Autism Awareness Jewellery

MIT to Launch New Brain Research Effort

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to Launch New Brain Research Effort with Acquisition of Elekta MEG Technology

Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), Elekta Neuromag system will help MIT researchers unlock mysteries of normal and abnormal brain function

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Researchers at MIT are eagerly anticipating the summer delivery of Elekta Neuromag, a system that uses magnetoencephalography or MEG to explore brain function. MEG can detect the very weak magnetic fields arising from electrical activity in the brain, and allows researchers to monitor the timing of brain activity with millisecond precision. MIT researchers will use MEG to study normal cognition in children and adults, as well as the neural basis of autism, depression, schizophrenia and other brain disorders.

“MIT is exceptionally well positioned to benefit from a MEG facility on our campus,” says Charles Jennings, Ph.D., director of neurotechnology at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. “MIT is among the country’s leading centers for neuroscience research, with a community of investigators that studies the brain at every level, from molecules and cells to human cognition and computational modeling. We also have strong programs to study a wide range of brain disorders, which will benefit greatly from access to MEG technology.”

“MIT’s worldwide reputation for advancing knowledge in science and technology for nearly 150 years makes its acquisition of Elekta Neuromag particularly gratifying, and we’re proud to be a part of it,” says Stephen Otto, Chairman of Elekta’s Neuromag Business. “And it is fitting that this institution, especially, will become Elekta’s latest MEG site, as MEG was invented by David Cohen at MIT.”

The Elekta Neuromag system will be housed in the Martinos Imaging Center within the Brain and Cognitive Sciences complex, home to the McGovern Institute of Brain Research, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Delivery of the system is expected in June and it should be operational by the fall of 2010.

The following are examples of planned MEG research projects at MIT:

* Prof. John Gabrieli, director of the Martinos Imaging Center, will use MEG to study the neural and genetic basis of autism, dyslexia and other developmental disorders. By combining MEG with other brain imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), Dr. Gabrieli plans to search for differences in brain activation in subjects with different genetic variants that have been linked to these conditions. “Our goal is to correlate the changes in brain function with genetic risk factors, and in turn identify categories of patients for whom optimal treatment strategies could be tailored,” he says.

* Prof. Robert Desimone, director of the McGovern Institute, plans to study the neural basis of attention. Animal studies have indicated that high frequency brain waves known as gamma oscillations become synchronized across brain areas as these areas communicate with each other to control attention. He plans to extend this work to humans using MEG, and he hopes that this will provide new insights into the basis of diseases such as schizophrenia. “Gamma oscillations are disrupted in schizophrenia, and we think this may help explain why people with schizophrenia often experience difficulty organizing their thoughts and perceptions into a coherent and meaningful whole,” Dr. Desimone explains.

* Prof. Christopher Moore, an investigator at the McGovern Institute, seeks to understand how the cerebral cortex processes rapid sensory information. Based on his work on cortical circuitry, Dr. Moore has developed a biophysical model to account for the MEG signal. “Our aim is to link the signals that we can record from human subjects to the underlying brain mechanisms that give rise to those signals,” he says. “Arguably, we will never fully understand normal cognition or the ways that cognition fails in brain disorders unless we can achieve this deep circuit understanding.”

Other MIT faculty members expect to use the new MEG facility for a variety of studies, including MEG source localization; the neural basis of age-related changes in cognition; how individuals differ in their processing of social cues such as faces; cognitive deficits in autism spectrum disorder; the processing of complex visual scenes; neural mechanisms of speech and comprehension; how children and adults infer and reason about the mental states of other people; neural mechanisms of motor control and many other studies.

“In many ways the brain is a ‘black box.’ It is so complex — comprising 100 billion neurons and a trillion or more synapses — it’s not surprising it’s challenging to study,” Dr. Jennings notes. “But with MEG I think we’ll succeed in shining a little light in there.”

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.

Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible today.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.

About the McGovern Institute for Brain Research
The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT is led by a team of world-renowned, neuroscientists committed to meeting two great challenges of modern science: understanding how the brain works and discovering new ways to prevent or treat brain disorders. The McGovern Institute was established in 2000 by Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp McGovern, who are committed to improving human welfare, communication and understanding through their support for neuroscience research. The director is Robert Desimone, formerly the head of intramural research at the National Institute of Mental Health. Further information is available at: mcgovern.mit.edu        (source Elekta)

New Web-Site “Autism Support Ireland”

New Web-Site “Autism Support Ireland” Provides Autism Support and Information

About Autism Support Ireland
Autism Support Ireland is a coordinated initiative which aims to enhance and support the whole person and family affected by Autism by providing access to information. The formal partners in the project are Irish Autism Action, Gheel Autism Services, Aspire, Tuiscint (Eastern Vocational Enterprises Ltd), ABAILE/Drogheda ABACAS School for Children with Autism and Cork Association for Autism. The project has been funded under the Enhancing Disability Services Programme.  Funds are provided by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the programme is managed by Pobal.

(source www.autismsupport.ie)

Famous People and ASD

Daryl Hannah has said that early in her career she would not go on talk shows or to premieres and that attending the Academy Awards was painful for her.

Daryl Hannah – actress known for her roles in  Blade Runner, Kill Bill and Splash was diagnosed as a child as being borderline autistic, Christopher Knowles – poet,  Matthew Laborteaux – actor on Little House on the Prairie, Jasmine O’Neill- author of Through the Eyes of Aliens, Sue Rubin – subject of documentary Autism Is a World, Birger Sellin – author from Germany, Robert Gagno – actor from Vancouver, Craig Nicholls – frontman of the band The Vines, Gary Numan – British singer and songwriter, Dawn Prince-Hughes – PhD, primate anthropologist, ethologist, and author of Songs for the Gorilla Nation, Judy Singer – Australian disability rights activist , Vernon L. Smith – Nobel Laureate in Economics, Satoshi Tajiri – creator of Pokémon, Liane Holliday Willey – author of Pretending to be Normal, Asperger Syndrome in the Family, Asperger syndrome advocate, education professor, Michelle Dawson – autism researcher and autism rights activist who has made ethical challenges to Applied Behavior Analysis, Temple Grandin – a designer of humane food animal handling systems, Hikari Oe – Japanese composer, Bhumi Jensen – Thai prince, grandson of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Dylan Scott – Pierce, wildlife illustrator, Jim Sinclair – autism rights activist, Donna Williams – Australian author of Nobody Nowhere and Somebody Somewhere, Stephen Wiltshire – British architectural artist, Axel Brauns – German author of the autobiographical bestseller Buntschatten und Fledermause and filmmaker.

Possible ASD Suspects:

Albert Einstein – “suspect” – died before autism and Asperger’s Syndrome were recognized as conditions, so the possibility that he had Asperger’s Syndrome is speculation. Einstein had difficulties with social skills, which is a characteristic of Asperger’s Syndrome, but that would not be enough to diagnose Asperger’s Syndrome. Einstein could not speak fluently at the age of nine (language delays are common in children with high functioning autism) and he had some other characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome. Albert Einstein provided the theory of relativity and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Benjamin Franklin “suspect” -  considered to be one of the most important of the founding fathers of our country.  He was a theorist, author, politician, scientist, activist, and diplomat.  His scientific contributions included physics, discovery of electricity, and theories regarding electricity as well as the first head of the post office.  Indicating the potential need for rigid rule and order, with sorting tendencies.  Benjamin Franklins peers did not give him the assignment of writing the Declaration of Independence because they feared that he would conceal a joke in it.

Isaac Newton “suspect” – dropped out of school as a teenager.  A person with Asperger�s may not be able to accept rules in school if they appear illogical, pursuing a point or argument as a matter of principle, which can lead to a significant conflict with teachers and school authorities.

Rethink Autism Web-Based Autism Treatment Platform

Rethink Autism Highlights Web-Based Autism Treatment Platform at CARD Conference

Rethink Autism, a web-based curriculum platform for children with autism, will be represented at Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) 17th Statewide Annual Autism Conference January 29-31. Rethink Autism is committed to helping CARD fulfill its mission of providing professionals and families in the autism community with cutting edge treatment tools that are consistent with the leading research in the field of autism intervention.

“All of the parents I work with through our Center want to know how they can best interact with their children in a way that promotes their development and success,” said Dr. Mae Barker, BCBA-D, Clinical Director of UF-Jacksonville CARD. “Many ABA-home programs suffer from the lack of parent training, which I am glad to see Rethink Autism addresses through the use of video modeling that clearly breaks down how to teach children skills.”

The Rethink Autism platform offers a student-centered curriculum through 1,200+ video-based lesson steps that are consistent with applied behavior analysis (ABA). Endorsed by the US Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics, ABA is the only treatment for autism that has been consistently validated by independent scientific research.

“In Florida, more than 10,000 students under the age of 17 have been diagnosed with autism. Teachers, professionals, and parents struggle to ensure that these children have access to the most effective intervention available,” said Jamie Pagliaro, Executive Vice President of Rethink Autism. “The Rethink Autism platform enables professionals, like those at CARD, to offer every child with autism an ABA-based education.”

The online assessment tools offered by Rethink Autism can also assist professionals working with a child to formulate appropriate goals and objectives for that individual student. The system automatically tracks the individual student’s progress, reformulates the curriculum based on mastery of skills, and allows teachers and parents to measure the treatment’s effectiveness.

About the CARD 17th Statewide Annual Autism Conference:
The purpose of the CARD 17th Statewide Annual Autism Conference is to provide information on state of the art practices in areas that promote best practices in education, early intervention, and quality community based life-styles for individuals with autism, deaf-blindness, and related disabilities.

About Rethink Autism: Rethink Autism, Inc. seeks to ensure that every child on the autism spectrum has access to effective and affordable research-based treatment options by providing professionals, parents, and family members with the tools and information necessary to teach children with autism in a way that is easy to understand and apply. Rethink Autism was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters at 19 West 21st Street in New York City. For more information, go to www.rethinkautism.com.

“Love is the Drug” for Autism

‘Love hormone’ may reduce autism symptoms

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) — The “love hormone,” released at childbirth and during sex, is being used in a U.S. trial of young adults with autism spectrum disorders, researchers say.

Dr. Eric Hollander, the center’s advisory board chairman and chairman of the psychiatry at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says giving oxytocin may improve social functioning and repetitive behaviors — irrespective of the age of the patient.

“For the first time, certain core systems of autism may respond to treatment,” Hollander says in a statement.

In the trial, autistic patients age 18 and older, who were given oxytocin nasally for 12 weeks significantly reduced their repetitive behavior, and were better able to recognize anger or happiness in the tone of a speaker’s voice. Upbeat results were also provided in a similar age group who took the peptide intravenously, the study said. Autism spectrum disorders refers to a group of symptoms, like a profound inability to communicate and other developmental disorders.

Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

It is best known for its roles in female reproduction: it is released in large amounts after distension of the cervix and vagina during labor, and after stimulation of the nipples, facilitating birth and breastfeeding, respectively. Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin’s role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, trust, love, and maternal behaviors.

The Healthy Rhythm of Horses and Autism

The Certainty of Hippocrates

Today, to the joy of those who promoted the birth of such a singular project some six years ago in that same place, the La Loma farm, owned by the Vivo Picart family, is once again the scene of horseback riding for therapeutic purposes.

In spite of distance (it’s located in Capdevila, in the Havana municipality of Boyeros), children with disabilities and their parents go there each Friday by their own means, under the premise that this practice can help the quality of life of these children.

As special education expert and therapist Idida Rigual points out, in the year 460 BC, the Greek sage Hippocrates made reference to the healthy rhythm of horses, something that European medicine reintroduced in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as some doctors at the time recommended trotting on a horse to keep healthy.

It wasn’t until the end of World War II, however, that the so-called equine therapy appeared in the Old Continent, mainly in Germany and in several Scandinavian countries.

The Road To Rehabilitation
Generally speaking, equine therapy consists of the use of horses for the physical and emotional rehabilitation of children and adults with autism, neuromotor disorders, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, changes of behavior, concentration problems, Rett’s syndrome, hyperkinesia and other pathologies.

sessions also include different exercises aimed at improving the patients’ coordination.

As referred to by world literature specializing in this topic, a horse trained for this activity transmits to the patients a certain amount of vibrations per minute during its pace. Those rhythmic impulses get to the pelvic belt, the spine and lower limbs, which provides a series of physiological stimuli that regulate the body tone and favor coordinated movement.

In order to have a better idea of the therapeutic effects, suffice it to say that when a person confined to a wheel chair rides a horse, they exercise the same muscles he or she would use if he or she was walking during that same time.

Generally, the modalities of passive and active riding can be used. In the first one, the person under treatment gets adapted to the movement of the animal without carrying out any other action, while the other one includes the performance of different exercises, among them doing circles with your arms, riding back to front or clinging to the horse’s body. Likewise, it includes an adapted program of sports horseback riding for disabled people.

Rehabilitation is also supported by the combination of activities like drawing, the use of didactic games, and music.

In the opinion of Vladimir Picart, a specialist in Zootechnics and responsible for the equestrian part of the project, animals used in equine therapy must be adult specimens, healthy and tame, and above all specifically prepared for this type of work.

I would go as far as to say that horses are very sensitive with disabled children. To me, they even recognize the limitations of the patients and are capable of not doing anything that can frighten them, he declared.

Today, there are several working groups using equine therapy, and despite difficulties of all kinds, the discipline is gaining space and credibility. It looks like Hippocrates was very much right when he spoke, in such remote times, about the horse-health link.

Beyond the aforementioned benefits, equine therapy encourages sensorial integration, develops vertical and horizontal balance, and also increases concentration, self-confidence, self-esteem and social interrelations. It also makes it possible to work on aspects referring to posture, language, space orientation and memory.

A specific working plan is devised for each case, explains Idida, according to medical assessments and the peculiarities of the condition

Autism Awareness Collection

From the Autism Awareness Collection that was Showcased at the AUSM Conference

Made with swarovski crystals and sterling silver, measure approx 7 1/2 inches in length and is 6mm at it’s widest point. A sterling silver puzzle piece charm really shows your support. Pretty enough for everyday and a great way to increase awareness. This is a true show stopper. This piece can be altered for size or color if you what to show your support for a different cause such as breast cancer, lupus, leukemia ect. Just email me (beads(at)RocknBauble(dot)com) with your ideas and together we can design the perfect piece for you. 10% of proceeds will be donated to autism research.  Purchase Here

Unique Surf Therapy Benefits Autistic Children

Surfers Healing

from their site:

Surfers Healing was founded by Israel and Danielle  Paskowitz. Their son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with autism at age three. Like many autistic children, he often suffered from sensory overload– simple sensations could overwhelm him. The ocean was the one place where he seemed to find respite. A former competitive surfer, Israel hit upon an idea–with Isaiah on the front of his surfboard, and Izzy steering from the back, the two spent the day surfing together. Surfing had a profound impact on Isaiah. Israel and Danielle decided they wanted to share this unique therapy with other autistic children. They began to host day camps at the beach where autistic children and their families could be exposed to a completely new experience of surfing.  www.surfershealing.org

How Does a Florida Teacher Suspended for Autism Vote Get Reinstated ?

A St. Lucie County teacher who let her kindergartners decide whether an autistic child could remain in class is returning to the classroom.

St. Lucie County school board (http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/) members unanimously approved teacher Wendy Portillo’s reinstatement Tuesday night. Portillo was suspended after she asked her Morningside Elementary class in Port St. Lucie to vote on whether a boy should stay in the class in May 2008. The 5-year-old student was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome after the incident, in which classmates voted 14-2 against him. Officials say Portillo is expected to teach sixth-grade science and reading upon her return. (source www.pbpost.com)

We usually like to stay on a positive slant with our awareness articles and information, however,  we admit we got caught up in the emotion we felt when reading about this incident, We relate to this as we have a 7yo with High Functioning Autism and shudder thinking how this would make him feel and the potential psychological scars it could produce. It is difficult enough trying to manage this disorder in a child and our experience is the school is slow to move to assist him.

It is very concerning that a person in the position of teacher which for a child of this age most often is a major role model, would  have such aggresive behavior towards the child as to incite a “vote” against him?  Do we not question the stability of the thinking  here ?

We all need to do more to understand and help these children as the percentage has risen expotentially, the reported cases of autism have doubled since 2003, according to the latest U.S. government survey on the health of more than 78,000 children conducted as part of the National Survey of Children’s Health.

Under the latest results, scientists now estimate that 1.1 percent, or about 1 in 91 children have some form of the disorder.

Link Between Autism and Oxytocin Gene

Study reveals possible link between autism and oxytocin gene via non-DNA sequence mutation

A new study indicates a link between autism and alterations to the oxytocin receptor, OXTR, caused by inherited alterations that do not involve DNA sequence mutation. Published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, identified the non-DNA change in ‘OXTR’ via an autistic child and his mother, who potentially has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Dr Simon Gregory headed up a team from the US, UK and Italy, who analysed the DNA of 119 people with autism and 54 neurotypical individuals. He said, “As many as 1 in 150 children in the US are born with a form of autism. We have shown that the non-DNA sequence mutation in the gene responsible for the oxytocin receptor is altered in both peripheral blood cells and the temporal cortex of the brain”.

The oxytocin pathway has many known effects, from facilitating breast-feeding to childbirth and social interaction. This discovery shows that it also plays a major role in human development.

Dr Gregory concludes, “This study provides additional evidence for the role  of oxytocin and its receptor in the development of autism. It also shows that  autism will be caused by a number of different factors, not just those  involving the sequence of our genomes”.  www.biomedcentral.com