research shows autism limits self awareness
December 21, 2009
from BBC news
00:04 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009
Autism limit on ’self-awareness’
Scientists have produced evidence that self-awareness is a big problem for people with autism.
Sophisticated scans showed the brains of people with autism are less active when engaged in self-reflective thought.
The findings provide a neurological insight into why people with autism tend to struggle in social situations.
The study, by the University of Cambridge, appears in the journal Brain.
“Navigating social interactions with others requires keeping track of the relationship between oneself and others“
Michael Lombardo
University of Cambridge
Autism has long been considered a condition of extreme egocentrism.
But research has shown the problem is people with the condition have trouble thinking about, and making sense of, themselves.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance scans to measure brain activity in 66 male volunteers, half of whom had been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.
The volunteers were asked to make judgements either about their own thoughts, opinions, preferences, or physical characteristics, or about someone else’s, in this case the Queen.
By scanning the volunteers’ brains as they responded to these questions, the researchers were able to visualise differences in brain activity between those with and without autism.
They were particularly interested in part of the brain called the ventromedial pre-frontal cortex (vMPFC) - known to be active when people think about themselves.
The researchers found this area of the brain was more active when typical volunteers were asked questions about themselves compared with when they were thinking about the Queen.
However, in autism this brain region responded equally, irrespective of whether they were thinking about themselves or the Queen.
Researcher Michael Lombardo said the study showed that the autistic brain struggled to to process information about the self.
He said: “Navigating social interactions with others requires keeping track of the relationship between oneself and others.
“In some social situations it is important to notice that ‘I am similar to you’, while in other situations it might be important to notice that ‘I am different to you’.
“The atypical way the autistic brain treats self-relevant information as equivalent to information about others could derail a child’s social development, particularly in understanding how they relate to the social world around them.”
Dr. Gina Gómez de la Cuesta, of the National Autistic Society, described the study as “interesting”.
“We know many people with autism do want to interact with others and make friends but have difficulty recognising or understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings.
“This research has shown that people with autism may also have difficulty understanding their own thoughts and feelings and the brain mechanisms underlying this.”
CDC says autism is on the rise nationally
December 20, 2009
Autism affects about 1 in every 110 American children, a 57 percent increase over the last estimate in 2002, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disturbing trend reflects greater awareness and diagnosis of “autism spectrum disorders,” but may also mean more children are being exposed to the still-mysterious causes, said Catherine Rice, lead author of the CDC report.
The CDC, Rice said, considers autism “to be a significant public health issue.”
It has become steadily more common, and in 2002, the CDC estimated the prevalence to be 1 in 150 children.
The latest estimate is based on reviews of records of 8-year-olds in 11 sites across the country.
Hacker claims form of autism, seeks lean sentence
December 19, 2009
Very interesting, particularly because I can totally see how certain types of aspergers can do something like this - especially if this is in their special interest area, they love solving problems, they love “breaking” things, and they don’t see how their actions at the keyboard can possibly hurt others so deeply. I don’t know this guy and I don’t know his story. So I have no idea if he has any form of autism. But it is interesting..
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BH3SV20091218
Bipartisan Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Protect All Children in Schools from Abuse
December 10, 2009
Subject: ADVISORY for Wednesday, December 9, 2009
UNITED STATES CONGRESS ADVISORY for Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Melissa Salmanowitz (Miller) http://www.facebook.com/l/45e74;202.226.0853
Kimberly Betz (McMorris Rodgers) http://www.facebook.com/l/45e74;202.225.2006
Bipartisan Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Protect All Children in Schools from Abuse
Legislation will, for the first time, prevent harmful restraint and seclusion in classrooms
WASHINGTON, D.C. On Wednesday, December 9, U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will hold a press conference to introduce new legislation to protect all children in schools from misuse of restraint and seclusion. Miller is the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a member of Democratic leadership, McMorris Rodgers is a member of the Committee and the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.
This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Yet unlike in hospitals, and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal funding, there are currently no federal policies that prevent the misuse of restraint and seclusion in schools. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.
WHO:U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference
Families of children who have been the victims of harmful restraint and seclusion in classrooms
Additional participants TBA
WHAT: Press Conference to Introduce Legislation to Prevent Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
WHEN: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 11:00AM EST
WHERE: Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
This press conference will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website at http://www.facebook.com/l/45e74;edlabor.house.gov
