The Autism Consortium, an innovative research, clinical and family collaboration dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for families with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), announced today that the results of its comparison study of genetic testing methods for autism spectrum disorders is available from the journal Pediatrics through early online release in...

Genetic factors increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the specific genetic cause for an individual patient can be elusive. Genetic testing is crucial to identifying a cause for ASD in many children who do not have an easily recognizable genetic syndrome. Current guidelines exist for two types of genetic testing - G-banded karyotype and fragile X DNA testing...

As these latest cases illustrated, there's no doubt that autism and autism spectrum disorders place a heavy burden on many families. We know that autism and related disorders are conditions that present many special challenges to all families touched by these disorders. That is why the U.S...

Autism and mercury advocacy organization SafeMinds regrets today's ruling by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against three families who argued that vaccines which contained the mercury-based preservative thimerosal contributed to their child's autism...

The Government announced Jobcentre Plus staff are to receive autism training in the adult autism strategy published on 3rd March. The National Autistic Society (NAS) celebrated the move, in response to their Don't write me off campaign, along with a raft of new measures to tackle the routine isolation, ignorance and inequality routinely experienced by people with autism in England...

A new study suggests a trend toward developing hyperactivity among typically developing elementary-school-aged siblings of autistic preschoolers and supports the notion that mothers of young, autistic children experience more depression and stress than mothers with typically developing children...

Thousands will unite for autism at the 8th annual Los Angeles Walk Now for Autism Speaks at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, Saturday, April 24, 2010. Powered by volunteers and families with loved ones on the autism spectrum, this fundraising effort generates vital funds for autism research, awareness and family services...

Angelman Syndrome is a rare but serious genetic disorder that causes a constellation of developmental problems in affected children, including mental retardation, lack of speech, and in some cases, autism...

The National Autistic Society (NAS) welcomed a raft of new measures in the landmark adult autism strategy published today aimed at tackling the isolation, ignorance and inequality routinely experienced by the over 300,000 adults with autism in England...

Asuragen, Inc. announced the results of a collaborative study with scientists at the M.I.N.D. Institute at the University of California Davis evaluating a new PCR technology that reproducibly reports mutations associated with Fragile X syndrome (FXS)...

Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute have uncovered a vital clue into how the brain is wired, which could eventually steer research into nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease and cognitive disorders including autism. It's long been known that growing nerve fibres, also known as axons, must make connections in the brain for it to function properly...

For the second time in as many months the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has signed a licensing agreement with US-based Athena Diagnostics Inc. to market a new genetic test. The test was developed by CAMH scientist Dr. John Vincent as well as independent clinical researcher Dr. Muhammad Ayub. It is based on their research into genetic causes of intellectual disability...

In a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of House and Senate Committees charged with oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Coalition for Vaccine Safety (CVS) is calling for hearings to investigate HHS, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other government agencies for failure to fully address issues of vaccine safety as intended by the ...

A new study by researchers from the University of Miami shows that maternal sensitivity may influence language development among children who go on to develop autism. Although parenting styles are not considered as a cause for autism, this report examines how early parenting can promote resiliency in this population...

A paper published online in Molecular Cell proposes that Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) impacts the entire genome in neurons, rather than acting as a regulator of specific genes. Mutations in MeCP2 cause the autism spectrum disorder Rett Syndrome as well as some cases of neuropsychiatric problems including autism, schizophrenia and learning disabilities...

Scientists have pinpointed how a key hormone helps animals to recognise others by their smell. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have shown that the hormone vasopressin helps the brain differentiate between familiar and new scents...

When a gene implicated in human autism is disabled in mice, the rodents show learning problems and obsessive, repetitive behaviors, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. The researchers also report that a drug affecting a specific type of nerve function reduced the obsessive behavior in the animals, suggesting a potential way to treat repetitive behaviors in humans...

A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses. Dr Steve Clapcote from the University of Leeds's Faculty of Biological Sciences will be analysing behaviour displayed by mice with a genetic mutation linked to schizophrenia and autism and seeing how antipsychotic drugs affect their behavioural abnormalities...

Curemark LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that its CM-AT autism treatment, now in Phase III clinical trials, has been designated as a Fast Track drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

At a press briefing, Saturday, Feb. 20, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist argued that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education...