A gene therapy that compensates for a missing copy of SYNGAP1, a gene strongly associated with autism, diminishes hyperactivity and brain activity linked to epilepsy, according to a new study in mice. The therapy also normalizes brain-wave patterns linked to learning, memory, attention and sensory processing. “This is the first published study to use a […]
What is ABA therapy, or Applied Behavioral Analysis? Why is it an inappropriate therapy for autistic kids? How did Ivar Lovaas convinced parents that ABA was better for their autistic kids than other options? How did ABA edge out other autism approaches? We recently sat down with Anne Borden King to discuss her new book […]
Sometimes it rains in Northern California, where I practice psychiatry for adults with ADHD. The rain helps the grass and trees grow, a lovely metaphor for the therapeutic process of receiving comprehensive ADHD treatment and growing slowly into a new, relatively unknown, more mature self. But it’s also the simple reality of my office. It […]
Assisted Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy has helped some children on the autism spectrum succeed. Since the mid-1980s, there has been evidence that ABA has contributed to the steady accumulation of intelligence, language, and social functioning in children with ASD. Assisted Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a valuable treatment for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many medical […]
A new harmless virus can deliver genes to brain cells without infecting other tissues, according to early tests in mice and monkeys. The virus could minimize the risk of side effects from gene therapies under development for autism-related conditions, such as Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome and fragile X syndrome. Gene therapy typically involves replacing a […]
Cell Service: Parent reports suggest stem cell therapy may have reduced their children’s autism characteristics, but experts remain skeptical. Cavan Images / Getty Images Unknown financial conflicts of interest and a lack of adequate clarification affect a new study that injected four autistic children with stem cells from their own bone marrow, bioethicists say. The […]
Rex is a 9 month old Black Labrador from Littleton, Colorado. He’s also a school therapy dog and best friend with almost every child in school. The Colorado puppy is so popular, in fact, that a student made Rex a mailbox that kids can use to drop letters for the loving pup when Rex is […]
Big boost: A potential new gene therapy for Angelman syndrome results in expression of UBE3A throughout the mouse brain within days of a single injection. Courtesy Matt Judson / UNC Injection of a potential new gene therapy for Angelman syndrome prevents many of the key features of neurological development, according to early tests in mice. […]
New Africa / Adobe Stock According to a meta-analysis of 19 randomized clinical trials, children with autism tend to find cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) less effective than their parents and clinicians in managing their anxiety. The result, which is based on data from 833 autistic children up to the age of 18, gives cause for […]
Leitlicht: Das mit Autismus verbundene Gen ANK2 steuert die Expression des Natriumkanals NaV1.2 (violett) in reifen Dendriten. Die Jahrestagung 2021 der Society for Neuroscience (SfN) ging gestern nach vier vollgepackten Tagen virtueller Präsentationen zu Ende. Der persönliche Teil der Veranstaltung wurde vor einem Monat wegen der anhaltenden Coronavirus-Pandemie abgesagt. Eine Reihe technischer Pannen plagten die […]
Zodiac Signs: Astrocytes from people with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (center) show high levels of a green marker that is normally only seen in immature cells. After gene therapy (right) the cells show more of a mature cell marker, in purple, similar to control astrocytes (left) Andrea (Julieth) Sierra Delgado Increased expression of the gene, which is […]
Dogs may be man’s best friend, but it turns out they’re pretty good therapists too. That’s the founding premise of Raising Hope Dogs, a nonprofit that was founded by a dog trainer and occupational therapist who trains dogs in therapy for children with autism. But Raising Hope Dogs, founded in 2015, does more than just […]
