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Autism Speaks UK changes its name to Autistica
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Posted by Sylvia on Saturday, February 05, 2011 (03:44:58)
AWARES
LONDON, UK: The British charity, Autism Speaks, and the charity of the same name in the United States are pleased to announce that the former will be renamed Autistica with effect from January 1, 2010. The UK charity has adopted as its positioning statement “Science in the Service of Autism."
The two charities are linked by a common interest in raising funds for and funding biomedical research into the causes and treatment of autism, and have been fully separate and independent entities since March 2007. The American charity is as well-known both domestically and internationally for the advocacy work that its name implies as for the biomedical research it funds.
The British charity continues to be focused entirely on biomedical research and so its new identity is one which better reflects this core purpose. The change took place at the end of 2009 and is effective from January 1, 2010. The two organisations will continue to collaborate as now in areas of shared interest, which include a number of collaborative international research projects in the fields of autism genetics, the study of baby siblings of children with autism and brain studies.
Hilary Gilfoy, chief executive of Autistica, said: “We are grateful to our American colleagues in Autism Speaks for the support which they have given us during our first five years. This arrangement allowed us to benefit from their robust research template and funding experience.
The change of name acknowledges that, with their help, we are now a mature organisation able to stand on our own two feet and establish our own identity. We are looking forward to continuing our shared interest in research.”
Mark Roithmayr, President of Autism Speaks, said: “We are delighted that the UK charity has become a recognised funder of autism research in its own right, and fully agree that the time has come when its independent status and separate identity should be reflected in its name. Progress in research relies on international collaboration between researchers and funders and we will continue jointly to encourage and develop this. We wish Autistica every success.”
Founder and now president of the UK charity, Dame Stephanie Shirley, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to increase funding for autism research in the UK by following the example of the pioneering families in the United States who first inspired me and then supported me in creating the UK charity. I am sure Autistica will continue to go from strength to strength and I am proud that my own Shirley Foundation will be supporting the charity under its new name by meeting its core costs until 2012.”
Dr Simon Wallace, Autism Speaks’ Director of Research Development Europe, will continue to be based in the UK and will continue to act as a link between the two organisations.
(Source: Autistica, January 1, 2010)
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New study points to duration between pregnancies as a potential risk factor for
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Posted by Sylvia on Saturday, February 05, 2011 (03:42:38)
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NEW YORK, USA: Children born within one year of an older sibling may be three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism, according to a new study in the February 2011 issue of Pediatrics.
The study calls attention to interpregnancy interval (IPI), the duration between pregnancies, as a potential risk factor for autism. In the past, much focus has been on environmental triggers of autism such as vaccines as opposed to maternal physiological triggers such as the womb environment.
If the new findings are confirmed and proven to be related to maternal depletion of key nutrients such as folate, it may be possible to prevent autism with nutritional supplements, the study authors and autism experts suggest.
The latest statistics from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that one in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder. This is the umbrella term for a group of developmental disorders that can range from mild to severe and that often affect social interaction and communication skills. According to information in the new study, the proportion of births occurring within two years of an earlier birth increased from 11 per cent to 18 per cent between 1995 and 2002.
Researchers analysed autism risk among more than 660,000 second-born children born in California from 1992 to 2002. Those children who were conceived within one year of an older sibling were more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with autism when compared to peers who were conceived more than three years after the birth of an older sibling.
Children conceived 12 to 23 months after an older sibling were nearly two times more likely to be diagnosed with autism; children conceived two years to 35 months following an older sibling were one and a quarter times more likely to be diagnosed with autism, the study showed.
The findings held even after researchers took into account other factors that may be related to closely timed pregnancies, such as maternal age and maternal education.
“The robustness of the findings was really shocking,” says the study author, Dr Peter Bearman, the Jonathan Cole Professor of the Social Sciences at Columbia University in New York City.
Still many questions remain, including exactly how closely spaced pregnancies may affect autism risk, Dr Bearman says. “It could be a biological factor, such as maternal depletion of nutrients like folate, or another process that hasn’t been described or discovered yet,” Dr Bearman says. “If the mechanism is depletion of nutrients like folate, then women can make sure to take supplements of it, and if it is something else, it also may be readily modifiable.”
It also could just be that parents with closely spaced kids are more attuned to normal child development, he says. “Parents who have had closely spaced children are more aware of developmental dynamics and more likely to seek help if the child is not developing on the right trajectory,” he says.
“Watch the science,” he says. “This is the first study, but there is a lot more work to be done.”
(Source: WebMD, Janauary 10, 2011)
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Needs of autistic boy raised at PM's questions
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Posted by Sylvia on Saturday, February 05, 2011 (03:18:13)
BBC
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said the family of a Nottinghamshire boy with autism should fight to stop his speech therapy being withdrawn.
The case of Dylan Scothern was raised in Prime Minister's Questions by the Labour MP for Gedling, Vernon Coaker.
Mr Coaker said the six-year-old had his speech and language therapy support taken away by Nottinghamshire Community Health because "he's too old".
The prime minister said: "You have to make the fight."
Mr Coaker asked what he should say to Dylan's mother Rachel.
The prime minister responded: "I'm sure the honourable gentleman will work as hard as he possibly can to help that family to get the therapies that they need.
"We are producing a paper on special educational needs which will try and reform the ways these things are done and make it less confrontational.
"I know as a parent how incredibly tough it is sometimes to get what your family needs."
In November 2010 Dylan's mother Rachel told BBC East Midlands Today she was outraged the speech therapy service was being withdrawn as part of NHS cuts.
Dylan received regular assessments which the family said is vital to his progress.
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Autism File launches on Sky TV!
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Posted by Sylvia on Friday, February 04, 2011 (14:14:50)
The first ever weekly TV show on autism is to be launched by Information TV through its Sky, FreeSat and web channels. Autism File is a weekly program dedicated to supporting and informing people and families living with autism.
Autism is a worldwide issue that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency; the program series will cover subjects from how to get a diagnosis and what a diagnosis means, through implications for education, health, puberty, teen-issues and family life; how siblings deal with autism in the family, adults with autism in the workplace and what the future holds. Autism File looks at all aspects of the condition.
Host Polly Tommey is the mother of a teenage son with autism; she is Editor-in-Chief of The Autism File Global and Founder of The Autism Trust non-profit. Polly will travel to autism conferences around the world, reporting on the very latest findings; she will interview families, parents, and people with autism bringing their experience and advice to your screen.
“For the past 12 years I have been answering the phones and meeting parents desperate for help in the most basic areas,” says Polly. “The number of people being diagnosed with autism is rising rapidly; we need to find out why. Many parents report that their children have chronic health problems, particularly in relation to the bowel. Why? Parents are waiting up to 7 years for a diagnosis. Why? We know that the earlier we get help to these children the better the outcome. Parents have had to set up schools and colleges themselves. Why? And now these same parents prepare for the future as the lack of facilities for adults becomes increasingly obvious. Autism File will be reporting on all of these issues and more.
Our programs are edited and put together by Andrew Dobosz. Andrew is 23; he is extremely talented and has excellent attention to detail. Most production companies have a full team but Andrew, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, produces the entire programme on his own. The Autism Media Channel is most proud and grateful to be working with someone of Andrew’s caliber and skill.
Starting from Monday 7th February Autism File goes out on Information TV at 4.30 pm on Mondays. It is repeated at 7.00pm on Thursdays and 12.00 on Sundays (All times GMT). The programme can be seen on Sky TV – 166; FreeSat 402 or on the web at www.information.tv or via the Autism File
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Free iPod Touches For Autistics
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Posted by Sylvia on Friday, February 04, 2011 (14:10:35)
Priya Kishnan a high school junior from Alexandria Virginia founded the organization Project Touch and is partnering with Autism Speaks to provide free iPod touches to those on the Autism Spectrum. Those interested in obtaining an iPod touch for free, the directions are below.
Selection Criteria: please clearly write, not exceeding one page, why your family/child/student should be awarded an Apple iTouch. While we do not require income information, please explain why your child/family is deserving of the award. The purpose of this project is to help children with autism whose families are not able to afford items such as Apple iTouch units.
Please adhere to the one-page requirement, provide complete contact information, and list the name of the child and the school he or she attends. Recipients must be residents of Virginia. Send the completed write-up to the following address:
Project Touch
c/o Autism Speaks
1990 K Street, NW, 2nd Fl
Washington, DC 20006
mail, fax to 202.955.3115 or email to nationalcapitalarea@autismspeaks.org
Deadline: March 15, 2011
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