November 22, 2021
- The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act last Friday. The bill includes $150 billion for in home and community-based services. If the legislation is passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president, it will support individuals with autism throughout the country.
- Research from Sweden demonstrates that exercise is an effective treatment for anxiety. This new study involved 286 patients with anxiety syndrome. The research team divided the subjects into two groups, a moderate exercise group and a strenuous exercise group. Both groups exercised for a total of 12 weeks. Most individuals went from a high to moderate level of anxiety to a low level of anxiety at the end of the study period. The participants enrolled in the strenuous exercise group saw a better chance of improvement than those in the moderate exercise group.
- Self-reported maternal cannabis use from 3 months pre-conception to delivery (“peri-pregnancy”) is not associated with the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental delays/disorders (DD) according to a new study. To come to this conclusion, the researchers assessed children aged 30-68 months, born between 2003 and 2011. Cannabis use in peri-pregnancy was reported in 5.2% of ASD, 3.2% of DD and 4.4% of population controls (POP). In the end, the adjusted odds ratios of peri-pregnancy cannabis use did not differ significantly between ASD cases, DD cases or POP controls.
- Uber is being sued by the Department of Justice for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The government’s suit alleges that the ride sharing company did not make reasonable accommodations to their wait time policies for people with disabilities, which resulted in unfair overcharges.
- Autism Society Los Angeles has launched a “warm line” for questions regarding autism diagnoses and navigating the healthcare system. After leaving a message, a resource specialist will return your call and address your concerns.
