Autism Spectrum Disorders Health Center

News Related to Autism

11. Can Therapy Dogs Help Kids With Autism?
    

    By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- For children with autism, trained dogs may offer not only a furry friend, but some therapeutic benefits, too, a new research review finds. There is a "substantial body of evidence" that dogs act as "social catalysts," even encoura

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12. Folic Acid in Pregnancy May Lower Autism Risk
    

    By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A new study suggests that women who start taking folic acid supplements either before or early in their pregnancy may reduce their child's risk of developing autism. "The study does not prove that folic acid supplements can p

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13. Study: Don't Overlook Eating Issues Tied to Autism
    

    By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter SATURDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism are five times more likely than other kids to have feeding issues, such as being especially picky eaters or having ritualistic behaviors or extreme tantrums during meals, new research finds. These problems

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14. Recovering From Autism Possible, Study Suggests
    

    Jan. 15, 2013 -- The idea that some children recover from autism remains controversial, but new research lends credibility to the notion. The National Institutes of Health-funded study included children, teens, and young adults who received a diagnosis of autism early in life but moved off the autis

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15. Asperger's and Violence: Experts Weigh In
    

    Dec. 19, 2012 -- Reports that Newtown shooter Adam Lanza had Asperger’s syndrome, a highly functioning form of autism, have led some to wonder whether that diagnosis could have played a role in the mass shooting, which killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school last week. A

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16. Generic Drug May Ease Autism in Children
    

    Dec. 11, 2012 -- An inexpensive generic drug may ease autism in children, a small new study shows. The drug, bumetanide, is a diuretic, or a drug that rids the body of extra water through urine. It’s been FDA-approved since 1983 to reduce fluid buildup in patients with heart failure, kidney disease,

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17. Air Pollution May Raise Autism Risk
    

    Nov. 26, 2012 -- Being exposed to high levels of air pollution from traffic may raise the risk of autism, researchers say. "Children exposed to higher levels of traffic-related pollutants during pregnancy or during the first year of life were at increased risk of autism compared to children exposed

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18. Flu During Pregnancy May Be Linked to Autism Risk
    

    Nov. 12, 2012 -- Children born to mothers who had the flu during pregnancy or fevers lasting more than a week may have a slightly higher risk for autism, new research suggests. "Our findings are interesting for research purposes, but they should not alarm women who are pregnant," says researcher Hjo

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19. Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains
    

    Oct. 29, 2012 -- Early, intensive autism treatment improves children's brain development, a new study shows. The treatment, dubbed Early Start Denver Model or ESDM, offers a child 20 hours a week of one-on-one treatment with a trained therapist. It also calls for many more hours of the treatment, in

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20. Too Many Autistic Children Wander Off
    

    Oct. 8, 2012 -- Like many parents with an autistic child, Lori McIlwain worries that her 12-year-old son, Connor, will wander away from school, home, or other safe places. It has happened more than once. When he was 7, Connor left his school’s playground unnoticed and walked toward a busy four-lane

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