News & Events

September 17, 2020

Probiotics Beyond Yogurt

As we wrote in an earlier SafeMinds Shares article, taking probiotics may help with some symptoms of autism. Probiotics are also considered a healthy addition for anyone’s diet. BiomeHealth, a maker of probiotic products, has produced a handy list of probiotics beyond those containing dairy such as yogurt.

September 17, 2020

EPA Announces Research Grant for Early Life Exposures

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for a new Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, the Center for Early Lifestage Vulnerabilities to Environmental Stressors.

September 09, 2020

BYU Develops Special Glasses to Increase Eye Contact for Kids with ASD

Making eye contact is challenging for many children with autism. The inability to maintain eye contact can prevent children from developing meaningful social relationships. To assist with this dilemma, an engineering team at Brigham Young University (BYU) developed a unique pair of eyeglasses which display animated images on eyeglass lenses to increase engagement and ease children’s tension as they work on eye contact skills.

September 09, 2020

Disability Programs in Danger of Closing Due to COVID-19

Data collected in July by the American Network of Community Options and Resources or ANCOR showed that 77% of organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have reported shutting down and discontinuing programs due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, 16% of those programs are never expected to reopen again.

September 09, 2020

Measuring Metabolites in Blood Could Be Used to Diagnose Autism

Scientists are one step closer to developing a serological test that could be used to diagnose autism. Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York designed a blood test that analyzes measurements of metabolites in a blood sample to predict whether or not an individual has autism. Their model proved fairly accurate, the blood test was able to successfully identify 124 of 131 children with autism in their study.

September 09, 2020

Special Needs Caregivers Describe More Negative Effects From Pandemic Versus Non-Caregivers

A new report issued from the National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support at the University of Pittsburgh found that caregivers of individuals with special needs are more likely to experience health and financial difficulties since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted a survey of caregivers from April 15 to May 27 and found that sixty-three percent faced an increase in responsibilities since stay at home orders began.

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