New Clues in Understanding Autism

Bronx researchers are thinking about autism in a new way.

Dr. John Greally and his colleagues at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have published a paper that details factors other than genetic mutations that might influence a diagnosis on autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.

What we know about autism so far, Dr. Greally said, is that genetic mutations can cause autism. DNA sequencing in recent years has made it possible for us to know this more in depth. But Dr. Greally and his team went one step further, looking at those genes' epigenetics, or their ability to switch on and off.

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High Court Rejects Florida's IQ Standard for Execution

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court moved Tuesday to provide intellectually disabled defendants greater protection from execution, ruling that Florida can't set a simple IQ score of 70 as the cutoff from capital punishment.
Writing for a court that divided 5-4, Justice Anthony Kennedy said Florida's practice disregarded modern medical standards, which consider an IQ score an imprecise measurement that shouldn't be viewed in isolation when determining an individual's intellectual ability.

More Medicaid Funds Going to Community-Based Services

Spending on home and community-based services is on the rise as fewer dollars go to institutions, a new federal government report finds.
Nationally, Medicaid funding for long-term services and supports remained largely stagnant in 2012 but increasingly that money is being directed to services in the community.

Mice with Mohawks Yield Autism Clues

It's not every day you see a mouse with a mohawk. But that's what researchers saw while studying mice that had a genetic mutation linked to autism.

The mohawks that the mice were sporting actually resulted from their "over-grooming" behavior, repeatedly licking each other's hair in the same direction.The behavior resembles the repetitive motions displayed by some people with autism, and the researchers say their experiments reveal a link between the genetic causes of autism and their effects on the brain, suggesting potential avenues for treating the disorder.

Couple Appealing Housing Case

Two people with mental disabilities who sued the state and their group homes for the right to live together after getting married are appealing after a federal judge threw out their case.

Paul and Hava Forziano and their parents filed suit in January 2013 in federal court in Central Islip after their group homes -- run by Independent Group Home Living Program and Maryhaven Center of Hope -- both refused to house the couple together after their April 2013 marriage.

Autism Is Growing Up

Editor's note: Francesca Happé is president of the International Society for Autism Research, a professor of cognitive neuroscience, and director of the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. Opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

As the world's leading autism researchers and advocates gathered at the International Meeting for Autism Research last weekend to share the latest discoveries about autism spectrum disorder, a strong theme emerged: Autism is growing up.

When you think of autism, you probably think of young children. But children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, and eventually (God willing) elderly people with autism.

Virtual Interviewer Providing Guidance to Job Seekers with Autism

Knowing what an employer wants to hear can make all the difference during a job interview.For adults with an autism-spectrum disorder, those answers can be harder to come by. And without work, they face the prospect of a much less independent life.

But early evidence suggests some job-training programs geared for these individuals appear to improve interview skills and self-confidence.