Autism

The National Institute of Health has given a $7 million grant – which will help researchers at the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center to help recognize autism in children at a much younger age. It is hard sometimes to determine whether or not your baby is autistic. One way that you can tell is to see if they will look at others to determine a certain situation.

Catherine Lord – the UMACC director – says that she believes infants can be encouraged to seek out such feedback, cementing a routine that could help as they learn to navigate the world. “The idea is can you prevent some things from going awry if you catch them early enough?” Lord said.

This is the third grant that has been given to them to help discover a treatment that could help impact a child at a young age and to prevent autism. Children who have autism have a difficulty with communication and social skills and can cause them to have repetitive behavior. Some children are able to function on their own quite well while others need constant and lifelong attention.

While no one has yet discovered a cure Stephanie Harlan – the director of the Autism Connections program at the nonprofit human service agency the Judson Center – believes that they have the ability to discover the results they need with the right resources.

Her son was diagnosed with the disorder at 2 1/2 years old. He has been in occupational therapy and social skills therapy, takes medication and is on a special diet. Now 9, he no longer meets the criteria for autism, Harlan said. “Everyone has different theories of why it has worked for some kids and not for others,” she said of intervention. “All I know is we got the right combination of treatments, and it has worked.”

Researcher Diane Chugani, a professor of pediatrics and radiology at the WSU School of Medicine, says autistic children may not produce enough serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps a young brain develop.
Chugani said autistic children were treated with a drug similar to serotonin in an earlier study she did, and many improved their social interactions and reduced repetitive motor actions.

Dr. Eileen Donovan, medical director at the Detroit Institute for Children, which serves disabled children, said the grants will greatly increase the odds of unraveling the mysteries about the disorder. “This is somewhat an uncharted area,” she said.