IMFAR 2011 Keynote: The Developmental Neurobiology of Autism: The First Steps and the World Ahead Eric Courchesne, UCSD Autism Center of Excellence Abstract: imfar.confex.com/imfar/2011/webprogram/Paper9749.html The following is a modified transcript of Dr. Courchesne’s talk. I have not included all references to slides he presented, and I have left out some of the researchers he thanked […]
Shannon Des Roches Rosa www.thinkingautismguide.com As an autism parent, I have a deep interest in seeing autism research proceed toward understanding and results with as few roadblocks or distractions as possible. So, for me, one of the most notable elements of IMFAR 2011 was seeing the Autism Science Foundation and Autism Speaks working alongside each
S. Begeer VU University, Amsterdam Autism is a “man’s disorder” But what about the “Horse Girl” and the “Rain Women”? Some studies reports that females with autism Show more cognitive impairments Have worse social and communicative functioning Have a higher rate of intellectual disability: Increased self-destructive behavior, more dementia But other studies have shown that
San Diego’s Fox 5 covered the IMFAR press conference, including an interview with Shannon Des Roches Rosa:
Any omissions or errors are my own contributions. -SR S. Ozonoff, UC Davis MIND Institute Abstract: http://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2011/webprogram/Paper7878.html The study was a collaborative effort between UC Davis’s MIND Institute and the University of Colorado. We usually think of autism onset in terms of two categories: Autism symptoms that appear early in life, before 1st birthday, or
Tom Insel Director, NIMH IACC update, since 2010 NIMH Director Tom Insel IACC is congressionally mandated, via the Combating Autism Act of 2006. Legislation will sunset in September 2011, unless the legislation is reauthorized. IACC has 23 members. It’s a diverse group — federal appointees, parents, autistic advocates, professionals. The IACC mission is to: Provide
This session was introduced by Geri Dawson, and included a number of presenters, whose work I am only summarizing briefly. Again, any omissions or errors are my doing. -SR Chair: Geri Dawson, Chief Science Officer for Autism Speaks Why a specific focus on nonverbal kids with autism? Because they’re often not included in research —
Today’s press conference was incredibly rewarding — and had an information density not generally found in nature. Any errors or omissions in the skin-of-my-teeth transcript below are mine entirely. -SR More info: IMFAR sessions and panels [PDF] The Autism Science Foundation live-tweeted the press conference: @AutismScienceFD LeftBrain/RightBrain: IMFAR 2011: The Press Conference (Part 1) Presenters:
TPGA Editor Shannon Des Roches Rosa will be at IMFAR, the International Meeting for Autism Research, for the next four days. She’ll be blogging as much of the conference as she can, right here at The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, starting with today’s 11 AM PST press conference — so stay tuned! The number
Shannon Des Roches Rosa www.thinkingautismguide.com www.squidalicious.com www.blogher.com Leo playing Swapsies While so many of us are waiting for our iPad2s, many (too many) kids with autism and other special needs are waiting to get any iPad — any iPad at all. Families who want to buy iPads privately often don’t have the means (these devices
