This week's issue of SF Weekly, one of the San Francisco Bay Area's free newspapers, features a good cover story on autism and neurodiversity, including appearances by me and Ari Ne'eman. Here it is, in the online edition:

http://www.sfweekly.com/2012-10-31/news/autism-autism-speaks-autism-self-advocacy-network-fragile-x-syndrome-genetics-medicine- ( Read more... )

Today in the news...

Autistic brains' 'genes differ'
They noticed that 209 genes linked to the way brain cells work and talk to each other were working at a lower level in autistic brains while 235 genes linked to immune and inflammatory responses were expressed more strongly.

Prenatal vitamins reduce the risk of autism by half, even more for ( Read more... )

Until I was somewhere in my toddler years, I didn't feed myself. I was mobile, but I did not feed myself until I "stole" my brother's bagel that he had left on a counter. Whenever the topic comes up, my elder relations remind me that I would have starved if they hadn't fed me until then ( Read more... )

Link to Article.

Among the many mysteries that befuddle autism researchers: why the disorder affects boys four times more often than girls. But in new findings reported online today by the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers say they have found a genetic clue that may help explain the disparity ( Read more... )

Here's one article, from ABC News,

Research Points to Genetic Link in Autism:

Link

Full text of article ( under the cut )

"Same gene could cause both disordersOf course it's not likely there is only one gene involved, nor that every manifestation of autism has the same genetic basis (cf. your introductory biology class on the relation of genotype and phenotype). Nevertheless, there certainly seems to be a connection between the two conditions, as many people have ( Read more... )

I've recently received results/a genetic profile on 23andme. It was interesting to note that I had risks/markers for Celiac, Tourettes, Restless Leg and a few others that seem to come up as topics when discussing common co-conditions/co-morbidities. (one thing they don't seem to do is look at autism which might be telling). Has anyone else done ( Read more... )

I found this article online.  I found it amusing that Autism Speaks won't be able to eliminate autism without eliminating geniuses as well.

Autism genes can add up to genius
Intellectual gifts and certain brain disorders are closely related

Jonathan Leake

Some people with autism have amazed experts with their outstanding memories, mathematical ( Read more... )

Since when was Mental retardation considered Autism?

A Fix For One Type Of Autism (Time Magazine)

The causes of autism remain largely shrouded in mystery, but there are some types of the disorder that can be traced to specific gene defects. The most common of these - responsible for roughly 5% of autism cases - is a flaw in the X chromosome that ( Read more... )

I apologize if this is not welcome here, but I want to ask a question regarding my brother ( Read more... )