Down Syndrome: A Year of Grief and Joy From ABC NEWS

In one week from today it will be one year since I decided to become the mother of a child with Down syndrome.

It was March 21, 2013 –- World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. But I didn't know that. All I knew was I was 15 weeks pregnant, lying on a table, having an ultrasound and waiting for the tech to tell me what else was “wrong” with my baby.

Mother's Antibodies May Explain a Quarter of Autism Cases, Study Finds

A test for six antibodies in an expectant mom’s blood may predict with more than 99% certainty which children are at highest risk of developing autism.

In a study published in Translational Psychiatry, researchers report that 23% of all cases of autism may result from the presence of maternal antibodies that interfere with fetal brain development during pregnancy.

Eating Healthy Fats During Pregnancy May Reduce Autism Risk, Study Finds

Women who eat certain types of "healthy fat" during pregnancy may reduce their risk of having a child with autism, a new study suggests.

In the study, women who consumed high levels of linoleic acid a type of omega-6 fatty acid found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds were 34 percent less likely to give birth to a child with autism compared with women who consumed low levels of the nutrient.

Study: Air Pollution Linked to Autism

Pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of air pollution were twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in low pollution areas, a Harvard University study said on Tuesday.

According to researchers, this is the first large national study to examine links between the prevalence of pollution and the development of the developmental disorder.

Folic Acid Linked to Lower Autism Risk

Women who took folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy were about 40% less likely to have a baby later diagnosed with autism, according to a provocative new study generating high interest in the scientifc community.

Expectant Mothers Worry About Antidepressent Link

BOSTON -- Try Googling “Prozac pregnancy’’ and you’ll get a sense of the fear and confusion surrounding the relationship between the two.

“Anyone with experience on Prozac?’’ asks a woman on the community page of www.babycenter.com. Prescribed the antidepressant by her doctor, she writes, “I’m just really concerned and frankly scared to take them after reading all these articles and research. I’m 20 weeks 2 days, and I’m supposed to start on 10mg of Prozac this morning, but I’m staring at it right now and I don’t know what to do - should I take it?’’

Down Syndrome Test in Development

SAN DIEGO -- Genetic test maker Sequenom Inc. said Monday it will collaborate with Illumina on a new test that detects fetal abnormalities that can lead to Down syndrome.

Under the agreement Sequenom will use Illumina's genetic sequencing equipment and other technology to develop a test for pregnant women that can detect high levels of chromosome 21, which is associated with Down syndrome.

Test may see Down syndrom earlier

NEW YORK — By this time next year there may be an alternative prenatal test for Down syndrome that offers accurate results as early as nine weeks into the pregnancy.

For years, many women have undergone a blood or ultrasound test that indicates a heightened risk of Down syndrome, followed by a procedure to make a firm diagnosis by capturing DNA from the fetus.

Usually, it is a needle procedure, called amniocentesis, done almost four months or more into the pregnancy. Sometimes it is an earlier test called chorionic villus sampling, which collects a bit of tissue from the placenta. Both pose a tiny but real chance of miscarriage.

Prenatal Vitamins May Ward Off Autism, Study Finds

Scientists have identified an unexpected factor that may play a significant role in the development of autism: prenatal vitamins.
A new study reports that mothers of children with autism and autism spectrum disorders were significantly less likely than mothers of children without autism to have taken prenatal vitamins three months before conception and in the first month of pregnancy. The finding, published in the July issue of the journal Epidemiology, suggests that taking vitamins in this period may help prevent these disorders, reducing the risk by some 40 percent.

Study: Prenatal Vitamins Cut Autism Risk

Women who reported not taking prenatal vitamins immediately before and during a pregnancy were twice as likely to have a child with autism, UC Davis researchers reported Wednesday. If the women also had a mutation in a high-risk gene, they were seven times as likely to have a child with the developmental disorder, the researchers reported in the online edition of the journal Epidemiology. The study is scheduled to appear in print in July.

Defying Odds, Twins Prepare for Graduation

ELK RIVER, Minn. -- It does not take much to weigh out two pounds of grapes at the grocery store. Try it. Just a couple clumps of grapes should do it.
That is how much Karla and Kayla Koppendrayer weighed when they were born.
Actually, the twins, delivered in an emergency caesarean birth at 25 weeks, six days, weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces each. Karla was a whopping 14.5 inches long while Kayla, born a minute later, was 14 inches in length.
In 1992, babies born this early in a pregnancy normally died, and if they did manage to make it, they would suffer severe developmental disabilities.
But these super (micro) preemies, as they are called, overcame many obstacles and will graduate May 27 from Spectrum High School in Elk River, Karla with a 3.93 grade point average (GPA) and Kayla with a 3.92 GPA.