People with Autism Read Facial Expressions with a Focus on the Mouth

The eyes may be the mirror of the soul, but for those with autism, the mouth will have to do.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center isolated neurons in the brain's amygdala that respond to facial expressions, and tested patients with autism against those without. Both groups could correctly identify a "happy" or "fearful" face, a function long associated with the amygdala.

But when the researchers examined which neurons fired in relation to areas of the face, they found that those with autism "read" the information from the mouth area more than from the eyes and seemed to be lacking a population of nerve cells that respond only to images of eyes.

Seeking a Home for His Son, Father Now Faces Lawsuit From Neighbors

ENID, Okla. — Paul Smith's developmentally disabled son has called the Northern Oklahoma Resource Center in Enid his home for half a decade.

"The state is not doing them any favors by kicking them out," said Smith.

NORCE will close by 2015.  DHS says there are currently 50 residents living at the facility.  Smith wants to move his son, Weston to a home he plans to build, about eight miles away in Garfield County.

"We were being nice, and went to neighbors, told them basically what we are doing," said Smith.

Instead of a welcome to the neighborhood, Smith faces a lawsuit.

More Support Needed for Adults with Autism, Survey Finds

PHILADELPHIA — Within the next 10 years, nearly half a million young people diagnosed with autism grow into adulthood. A new survey says there will be a big need for supportive services and housing for these autistic adults.

The housing and residential supports survey was conducted over the course of four weeks and included responses from 10,000 caregivers and 400 people with autism spectrum disorder.“There’s no national plan or effort to really strategically deal with so many adults with autism coming into the system,” says Leslie Long, director of adult services for Autism Speaks, which conducted the survey.

Editorial: Cuts Wrong Path for Tenneseeans with Disabilities

Congress and the president are legendary for their skill at kicking the can down the road. But Tennessee government is showing that it knows how to shirk its responsibilities, too.Even after an audit by the state comptroller exposed the alarming status of services for Tennesseans under care of the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, it appears that instead of meeting its obligations to more than 15,000 people who desperately need assistance, DIDD may cut back on care in 2014.

Boys More Likely to Be Premature

Boys are slightly more likely to be born premature than girls, and they tend to fare worse, too, says a new report on the health of the world's newborns.

A baby in the NICU.

"This is a double whammy for boys," said Dr. Joy Lawn of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who led the team of researchers. "It's a pattern that happens all over the world."

'Disabled People Are Human Like Everyone Else'

This story is taken from Steve Flairty’s 2008 book, “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes. Marie Braun continues, five years later, to actively advocate for those with disabilities, both around the city of Covington, Kentucky and on a state level. She will soon be enrolling in Gateway Community College to pursue an associate arts degree while continuing her employment at the Salvation Army. 

Marie Braun 

Marie Braun learned long ago that life’s playing field is not always level.Born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy in rural Sebastion Branch, in Breathitt County, some 54 years ago, little Marie Louise Miller soon became a case for the child welfare system and was placed into the Old Frankfort State Hospital in Frankfort.

She had wished for something more fulfilling in her life than having her brothers push her around in a banana box at a very young age, but she got an institution in Frankfort instead, a place, Braun said recently, where “people put their children in this home because they thought that they were ‘retarded’ and could do nothing for themselves.”

Opposition to Planned Closing of N.Y. Developmental Center

FENTON, N.Y.  — Troy Carley isn’t just worried about losing his job at the Broome Developmental Center.

He’s also concerned about what will happen to those he cares for should the center close by March 31, 2016.“There’s just some that will never make it (in the community),” said Carley, a supervisor at the center. “They’ll end up in jail. They’ll end up dead.”