Early Data on a Potential Digital Treatment for Autism+ADHD
Digital medicine company Akili Interactive announced the results of a successful randomized, controlled clinical trial of an investigational digital treatment for children with Attention Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Categories: Associated Conditions
Ready! Set! Go! Benefits of Physical Activity for Individuals with Autism
From weight maintenance to better mental health, the benefits of physical activity are well-documented, but can be difficult to fit into packed schedules. Participation in sports activities helps children meet the recommended minimum requirements for physical activity, but research finds that children with autism are 74% less likely to participate in sports and 60% less likely to be physically active overall....
Categories: Movement and Behavior, Associated Conditions
Vegetables are Yucky! Coping with Food Selectivity and Autism
Mealtime and eating can be a significant source of stress for children with autism and their parents. From not eating enough to overeating and extremely picky eating or “food selectivity,” rigid behaviors and food sensitivities can trap children with autism in a diet lacking variety and nutrition.
Why is picky eating common among children with autism? Food selectively may occur for a variety of reasons: aversions to a particular taste, texture, smell or brand of food, gastrointestinal problems, or previous negative experience are among the common possibilities....
Categories: Movement and Behavior, Associated Conditions
Obesity is a weighty issue for children with autism: but why?
Only recently have doctors and researchers begun to look at overweight and obesity specifically in children with autism - and they were astonished with what they found. Children with autism are two times more likely to be overweight and 5 times more likely to be obese.
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Categories: Associated Conditions
Combining Gaming + Biofeedback to Help Children with Autism Improve Social Skills
In a newly-launched gaming study, CAR researchers are incorporating biosensors to detect symptoms of anxiety in children as they engage in a space-themed 3D video game.
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Categories: Associated Conditions
A Prescription for Gaming to Treat ADHD?
A doctor-prescribed videogame? It may not be as far off as you’d think. Imagine an engaging iPad-based game that helps children improve their attention
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Categories: Associated Conditions
Social Anxiety, or Just Disinterested? (And Why it Matters.)
Social interactions are a common cause of anxiety among individuals with autism. However, it can be extremely challenging for parents or clinicians to distinguish between social disinterest and social anxiety in someone diagnosed with ASD.
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CAR Researcher Dreams of a Better Night's Sleep for Children With Autism, Their Families
Children and adolescents need a healthy sleep pattern to fully develop and to perform their best during the day, but – as many reading this know all to well- sleep difficulties plague as many as 50%-80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)- and by default, their parents!
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Categories: Associated Conditions
CHOP Researchers Identify Gene That Plays Important Role in Autism & Other Neuropsychiatric Conditions
A team of researchers led by Tara Wenger, PhD of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Autism Research (CAR) have found that genetic mutations in a specific family of genes – the “metabotropic glutamate receptors” (mGluRs) – play a significant role in a person’s risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)....
Sleep Behaviors and Sleep Quality
Getting a good night of sleep is crucial to a child’s development in the areas of attention, learning, memory, mood regulation, and behavior. Poor sleep quality in children also affects parents’ sleep quality. If a child isn’t sleeping well, chances are his/her parents aren’t sleeping well either.
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Categories: Associated Conditions