MONDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) –

A new study adds to growing evidence that autism is caused by a miswiring of connections in a child’s developing brain, resulting in impaired information flow. According to researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, it may be possible to one day treat the problem with drugs that target the molecular pathways that cause the miswiring.

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=634800

FastCap of Bellingham, Washington has donated a large supply of coffee caps to the AARC. The caps say “April is Autism Awareness Month” and will be available from your favorite barista (Starbucks, Kaladis, etc.) across Alaska During April! Thanks FastCap!

By Bonnie Langston

The producer and director of a film that addresses the challenges and gifts of teens with a high-functioning form of autism sat in her seat at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck last November wondering if anyone would show up. They did.

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/01/08/life/doc4b46a0d39e72d318851277.txt

By Shaun Heasley

Brain scans detecting a sound processing delay common in children with autism could lead to earlier diagnosis of the developmental disorder, researchers said Friday. In a study of children with and without autism, researchers monitored brain activity while the children listened to various sounds. They found that it took children with autism an average of 11 milliseconds longer for their brains to respond, researchers report online Friday in the journal Autism Research.

www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/01/08/brain-scan-autism/6615/

Tawnia Newton’s son, Mitch, has his own little bedtime routine. He puts on his pajamas, brushes his teeth, gets a glass of water, uses the bathroom and then listens to a CD as he falls asleep.This process has not always been that easy, though, Newton said. Before, she said, “we had kind of a loose routine” that didn’t work very well.

www.tennessean.com/article/20100111/NEWS01/1110330/1002/NEWS01/Vanderbilt+autism+study+looks+at+kids++routines++sleep+links

CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6045CX20100105

by Alex Everard

Immediately after Craig Rafail turns off the lights to his son Dyllan’s bedroom, the young boy responds, “Dad, why did you turn the dark on?” “That was one specific time I can recall thinking to myself, ‘Wow, he sees things totally differently. His mind is so unique,’” Rafail, a physical education and science teacher, said while recalling a memory of his son Dyllan, now a published author at the age of 12.

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/the-deuce/local-author-provides-insight-into-autism-and-aspergers-syndrome-at-age-12/

By Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan

Los Angeles Times
The risky treatment for autism that removes metals from patients’ bodies is often prompted by results from an uncertain test.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-autism-chelation7-2009dec07,0,3198790.story

This podcast, intended for parents, discusses high-risk medical conditions that put children at risk for flu complications and how to protect children from the flu. Created: 11/25/2009 by National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). Date Released: 11/25/2009. Series Name: CDC Featured Podcasts.

http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=393367

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 3, 2009

The middle school years, when nothing seems more important or more impossible than fitting in, are rough for nearly everyone. But they are particularly brutal for preteens such as Will Gilbertsen, whose mild autism makes him stand out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120202884.html