You may wonder, as I did, why scientists need actual brain tissue. Shouldn’t tools such as fMRIs and EEGs be sufficient for most research? The answer to this question is no; Scientists are unable to study the full structure of a brain without having the actual physical brain tissue. Also, the only way to see how gene expression occurs in different parts of the brain is to study the brain tissue itself.

These samples can help scientists understand the genetic functioning of brain cells, epigenetics, gene expression, and changes specific to neurons. The scientists also hope to gain a greater understanding of how our unique brain structures relate to the special skills we possess as autistics.

Now, while donating your brain to science may seem like a bizarre thing to do, it’s actually becoming common place for people with unique brains. For instance, more and more professional athletes have been pledging to donate their brains over the last few years for concussion research. And I personally believe that those of us on the autism spectrum have much more fascinating brains than the average pro baller.

Now you’re probably wondering what supporting this program entails. It’s actually pretty simple. All you need to do is register on the It Takes Brains Page. You can sign up as an individual with autism or even as a family member! You can also change your mind at any time if you decide that you no longer want your brain involved.

But the best part is you can brag to all your friends that your brain is going to be flash-frozen in Carbonite like Han Solo in Star Wars (Autism Brain Net doesn’t use actual carbonite in this process, unfortunately, but the technology is still super cool and futuristic).

Please follow my lead and make a pledge!

-Alex

The post It Takes Brains! – Autism Brain Net appeared first on Wrong Planet.

Autism’s sharp rise is, in large part, a matter of definitions. Is a child with severe learning problems autistic? What about a child who is insensitive in social situations? What about children who have trouble communicating or seem to retreat into their own shells? These days a large number of children who fit any of those descriptions are likely to be tagged with the autism label, or their parents will be told that they have a disorder (like Asperger’s syndrome) that falls somewhere in the autism spectrum.

This looseness of definition is getting in the way of medical progress.

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The study, which appears in the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, states that certain traits like not smiling in response to the smiles of others or not responding when one’s name is called are some of the indications that can tell whether a child will develop autism later in life.
Behavioral traits in kids can predict autism
Washington | April 30, 2005 3:21:25 PM IST

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“The sooner the diagnosis, the better outcome you are going to have,” said Lewes pediatrician Dr. Jay Ludwicki.

He said parents should rely on children’s well checks to diagnose symptoms, which generally present themselves by 15 and 18 months and as early as 12 months. Those symptoms can range depending on the degree of the neurological disorder, which affects the functioning of the brain.

Click to continue reading this article from delmarvanow.com

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Sarah Beard, 5 years old: “Myself is something who is the personality, and I am a special person of ‘anality.’”

Sarah was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, at two. Mom Colleen says that early diagnosis changed her little girl.

Colleen Beard, Sarah’s mom: “The amount of progress she has made — she’s a different girl today than she was 14 months ago.”

Autism expert Catherine Lord says early diagnosis leads to life-changing interventions.

Catherine Lord, Ph.D., psychologist: “It’s been truly wonderful to see how many things people with autism can do and things that we would not have probably dreamed about 20 or 30 years ago.”

Therapy focuses on completion of tasks and social interaction. Experts believed half of autistic kids would never speak. With early intervention, Dr. Lord found only 14 percent won’t.

Dr. Lord: “It’s not what you have done in a day, but what you know, it leads into something that is really going to change children’s lives.”

Sarah remembers how she used to behave.

Sarah: “It feels like I screamed a lot.”

But she doesn’t dwell on it.

Sarah: “No, I’m not afraid anymore.”

And this year she even let her family sing her happy birthday.

Asperger’s Syndrome is often called high-functioning autism. Early intervention with these children may often show more results than with standard autistic kids. But experts say, the important point for any autistic children is early diagnosis and then targeted intervention specifically designed for each kid’s unique needs.

Doctors used to believe autism could not be accurately diagnosed until the child was four or five years old. Now research shows children can reliably be diagnosed as young as two, which, according to her, is the key to successful treatment.

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