In “A Prospective Study of the Emergence of Early Behavioral Signs of Autism,” Professor Sally Oznoff and colleagues found that infants who develop Autism behave differently than their typically developing peers even as early as one year of age. Writing in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the researchers reported about a comparison of video tapes of children (n=50, half of whom had Autism) made at six-month intervals during infancy and early childhood.
Continue reading ‘Autism appears early’
Monthly Archive for February, 2010
In the Virginia (US) legislature (which I sometimes call the “House of Burgess” for fun), efforts to mandate coverage of intensive behavioral therapy (AKA “ABA,” “discrete-trial training,” etc.) by insurance policies gained a little momentum 16 February when Senate Bill 464 passed by a nearly 2-to-1, bi-partisan margin. Earlier this legislative session, one similar bill (HB 303) was rejected by a narrow vote (4-to-4) in the committee on Commerce and Labor of the Virginia House but another (HB 34) may still be alive (I’m too uniformed about legislative processes to know).
The summary of the just-passed Senate bill, whose chief patron is Senator Janet D. Howell of Reston (VA, US), is as follows:
Requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and for treatment of ASD in individuals from age two to six, subject to an annual maximum benefit of $35,000. This requirement does not apply to individual or small group policies, contracts, or plans, and will not apply to the state employees’ health insurance plan until July 1, 2015. This measure will not apply to an insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization if the costs associated with coverage exceed one percent of premiums charged over the experience period.
Virginians who are concerned about helping young children with Autism to succeed should contant their representatives to urge passage of this legislation. It is not a perfect solution (for example, the coverage is limited to young children only), but this is a situation in which the perfect should not be the enemy of the good.
Senator Howell’s bill has co-patrons, including R. Creigh Deeds, Mark R. Herring, David W. Marsden, J. Chapman Petersen, Richard H. Stuart, Patricia S. Ticer, Jill Holtzman Vogel, and Mary Margaret Whipple. Way to go to them and to every Virginia Senator who voted for the bill: Blevins, Colgan, Deeds, Edwards, Herring, Houck, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller (Y.B.), Norment, Northam, Petersen, Puckett, Puller, Quayle, Reynolds, Saslaw, Stosch, Stuart, Ticer, Vogel, Wampler, and Whipple. Thanks.
- HB 34 Health insurance; mandated coverage for autism spectrum disorder.
- SB 464 Health insurance; mandated coverage for autism spectrum disorder.
- HB 303 Health insurance; mandated coverage for autism spectrum
The state legislature voted nearly 2:1 to reject similar legislation in 2009 (HB 1588 Autism spectrum disorder; mandated health insurance coverage).
Janie Shelton and colleagues at the University of Califonia at Davis reported that women over 40 years of age who give birth have an increased risk of the child having Autism. By studying a large sample of births, the researchers were able to disentangle the relative contributions of maternal and paternal age to the likelihood of having a child with Autism.
This study conflicts with some previous research that pointed at paternal age as a factor in Autism (see the EBD Blog page by Leslie Feldman on Fathers’ Age as Contributor to Risk for Autism). The Shelton et al. analysis expressly examined the relative contributions and points at maternal age as an independent factor. Additional research will help to clarify the relationships.
Continue reading ‘Maternal age increases risk of Autistic offspring’
As the US House of Representatives prepares to make statements about and amend HR 4247, Representative Joe Courtney (CN, US) posted a statement on the blog maintained by the House committee that will debate the legislation. The post, “Rep. Joe Courtney: Congress Must Make Schools Safe Havens for Children,” touts Representative Courtney’s perspective on the legislation. There’s lots more about the proposed legislation via that blog and related resources. Take a look.
Also, read the actual proposed legislation, “Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act” and the position statements by the Council for Children with Behavior Disorders about seclusion and restraint and “Position Summary on Restraint and Seclusion.”
During the 40 weeks after receiving a brief course of ω-3 (“omega three”) polyunsaturated fatty acids, adolescents at risk for psychotic disorders were less likely to progress to psychotic status than similar peers who did not receive the supplement. In the study by G. Paul Amminger and colleagues, the youths in the treated group also had fewer positive, negative, and general symptoms of psychosis and improved overall functioning than those in the control group.
The youths in the treated group received a supplement of two fish-oil capsules twice a day for 12 weeks, and the controls received a placebo of coconut-oil capsules. The researchers then monitored their status and symptoms for the following 40 weeks.
Continue reading ‘Fish oil and adolescent psychosis’
The US Congress is considering legislation to prevent abusive restraint and seclusion of students in schools. This is a welcome consequence of the highly visible reports about terrible abuses of students’ right to be free from harm. However, as much as I support this initiative, it is important to make clear that the laws (and regulations resulting from them) must be crafted carefully.
Here’s some text from the press efforts by the US House of Representatives about this important legislation. I follow it with a cautious support of the law.
Continue reading ‘US legislators consider law for preventing abusive restraint and seclusion’
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