This Week on Autism…in the News
This week in the news:
1. The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Excellence in Autism Research received a $9.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The funding will come over five years and is a result of the school’s program becoming an Autism Center of Excellence.
Researchers will focus on how the brain develops, how the face and face emotion is recognized, how language is understood, and how decisions are made and problems are solved.
2. Speech therapists and child psychologists believe that sign language can help children with autism express their emotions.
Esther Hess, a clinical child psychologist states that her children with articulation problems often have much better success with signing.
“Children do negative behaviors because their body doesn’t feel good. So signing permits them to have a validation and feel they are understood.”
Hess has adapted American Sign Language for special needs children to use (by simplifying the grammar and sentence structure to the basic words). Simply put, she just uses the words…instead of “This is fun” she says “fun”.
3. Can diet help? The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to state that they GFCF diet is not a proven therapy for autism but families stand by its results.
4. Children’s Hospital and the University of Colorado at Denver School of Medicine is teaming with Autism Speaks at Anschutz Medical Campus to create a new autism facility to specifically deal with the underline issues children with autism face.
Because children often face issues with sleep disorders, anxiety, or SPD that are not dealt with Autism Speaks and Anschulz is working to create a program so that all children have access to doctors and programs who can address and treat.
5. Can lead poisoning really look like autism? Meet Noah.
Word Press, Technorati, lead poisoning, autism, autism speaks, anschulz, GFCF, American academy of pediatrics, American Sign Language, ASL, Pittsburgh, autism, news, Tags
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