Sorry for inundating you with so many health stories, but a bunch came out on Monday and I am just getting to them.

We have discussed at length about how autism could possibly be caused by vaccinations -- unlikely, according to the medical experts -- but now researchers are saying parents with mental illnesses like schizophrenia are more likely to have children with autism, according to Reuters.

The study of families in Sweden with children born between 1977 and 2003 involved 1,227 children diagnosed with autism. They were compared with families of nearly 31,000 children who did not have autism. Sweden's detailed health registry provides a wealth of data for such studies.

Autism, which is marked by impaired social interaction and communication, or a related disorder like Asperger's syndrome, affects an estimated one out of every 150 U.S. children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Asperger's is marked by mild social awkwardness...

Which genes lie behind various mental illnesses are also poorly understood, according to the researchers, whose study appeared in the journal Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Earlier studies have shown a higher rate of psychiatric disorders in families of autistic children than in the general population," Daniels said.

The association between a child's autism and mental illness in the parent was strongest with schizophrenia, and was less powerful when the mother suffered from depression or personality disorders. There was little association between autism and parental addiction to alcohol or drugs or some other types of mental illness.

It doesn't sound like we are much closer to understanding what causes autism as it continues to allude scientists.

Cross-posted at Fussbucket

One of my favorite things to do is to listen to my four-year old son Sage talk to himself when he's busy doing something. He totally uninhibited, talking about what he's doing or pretending he's hanging out with some of his imaginary friends. Often it happens when he's concentrating, like building train tracks, or coloring, or doing a puzzle.

A new study shows that not only is this chattering pretty damn cute, it's useful. According to this article in Science Daily, parents should encourage pre-schoolers to talk to themselves.

Parents should not worry when their pre-schoolers talk to themselves; in fact, they should encourage it, says Adam Winsler, an associate professor of psychology at George Mason University. His recent study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly showed that 5-year-olds do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud (either spontaneously or when told to do so by an adult) than when they are silent.

"Young children often talk to themselves as they go about their daily activities, and parents and teachers shouldn’t think of this as weird or bad," says Winsler. "On the contrary, they should listen to the private speech of kids. It's a fantastic window into the minds of children."

In the study, "'Should I let them talk?': Private speech and task performance among preschool children with and without behavior problems," 78 percent of the children performed either the same or better on the performance task when speaking to themselves than when they were silent, the article says.

Wired magazine just ran a huge feature on autism. Except, this story comes with a twist.

Rather than speculate on where autism comes from -- as so many news stories do -- it questions whether scientists need to redefine their definition of "normal." In this article, Wired reporter David Wolman actually holds a "conversation" with an autistic woman who lives in a housing development for elderly and mentally disabled people. She is unable to cook dinner or even dress herself without help. But she is able to download software, type and correspond with people online, even making viral videos explaining what autistic people think and feel.

I tell her that I asked one of the world's leading authorities on autism to check out the video. The expert's opinion: (27-year-old autistic Amanda) Baggs must have had outside help creating it, perhaps from one of her caregivers. Her inability to talk, coupled with repetitive behaviors, lack of eye contact, and the need for assistance with everyday tasks are telltale signs of severe autism. Among all autistics, 75 percent are expected to score in the mentally retarded range on standard intelligence tests — that's an IQ of 70 or less.

People like Baggs fall at one end of an array of developmental syndromes known as autism spectrum disorders. The spectrum ranges from someone with severe disability and cognitive impairment to the socially awkward eccentric with Asperger's syndrome.

After I explain the scientist's doubts, Baggs grunts, and her mouth forms just a hint of a smirk as she lets loose a salvo on the keyboard. No one helped her shoot the video, edit it, and upload it to YouTube. She used a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1, a digital camera that can record up to 90 seconds of video (she has since upgraded). She then patched the footage together using the editing programs RAD Video Tools, VirtualDub, and DivXLand Media Subtitler. "My care provider wouldn't even know how to work the software," she says.

The debate on whether vaccines have a role in autism is being resurrected by a case where a Georgia girl developed autism after her 18 month round of vaccines in July of 2000.  Apparently, the girl had an underlying mitochondrial disorder and after her shots, she ended up displaying autism-like symptoms.  Her parents will be paid from the vaccine injury fund.  However, the federal government released this statement:

The government "has not conceded that vaccines cause autism," said Linda Renzi, the lawyer representing federal officials, who have consistently maintained that childhood shots are safe.

You may remember the "Ransom Note" campaign from NYU that Expat Briton blogged here.  It was designed to raise awareness of children's mental health issues and bring parents to action.  This week, the NYU Child Study Center pulled the ads.

The New York University Child Study Center has begun the rollout across New York of a new advertising campaign on childhood psychiatric and developmental disorders, first in New York, and likely then across the rest of the country. Here's what they've come up with:

I can't begin to describe how wrong this seems. The dehumanising idea that individuals with mental illness and other disorders are trapped within their issues, unable to communicate, locked up and held hostage by a disorder is one I think most of us thought had been left behind decades ago.

There are some novels that become part of you forever.

The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon, is one of the most unusual books I have ever read. Set in the not-too-distant future, Lou Arrandale is autistic. Thanks to a variety of therapies, he holds a highly specialized job as a pattern recognition specialist for a pharmaceutical company, and lives on his own. He's learned to behave as "normal" as possible, even as he wonders exactly what "normal" people are like. His therapists tell him things that he knows cannot be true. Normal people are clearly not all the same.

Dr. Fornum says I should learn to enjoy music other people enjoy. I do. I know other people like Bach and Schubert and not all of them are autistic. There are not enough autistic people to support all those orchestras and operas. But to her other people means "the most people." I think of the Trout Quintet, and as the music flows through my mind I can feel my breathing steady and my steps slow to match its tempo.

There's a new web-based "Autism Glossary".  It provides side-by-side videos of children with Autism and related disorders and typical children, and shows very clearly some of the early symptoms of autism.  I've watched most of it, and think it's interesting and balanced.  The target audience (in addition to parents) is professionals who can make early referrals for service.  There's alot we don't know about autism, but one thing we do know is earlier access to services is better.

Well, it's been an interesting news week - especially since the 4th of July week is usually a slow news time.  

In between all the news stories about men and women serving overseas, and various parades and celebrations around the country, we learned that BBC reporter Alan Johnstonwas released after 16 weeks in captivity.    I had been following this story since I listen to NPR and BBC World Service most mornings.  But I'm frustrated to say that I barely understand the politics of why he was abducted, and by whom, and why he was released.  I was glad to see his smiling face on the NYTimes site this morning, but still wish I knew more about Palestinian politics.

Jenny McCarthy, actress and author, believes that her young son Evan, who is autistic, is a "Crystal Child" and she is an "Indigo Mom", according to a recent blurb on Celebrity Baby Blog.  

What is an Indigo/Crystal Child?  According to Wiki:

The Indigo Child movement believes that the children in question are born with an empathic connection to Earth and others' thoughts......The Indigo Child movement therefore encourages parents to support those children in whom can be seen traits which are often labeled as negative by mainstream authorities but as positive by the Indigo Child.  Adherents believe that this new type of child has come forward for a reason; most often suggested is that they will improve the world in some way.

Some attributes of Indigo Children according to Carroll and Tober, authors of The Indigo Children:

They come into the world with a feeling of royalty.
They have difficulty with absolute authority.
They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.

   
More information here at Starchild and McCarthy's own website, indigomoms.com.

Of course, this is not without controversy:

Skeptics point out that the Indigo movement seems to lack verifiable evidence to support its claims....

Some skeptics are concerned that Indigo children might really be children who have special learning needs. They may have autism, Asperger's syndrome, non-verbal or even behavioural learning issues; by labeling children as "Indigo" such children do not get the services they need to succeed.

Critics have also voiced concern that teaching children that they are Indigo will encourage children to adopt sociopathic behaviors, such as a sense of human superiority, alienation, and a "bizarre" paranormal identity.

April is Autism Awareness month, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to share some information and experience.  I apologize ahead of time if you feel like you've been deluged with autism information in the last week - awareness activities are everywhere!  

But here are a few things that you might like to know.

A recent report came out in the press this week telling us what many of us have already figured out; all of those toys and DVDs that claim to boost your baby's brain power aren't all that powerful:

"While neural connections in babies' brains grow rapidly in the early years, adults can't make newborns smarter or more successful by having them listen to Beethoven or play with Einstein-inspired blocks," says Sara Mead, a senior policy analyst with Education Sector, a centrist Washington think tank.

Plenty of people have bought into the hype, including politicians:

In 2005, the market was $2.5 billion, according to Fortune.

In 1998, Georgia Gov. Zell Miller persuaded hospitals to send home classical music CDs with every newborn. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt persuaded lawmakers last year to spend $2 million to support Parents as Teachers, a non-profit that publishes a curriculum for children as young as newborns.

Someone might want to let W. in on this news, as he chose to honor Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Company at the State of the Union this year.  This was along with possibly the bravest man in the world, the one who saved a person having a seizure from a moving subway train in NYC.

I admit, I have a few of Ms. Aigner-Clark's DVDs around.  I remember the first one I played, Julie herself gave advice on how to use the DVD.  She advised that parents sit with their children and watch it and talk about the toys on the screen.  I had a good chuckle at that one.  While I certainly put my hours in playing with my baby on the floor, I needed her DVD to entertain my child for 20 minutes, so I could go to the bathroom and grab some lunch.