Autism

Data entry is repetitive and hard to do well - that is, quickly and accurately. Shane Foley is great at it. The 21-year-old Ellicott City man works on two computer screens, eyeing images of handwritten sheets on one and clicking the information into a program on the other. His boss gives him a glowing review. So does the head of the state agency whose contract he's working on. Really something for a young man whose neurologist told his parents, many years ago, to consider institutionalizing him. Foley, who has autism, is the first employee of a program for Marylanders with autism-spectrum disorders.

Kennedy Krieger Institute has announced a new program that will offer free autism screenings to infants between five and 10 months who have a sibling with autism.  “We launched this initiative to increase the likelihood of identifying children most at risk for ASD,” said Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. “My hope is that Maryland families will take advantage of this opportunity to seek help sooner and not miss out on early intervention, which can improve lifelong learning, communication and social skills.” For more information or to schedule an appointment visit Kennedy Kreiger's website or call 443-923-7892.

During a recent first-grade class session at the McDonogh School in Baltimore, 7-year-old Aidan Wade gave an impromptu discussion on what it's like to have a sibling with autism. "My brother Conor is 11, but his brain thinks he's 5," said the Baltimore boy. "He acts kind of different, but that's OK." Aidan's words reflect a broad spectrum of attitudes that one might find in siblings of children with autism, a complex set of developmental brain disorders. How a sibling reacts is often dependent upon the severity of the autism, where the child with autism falls in the birth order and how parents model behavior they expect from each of their children.

Data entry is repetitive and hard to do well - that is, quickly and accurately. Shane Foley is great at it. The 21-year-old Ellicott City man works on two computer screens, eyeing images of handwritten sheets on one and clicking the information into a program on the other. His boss gives him a glowing review. So does the head of the state agency whose contract he's working on. Really something for a young man whose neurologist told his parents, many years ago, to consider institutionalizing him. Foley, who has autism, is the first employee of a program for Marylanders with autism-spectrum disorders.

Babies who develop autism later in life may show signs of the disease in their brain development as early as six months old, new research has found. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis , the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other institutions looked at brain scans taken on babies at night while they were sleeping. The scans indicate autism may develp in infants over time, according to the findings published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry . By aged 24 months, 28 of 92 infants showed the medical signs for autism spectrum disorders.

Kennedy Krieger Institute has announced a new program that will offer free autism screenings to infants between five and 10 months who have a sibling with autism.  “We launched this initiative to increase the likelihood of identifying children most at risk for ASD,” said Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. “My hope is that Maryland families will take advantage of this opportunity to seek help sooner and not miss out on early intervention, which can improve lifelong learning, communication and social skills.” For more information or to schedule an appointment visit Kennedy Kreiger's website or call 443-923-7892.

AUTISM, the developmental disorder that can have such a devastating social, emotional and financial impact on families, now affects as many as one out of every 166 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But recent advances have shown that early diagnosis and treatment can yield positive results, and Maryland is in a position to put research into practice and perhaps lead the nation in making new inroads against it. Researchers have determined that autism is often characterized by unusual brain development, and it is believed that genetics and the environment are contributing factors, although to what extent is still unclear.

Nearly 1 percent of children nationwide have autism - with the disorder more than four times more common in boys than girls, according to new figures released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, which is in keeping with recent studies that tried to put a number on the puzzling neurobiological disorder, finds an average of one out of every 110 8-year-olds showed symptoms of autism, a sharp increase from the widely cited 1 in 150 figure from the CDC's study on autism's prevalence issued two years ago. Another recent report, based on parent surveys, found autism in 1 in every 100 children.

Dr. Mark R. Geier, a Rockville doctor accused of improperly treating children with autism, has been ordered by the state Board of Physicians to stop practicing medicine while his license is suspended. The doctor's license was suspended in April after the board concluded his hormone and chelation therapy endangered the children in his care. But the board in a new "cease and desist" order this week accused the doctor of refilling prescriptions for at least three patients in violation of the suspension.

We've all heard that vaccines can lead to autism. But we've also heard that it's just a myth. And almost every health expert disputes the vaccine-autism link, as do numerous studies. But it's always in your mind: Am I doing the right thing? Some parents have tried to straddle those two schools of thought by having their infants vaccinated, but asking the pediatrician to space them out more than he or she normally would. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control says that spacing actually has no effect.

Sitting at the kitchen counter, playing a game on his mother's cellphone, Nick Brooks looked like any other 13-year-old, except for an occasional hand clap and the burbles that his brothers affectionately call "Nicky noises. " Soon, he got bored with the cellphone and motioned for the laptop on his mother's lap. Jean Brooks was willing to give it to him, but with one caveat. "I'd like a sentence from you," she said. "Mom's computer, please," Nick said. That's a long sentence for the Roland Park youth.

Growing up in the 1970s, I never set foot in a school until it was time for me to go to kindergarten. However, times have changed. Over the past three decades, the number of preschools in our country has grown exponentially, and with this growth comes the expectation that children will attend preschool in order to be "ready" for kindergarten by age 5. Unfortunately, this expectation is often accompanied by great pressure to send one's child to the...

In response to the recent commentary on autism ("'Autism is not disability,'" April 11), I would observe that perhaps we are all disabled in one way or another, or else none of us is. I think we all, are and often in disability lies strength. Some disabilities are more visible than others. Someone who cannot walk can help the rest of us to learn to slow down. Someone who cannot see can help the rest of us learn to listen more carefully. People who appear disabled one way or another may help each of us admit our own disabilities and find the strength that lies in them.

April is National Autism Awareness Month, which naturally raises the question: awareness of what? As a parent of a 19-year old son with autism, if you had asked me that question years ago, I would have said things like, "Be aware that kids with autism can experience sensory overload" or "Be aware that creating teaching opportunities around an autistic child's interests can help him learn. " Or, if I was meeting one of my son's teachers: "Be aware that if you leave that scented candle on your desk, it's going to have a perfect bite taken out of it within two minutes.

Nonprofit organizations abound in Howard County, and Howard Magazine highlights who they are, what they do and how you can help. Name: Howard County Autism Society Who: Judy Grusso, executive director What is your mission? The Howard County Autism Society provides information, support and advocacy and promotes awareness of autism that values the dignity and uniqueness of each individual.    What kinds of programs and services do you provide? Last year, we served more than 2,000 people.

Anne Moore Burnett knew the other moms at the playground were rolling their eyes at her. Her son wouldn't go down the slide unless it was clean, so she was looking around for a stray napkin or anything she could find to wipe it down. As she felt their eyes on her, Burnett found herself almost wishing her son had a visible condition, such as Down Syndrome, so that at least on top of the issues she was dealing with she wouldn't also feel judged by other parents who didn't realize she took these "extra" measures because her son has sensory-sensitive autism.

Anne Moore Burnett knew the other moms at the playground were rolling their eyes at her. Her son wouldn't go down the slide unless it was clean, so she was looking around for a stray napkin or anything she could find to wipe it down. As she felt their eyes on her, Burnett found herself almost wishing her son had a visible condition, such as Down Syndrome, so that at least on top of the issues she was dealing with she wouldn't also feel judged by other parents who didn't realize she took these "extra" measures because her son has sensory-sensitive autism.

Researchers probing the roots of autism say they've found fresh evidence that the disorder, like cancer, could be a tough one to conquer. That's because it's really a constellation of related diseases - with a wide range of genetic underpinnings. In a study released today, scientists say that children who are the sole cases of autism in their families are five times more likely to have a particular genetic mutation than autistic youngsters in families in which the disorder has shown up repeatedly.

We've all heard that vaccines can lead to autism. But we've also heard that it's just a myth. And almost every health expert disputes the vaccine-autism link, as do numerous studies. But it's always in your mind: Am I doing the right thing? Some parents have tried to straddle those two schools of thought by having their infants vaccinated, but asking the pediatrician to space them out more than he or she normally would. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control says that spacing actually has no effect.

Two years after a Maryland doctor lost his medical license for using a controversial treatment for autistic patients, the state Board of Physicians has suspended his business partner for allegedly writing the same dangerous prescription for several patients. The board suspended John L. Young's license to practice medicine in the state Feb. 13. On Feb. 21, Young resigned from his post on the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents, citing a desire to "devote more time to other activities.