Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Support Group for Moms Tonight!
Los Angeles Asperger Syndrome Parents’ Support Group.
The Los Angeles Asperger’s Syndrome Parents’ Support Group – are a group of parents, relatives, guardians, and care-givers interested in helping our children, relatives, and others having Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), because of the way in which it affects our children and our own lives. They also talk about similar problems, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), high-functioning autism (HFA), Pervasive Development Disorder-NOS, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder, and Hyperlexia. [Despite constant, insistent, and unwelcome lobbying and nagging, the DSM honchos and honchas haven’t accepted the categories of “nerd,” “dweeb,” “wonk,” and “geek,” but they discuss them, too.]
They meet monthly to discuss these issues, either for general discussions or discussions with invited experts. It’s always on the second Wednesday of each month, always from 7 to 9 p.m., always at the Julia Ann Singer center.
Monthly Meeting
What: a regular, general meeting, with all sorts of good questions and answers from those in attendance.
Who: anyone who attends can ask questions and provide answers.
When: Wednesday, January 14th (2009!!!) from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: the same old place.** The Community Room at the Julia Ann Singer Center, 3200 Motor Ave. (Los Angeles, 90034) between National and Pico, 1/2 block North of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway underpass. For directions, click the link: there are maps there.
Why: because we love you!
The Difference of Autism and Asperger's Disorder
History
Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.
Characteristics
What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.
Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.
Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.
One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and- take nature of a conversation.
Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess average to above average intelligence.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder is on the increase, although it is unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are detecting it. The symptoms for Asperger's Disorder are the same as those listed for autism in the DSM-IV; however, children with AS do not have delays in the area of communication and language. In fact, to be diagnosed with Asperger’s, a child must have normal language development as well as normal intelligence. The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that the individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."
The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical professionals experienced with autism and other PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is also important as children with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually living independently. To learn more, see Consulting with Professionals.
SOURCE: Autism Society of America
Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.
Characteristics
What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.
Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.
Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.
One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and- take nature of a conversation.
Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess average to above average intelligence.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder is on the increase, although it is unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are detecting it. The symptoms for Asperger's Disorder are the same as those listed for autism in the DSM-IV; however, children with AS do not have delays in the area of communication and language. In fact, to be diagnosed with Asperger’s, a child must have normal language development as well as normal intelligence. The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that the individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."
The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical professionals experienced with autism and other PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is also important as children with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually living independently. To learn more, see Consulting with Professionals.
SOURCE: Autism Society of America
More Evidence Autism Rates are Climbing...
Soaring Autism Rates in California Not an Artifact
Rise Is Not Because of Increased Detection, New Research Suggests
January 14, 2009
Climbing rates of autism in California cannot be chalked up to better screening alone, new research says.(ABC News/AP/Getty)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The increasing number of autism cases seen in California since the 1990s is in large part real, not simply the result of changes in diagnostic criteria or in how autism cases are counted, new research suggests.
This study is the first to assess whether the autism trends in California might be explained by changes in age at diagnosis or by inclusion of milder cases, Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto and Dr. Lora Delwiche, from the University of California, Davis, note.
Using data from the California Department of Development Services, the researchers found that autism rates among children aged 5 years or younger rose steadily from 0.8 per 10,000 children born in California in 1990 to 11.2 per 10,000 children born in 2006.
The cumulative incidence per 10,000 births climbed from 6.2 in 1990 to 42.5 in 2001.
The proportion of cases that were diagnosed by 5 years of age rose only slightly from 54 percent to 61 percent for 1990 to 1996 births, according to a report in the January issue of Epidemiology.
A change in the age at diagnosis could explain 12 percent of the increase in autism rates, while inclusion of milder cases could explain 56 percent.
"With evidence of a leveling off, the possibility of a true increase in (autism) incidence deserves serious consideration," the investigators emphasize.
"It's time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of autism in California," Hertz-Picciotto added in a statement.
SOURCE: Epidemiology, January 2009. ABCNews.com
Einstein Autistic?
Newton and Einstein may have been autistic. But is their genius an argument against a screening test?
Marcel Berlins
The Guardian, Wednesday 14 January 2009
The prospect of a screening test on a pregnant woman predicting her child's autism is not far away, and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, leader of the Cambridge University research team that developed the test, has called for an ethical debate on its desirability. My first reaction was puzzlement. Why a debate? We have had the test for Down's syndrome for many years. It seems to be generally accepted without controversy. No expectant mothers are obliged to have it, and many, even those at some risk because of their age, choose not to. Those that do take it have the choice, if it proves positive for Down's, between terminating the pregnancy or bearing the child. It is, of course, an agonising decision, but I'm not sure it raises special ethical issues.
Why should the autism test be treated differently? It is a different kind of condition, says Professor Baron-Cohen, often linked with talent. "What would we lose if children with autistic spectrum disorder were eliminated from the population?" It is a philosophical question, which stakes the claim of society to be involved in the debate, and not just the parents of the unborn child.
I don't normally like to use the slippery-slope argument, but it is apposite for issues arising from the bewildering speed of medical advances. Screening for Down's syndrome has become commonplace; a test for autism is imminent. There is no doubt that more and more tests will be found for more and more conditions, many of them far less life-threatening or seriously affecting quality of life than the ones we now give priority to. Where would we stop in offering pregnant women tests?
Or are we prepared to accept, or even welcome, a less diverse society that has rid itself of autistic children and, in time, of sufferers from other conditions difficult to cope with by the sufferer, his or her immediate entourage, or the medical profession? It's a sustainable argument that losing the tiny proportion of the population made up of autistic children will not have much effect on diversity; but the slippery slope results in many other potentially sick children not being born.
What I can not accept is the argument put forward on behalf of autism alone, and no other condition - that among those autistic children not born, because their mothers had the test and decided to terminate, there might be brilliant autistic savants who would make an important contribution to society. It is being asserted - I have yet to see any supporting evidence - that Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were autistic; their mothers, in modern circumstances, might not have had them. The logical corollary of that approach is to refuse to offer the test to all pregnant women, just in case they were in danger of bearing an autistic child who would be among the exceptionally gifted 1% or 2%.
If we take up Baron-Cohen's call for a debate, we will have to decide between three elements: the autistic person's predicted quality of life (though the test may not be that precise); the feelings of the parents who may suffer far more than their child; and the view of society as to its diminished diversity if we continue to prevent the birth of the imperfect. The last should be the least listened to.
SOURCE: The Guardian
Marcel Berlins
The Guardian, Wednesday 14 January 2009
The prospect of a screening test on a pregnant woman predicting her child's autism is not far away, and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, leader of the Cambridge University research team that developed the test, has called for an ethical debate on its desirability. My first reaction was puzzlement. Why a debate? We have had the test for Down's syndrome for many years. It seems to be generally accepted without controversy. No expectant mothers are obliged to have it, and many, even those at some risk because of their age, choose not to. Those that do take it have the choice, if it proves positive for Down's, between terminating the pregnancy or bearing the child. It is, of course, an agonising decision, but I'm not sure it raises special ethical issues.
Why should the autism test be treated differently? It is a different kind of condition, says Professor Baron-Cohen, often linked with talent. "What would we lose if children with autistic spectrum disorder were eliminated from the population?" It is a philosophical question, which stakes the claim of society to be involved in the debate, and not just the parents of the unborn child.
I don't normally like to use the slippery-slope argument, but it is apposite for issues arising from the bewildering speed of medical advances. Screening for Down's syndrome has become commonplace; a test for autism is imminent. There is no doubt that more and more tests will be found for more and more conditions, many of them far less life-threatening or seriously affecting quality of life than the ones we now give priority to. Where would we stop in offering pregnant women tests?
Or are we prepared to accept, or even welcome, a less diverse society that has rid itself of autistic children and, in time, of sufferers from other conditions difficult to cope with by the sufferer, his or her immediate entourage, or the medical profession? It's a sustainable argument that losing the tiny proportion of the population made up of autistic children will not have much effect on diversity; but the slippery slope results in many other potentially sick children not being born.
What I can not accept is the argument put forward on behalf of autism alone, and no other condition - that among those autistic children not born, because their mothers had the test and decided to terminate, there might be brilliant autistic savants who would make an important contribution to society. It is being asserted - I have yet to see any supporting evidence - that Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were autistic; their mothers, in modern circumstances, might not have had them. The logical corollary of that approach is to refuse to offer the test to all pregnant women, just in case they were in danger of bearing an autistic child who would be among the exceptionally gifted 1% or 2%.
If we take up Baron-Cohen's call for a debate, we will have to decide between three elements: the autistic person's predicted quality of life (though the test may not be that precise); the feelings of the parents who may suffer far more than their child; and the view of society as to its diminished diversity if we continue to prevent the birth of the imperfect. The last should be the least listened to.
SOURCE: The Guardian
Quick Facts on Autism
Quick Facts About Autism
-Autism occurs in 1 in every 500 births and in a rate of 5 boys to every girl.
-Autism currently affects over 400,000 people in the U.S.
-Autism is the third most common developmental disability following mental retardation and cerebral palsy.
-Autism is more common than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis or childhood cancer.
-Autism receives as little as 5% of the research funding as other less common diseases.
-The annual per-person allocation for persons with autism is approximately $35. In contrast, multiple sclerosis receives roughly $158, diabetes $424, breast cancer $600, and AIDS $1,000. --Currently there is no medical detection, treatment or cure for autism.
-Many kids are making enormous strides and a significant number are now indistinguishable from their peers.
-Behavioral therapies, diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation, and medical interventions are some of the treatments effectively being used.
-Most of the above interventions are considered experimental and are not supported by the medical community.
-Autism is a condition whose treatments are specifically excluded by some insurance companies
SOURCE: CAN Foundation (Cure Autism Now)
-Autism occurs in 1 in every 500 births and in a rate of 5 boys to every girl.
-Autism currently affects over 400,000 people in the U.S.
-Autism is the third most common developmental disability following mental retardation and cerebral palsy.
-Autism is more common than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis or childhood cancer.
-Autism receives as little as 5% of the research funding as other less common diseases.
-The annual per-person allocation for persons with autism is approximately $35. In contrast, multiple sclerosis receives roughly $158, diabetes $424, breast cancer $600, and AIDS $1,000. --Currently there is no medical detection, treatment or cure for autism.
-Many kids are making enormous strides and a significant number are now indistinguishable from their peers.
-Behavioral therapies, diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation, and medical interventions are some of the treatments effectively being used.
-Most of the above interventions are considered experimental and are not supported by the medical community.
-Autism is a condition whose treatments are specifically excluded by some insurance companies
SOURCE: CAN Foundation (Cure Autism Now)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)