[Deleted User]

New Method Finds Gene Cause of Some Autism -Study
Fri Feb 7, 3:10 PM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Using a new method that separates patients by their symptoms, U.S. researchers said on Friday they found a new genetic link to autism and suggested the approach might be used to pinpoint the genetic causes of other diseases as well.

The research also suggests that several different causes may be behind autism, a disturbing and increasingly common behavioral disorder that baffles parents and doctors alike. The new study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, links certain types of autism to a place on chromosome 15 linked with several other disorders.

It had been suspected in autism for some time, but researchers had been unable to show that people with certain versions of genes on chromosome 15 were more likely to have autism. The team at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina and at the University of South Carolina decided to separate out autistic children by their actual behaviors. Autism, which affects one in 1,000 children in the United States, is defined by a wide range of symptoms, many of which are just an exaggeration of normal childhood behavior. "All kids with autism by definition have some form of repetitive behavior," Duke child psychologist Michael Cuccaro, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview. "One kind of a classical autism feature … may be a child doing something with his hands and arms. He might be flapping them, might be waving them in front of the eyes." Cuccaro's team focused on children with other, more prominent symptoms. "These are kids who if you changed the furniture in the room, they become extremely upset and have difficulty with that. If they normally went to bed at 7:30 and before they did that they took a bath and put pajamas on, if you changed that they would have great difficulty with that."

SIMILAR MUTATIONS

When those particular children and teen-agers were separated out, the researchers were able to find a series of mutations on chromosome 15 that seemed to be similar, said Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance, a Duke geneticist who led the study. They used a statistical trick, but they double-checked and the association was clear, Pericak-Vance said. Both she and Cuccaro say that supports what many researchers have said — that autism is a complex disease and may not be caused by the same thing in every patient. "It's like any complex disease — there are a number of underlying causes for it and they manifest similarly," she said. "The next thing is to look at possible interactions between the genes in this region. This region seems to be involved in a lot of different disorders."
Pericak-Vance said her team was already trying the new approach to separate out different kinds of Alzheimer's disease (news – web sites). Alzheimer's has different forms — some are seen earlier in life than others, and Pericak-Vance hopes the method might find a genetic difference among them.
The gene on chromosome 15 that seems to be affected in the autism patients controls a neurotransmitter called GABA. That message-carrying chemical acts to turn off brain cells. As the behavior seen in these children seems to be an extreme version of what every child does at one time or another, it could be that these particular symptoms are caused by the brain's failure to turn off a signal. In other words, it does not know when to stop — thus the obsessive behavior.

The research did little to answer questions about whether environmental causes may be behind autism, Cuccaro said. One group of parents believes childhood vaccines may be a cause, although several studies aimed at finding out if that is true have shown no link. "What we are coming to find about vaccines now is that there is not a lot of support for a link between the vaccine and autism," said Cuccaro.
The study may help scientists find a way to treat autism, which is now incurable. If a precise genetic cause of one behavior is found, it might be possible to design a drug that will correct it.

That would not be a cure — autism is too complex for that — but it may be possible to moderate some of the symptoms, Cuccaro said.

[Deleted User]

Hi! I am an ABA therapist on two teams, with almost two years of experience as a line therapist. I have a degree in Psychology, and I am also a certified Elementary Teacher. I am moving to the Okanagan, and unfortunately I have to leave the teams I am on. I would love to continue with ABA if possible, and was wondering if there are any families in the North Okanagan region who would be looking for a therapist now, or in the future. I can be reached at turtle_one@hotmail.com, or post to this chat board. Thank you!

Thank you!

[Deleted User]

we use Dr Larson in Abbotsford. He's a "special needs" dentist with Children's Hospital privileges for if we need work done. He's absolutely awesome and we're very very happy. My son is 8 and will actually let Dr Larson brush his teeth and look in his mouth (yes!!!)

[Deleted User]

does anyone know a dentist who is real good/experienced with autistic kids? My daughter who has recently been diagnosed (she's 4) has yet to visit the dentist (I break out in a cold sweat thinking about it!) Any help would be great!! Thanks!!

[Deleted User]

The Autism Society of British Columbia
is proud to present…
Behaviour Analysis & Fluency-Based Instruction
for Children with ASD

March 8, 2003 (Room 100, Westbrook Building, UBC)

Overview: This one-day workshop will introduce participants to behaviour analysis and how it defines instruction, teaching and learning.
Professionals and Families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will be able learn how to define the critical features of quality behavior analytic instruction.
The afternoon session will be an introduction to Michael's specialty of Fluency-Based Instruction. The workshop will cover all aspects, including: the establishment of new skills, the daily practicing of skills under timed conditions, in addition to focusing on training team members on how to implement the instructional model for children. Michael will illustrate his points using multiple examples of performance data as well as video taped segments.

About the Presenter: Michael Fabrizio received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Master's Degree in Educational Psychology/Applied Behavior Analysis from West Virginia University.
He is currently a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a third-year Doctoral student in Special Education at the University of Washington where he is focusing on behavior analysis, autism, and instructional design.
He has worked with children with autism and other special needs throughout his more than ten-year clinical career, serving as a Senior Educational Specialist for the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University, a Clinical Specialist for the Spectrum Center for Educational and Behavioral Development in Berkeley, California, Head Teacher for Morningside Academy in Seattle, WA, and Lead Trainer for Morningside Academy's Public School Improvement Project.
A member of many Associations and the recipient of the 2000 New Contributions Award for his work in fluency-based instruction, Michael currently resides in Seattle, WA, where he is a full partner in Fabrizio/Moors Consulting, an educational and behavioural consulting private practice specializing in fluency-based instruction for learners with autism.
Michael has published his work in the Behavior Analysis Digest and the Journal of Precision Teaching and Celeration and written invited manuscripts for such journals as the European Journal of Behavior Analysis.

Morning:
· How the discipline of Behaviour Analysis describes and defines instruction, teaching and learning
· Overview of a range of instructional arrangements that include: discrete trial instruction, fluency-based instruction, direct instruction, incidental teaching, programmed instruction, and personalized systems
· Creating a quality program
· The roles and responsibilities that everyone plays in the education and treatment of children with ASD
· Empowering parents and other consumers to make informed choices about selecting and working with behaviour analytic instructional programs

Afternoon:
· Brief overview of Fluency-Based Instruction for children with ASD
· Discussion on the various components of Fluency-Based Instruction

Workshop Schedule:
9:00 – 9:30 am Registration
9:30 – 10:45 am Morning Session
10:45 – 11:00 am Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30 pm Morning Session (cont.)
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch Break*
1:30 – 2:45 pm Afternoon Session
2:45 – 3:00 pm Coffee Break
3:00 – 4:30 pm Afternoon Session (cont.)
4:30 – 5:00 pm Q&A Period

*If you book by Friday, February 28th, 2003 lunch is included
Cost:
Parent Members. . . . . . . $70.00**
Professional Members . . . . $80.00
Non-Members . . . . . . . . $90.00
**Call the office for more info on our partial bursaries (available to students, adult clients & members in-need). Group rates are also available.
For more information, or to register by phone, please call the ASBC office (604) 434-0880.
OR: to download a printable brochure with registration form go to: http://www.autismbc.ca/ASBCWorkshop.htm.

[Deleted User]

Does anyone know how to get ahold of Shannon Rodrigue since the demise of CEE?

Thanks

[Deleted User]

In response to the person looking for a psychologist:

I had exactly the same problem as you. I found a psychologist in Vancouver who administered the Bayley Infant Development scale for my son, in order to obtain an IQ score for EAP. If you email me or call me I will gladly give you her details.

Allison.
email: caneng@columbiacable.net
phone: 250 265 3835

[Deleted User]

Hi, I am trying to find a child psychologist who can do the Bayley's Infant Development scale test on my 3 1/2 year old son so that we can obtain an IQ score. EAP requires this before my son will be accepted through their program. I have contacted the Able Clinic and booked an appointment for March 12th (their earliest date), but I don't want to wait that long. Does anyone know of any child psychologist who might be able to see my son sooner? I am in Port Moody, but willing to go anywhere in the Lower Mainland.

[Deleted User]

My son is high-functioning and in grade 3. We did Gateway and left the program after 2-3 sessions/meetings. My son was grade 2 at the time (last year) and with all the advancement he's done, Gateway wanted to start from the absolutely beginning and both myself and the school thought that truly ridiculous. I would never NOT recommend a program that is out there to help, but it was a waste of time for MY particular situation.

[Deleted User]

Just decided to write down some thoughts and am hopeful for some/any advice. I have recently just hired a consultant through Gateway after being approved for the IEII program for my four year old daughter. AT present, I am trying to educate myslef on the "system" if you will with respect to getting HELP!! It seems to me that these people I am hoping to come to my rescue basically do not feel any need for urgency (contradicts the EARLY in the IEII!). My daughter at present is so not ready for kindergarten and it is a meer 7 1/2 months away!! I have decided to go through this route to get "behavioral intervention" through Gateway (due more to finances than anything). I am so torn that this might not be as effective as I am hoping (whenever we get started that is!!) I was wondering if there is parent(s) who have gone this route with no success (I know every child is unique)and regreted this decision and then turned to ABA for hope of greater success. I am just so anxious right now to start some sort of routine with daughter. Does FEAT believe that ABA could be effective at maybe a 1/2 program?

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