Unlock Autism

As you may know already, treating Autism has become big business. Expensive therapy’s, Special diets, Vitamin supplements, ABA, Chelation have become new additions to most affected family’s budgets and vocabulary, yet unlocking the mystery that is Autism seems no closer than it did 1, 5, or even 10 years ago.
Parents who receive the dreaded news are caught in the middle of the skeptical medical establishment and new therapy’s which seem to greatly improve some and have no affect at all on others. If you are affected by Autism or know someone who is, then you know the burden this can be. You should Know , that although it seems like you are alone at times, you are not!
Today 1 in 150 children born are likely to be diagnosed with Autism. Autism affects everybody from Dan Marino to Doug Flutie to Sylvester Stallone to you and I. This site is an opportunity to be part of a community involved with finding a Cure for Autism Now and sharing of information and resources. Lets unlock the mystery and cure this horrible disease. We are Not Affiliated with unlockingautism.com, but that is a great site too to check out.

For more information, contact info@unlockautism.com

The content and links presented on this page are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical, legal, financial or any other type of advice. Any articles or content presented here are the opinions of the author and have not been reviewed for accuracy. We assume no responsibility for the use of this page or the information and links contained herein.

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By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco MADISON, Wis., Sept. 27 –

Symptoms of autism, including maladaptive behaviors and impaired social interactions, appear to lessen over time in a significant percentage of patients. Action Points In a study of 241 adolescents and adults here and in Massachusetts with autism spectrum disorders, who were followed for nearly five years, many had stable symptoms, but a greater percentage had declines in their levels of autistic symptoms, reported Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., M.S.S.W., now at Washington University in St. Louis. But even with improvement, most of the patients in their sample remained seriously impaired, pointing to a need for continued intervention, the investigators wrote in the October issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

“On average, people are getting better,” said Dr. Shattuck. “It is a hopeful finding, but the fact remains that those with severe autism will depend on others for their everyday needs and care for the rest of their lives.” The investigators conducted a study to get a better grasp on the prevalence of autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors among teens and adults with autism spectrum disorders from, and to determine predictors of change over time. The patients in the community sample were 10 or older at enrollment, had received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified), and to have had a researcher-administered Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Data were collected every 18 months via two- to three-hour interviews with family members. The 241 patients were followed from baseline through fourth follow-up, at 4.5 years. The patients ranged from 10 to 52 years at baseline (mean 22, + 9.7); two-thirds of the patients ranged from 10 to 21. Three-fourths of the patients were male.

About two-thirds of the patients (68.5%) also had a diagnosis of mental retardation. The authors saw decreases over time in the broad domains of communication, social reciprocity, and repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. They looked at 32 specific symptoms within those domains. They also evaluated broader maladaptive behaviors not specific to autism, such as aggression and self-injury. They found that “for all major symptoms, the percentage of people who improved was always greater than the percentage who worsened,” Dr. Shattuck said. “If there was significant symptom change over time, it was always in the direction of improvement, though there was always a group in the middle that showed no change. The mean never went down.” In terms of percentages, the largest changes were decreases in repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. For example, there was an 18.3% decrease in mean scale scores for circumscribed interests, a 15.8% decline in unusual preoccupations, and a 15.8% decline in unusual sensory interests.

Other areas of change included decreased deficits in reciprocal conversations, inappropriate questions or statements, direct gaze, and smiling in social situations. Nonverbal communication impairments improved in 26.1% of all patients in the sample, stayed the same in 54.4%, and worsened in 19.5%. Verbal communication impairments in the 179 patients who were verbal at baseline improved in 51.4%, remained unchanged in 22.9%, and deteriorated in 25.7%. Impairments in social reciprocity among all 241 patients improved in 32.0%, were unchanged in 53.5%, and got worse in 14.5%. Repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests, again in all 241 patients, improved in 58.5%., stayed the same in 24.1%, and worsened in 17.4%. They also found that for seven of eight maladaptive behaviors there was significant decrease over time. The seven behaviors were unusual or repetitive habits, withdrawal or inattentive behavior, hurtful to self, hurtful to others, destructive to property, socially offensive behaviors, and uncooperative behavior. For the eighth — disruptive behavior — there was a trend toward decrease, but this was not significant. “Whereas the overall trend across measures was one of improvement, approximately half of the sample remained stable between [baseline] and [most recent follow-up] with respect to nonverbal communication impairments, impairments in social reciprocity, and all measures of maladaptive behaviors,” the authors wrote.

“Although worsening of symptoms was observed in only a small minority of sample members, identification of factors differentiating those whose symptoms and maladaptive behaviors worsened is warranted in future research.” The authors noted that autism treatment services are more widely available for children than for teens and adults, but the analysis indicates that both symptoms and behaviors can improve among older patients with autism spectrum disorders as well. “Over time, patterns of improvement represent the product of interactions among the autism spectrum disorder genotype, the autism spectrum disorder behavioral phenotype, and the environment, including the family environment, treatments, and interventions,” they wrote. They also cautioned against reduction or withdrawal of services from older patients with autism spectrum disorder “under the false assumption that this population’s impairments will spontaneously remit to a point where assistance and supervision is not required.” The authors acknowledged that the study was limited by its relatively short follow-up and by the use of parent-guardian reports rather than direct observation. The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. No authors’ conflicts of interest were reported.

Primary source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Source reference: Shattuck PT et al. “Change in Autism Symptoms and Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.” J Autism Dev Disord DOI: 10.1007/s10803-006-0307-7.

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CINCINNATI, Sept. 4 — Almost 9% of U.S. children ages 8 to 15 meet standard diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but less than half of them receive treatment. Action Points * Explain to interested parents that this study suggests that less than half of the 2.4 million children ages 8 to 15 who meet standard diagnostic criteria for ADHD receive treatment. * Note that there are also ADHD prevalence discrepancies between racial and ethnic groups and according to socioeconomic status. Only 47.9% of the 2.4 million who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD had reportedly had their conditions diagnosed by a health care professional or been treated with medication, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

A research team led by Tanya E. Froehlich, M.D., of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center did a cross-sectional phone survey of the parents or caregivers of 3,082 eight- to 15-year old children who were participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Survey respondents provided information about each child’s ADHD symptoms between 2001 and 2004. They also provided sociodemographic information and information about whether the child had ever been diagnosed with ADHD or taken medicine to treat the disorder.

The researchers found that 8.7% (95% CI; 7.3%-10.1%) met the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in the year before the survey took place. An additional 3.3% of children did not meet the criteria, but had a parent-reported prior diagnosis and had been treated with an ADHD medication at some point during the previous year. The latter group, however, was not included in the main analysis. More boys than girls met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, 11.8% versus 5.4%, respectively (P<0.001), but girls were less likely than boys to have had the disorder recognized. There were also discrepancies in ADHD rates by race and ethnicity. Non-Hispanic white children were more likely to meet criteria for ADHD than were Mexican-American children or children of other races/ethnicities, the study showed. These findings held in both bivariate and multivariate analyses.

The study authors could not explain why Mexican-American children had lower rates of ADHD, but they speculate that this may be related to “differences in the prevalence of causal risk factors, genetic susceptibility, and/or rates of reporting ADHD symptoms across cultures.” Of the children who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, 38.8% had received medication to treat inattention, hyperactivity, or overactivity in the prior year and 32.0% had been taking medication for most of that year. Regular medication use was more likely to be reported for older children than younger ones, the study showed. Money also mattered in the new study. Children in the poorest quintile were more likely than those in the wealthiest quintile to have been diagnosed with ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for PIR, first quintile vs fifth quintile, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4-3.9). “Reasons for the increased likelihood of ADHD in poorer children may include the elevated prevalence of ADHD risk factors (i.e., premature birth and in utero or childhood exposures to toxic substances) in this group,” the study authors write. “In addition, given the high heritability of ADHD and its negative impact on social, academic and career outcomes, it is plausible that families with ADHD may cluster within the lower socioeconomic strata.” Although poor children were more likely to have ADHD, the poorest children were three to five times less likely to consistently receive medication when compared with their counterparts in other income groups, the researchers noted.

This finding “warrants further investigation and possible intervention to ensure that all children with ADHD have equitable access to treatment when appropriate,” the authors conclude.

The researchers also analyzed ADHD by subtypes. Specifically, 4.4% of the children met the criteria for ADHD-1A, 2.2% for ADHD-CT and 3.0% for ADHD-HI. The poorest children were more likely to have ADHD-HI than their wealthier counterparts (AOR for PIR, first vs fifth quintile, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.3). In addition, African Americans and Mexican Americans were less likely to have ADHD-1A, compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts, the study showed. None of the study authors reported any financial conflicts.

The study was funded by an Ambulatory Pediatrics Association Young Investigator Grant, a National Research Service Award grant, and grants from the NIH and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional ADHD/ADD Coverage Additional source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Source reference: Froehlich TE, “Prevalence, Recognition, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a National Sample of US Children” Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007; 161(9): 857-864.

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By Chris Higbee, VP Marketing, Two Little Hands Productions

((I can tell you first hand, we owe a ton of gratitude to Signing Time, it has proven to be one of the top 2 most effective things to stimulate speech and communication))

A recent study out of the University of Washington written by Dmitri A. Christakis and Frederick J. Zimmerman suggests children’s educational videos may do more harm than good. The press release announcing the publication of the study in the Journal of Pediatrics specifically calls out Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby as ineffective. However, the press release and the study irresponsibly ignore the fact that the children’s educational programming market is comprised of vastly different products, which target different audiences and espouse different goals.

As a parent, I definitely understand the medical and scholarly communities’ concerns with overexposing our children to the potential pitfalls of television. Commercials. Sedentary viewing. The alienation of children from the family. The development of inappropriate habits. And I don’t necessarily disagree with Zimmerman and Christakis when they infer that unsupervised and non-interactive viewing can be counterproductive and keep children from reaching their full learning potential.

However, as a developer of children’s educational programming, I take issue with the idea that it’s all the same, causing readers to create incorrect and unfair associations between programs as a result. Here at Two Little Hands Productions, we receive dozens of letters and e-mails each day from our customers expressing their gratitude and sharing their success stories of how their children have grown because of Signing Time. A majority of these letters describe how children of all abilities have overcome language development problems as a result of Signing Time. Parents are often also pleasantly surprised to discover the positive effects of Signing Time on bonding and their personal relationship with their children due to its interactive nature. This anecdotal evidence along with scholarly research on sign language as a communication development device and on audio-visual learning strongly support our belief that certain types of educational content, are best suited to a video format when supervised and watched in moderation; sign language is one of those.

Sign language is a three-dimensional language. While it can be learned from books, the best way to learn sign language is to see it in motion. High quality live instruction is the best method for learning sign language, but video is also an ideal format. In fact, video or television provide something that live instruction cannot; a cost-effective and ubiquitous means of distributing it to children and adults who are interested in learning it but cannot afford or find live instruction. Additionally, learning aids such as music, animation, mnemonics, and interactive activities can be incorporated in to a video or television program much easier and more cost effectively than live instruction. And, as any early childhood professional will tell you, these types of aids have the greatest possible effect on the widest possible audience of children with varied learning styles and abilities. Additionally, for those families and educators who prefer printed media, Signing Time provides board books and flashcards that can be used on their own or supplement the instruction provided on the videos.

Another key teaching aid is interactivity. Children not only internalize concepts better, but they develop stronger communication and interpersonal bonds as they share those concepts with family and friends. Sign language provides a perfect medium for this and Signing Time is designed with this type of interactivity in mind. A child can learn sign language on his own, but what’s the point if he has no one to sign with? As with all forms of useful communication, sign language is a sort of positive epidemic. If it’s useful, it gets spread. Even if a child watches Signing Time alone, she will spread sign language directly by teaching it to friends and family, or inadvertently as curious friends and family see her using it.

Signing Time is designed for co-viewing. Signing Time is meant to be watched together by children and their parents. Even when watched separately, parents and children will use what they’ve learned from Signing Time away from the television to communicate and bond.

Signing Time was designed to teach children AND their families. This includes mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers. In fact, Two Little Hands Co-Founder, Rachel Coleman has said regarding the founding of the company “I was tired of my dad, after three years, asking what the sign for ‘Grandpa’ was. When we originally set out to create Signing Time our goal was simple; teach Dad (and others who interacted with my daughter Leah, who is deaf) to sign.” Through the use of original music, clever animation and teaching a fun and engaging language, Signing Time has steered clear of the pitfalls of many other children’s educational programs that keep parents from watching with their kids; it’s not boring or annoying and most importantly creates an environment where children and parents learn together. The other day, I received a call from a convent in Canada where one of the nuns is deaf and the others wanted to learn sign language so they could communicate with her. One of them had seen Signing Time at a childcare center in which she was volunteering and ended up liking it so much, she told the convent and they purchased our entire DVD library over dozens of adult-oriented sign language programs, because it was fun to watch.

Signing Time is being used by state and federal education programs. Many preschools and elementary schools around the country are incorporating sign language into their regular curriculum because it is such an effective tool with young children. A large number have incorporated Signing Time in to this curriculum. Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada has made it part of their ready to learn program for pre through K, while the Hawaii state legislature has put out an official declaration that Signing Time should be considered when incorporating sign language in to any state-approved special education program (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessioncurrent/Bills/HCR223_.htm). Additionally, we receive emails and letters from families who have been referred to Signing Time by their pediatricians and speech and language pathologists. An example follows:

“I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and have been recommending these videos to all of my clients. Every single one has loved it! I do too! These are the best videos—entertaining, educational, and fun! I stop people on the street to tell them about Signing Time!”

-Laurie Grief
Mesa, AZ

The benefits of Sign Language as an educational aid are well documented by respected scholars. Drs. Joseph Garcia, Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, Marylin Daniels and many other highly respected researchers have documented the benefits of signing with hearing children. In fact, Dr. William Sears, noted author of “The Baby Book” has said of Signing Time, “We heartily recommend Signing Time books and videos – not only because they are particularly effective and fun, but because they encourage family bonding through communication at an early age.” While this is not the place to cite all of the scholarly work that shows what a powerful influence for good a television show or video series such as Signing Time can be—suffice it to say that overwhelmingly supportive research is out there and can be easily found in any university or public library. However, as with any thing we assign value to, Signing Time’s only real value lies in whether it has been effective in meeting the needs of its viewers. As mentioned before, we are overwhelmed with customer letters affirming that we have, but the best measure of our effectiveness, and this may seem very commercial for the scholars out there, but it is whether customers continue to demand it enough to keep Two Little Hands in business.

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By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
August 30, 2007
add your knowledge 1 Add Your Knowledge™ Post     Additional Autism Coverage

BRISTOL, England, Aug. 30 — Autistic children have an impaired ability to place unfamiliar faces in memory, possibly explaining some of the social difficulties associated with the disorder, investigators here concluded.

Keep In Mind

* This study shows that children with autism appear to have a reduced ability to adapt mentally to faces that differ substantially from familiar faces.

* This study suggests that reduced facial recognition abilities might be related to social problems associated with autism.

* Note that the findings are based on a small number of patients.

Specifically, children with autism have difficulty with face identity aftereffect, the ability to fix in memory faces that are polar opposites of familiar faces, Elizabeth Pellicano, Ph.D., of the University of Bristol, and colleagues, reported online and in the September issue of Current Biology.

The human brain seemingly has the ability to encode new faces in a “face space,” Dr. Pellicano explained. Average or typical faces are in the center of the space. More distinctive faces lie toward the periphery, making them easier to distinguish from faces that are closer to average.

In people with normal face recognition abilities, she continued, the brain automatically places a new face in the face space on the basis of deviations from the average.

“The really neat bit is that the precise characteristics of what constitutes an average face are continuously updated based on our experiences in looking at other people,” said Dr. Pellicano.

In the current study, the face identity aftereffect capabilities of 14 high-functioning boys with autism spectrum disorder were compared with those of 15 age- and ability-matched nonautistic boys (mean age about 11 years in both groups).

Scores on standardized tests showed the two groups had similar verbal and nonverbal abilities, but they differed significantly on the Social Communication Questionnaire (P<0.001).

The study participants were introduced to the faces of “Dan” and “Jim,” who were described as “team captains.” The boys then viewed computer-generated faces that resembled Dan or Jim to varying degrees. The two groups of boys demonstrated similar ability to place the new faces on Dan’s or Jim’s team.

The boys then viewed computer-generated faces that had features that were opposite those of Dan or Jim. After viewing these distinctly different faces, the normal boys substantially improved their ability to place faces that resembled Dan or Jim on the correct team. In contrast, the autistic boys showed little improvement in their aftereffect abilities (P<0.05 versus the normal group).

In the group of autistic boys, aftereffect scores had a significant correlation with Social Communication Questionnaire scores (r= -0.60, P<0.05). For the typically developing boys no significant correlation existed between aftereffect and the communication scores.

Dr. Pellicano and colleagues examined a subgroup of nine autistic boys with high social communication scores associated with more symptoms related to socialization, communication, and restrictive/repetitive interests. The boys’ aftereffect was about one-third that of the typically developing boys (P<0.01).

Because the normal and autistic groups demonstrated similar precision for recognizing Dan-like and Jim-like faces, the investigators ruled out poor identification performance or task motivation as the cause of reduced aftereffect in the boys with autism. Moreover, the boys inspected the faces with a similar degree of intensity.

“Reduced attention to the adapting faces could potentially contribute to the weaker aftereffect in autism, and we see the relationship between adaptation and attention as a promising direction for future research,” the authors stated.

Although face-reading difficulties might contribute to the social problems characteristic of autism, an early lack of interest in social phenomena could contribute to development of atypical face-coding mechanisms, they added.

The authors had no disclosures. The study was supported by the Australian Research Council and the Experimental Psychology Society of England.
Additional Autism Coverage

Primary source: Current Biology
Source reference:
Pellicano E et al. “Abnormal adaptive face-coding mechanisms in children with autism spectrum disorder.” Curr Biol 2007; 17: 1508-1512.

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By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
September 06, 2007

DALLAS, Sept. 6 — Clues into how autism spectrum disorders work may emerge from mice with a mutation that makes them socially awkward but enhances cognitive abilities.

Points to Consider

* The research described here was conducted only in mice, and that it is not known whether the same findings apply to people.

* The genetic mutation the authors described is seen in only a small percentage of people with autism spectrum disorders.

Transgenic mice with a mutation in the gene encoding for neuroligin-3, a synaptic cellular adhesion molecule, showed both social impairment and enhanced spatial learning abilities, a mix typical of some patients with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, or related conditions, reported Thomas C. Südhof, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern here, and colleagues.

The behavioral changes the investigators observed in the mice were accompanied by increases of inhibitory synaptic transmission but not excitatory transmission, the authors reported online in Science Express, the rapid online version of Science.

“Our data strongly support the notion that a change in the inhibitory-excitatory balance contributes to the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders,” they wrote.

If it can be shown that the mouse model accurately mimics the pathology of autism, it would suggest the possibility of treating some forms of autism spectrum disorders with therapies that can attenuate inhibitory synaptic transmission, the investigators said.

To see whether autism may be caused by an imbalance in synaptic circuits, the authors bred mice with an R451C-substitution in the gene encoding for neuroligin-3. A related mutation in humans is associated with familial idiopathic autism.

The investigators also bred a line of neuroligin-3 knockout mice for comparison purposes. They found that both murine strains appeared to be physically normal and had normal life spans.

The genetic substitution resulted in about a 90% reduction in neurologin-3 in the forebrain, and the deletion of the gene results in complete absence of the cellular adhesion molecule. However, mice with the R451C-substitution had an increase in the strength of inhibitory synaptic impulses, whereas the knockout mice did not. There were no significant changes in excitatory synaptic transmission.

The investigators then looked at the behaviors of the animals with the gene substitution to see whether the changes in synaptic transmission translated into changes in social behavior.

They found that the R451C-substitution mice were no different from wild-type controls in the time they spent examining a new inanimate object in their cages. But when a new caged adult mouse was introduced, they showed a small but significant decrease in interaction times compared with wild-type mice.

Although the neuroligin-3 deficient mice had social deficits, they appeared to have enhanced spatial memory, taking fewer days to learn the location of the submerged platform in a swim test, and finding the platform location nearly twice as often as controls.

“This combination of electrophysiological and behavioral effects is quite remarkable,” Dr. Südhof said. “It was also significant that these mice did not exhibit any other impairment of nervous system function — there was no abnormal locomotor activity or motor coordination, for example. This was a selective change, with social impairment on the one hand, yet cognitive enhancement on the other.”

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Recently I came across this link on Toys R US. 10 Toys geared towards differently-abled children. Although some may have children who have outgrown these specific toys, it is inspiring to see that Autism Speaks is making strides in creating awareness. I would also add arts and crafts, costumes, sports equipment and cause an effect toys such as , science themed projects, stained glass and shrink dinks. Toys that won’t create compulsiveness or a sense of dependency for the child seem to be one’s which are somewhat dynamic, Tinker Toys, train tracks and other put it together and tear it down items. What do you think?
Check It Out.

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I have to tell you, I’ve been skeptical of plastic for the past 5 years and 9 months. I often look at what was around when I was a kid versus today and it comes down to cell phones, computers and plastic everything. I never drank from a plastic cup as a child and today kids barely know what a glass is. And who knows how many plastic bottles of Poland Spring or Gatorade I have consumed this week alone, let alone the past 15 years or so.

Ask a vet and they will tell you, feed your pet from stainless steel or glass as plastic harbors germs and will cause a rash around the pets mouth. If you ever have had a pet with this problem, you know a switch to a stainless steel or glass bowl and shazaam, the rash disappears rather quickly. So why is it different for humans? Simple, lobbyists who fight for company’s such as DuPont and Union Carbide, who have been poisoning the people of this planet for decades to just make another buck of profit.

Although this report shows there is reason for some concern with BPA to Human Development, it downplays the connection. It should also be noted that the study is based only upon oral contact with the chemical, injections are a much better measure of how it would affect an unborn fetus. Here is a link to the study..

Plastics Chemical of ‘Some Concern’ for Fetal, Child Health
08.08.07, 12:00 AM ET

WEDNESDAY, August 8 (HealthDay News) — Bisphenol A, a chemical found in many plastics and resins, may present some risk to a developing fetus and children, a U.S. government panel concluded Wednesday.

Experts convened by the U.S. Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), part of the National Toxicology Program, unanimously concluded that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) presents some risk to human development and reproduction.

BPA is chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and several types of resins. It is found in products used everyday such as compact discs, DVDs, baby bottles and other food and drink packaging. It is also commonly found in cars, sports safety equipment and water pipes.

“The panel’s finding means that we cannot dismiss the fact that exposure to this substance may be causing effects on reproductive health,” CERHR Director Michael D. Shelby said.

However, “It’s going to take more research to verify what those effects are,” he said.

Animal experiments have suggested that BPA may mimic the female sex hormone estradiol. The fear has been that exposure to BPA can cause birth defects and developmental problems.

In addition, exposure to BPA has been blamed for a variety of other problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention deficit disorder.

Exposure to BPA can occur through direct contact or by exposure to food or drink that has been in contact with material containing BPA.

“The conclusions of the expert panel are expressed in levels of concern,” Shelby explained. The lowest level is “negligible concern,” followed by “minimal concern,” then “some concern,” “concern” and then “serious concern,” he said.

The panel found “some concern” that exposure to BPA causes neural and behavioral effects to the fetus. The panel members expressed “minimal concern” that exposure to BPA causes effects to the fetal prostate or that exposure causes an acceleration of puberty, Shelby said.

The panel also said there was “negligible concern” that the chemical causes birth defects and malformations.

However, the panel expressed “some concern” that BPA exposure causes neural and behavioral effects in children, Shelby said. It also said it had “minimal concern” that BPA would cause children to experience accelerations in puberty.

For adults, the panel found “negligible concern” that there would be adverse reproductive effects following exposure to BPA. In addition, it had “minimal concern” for people exposed to BPA at work, Shelby said.

The panel did recommend that studies be done that would remove the uncertainties in some of its conclusions, or raise or lower the level of concern it had expressed, based on the data available, Shelby said.

The committee’s report is not without its critics.

“If I were a committee member, I wouldn’t sign off on this broken report,” said Jennifer Sass, senior scientist for the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group.

“Harmful effects in laboratory animals exposed to even the low levels of BPA that are commonly found in the blood and urine of Americans include an increase in prostate and breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, reproductive abnormalities, reduced semen quality, recurrent miscarriage, obesity, and neurobehavioral problems similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” she said in a prepared statement.

The biggest problem with the report is the decision to limit the review to oral-dose studies, primarily the industry-sponsored studies, and not injection studies, the council said.

“This means they failed to include evidentiary science of the full range of risks to unborn fetuses, who receive BPA through the contaminated blood circulation, irrespective of the pregnant mothers route of exposure,” the group stated.

Reports from the National Toxicology Program are used by state and federal regulators to establish exposure standards, and are a resource for regulatory agencies to allocate resources toward most effective strategies to protect human health, the council noted.

A chemical industry representative took another view.

“What we saw today was a triumph of solid science,” said Steven Hentges, executive director of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers. “The panel of experts came up with what is really a very reassuring conclusion on the safety of BPA,” he said.

Hentges believes more research is needed in areas where the panel found “some concern.”

“Based on the science we do not think that additional regulation is needed,” he said. “The products in use today are safe.”

More information

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COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., July 26 – Autism, a developmental disorder, may more likely be carried by mothers and dependent on parental age, according to U.S. researchers.

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Albert Einstein College of Medicine analyzing the incidence of autism found a previously unrecognized pattern pointing to a spontaneous germ-line mutation model of disease acquisition.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates parents, especially women — who acquire the mutation but do not exhibit severe symptoms of the disorder — have a 50 percent chance of passing the mutation on to their children. Sons often show the most severe symptoms.

“The fact that germ-line mutations increase with age places older parents at a higher risk of having children with autism, explaining a pattern that has been recently observed,” study co-author Michael Wigler, of CSHL, said in a statement.

The model proposes two risk classes. One is sporadic or low risk autism — the more common form — caused by spontaneous germ-line mutation. The children, mostly female, who receive such a mutation but do not display the disorder, are the source of the other risk class — high risk families. Boys in high risk families may account for a quarter of autism. according to the study.

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FRAXA Research Foundation is a parent run organization that funds research to find effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Fragile X. Fragile X is the leading inherited cause of mental retardation and the most common genetic cause of autism.

Fragile X is caused when a gene fails to produce a single protein necessary for normal brain function. There is a 50% chance of inheriting the Fragile X gene when one parent is a carrier. As parents of children with Fragile X, we understand first-hand the stress Chris Benoit and his wife might have been coping with. At birth many children with Fragile X seem normal and are often not diagnosed until two or three years of age when the child fails to meet typical developmental milestones. The initial shock of learning that your child is mentally impaired, followed by the continued emotional and financial strain of finding appropriate schools, child care and therapies can be an overwhelming emotional and financial burden for many families. Some of the symptoms Fragile X can cause are — severe anxiety, impaired learning, debilitating sensory integration problems, very limited (or possibly no) speech, obsessive compulsive behaviors, and even seizures — making day-to-day life extremely challenging. Most children with Fragile X have a normal life expectancy creating an added burden on parents to plan for their child’s future.

FRAXA funds biomedical research, in the US and internationally, aimed at treating and curing Fragile X. Currently FRAXA has numerous treatments for Fragile X in development in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies worldwide. FRAXA’s basic research, like the recently announced therapeutic potential of PAK inhibition, points the way toward innovative drug therapies for Fragile X and related disorders like autism.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, FXS affects 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 6,000 females of all races and ethnic groups. The prevalence of autism ranges from 1 in 500 to 1 in 166 children. Currently there is no effective treatment for FXS and other types of autism.

FRAXA Research Foundation

http://www.fraxa.org

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