EPA Announces Research Grant for Early Life Exposures
Research Centers Needed to Explore Effects of Environmental Risks The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to grant almost $2 million in funds to a research team interested in investigating early life exposures of different types of environmental stressors. The grant’s purpose is to examine possible adverse health outcomes due to contact with chemical and non-chemical […]
Longer Hours Spent in Intervention Not Always Better for Toddlers with Autism
Study Shows 15-Hours vs. 25-Hours Programs per Week Had Similar Impact Until now, clinicians had no data to rely upon to guide parents of newly diagnosed toddlers with autism on the number of hours required to make behavioral improvements. That has just changed due to UC Davis Health’s newly published study in the Journal of […]
Autism Research Funded by Major Suicide Prevention Organization
Suicidality in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Interaction Between Biological Vulnerabilities and Cognitive Dysfunction AFSP is also funding a research study on the underlying biology of stress and cognition in autism and how that may contribute to suicidality in this high risk group. The grant was awarded to Carly McMorris, Ph.D. of the University of […]
Epidurals Used During Labor Linked to Higher Autism Risk
Obstetric and Anesthesiology Organizations Don’t Agree with Study’s Finding A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics has found that the rate of autism was higher in children whose mothers received epidurals during labor. Although, the study’s authors considered the risk only slightly higher. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were diagnosed in 1.9% of the children delivered […]
Too Little or Too Much Folic Acid in Pregnancy Can Cause Harm to Developing Brains
Researchers Look for a Goldilock’s Quantity to Establish Correct Dosage A new study from the MIND Institute at UC Davis found that high amounts of folic acid given to pregnant mice caused brain damage in their offspring. These findings were published last month in the journal Cerebral Cortex. Folic Acid has been shown to be […]
Meta-Analysis Shows Significant Relationship Between Mercury and Autism
Copper and Lead Also Analyzed But No Correlation Found A recent meta-analysis published in Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics investigated the possible role that concentrations of copper, lead and mercury may play in development of autism. The study analyzed 18 articles in which concentration samples of blood, hair and nails of 1797 patients aged 2 […]
