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Special Needs Research and News
Gainesville Music Therapy parents receive frequent e-mails with the articles of interest to the special needs community, including research on Autism, Down
Syndrome, ADHD, etc.; conferences and trainings being offered in the local area; and information on music therapy practice. If you would like to receive these
articles, and/or our monthly newsletter by e-mail, please e-mail us to join the mailing list.
Monday, October 16, 2006
ET MIDDLETON, Wis., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- TRAVEL WITH AUTISM launches this October, providing a new concept for the autism community: vacations specifically designed for families with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. TWA's mission is threefold: (1) to provide an appropriate and safe vacation where families with individuals with ASD can simply have fun together (2) to provide an environment where multiple families with individuals with ASD can interact in a holiday atmosphere (3) to provide an opportunity for individuals with ASD to stretch themselves by learning new skills.
The unique challenges of having an individual with ASD preclude many families from evening attempting a vacation. TRAVEL WITH AUTISM mitigates these challenges by carefully selecting locations, training staff and providing for the unique needs of individuals with ASD.
TWA's inaugural trip will take place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado January 11th - 15th, 2007. The vacation will include two days of ski or snowboard lessons, a mini-hockey camp under the direction of Coach Jeff Sauer, family Olympics with medals awarded by Olympic champion Billy Kidd, a Western BBQ, and even a date night for parents.
"I am so excited by this idea. I can't believe no one ever thought of it before. It's the one thing many parents had given up hoping for, a family vacation, just like everyone else." J. Larson, a mother of a child with ASD.
TRAVEL WITH AUTISM: vacations specifically designed to meet the needs of families with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
CONTACT: Catherine Pauly, M.S., C.C.C. - SP Travel With Autism P: 608.216.6650 F: 608.836.1739 cathie@travelwithautism.com http://www.travelwithautism.com/
Gainesville Music Therapy Parents: Just a note- the following workshops are offered through the Jacksonville CARD, and therefore these workshops are in that area. – Abigail Yeh-
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Center for Autism and Related Disabilities University of Florida/Jacksonville
Upcoming Events and Group Meetings
For more information on the events and groups listed below, please call CARD at 904-633-0760. You can also check out our website www.centerforautism.org to see upcoming events!
Regional Workshops:
Oct. 16, 2006: “Teaching Children with Autism to Read Using Direct Instruction” presented by Dr. Susan Syverud at All Saints Early Learning and Community Care Center. Registration limited to 30 people. See attached flyer. Each attendee receives a copy of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.
Dec. 7 and 8, 2006: “Teaching Language Skills to Children with Autism” – 2-day workshop at the Jacksonville Main Public Library Downtown Jacksonville.
Dec. 7, 2006: Dr. Kim Lucker, a board certified behavior analyst, will provide an overview on how to teach language and learning skills using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
Dec. 8, 2006: Three different tracts will be offered for parents and educational professionals:
Dr. Lucker will be presenting on teaching speech or oral language skills.
Lori Cimino will be presenting on teaching sign language.
Christine Dix will be presenting on teaching children to use picture exchange.
Feb. 2, 2007: “Meeting the Needs of Students with Asperger Disorder” by Dr. Richard Simpson at the Fleming Island Training Center.
The workshop will provide training on the needs and characteristics of learners with Asperger disorder as well as identifying and correctly using effective practices and strategies for educating, managing and supporting learners with Asperger disorder. Specific attention will be focused on management, structuring and support methods; inclusion and academic and learning facilitation strategies; and social interaction and social skill enhancement methods.
June 7 and 8, 2007: Transition and Building Social Capitol. Details will be coming soon… Location: To be announced.
To register for regional workshops, please call CARD at 904-633-0760 or email jeannie.bowles@jax.ufl.edu. Workshops are free of cost, but registration is required.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Risperdal (risperidone), an adult antipsychotic oral tablet, for the symptomatic treatment of irritability in autistic children and adolescents.
The approval is the first for the use of a drug to treat behaviors associated with autism in children. These behaviors are included under the general heading of irritability, and include aggression, deliberate self-injury, and temper tantrums.
"This approval should benefit many autistic children as well as their parents and other care givers," said Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
"Our agency strongly encourages the development of appropriate pediatric labeling for adult drugs, and Risperdal is a welcome addition to the growing number of such products that have been shown to have an appropriate risk-benefit profile when tested in children." said Galson.
Risperdal has been approved since 1993 for the short-term treatment of adults with schizophrenia, and since 2003 for the short-term treatment of adults with acute manic or mixed episodes associated with extreme mood swings.
The product's effectiveness in the symptomatic treatment of irritability associated with pediatric autistic disorders was established in two eight-week, placebo-controlled trials in 156 patients aged 5 to 16 years, 90 percent of whom were 5-12 years old.
The results, which were evaluated using two assessment scales, showed that children on Risperdal achieved significantly improved scores for certain behavioral symptoms of autism compared to children on placebos.
The most common side effects of the use of Risperdal include drowsiness, constipation, fatigue and weight gain.
Source: Xinhua
Sat Oct 7, 2006 4:01pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced a $5.9 million study in six states to try to find the causes of autism.
The study, the next of the agency's promised initiatives to look more closely at the disorder, would look for factors that may put children at risk for autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, the CDC said.
It said 2,700 children aged 2 to 5 and their parents would take part in the five-year study. Researchers will look for infections or abnormal responses to infections in the child or parents, genetic factors, the mother's reproductive history, hormone levels, potential gastrointestinal problems in the child and other factors.
"We hope this national study will help us learn more about the characteristics of children with ASDs, factors associated with developmental delays, and how genes and the environment may affect child development," said Dr. Jose Cordero, director of CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
"By conducting the study in six different geographic areas across the country with diverse populations and by identifying children from multiple sources in each community, we hope to have a study sample that more closely represents children with ASDs, other developmental problems, and typical development across the country," Cordero added in a statement.
Autism spectrum disorders include a range of conditions marked by repetitive behaviors and social and communication problems.
In May the CDC said the first national surveys of autism showed the condition occurs in up to 1 in every 175 children.
The surveys indicated that boys were nearly four times more likely to have been diagnosed with autism than girls and that Hispanic children were less likely to have an autism diagnosis.
The causes of autism are not clear and it is not clear whether the condition has become more common.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
By Bruce Sylvester ATLANTA, GA -- October 10, 2006 -- There is a higher incidence of idiopathic persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) among newborns with Down's syndrome (DS) compared with other newborns. The findings were reported here on October 7th at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). "The most important finding of this study is that children who have Down's syndrome have an increased risk for idiopathic persistent pulmonary hypertension compared to non-Down's Syndrome children," said lead investigator Clifford Cua, MD, pediatrician at Columbus Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "The clinical implication is that when Down's syndrome child comes into the neonatal nursery, the staff should be aware that the risk of idiopathic persistent pulmonary hypertension is higher compared to the other population." The investigators conducted a retrospective chart review of DS patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Columbus Children's hospital over a 3-year period. They defined PPHN as a right-to-left shunt at the ductal level. They classified PPHN by treatment used: mild (supplemental oxygen), moderate (mechanical ventilation), or severe (inhaled nitric oxide). They excluded DS patients with meconium aspiration syndrome or pulmonary space occupying lesions. They included 58 DS subjects in the study. Twenty-four showed no PPHN, 17 were diagnosed with mild PPHN, 10 with moderate PPHN and 7 with severe PPHN. The study showed no difference for PPHN between the 4 groups in terms of gender (males: 10, 5, 5, and 5, respectively), gestational age (in weeks: 36.4, 38.2, 36.4, and 36.4, respectively), weight (in kilograms: 2.8, 3.0, 2.4, and 3.0, respectively), or presence of congenital heart defects: 17, 10, 6, and 1, respectively. Comparing their findings to data from the general population of neonates, they found a significantly higher rate of PPHN in DS neonates. "Hospital staff should be aware that if the hospital course for a Down's syndrome S neonate doesn't progress as expected, they may need to be more aggressive in identifying and treating pulmonary hypertensive condition in the child," Dr. Cua added. "Further studies are required to determine if DS patients have a possible genetic predisposition to PPHN," the authors conclude.[Presentation title: Increased Incidence of Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension in Down Syndrome Neonates. Poster 2]
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