Category: Mind and Brain

Another insight into the stress of living with autism, from a very thoughtful article

While science is making rapid progress in the field of autism research, it is a sad fact that community awareness remains as it was 20 years ago.

How many times have parents caring for autistic children been labelled as bad parents, and how many times is deep intolerance directed to them and to their family members?

“Dr Michelle Garnett, director and clinical psychologist at autism support network, Minds and Hearts, explains, “Someone on the autism spectrum who does not have the capacity to express themselves with speech may often make unusual noises, including humming, yelps, moaning and sometimes loud noises.
“They do this because they have the same human emotional range, but not the same capacity to understand, express or regulate their emotions.” She adds, “They are not doing this to be annoying.”
Madeleine Ryan, Sydney Morning Herald, March 14,
Should this neighbour have complained about an autistic boy? Madeleine Ryan, Sydney Morning Herald, March 14,

Reblogging: “The part of our day they don’t see…” Autism Kids On Tour

Please read this if you want to understand the trauma caused to autistic children in a ‘normal’ school day, and the aftermath that has to be handled at home.

We well remember those days, and it became the most significant factor in our deciding to withdraw our child, now in his 20s, from regular, ‘inclusive’ education.  It was the best decision we made. In spite of all the experts warning us to never expect anything from him, in the quiet, non-pressured home he progressed, and our resistance to subjecting him to the trauma of bullying, and uneducated and at times unfeeling teachers, he is now moving forward at a tremendous pace.

“They had no idea what we went through at home after school each day. They had no idea of the results of their not thinking. I’m not even sure they cared. They certainly didn’t understand and I was, as usual, left to piece my broken children back together. “
Autism Kids On Tour
The part of our day they don’t see… Autism Kids on Tour, WordPress Blog, March 14, 2018

Genome writing to be the future of advancements in biology

 

“Gene editing is one of the most exciting scientific advancements of this young century, but to realize its full potential, researchers need to have better, more scalable tools to forward engineer proteins, pathways and genomes,” Inscripta CEO Kevin Ness said in a statement. “The past 20 years of genomic advancements have been in the field of genome reading, but we believe that future advancements in biology will be in the applications of genome writing.”
Genomeweb, February 28, 2018

Amazing advances in reading genomes has occurred over recent years. Now we move into editing and writing genomes. It’s time that the whole autism community embrace this exciting scientific breakthroughs, ones that have the potential to eliminate all brain disorders.

Gene Editing Company Inscripta Closes $55.5M Series C Round, staff reporter, Genomeweb, February 28, 2018

New breakthrough with gene therapy and Angelman syndrome.

The pace of breakthroughs with genetic disorders is fast gathering momentum.  Once again, it is imperative that Australia prepares for them, or our disabled will once again be left behind.

“Angelman syndrome is marked by developmental delay, epilepsy and, often, autism. It usually stems from a deletion of a stretch of DNA on chromosome 15, where UBE3A resides.”
Spectrum,  November 12, 2017
Gene therapy technique prevents seizures in Angelman mice, Katie Moisse, Spectrum,  November 12, 2017

‘… microglia now appear to be master landscapers of the developing brain’

This article was published 2 years ago.  There has been continuous research conducted in this area since its publication, some of it highly technical. We provide a link because of the significance of the discovery of the role of microglia in neurological disorders.

The brain’s secret gardeners, Rebecca Boyle, Spectrum, February 3, 2016 

New Study Finds ‘ … motor problems are an inherent feature of autism.’

‘Severe spontaneous mutations are linked to both intellectual disability and motor problems. In a 2015 study, Wigler and his colleagues showed that harmful mutations increase the likelihood that a child with autism has intellectual disability.’
Jessica Wright, Spectrum,February 28, 2018, quoting Michael Wigler, professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.

Personal experience shows that childhood abuse can bring on motor problems as well.  Other research has shown that physical exercise can directly affect brain, by encouraging neuronal development.  A second link is provided, leading to recent research on this matter.

Genetics underscores importance of motor deficits in autism, Jessica Wright, Spectrum, February 28, 2018

 

Uncovering the science behind ‘sound body, sound mind’ Tim Newman, Medical News Today,  February, 2018

Workshop report: 16p11.2 deletions and duplications

The Simons Foundation is carrying out a long term study of deletions and duplications in the 16p11.2 chromosomal region of the brain spanning 29 genes.  They are researching the effect of these duplications and deletions.  The object of this study is to discover the various forms of autism created by these deletions and duplications, and determine long-term strategies to treat them.

This article is important as it illustrates the way in which autism research is moving today. That is, it aims at finding the different forms of autism, and working out appropriate treatments for each.

Every person in Australia who has been diagnosed with autism must be able to access a genome scan so that we can take part in research and benefit from it. People in Australia who have these deletion/duplication of genes in the 16p11.2 chromosomal area should be able to participate, but cannot because of a non-specific diagnosis.

 

Workshop report: 16p11.2 deletions and duplications, Jessica Wright, Simons Foundation Autism Research Institute, August 7, 2012

 

“HumanBase combines thousands of publically available data sets to model how genes are expressed and how they function through ‘functional networks’ … “

 

The Simons Foundation is one of the most respected autism organisations, and often leads the way in autism research.

SFARI announces the launch of HumanBase, Simons Foundation Autism Research Institute, February 15, 2018

Study finds some drugs used to treat epilepsy, but particularly valproate, increase the likelihood of autism and other developmental disorders, but do benefits outweigh the risks?

Could this help explain the strong link between epilepsy and autism?  If you are pregnant and take drugs to control epilepsy, bipolar disorder, or migraines, please consult with your physician.

 

“The study is the first to compare the relative risks of taking various epilepsy drugs during pregnancy. Some of these medications are also used to treat bipolar disorder and migraines.”
(However)  … in many cases, the benefits outweigh the risks …” Emily Anthes, Spectrum,  September 7,  2017

 

Epilepsy drugs pose risks to developing brains, study suggests,  Emily Anthes, Spectrum,  September 7,  2017

“…connection between learning, memory and autism could explain why many children with autism have intellectual disability.”

 

“The same processes that enable the brain to store new memories may also control many autism genes, a new study suggests”
Jessica Wright, Spectrum, February 22, 2018

 

Autism genes abound in DNA regions involved in learning,  Jessica Wright, Spectrum, February 22, 2018