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Pa. to become 1st state to add autism as qualifying condition for medical marijuana

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Click here to read full story at wgal.com HARRISBURG, Pa. —Pennsylvania is set to become the first state in the country to explicitly stipulate autism as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. That will happen if the amended version of the bill, a “functional medical marijuana bill,” passes the Senate and gets a signature from the governor. “Functional” states list out the ailments for which doctors can prescribe medical marijuana. In addition to autism, the House-passed version of the bill lists 16 other eligible conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer.…

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Alpha, Beta Brainwaves Differ in Those With Autism

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A new study shows that brain waves in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from those in people without ASD. The findings show that ASD individuals exhibit fewer beta and alpha waves in certain regions of the brain as well as irregular patterns in the frontal lobe. Beta brainwaves are higher frequency waves that dominate when we feel alert, attentive, and are intensely focused. Alpha waves are slower frequency waves that are predominant during a waking restful state. You can read the full story here…

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Stomach Troubles Not Linked to Autism, Study Finds

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Gastrointestinal problems don’t cause the disorder, researcher says. Children with autismare not at higher risk for certain digestive system problems than those without the neurodevelopmental disorder, a small study suggests. The researchers focused on gastrointestinal disorders that previous studies suggested might be linked to autism. These include intestinal inflammation; deficiency of the digestive enzyme lactase, associated with lactose intolerance; and increased intestinal permeability, often called “leaky gut.” The results showed that the children with autism were no more likely to have these conditions than typically developing kids. Read the full story…

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Therapy Cat Helps 6-Year-Old Girl With Autism

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  Wherever 6-year-old Iris Grace Halmshaw goes, 2-year-old Thula is sure to follow. When Iris is painting outside, Thula is always nearby, exploring in the garden. They play with the same toys in their fairy-tale-like playroom, take baths together, learn new things together, go on adventures and fall asleep together after long, exciting days. They sound like sisters. And while the two best friends are like family, there is one striking difference: Thula is a Maine Coon cat and Iris is a child with autism, diagnosed at age 2. Together…

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Pentagon under fire for proposed cuts to autism care

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The Pentagon is under fire on Capitol Hill for a plan that critics say could leave thousands of military families whose children suffer from autism without access to the healthcare coverage they need. For the second time in as many years, the Department of Defense is proposing to slash payments to healthcare professionals who work with autistic children by as much as 15 percent. This would make it difficult for military families to find help for autistic children, critics say. The proposal has outraged dozens of lawmakers from both sides…

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Scientists Glean Insight On Rare Type Of Autism

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Scientists at an independent Baltimore laboratory that studies the brain say they may have figured out how a rare form of autism called Pitt-Hopkins syndrome develops from a gene mutation, and they soon will begin testing a treatment. The scientists at the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Lieber Institute for Brain Development don’t expect a cure but believe children especially could have significant improvements in their intellectual, developmental and communication deficits. If the treatment – an existing drug intended to treat pain – is effective it could be tried on similar syndromes on…

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Meds and Pregnancy risks

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Taking meds during pregnancy brings autism risk, benefits For a pregnant woman, the factors that can raise autism risk in her unborn child may seem to abound. Studies suggest that getting the flu, having a fever orgaining too much weight while pregnant can all boost the odds of having a child with autism. Certain medications may also raise the risk. For instance, pregnant women who take the epilepsy drug valproate are up to seven times more likely to have a child with autism than those who don’t. In the past…

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Child prodigies and Autism

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Studying child prodigies could be the key to the autism breakthrough scientists have been waiting for Child prodigies have long been a riddle. Two academics, David Feldman and Martha Morelock, once complained—only somewhat facetiously—that “divine inspiration, reincarnation, or magical incantation” were the best explanations for child prodigies that science had to offer. But the psychologist Joanne Ruthsatz developed a startling hunch after a chance encounter with a music prodigy’s autistic cousin:  Could autism have something to do with prodigious talent? Full article can be found here at Business Insider  

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Amazon Echo – A virtual assistant for your home

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I’m going to start this review with a quote from Wikipedia to get you up to speed quickly on what the Echo is: Amazon Echo is a wireless speaker and voice command device from Amazon.com. The device consists of a 9.25-inch (23.5 cm) tall cylinder speaker with a seven-piece microphone array. The device responds to the name “Alexa”; this “wake word” can be changed by the user to either “Amazon” or “Echo”. The device is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather,…

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Autism and Tablets

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The following is an excerpt from an article Ipads and Autism: A perfect match? posted on the Autism Society of North Carolina blog: On April 3, 2010, Apple released the first generation iPad. Steve Jobs called it a “magical device,” and in many ways, that is exactly what it is: a slate of glass possessing the power of a computer, the vast content of the Internet, and a bottomless well of software applications or “apps.” The iPad literally puts the world at your fingertips, requiring only the operator’s fingers and imagination. Simply…

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