Study Urges Physicians to Listen to Parents About GI Problems in Children with Autism

A researcher at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has published a study highlighting the importance of physicians listening to parental reports of gastrointestinal (GI) problems in their autistic children and screening these children for gastrointestinal dysfunction (GID). Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School, served as principal investigator of the study, which was published on Jan. 9 on the website of Autism Research.
Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute
“This research shows that physicians should take parents seriously when they report GI problems,” said Levitt, who was joined in the study by first author Philip Gorrindo, a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Doctors should be especially diligent in checking children who have major language problems and who have not been identified previously with GID because there’s a higher likelihood that they could have GI problems, and these children may be less able to report their physical distress.”

Marino Foundation Plans Vocational College

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  — The Dan Marino Foundation's plans for a downtown college for the developmentally disabled could give students the real-world experiences they need to make it on their own.
For the foundation started by the former Miami Dolphins quarterback in 1992 after his 2-year-old son Michael was diagnosed with autism, the first-of-its-kind college in Florida is a natural next step.
The Dan Marino Foundation Florida Vocational College would help those with developmental disabilities move into adulthood. Marino's own son, now 23, has himself finished college and works as a DJ, performing under the name DJ 1 Tre.

3-D Technology Helps with Reading Skills

Christopher Gómez

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A menagerie of virtual 3-D animals that swim, eat bugs and fly are building crucial reading skills in autistic children at Audubon Park Elementary in Orlando.
Four-year-old Christopher Gómez lined up a set of specialized word and animal cards, including one with the letter 'I' and a picture of an iguana under a camera to compose the sentence, "The iguana can eat."

Battles Brewing in Illinois Over Centers' Future

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  — A debate over the future of developmental disability and mental health care in Illinois is paving the way for a behind-the-scenes brawl between unions in the state.
Gov. Pat Quinn rang the bell in the fall when he announced the closure of seven state facilities, two of which care for people with developmentally disabilities, because of a lack of funds.
Quinn and lawmakers eventually found the cash to keep the facilities open, with a promise to review how to save the state money and improve care for patients.

Viewpoint: Revised Autism Definition Is Too Important to Rush Into Print

When is a person just a little different, and when is his peculiarity a symptom of a disabling disorder?
An expert panel has taken a new crack at that question, proposing a redefinition of autism and related conditions for the manual used by U.S. mental health professionals. The plan has aroused fears that it may strip many people of a diagnosis and thus the insurance and government benefits that can go with it.
So far, it's not certain whether this would be the result. But until the consequences are known, it's premature for the American Psychiatric Association to change the autism diagnosis in the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Parents Hoping to Win Autism Coverage

Amie Giersdorf works with her son.

HARTLAND, Mich. -- Justin and Amie Giersdorf's plans for a second child were all but dashed in July when their son was diagnosed with autism — a disability they learned could cost them upward of $30,000 annually to have treated.
Medical and educational experts agree their son, Andrew, 2, has mild autism, a disorder that most often hampers social skills and awareness.
Despite that expertise, no private insurers in Michigan cover autism therapies that many argue have been proved effective.

Editorial: Discrimination Case Needs Sorting Out

This warrants coverage -- from Canada.

There’s a shocking legal matter that needs sorting out involving a group of workers with developmental disabilities in St. Catharines, Ont., who, according to allegations put to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, earned $1.25 an hour or less for 10 years.

The matter, Garrie v. Janus Joan, involved a St. Catharines company, Janus Joan Inc., that, starting in the late 1990s, employed several general labourers with developmental disabilities. It also had workers who didn’t have developmental disabilities.