“Paterson vetoes NY autism treatment insurance bill - msnbc.com” plus 2 more |
- Paterson vetoes NY autism treatment insurance bill - msnbc.com
- Siblings of kids with autism may also have subtle traits - USA Today
- FDA cracks down on experimental autism therapy - Washington Post
| Paterson vetoes NY autism treatment insurance bill - msnbc.com Posted: 22 Oct 2010 03:43 AM PDT Gov. David Paterson has vetoed legislation that would require New York insurers to cover screening, diagnosis and lifetime treatment for autism spectrum disorders. The bill would direct state health officials to identify treatment and therapy options that are evidence-based, peer-reviewed and clinically proven that insurers must cover. Paterson estimates the state and municipal cost at $70 million annually, including higher health insurance premiums. He says Thursday he'll sign the measure if legislators send the bill back with a designated source of funding. Supporters say it would expand coverage for accepted approaches like routine toddler screening and speech and behavioral therapy. Opponents say it would give insurers standards to use in rejecting other treatments. For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Siblings of kids with autism may also have subtle traits - USA Today Posted: 22 Oct 2010 03:25 PM PDT
By Serena Gordon, HealthDay As many as one in five siblings of children with autism may have subtler problems with language and speech, according to new research involving nearly 3,000 children. What isn't yet clear is if these problems indicate a milder form of an autism spectrum disorder, or exactly what type of intervention, if any, might be needed to help these youngsters. "Smaller studies have reported that in families with children with autism, many children who don't have an autism diagnosis have had a language delay," said the study's lead author, Dr. John Constantino, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. "When we looked at this huge sample, we saw the same thing — about 20% of children presumed to be non-autistic had language delays and autistic qualities in their speech. In the general population, the prevalence of these traits is only about 7%," he said. Results of the study were published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Although many siblings of children with autism are completely unaffected by the disorder, the disorder is far more likely to strike the brother or sister of someone with autism than someone without an affected sibling. In fact, the risk of a sibling of someone with autism having the disorder is 22-fold higher, according to background information in the article. What the current study sought to further tease out was whether or not certain autistic traits — conditions that might not trigger a diagnosis of autism, but nonetheless could still cause problems — might be more prevalent in siblings of children with an autism diagnosis. The researchers used data from an American, Internet-based family register compiled by the Interactive Autism Network, which includes more than 35,000 participants. In addition to providing information about the children in their families who had been diagnosed with autism, some parents also completed a Social Responsiveness Scale questionnaire on each of the children living in their home between the ages of 4 and 18 years old. A total of 1,235 families, including almost 3,000 children, provided all of the information necessary for the current study. The study found that 10.9% of families had more than one child with an autism diagnosis, and an additional 20% had children who weren't diagnosed with autism, but who had language delays. Half of the group with language delays also had autistic qualities in their speech patterns. The study also found that girls were more likely to have these subtle traits of potential autism spectrum disorder. They suggest that if these were taken into account, the current notion that there is a wide preponderance of boys versus girls diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder might narrow to as low as three boys for every two girls affected. This study's findings also provide further evidence that autism spectrum disorders have, at least in part, a genetic basis, according to Constantino. Scott Hunter, director of pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, agreed that this study adds to the evidence suggesting that genes are one likely cause of autism spectrum disorders. Because parents completed the questionnaires, this study wasn't able to determine if the siblings were experiencing a mild form of autism, or if these were isolated language delays. Both experts thought that it would be a good idea for families with one autistic child to have their other children screened, and Hunter said that you should definitely seek a thorough evaluation if you notice any trouble in language acquisition in children who don't have autism. "If you are a parent of a child with autism, it's probably important to talk to your pediatrician about your other child's development," said Hunter. "The likelihood of other children in the family potentially being affected by a language or social impairment is relatively high, so keep an appropriate level of vigilance. These less-severe symptoms may nevertheless be substantially impairing in school and friendships," explained Constantino. Both experts agreed that if intervention is necessary, treatment that's started sooner generally leads to better outcomes. But, noted Hunter, "It's never too late to intervene." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FDA cracks down on experimental autism therapy - Washington Post Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:05 AM PDT Federal health officials are cracking down on a controversial therapy that has been promoted as an alternative for a variety of conditions, including autism, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The Food and Drug Administration warned eight companies Thursday that their over-the-counter products used for a procedure known as "chelation" are "unapproved drugs and devices" and so are in "violation of federal law." "The companies that received the warning letters claim that their products treat a range of diseases by removing toxic metals from the body. Some also claim to treat autism spectrum disorder, cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and other serious conditions," the agency said. "Some companies that received the warning letters also claim their products will detect the presence of heavy metals to justify the need for chelation therapy." The drugs involved have not been evaluated by the FDA for treatment of these diseases, and therefore violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the FDA said.  Eight-year-old Charlie Blakey, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3, eats dinner at his home on Oak Park, Ill., on April 23, 2008. Charlie's mother, Christina, used an alternative treatment, chelation, along with a variety of other therapies to treat her son in 2008. Chelation helps the body excrete heavy metals and is approved to treat lead poisoning in children. Charlie ate a special diet, swallowed chelation pills and has had 40 sessions in a hyperbaric chamber. All have been helpful, according to his mom in 2008. (AP) "Despite the claims of the companies that received warning letters, the effectiveness in treating any of the diseases listed is unsubstantiated. Depending on the condition, when relying on unproven OTC chelation products to treat serious conditions, patients may delay seeking effective medical care," the FDA said. The drug can have serious safety risks, the agency said, because the agents can "alter the levels of certain substances in the blood. Even when used under medical supervision, these products can cause serious harm, including dehydration, kidney failure, and death," the FDA said. "These products are dangerously misleading because they are targeted to patients with serious conditions and limited treatment options," said Deborah Autor, director of the FDA's office of compliance in center for drug Evaluation and research. "The FDA must take a firm stand against companies who prey on the vulnerability of patients seeking hope and relief." The agency advised consumers to avoid non-prescription products offered for chelation or detoxification. The only FDA-approved chelating agents are available only by prescription and approved for use in specific indications such as lead poisoning and iron overload. The FDA took the action after noticing "an increase in 'chelation therapy' products marketed on the Internet that claim to cleanse the body of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Although some of the products are marketed as dietary supplements, they are unapproved drugs because they claim to treat, mitigate, prevent, or diagnose disease," the FDA said. "The products come in various dosage forms, including transmucosal sprays, suppositories, capsules, liquid drops, and clay baths." "FDA will seek enforcement action against companies that promote therapeutic benefits of products not yet evaluated by the agency for safety and effectiveness," said Dara A. Corrigan, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. The companies that received the warning letters are: -- World Health Products, LLC The 2007 National Health Interview Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 111,000 adults 18 and older used chelation therapy in the previous 12 months. The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring a large study to test whether the chelation agent EDTA is safe and effective for people 50 and over with heart disease. EDTA stands for ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid, which is a synthetic amino acid that is delivered intravenously. The treatment is not approved for heart disease, but some doctors are using it. The results are expected in 2012. The theory is that EDTA chelation might work by directly removing calcium found in fatty plaques that block arteries, causing the plaques to break up, that the process may stimulate the release of a hormone that in turn causes calcium to be removed from the plaques or causes a lowering of cholesterol levels. Another theory is it may reduce the damaging effects of oxygen ions (oxidative stress) on the walls of the blood vessels. Reducing oxidative stress could reduce inflammation in the arteries and improve blood vessel function. None of these theories has been well tested in scientific studies. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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