Autism: Charting the Spectrum From passivity to aggression, from a lack of speech to a torrent of words 9/1/2010   The autistic spectrum spans many neurological challenges and behaviors but can be broken down into four main categories. Amy Davis, a Pasadena psychologist whose focus is autism evaluation and therapy, gives examples Severe: At age 4 [...]

Autism: A Short, Turbulent History 9/1/2010 1911 › Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coins the wordautism to describe a tendency among some schizophrenics to wall off reality in favor of an inner fantasy life. 1944 › Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Leo Kanner defines autism as a childhood disorder marked by a “desire for sameness” and a “profound aloneness which dominates [...]

Los Angeles Magazine: The Mystery Among Us Autism: The Mystery Among Us Autism diagnoses are on the rise. The reasons are elusive, but understanding the disorder doesn’t have to be 9/1/2010 Photograph by Mathieu Young   If you live in Los Angeles and autism hasn’t yet made an impact on your life, it will.  There [...]

Parents Say Wandering Common & Scary; Research & Guidance Needed The first major study on runaway behavior among children with autism confirms that it is both common and extremely stressful for families. Yet relatively few families are receiving professional help or guidance. These insights are among the preliminary results of theIAN Research Report: Elopement and [...]

Brain Imaging Study of Infant Sibs at Risk for Autism Expands Scope Researchers are Looking for More Families to Participate Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Washington in Seattle, and Washington University in St. Louis, are currently conducting a multi-center study to examine brain development in infants who [...]

Research funded by Autism Speaks provides vital information on the need to screen baby siblings of children on the spectrum August 15, 2011 Parents of children with autism are understandably concerned about the likelihood that subsequent children will be affected. New research, made possible by Autism Speaks, shows that the chances are considerably higher than [...]

Paternal age and autism are associated in a family-based sample