Autism Spectrum Disorders Health Center

News and Features Related to Autism

81. Autism Families: High Divorce Rate Is a Myth
    

    May 19, 2010 -- Parents of autistic children often hear that the divorce rate in families with autism is 80%, but a new study debunks that figure as a myth. ''There really weren't any significant differences in terms of family structure when you consider children with autism and those without," says

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82. 'Autism Diet' May Not Improve Symptoms
    

    May 19, 2010 --The so-called autism diet -- a gluten-free, casein-free eating plan -- does not appear to improve the symptoms of children with the group of neurodevelopmental disorders known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD, according to a new study. About one in 110 U.S. children has ASD, which i

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83. Can Special Diets Treat Autism?
    

    May 5, 2010 -- The use of gluten-free and casein-free diets to treat autism is increasingly popular among families, but researchers who reviewed 14 published studies on the diets say science does not back them up as useful. "The evidence that has been collected does not support the use of the diets

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84. New Genetic Clues to Autism Found
    

    May 3, 2010 -- Researchers have discovered two new genes that may be involved with autism, the brain disorder marked by difficulty in communicating and relating to others. The evidence for one of the two new "susceptibility genes" is stronger than that for the other, says Daniel Notterman, MD, the s

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85. Parents Try Alternative Treatments for Autism
    

    May 3, 2010 -- Many families are turning toward to special diets and/or psychotropic medications to help better manage autism spectrum disorder and its symptoms in their children, two new studies show. The CDC estimates that about one in 110 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder, the

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86. New Genetic Autism Test Beats Older Tests
    

    March 15, 2010 -- A new genetic test for autism, known as chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), finds more genetic abnormalities than two older tests, a study shows. ''CMA is much better than karyotyping or fragile X testing at detection -- it's at least three times better,"  Bai-Lin Wu, PhD, medic

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87. Oxytocin Hormone May Treat Autism
    

    Feb. 15, 2010 -- Oxytocin, the so-called hormone of love, may help promote social skills and social behavior in people with high-functioning autism. A new study shows people with high-functioning autism disorders, such as Asperger's syndrome, who were treated with oxytocin responded more strongly to

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88. Autism Risk Rises With Mother's Age
    

    Feb. 8, 2010 -- The older a mother is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of autism, new data show. A smaller effect also is seen for the age of the father, but only when the child is born to a father over age 40 and a mother under age 30. The new findings come from a comparison of rep

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89. Local Environment Not Cause of Autism 'Clusters'
    

    Jan. 5, 2010 - If some pollutant triggers autism, it's widespread and not confined to specific geographic areas, finds a study of California autism clusters. "People seeking the cause of autism have been looking for a smoking gun, but it will be more like dispersed land mines," Irva Hertz-Picciotto,

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90. Experts: No Proof Autism Diets Help/Don't Help
    

    Jan. 4, 2010 - There's still no proof that special diets help or don't help autistic kids -- or that food allergies, food sensitivities, or gut problems cause autism, an expert panel concludes. The panel, chaired by Harvard's Timothy Buie, MD, included 28 experts in 12 scientific disciplines, includ

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