U.S. Autism Prevalence Rate Soars to 1 in 59 Children
National Autism Organizations Demand Emergency Meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services and Federal Autism Coordinator to Address Crisis Related Links Letter to HHS Officials CDC Report: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years – Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014 Baltimore, MD, April 26, 2018 – SafeMinds, […]
Letter to HHS Officials
The Honorable Alex Azar Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201 Dr. Ann Wagner, Ph.D. Federal Autism Coordinator Chief, Biomarker and Intervention Development for Childhood-Onset Mental Disorders Branch Division of Translational Research National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Blvd., Room 7162, MSC 9617 Bethesda, MD 20892 […]
Cannabis May Have Therapeutic Benefit for Autism, Should Have Fewer Federal Restrictions
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Heath Organization (WHO) are now reviewing whether to remove cannabis from the Schedule I Controlled Substance List. Since cannabis may have potential as a therapeutic for people with autism, SafeMinds has submitted comments to the FDA in support of reassigning cannabis to a less restricted […]
SafeMinds Comments to FDA on Cannabis & Autism
Controlled Substance Staff Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 51, Rm. 5150 Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 RE: Docket No. FDA-2018-N-1072 for “International Drug Scheduling; Convention on Psychotropic Substances; Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; Cannabis Plant and Resin; Extracts and Tinctures of Cannabis; Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); Stereoisomers of […]
Two Treatments with Positive Results and the High Cost of Autism
Two abstracts being presented this week at the annual conference of the American Academy of Neurology report positive outcomes from two treatments for autism. A third article on healthcare utilization reports double the cost for adults with autism. A MitoCocktail was tested in eleven children with autism and mitocondrial (mt) dysfunction. Mt dysfunction is common in autism. The MitoCocktail contained carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid. Investigators Craig Newschaffer and colleagues at Drexel University conclude: “This small pilot study supports the hypothesis that in ASD MitoCocktail may have a therapeutic benefit, improving mt function and maladaptive behavior and speech. Larger placebo-controlled trials are needed to demonstrate efficacy.”
Help Find the Causes of Autism through the National Birth Defects Registry
The non-profit Birth Defect Research for Children maintains a registry of thousands of children with birth defects. Through a questionnaire completed by parents, the organization is helping to link pre-conception and pre-natal exposures of parents with disabilities in their children. Autism is one condition they focus on. Parents of a child with autism can help identify pre-birth risk factors for autism by completing a registry questionnaire. Autism parents may not think of autism or a developmental disability as a “birth defect”, and some parents may feel that the cause of their child’s autism happens from exposures after birth, i.e., in early childhood, or is due to genetics. However, the research from this registry is applicable to autism and to cases that might have a genetic or a childhood exposure component.
