According to correspondent Julio C. Abreu (Senior Director for Government Affairs at Mental Health America), negotiators for the US House and Senate are near or have reached a compromise that reconciles H.R. 1424 (”No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act of 2008″) and S. 558 (”Mental Health Parity Act of 2007″). These two bills are different versions of similar legislation that will require private health insurance plans to cover mental health (and other) services, just as they cover other conditions. This is, excuse me, HUGE for families of children and youths with emotional and behavioral disorders. I hope that the mental health community, including Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Alliance for Children and Families, springs into action and endorses resolution of this long-festering problem.
Continue reading ‘Legislation to cheer’
Archive for the 'News' Category
Professor Elizabeth Sowell and colleagues at the UCLA (CA, US) Department of Neurology have determined that there is a correlation between the thickness of cortices in certain regions of the brain and the presence of Tourette Sydrome (TS) in children. They used magnetic resonance imaging to compared the structure of brains of children with and without TS and found thinning in the frontal and parietal areas of those with TS.
Nature Clinical Practice Neurology (2008) 4, 466-467
doi:10.1038/ncpneuro0872Thinning of sensorimotor cortices is associated with tics in children with Tourette syndrome
Continue reading ‘Thin cortices in Tourette Syndrome’
Sphere: Related ContentOver on Kenny Handleman’s ADDADHDBlog I learned of a product recall for Daytrana.
Do you or your child take the Daytrana patch for ADD/ADHD? If you do you need to know that the company that manufactures this drug, Noven Pharmaceuticals, is recalling two lot numbers.
Fortunately, the recall is for problems with the packaging. Parents still probably should learn about this product recall. Here’s link to Dr. Handleman’s blog entry.
Sphere: Related ContentOver on SpedPro I’ve posted a note about the call for papers for the 14th International Child & Adolescent Conference, to be held 6-8 November 2008 in Minneapolis (MN, US). Jump to that post.
Sphere: Related ContentOver on A Photon in the Darkness, one can read a good reflection on mitochondrial mutations and their relationship to Autism. Of course, there’s a lot of hub-bub about mtDNA, because of the article by Hannah Elliott and colleagues, “Pathogenic Mitochondrial DNA Mutations Are Common in the General Population,” that appeared in American Journal of Human Genetics last month. The analysis on A Photon in the Darkness provides a reasonable person the opportunity to understand why—and why not—to connect it with Autism. Learn about Mitochondrial Mutations and Autism.
Sphere: Related ContentCourtesy of the ever-alert Liz Ditz, here’s an opportunity for US parents and others to emphasize issues in services for individuals with Autism and their families (e.g., research on evidence-based practices).
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On September 15, 2008, members of the Services Subcommittee will meet to review all public comments submitted to date, and will present these comments at the next meeting of the full Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which is scheduled for November 21, 2008. Members of the public are invited to participate in the September 15 Services Subcommittee meeting by conference call; for more information, please consult the public notice posted on the U.S. Government Printing Office website.
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Request for Information: Priorities for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Services Subcommittee for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Notice Number: NOT-MH-08-016
Key Dates:
Release Date: August 11, 2008
Response Date: September 19, 2008The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek input from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stakeholders including individuals with ASD and their families, autism advocates, State officials, scientists, health professionals, therapists, educators, and the public at large about what they consider to be high-priority issues and concerns surrounding services and supports for children, youth, and adults with ASD.
Background
The Combating Autism Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-416) re-established the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and, among other duties, requires that the IACC develop a strategic plan for ASD research. The IACC includes both members who are active in the area of ASD research funding, services, or advocacy, including several members who have family members with ASD, and one member with ASD. In March of 2008 the IACC established the Services Subcommittee, to assess and improve services and supports for people with ASD and their families. A previous IACC developed an ASD Services Roadmap, which is available on the IACC Website above. This RFI is a next step to obtain updated information about present and future services and supports to individuals with ASD, and their families across the lifespan.
Information Requested
The IACC is interested in receiving your input and ideas about high-priority questions and issues surrounding services and supports to people with ASD of all ages, and specific research initiatives on ASD services and supports. For example, information is sought in the following areas that impact services and supports across the lifespan: education services, health and medical services (including dental), housing, transitions, employment, community inclusion, safety, older adults, finances, guardianship, and estate planning.
Responses
Please send responses to iaccservices@mail.nih.gov no later than September 19, 2008. Please limit your response to one page and mark with this RFI identifier, NOT-MH-08-016, in the subject line. The responses received through this RFI will be collated, summarized, and provided to the IACC Services Subcommittee and the public. Any proprietary information should be so marked. The collected information will be analyzed and may appear in reports. Although the IACC Services Subcommittee will try to protect against the release of identifying information there is no guarantee of confidentiality.
A summary of the results obtained from the responses to this RFI will be available to the public on the IACC Website.
Inquiries
Inquiries regarding this notice may be directed to:
Azik Schwechter, Ph.D.
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8203, MSC 9669
Bethesda, MD 20892-9669
Telephone: (301) 443-7613
FAX: (301) 480-4415
Email: schwechtera @ mailnih.gov
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