A 13-year-old piano prodigy, who is blind and has severe autism, is nurturing her incredible musical gift with the help of a dedicated teacher. Together, they are wowing audiences and proving that the sky is the limit for kids with disabilities. Adam Ockelford, professor of music at the University of Roehampton in London, England, first…

One in 36 (2.8 percent) 8-year-old children—4 percent of boys and 1 percent of girls—have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on an analysis of data from 2020, published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This article was originally published by The Defender —Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website One in…

Higher lithium concentrations in drinking water among pregnant women carry significant possibilities of raising the risk of autism among children, a new study has found. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on April 3, looked into whether maternal exposure to lithium in drinking water is linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring. Conducted…

A bill that commits the government to tabling a federal framework on autism will become law after passing unanimously in the House of Commons this week. Conservative member of Parliament Mike Lake, a longtime advocate for such a framework, delivered a speech on Wednesday to mark the moment. Lake spoke about the triumphs and struggles…

According to a 2015 article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, modern Jews have children who are more frequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder than ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs. The study, which was led by Dr. Raanan Raz, who was at the Harvard School of Public Health at the time, analyzed…

More U.S. children than ever now have autism, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in 36, or 2.8 percent, 8-year-old children have autism in 11 communities in the country, researchers said in a study published in the agency’s quasi-journal. That’s up from one in 44 in…

When Diana Diaz-Harrison strolls the halls of her schools, she is reminded on a daily basis why she loves education. She has always loved kids. It’s what drew her into the education field in the first place. Her earlier self as a bilingual teacher in California could not have imagined her present self as an…

An inexpensive epilepsy drug can “switch off” autism, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Led by Dr. Moritz Mall from the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research in Germany, researchers in the study found that the drug lamotrigine, which is sold under the brand name Lamictal, among others, was able to curb behavioral issues…

Approximately 25–30 percent of people with autism either cannot speak or have a vocabulary of 30 words or less. Many others have an ability to speak that’s categorized as unreliable. They resort to scripting (using phrases or sounds from movies, or parroting back what other people say), and they’re unable to find the correct words…

Scientists from the University of Utah recently concluded that one’s ancestors—particularly where and when one’s grandparents and their children were born—may contribute to an increased risk of autism. Recently published in the International Journal of Health Geographics, the study reveals that ancestors’ genetics carry a significant risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—with the strongest signal…