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Early Intervention program | News Articles and Press Clips | Educational Courses | Upcoming Events & ProgramsNews Articles and Press ClipsNew Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat CaesareansJuly 22, 2010 Most women who have had Caesarean sections can safely give birth the normal way later, studies have shown, but in recent years hospitals, doctors and insurers have been refusing to let them even try, insisting on repeat Caesareans instead. The guidelines aim to help women who had Caesarean sections find doctors willing to allow vaginal births.
People with Asperger's less likely to see purpose behind the events in their livesMay 29, 2010 Why do we often attribute events in our lives to a higher power or supernatural force? Some psychologists believe this kind of thinking, called teleological thinking, is a byproduct of social cognition.
Delaying or Forgoing Childhood Vaccines Offers No Neuropsychological Benefit Down the RoadMay 27, 2010 Delaying childhood vaccinations, or not getting immunized at all, does not provide any neuropsychological benefits for children at 7 to 10 years of age and might even result in poorer outcomes on some measures, a new study suggests.
Speech Pitch More Variable in Autistic Children Than Typical ChildrenMay 27, 2010 Contrary to a common impression of monotonic speech in autism, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were found to have a significantly greater variability in pitch compared with controls, according to a study presented here at the 9th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research. Thus, increased pitch variability may be a marker for ASD among children who can speak.
Urgent Continued Action Needed - The Legislature has Come Up with its Own Deficit Reduction Package (DRP) - Governor Paterson Says Cuts are Still Not EnoughDecember 1, 2009 Governor Paterson issued a press release yesterday in which he has stated that Legislature's Deficit Reduction Package of $2.8 Billion is insufficient. The Governor is trying to exercise his authority and is battling with the Legislature.
Early Intervention For Toddlers With Autism Highly Effective, Study FindsNovember 30, 2009 A novel early intervention program for very young children with autism – some as young as 18 months – is effective for improving IQ, language ability, and social interaction, a comprehensive new study has found.
With Autism, Diet Restrictions May Do More Harm Than GoodJuly 27, 2009 Children with autism do not have a higher incidence of gastrointestinal problems than other children, a new study has found. However, autistic children do have a higher rate of constipation and eating issues, such as eating the same foods over and over, according to the study. But any number of factors, including medication, could cause these issues, the researchers said.
New Genetic Study of Asperger Syndrome, Autistic Traits and EmpathyJuly 17, 2009 Scientists from the University of Cambridge have identified 27 genes that are associated with either Asperger Syndrome (AS) and/or autistic traits and/or empathy. The research will be published tomorrow in the journal Autism Research. This is the first candidate gene study of its kind.
Autistic Disorder: Early Interventions Can Improve OutcomesJuly 15, 2009 All children should be screened for signs of abnormal development at ages 18 months and 24 months. Studies have shown that early diagnosis of AD and appropriate intervention can significantly improve outcomes. In addition, early intervention allows for a more indepth investigation and preconception counseling regarding the risk for AD in future pregnancies.
The Stress of AutismJuly 14, 2009 Raising a child with any developmental disability or behavior problem is difficult. But is there something uniquely stressful about autism? That is the question researchers at the University of Washington Autism Center tried to answer in a study of mothers of children with developmental disabilities.
I spoke with Annette Estes, associate director of the center, about the research and how it might make a difference for parents of children with autism. Here’s our conversation.
PEERS Autism Program: Child-To-Teen TransitionJanuary 26, 2009 One in 150 children born in the United States has autism. What happens when all these children grow up to be teenagers? A unique program here in Southern California helps them adjust to life in middle school and beyond. The teenage years are when kids start to form their own social circles and learn to become independent. This class focuses on coping and making life richer for high functioning autistic teens and their families during this crucial time.
Law on Flu Vaccinations May Be TestedJanuary 2, 2009 The state’s new law requiring young children attending licensed pre-school and child care centers to get flu vaccinations will be tested this week when thousands of children return to classrooms and playrooms after the long holiday break. New Jersey, the first state in the nation to require flu shots for young schoolchildren, set a Dec. 31 deadline for parents to obtain flu vaccinations for their children. It was part of a new policy requiring a total of four additional immunizations for schoolchildren over the objections of some parents who worry about possible risks from vaccinations.
Coping With An Autistic Brother: A Teenager's TakeJanuary 1, 2009 Each year, approximately one child in every 150 is diagnosed with autism. Eleven-year-old Andrew Skillings is one of those children. He has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. For Andrew's older sister Marissa, her brother's diagnosis has affected every aspect of her life from the time he was born. She was almost 5 and shared a room with Andrew. Marissa says she remembers those first few weeks he was home.
Obama's Education Pick Failed Special EducationDecember 22, 2008 On December 16, 2008, President Elect Obama introduced Arne Duncan, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, as the Secretary of Education designate. Locally, and nationwide, Duncan has earned a reputation as a school reformer in the area of general education.
DDI Shines A Light On Issues Facing The Adult Population With AutismDecember 17, 2008 Following up on the success of last year’s conference, the Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) collaborated once again with two other leading Long Island-Metro based agencies dedicated to serving individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, Eden II Programs and Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (NSSA), to present a groundbreaking conference that educated nearly 300 attendees to the intrinsic issues of a population growing older with autism.
10 Common Sense Tips When Vaccinating Your ChildWhile vaccines are essential to our children's health, our vaccine schedule is unfortunately compromised. There has been little to no testing on what kind of affects our current government suggested schedule has on children.
Autism Speaks Announces New International Research CollaborationSeptember 25, 2008 Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism advocacy organization, today announced a new international collaboration to study Rett Syndrome. In partnership with the UK's Medical Research Council (MRC) and the newly formed Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT), the group will build on previous studies to explore the correlation of Rett symptoms to specific brain regions.
Post-marketing studies finding adverse events in drugs used in childrenSeptember 2008 The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA, 1997), designed
to stimulate more drug safety studies in children, has resulted in more than
130 label changes since its inception nearly six years ago, according to researchers
at Duke Children's Hospital. Pharmaceutical companies were given a six-month
extension of their exclusive marketing rights on a drug if they performed clinical
trials requested by the FDA to determine the drugs' safety, dosing, and efficacy
in children.
Inaugural Issue of Autism MattersSpring/Summer 2008 I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the YAI/NIPD Network's inaugural
issue of Autism Matters. At a time when ASD has reached epidemic proportions
and many families and professionals find themselves searching for information
and guidance, we hope that you will find Autism Matters a useful and unique
resource.
California Data Do Not Support a Link Between Thimerosal in Vaccines and AutismAugust 7, 2008 The authors' hypothesis was that if thimerosal were a contributor to ASD then
children born and vaccinated after 2002 should have decreased rates of ASD
diagnosis, and this would be reflected in decreased numbers of referrals (ie,
decreased prevalence) to California DDS.
Autism and cultureAugust 5, 2008 Immigrants often feel caught between two worlds after a diagnosis
Measles -- United States, January 1-April 25, 2008August 4, 2008 Measles, a highly contagious acute viral disease, can result in serious complications
and death. As a result of a successful U.S. vaccination program, measles elimination
(i.e., interruption of endemic measles transmission) was declared in the United
States in 2000.[1] The number of reported measles cases has declined from 763,094
in 1958 to fewer than 150 cases reported per year since 1997.[1] During 2000-2007,*
a total of 29-116 measles cases (mean: 62, median: 56) were reported annually.
However, during January 1-April 25, 2008, a total of 64 confirmed measles cases
were preliminarily reported to CDC, the most reported by this date for any
year since 2001.
District Shakeup May Fail Special-Ed KidsAugust 3, 2008 Officials are planning an overhaul of the district that serves more than 20,000
of the city's most disabled students - a move that could put many more special-ed
kids in regular classrooms. The effort stems from an independent report that
proposes ending the decades-long segregation of District 75 by merging its
data, funding and oversight and, especially, more of its students with those
of the 32 traditional community school districts.
Flying Can Be a Rough Ride for Autistic Children and FamiliesJuly 25, 2008 With heightened security regulations and frequent delays, airplane travel
can be an unpleasant ordeal for anyone. For a child who becomes anxious in
close quarters, may have trouble communicating and is sensitive to loud noises,
it can be terrifying. Those are common characteristics of autism, a developmental
disability that affects about one in every 150 American children and one in
every 94 boys, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Master's in Self-HelpApril 20, 2008 LAURIE DUDDY thought she was on top of things when her toddlers, Tommy and Alex, were diagnosed with severe autism. She knew that early, intensive therapy was the twins’ best hope of learning simple skills, acquiring language and mastering out-of-control behavior. So at great financial sacrifice, she hired certified therapists to work with them privately for 40 hours a week using applied behavioral analysis (A.B.A.), the therapy of choice for the growing ranks of children with autism. She moved from district to district, seeking the best educational services when they reached school age, and eventually joined a group of parents in starting a private school of their own that would offer state-of-the-art behavioral treatments.
Training People with Autism to Recognize FacesApril 18, 2008 Researchers might have gained insight into why people with autism have difficulty remembering faces and distinguishing facial emotion. In an ongoing study, Dr. Nim Tottenham, assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, is examining how normal and autistic brains behave when viewing a face.
The Next Attention Deficit Disorder?December 2007 With a teacher for a mom and a physician's assistant for a dad, Matthew North
had two experts on the case from birth, but his problems baffled them both. "Everything
was hard for Matthew," says Theresa North, of Highland Ranch, Colo. He
didn't speak until he was 3. In school, he'd hide under a desk to escape noise
and activity. He couldn't coordinate his limbs well enough to catch a big beach
ball.
Therapy Center for Children - Early Intervention and MoreDecember 2007 Christina
Bellini-Zaher is the owner and founder of The Therapy Center. She has been
privileged to work directly with many of these exceptional providers and has
great confidence in both their practical as well as interpersonal skills.
Bearded Man in Red Looks ScaryDecember 17, 2007 I
want my daughter to enjoy a visit to Santa, but when I take her to the mall
to sit on Santa's lap, she is petrified. She hides behind me and doesn't want
to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas. How can I make this fun for her?
Levy, Suozzi press for preschool aidDecember 8, 2007 Long
Island's two county executives joined others in urging the state
to assume the full cost of preschool programs for disabled children,
which threaten to hike property taxes next year because of a slowdown in sales-tax
collections and other revenue.
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