more computer-savvy workers who have autism. The move expands on an initiative launched eight months ago that has resulted in the recruitment of almost a dozen employees who are on the autism spectrum.

Non-verbal children with autism can make progress with a specialised form of music therapy, research shows.

A staggering one in three children with autism has suffered a sudden regression in their second year of life. The new finding comes from comparing 85 studies published between 1980 and 2010, representing almost 30,000 participants with an ASD diagnosis. The meta-analytic review was carried out at the US-based University of Georgia. The researchers looked […]

Northern Ireland, fast gaining a reputation for having one of the worst autism services in the developed world, is seeing parents mount a new campaign for politicians to meet their children’s needs.

A new study showing that children with autism do well on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet adds weight to the view of many parents that their children’s gut issues need to be taken more seriously. Many parents have long reported a good response when foods containing gluten and casein were removed from their autistic child’s […]

Children with autism have an impaired body function, according to a new study. They are significantly poorer nutritionally and metabolically than neurotypical children. They have also been found to be less able to get rid of toxins from their bodies. Professor James Adams of Arizona State University, the principal investigator of the research, said the study revealed “many […]

Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to a treatment for Fragile X syndrome, the leading known cause of autism.

In the same week that scientists have said autism is largely genetic, another study has linked the condition to a chemical found in food and drink containers. It means that the potential influence of non-genetic factors in causing autism remains in the spotlight.

Researchers have developed tests they say can indicate autism in children and may lead to earlier treatment. The scientists, based at the University of Warwick, have developed blood and urine tests. They believe the tests are the first of their kind. The researchers say the tests could lead to earlier detection of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Consequently, doctors […]

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