Autism risk may be influenced by parental obesity

A study looked into how autism risk in a child may be influenced by parental obesity and found that paternal obesity is a greater risk factor than maternal obesity.

Several studies have looked at possible links between maternal obesity during pregnancy and the risk of developmental disorders in the child. However, paternal obesity could be a greater risk factor than maternal obesity, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

As the first researcher to study the role of paternal obesity in autism, Dr. Pål Surén emphasises that this is still a theory and requires much more research before scientists can discuss possible causal relationships.

"We have a long way to go. We must study genetic factors in the relationship between obesity and autism, as well as environmental factors associated with switching the genes on or off -- so-called epigenetic factors," he explains.

Surén and his fellow researchers used data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The researchers studied questionnaire data from over 90,000 Norwegian children at three, five and seven years of age. The mothers had answered detailed questions about their own mental and physical health, and about their children. The fathers completed a questionnaire about their mental and physical health while their partner was pregnant. The researchers also collected data from the Norwegian Patient Registry and from studies of children who were referred for evaluation and treatment of possible autism or Asperger's syndrome. By the end of the follow-up period, the children were aged 4 to 13 years.

Surprising findings

419 children, approximately 0.45 per cent of the sample, had an autism spectrum diagnosis (ASD). This is slightly lower than in the general population (0.8 per cent) because it is difficult to diagnose autism among the youngest children.

In the sample, 22 per cent of the mothers and 43 per cent of the fathers were overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of between 25 and 30. Approximately 10 per cent of mothers and fathers were obese, with a BMI of 30 or more.

The researchers found that maternal obesity had little association with the development of autism in the child. However, they found a doubled risk for development of autism and Asperger's syndrome in the child if the father was obese, compared with a normal weight father.

"We were very surprised by these findings because we expected that maternal obesity would be the main risk factor for the development of ASD. It means that we have had too much focus on the mother and too little on the father. This probably reflects the fact that we have given greater focus to conditions in pregnancy, such as the growth environment for the fetus in the womb than both environmental and genetic factors before conception," says Surén.

The researchers adjusted for variables that may also be associated with the development of autism in the child. In addition to adjusting for maternal obesity, they considered education, age, smoking, mental disorders, hormone therapy before pregnancy, use of folic acid, maternal diabetes , pre-eclampsia and the baby's weight at birth.

Risk genes

Surén believes that the finding about paternal obesity is sound. The researchers found that the risk remained unchanged when adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

"Our findings therefore suggest that there may be a genetic link between obesity in the father and the development of ASD in the child," says Surén.

He points out that genetic mutation may play a role in the development of both extreme obesity and autism. Researchers have shown, for example, that if a section of chromosome 16 is missing this can lead to morbid obesity or developmental disorders in children. Mutations may be a basis for the development of a number of complex syndromes and diseases.

Another explanation may lie in epigenetics. Epigenetic changes do not mean that the gene is altered, but that the gene is activated or inactivated as a result of environmental conditions. Switching a gene on or off at the wrong time and place can lead to adverse consequences for the individual and the epigenetic changes can be passed on to the next generation.

"We still know very little about how epigenetic changes in germ cells are affected by obesity or other environmental factors but animal experiments have shown that obese males have offspring with altered gene expression in early growth regulation," says Surén.

Further research

Researchers are still in the early stages of studying possible links between obesity in the father and the development of ASD in the child. The first study was recently published in the Pediatrics journal. The research paper is included in Surén's doctoral thesis and it was written with a large group of researchers from university and hospital environments in Norway, England and the USA.

"We have begun to sequence all genes to find mutations and we must do more epigenetic analysis. If there is a correlation between obesity and ASD, this is a risk factor where the incidence is increasing in the population. Further research is therefore of great importance to public health," says Surén.

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Sleep Tips for Parents of Autistic Children

A study shows that teaching sleep tips to parents of children with autism helps the child's behavior.

Sleep education for parents of children with autism helps improve the youngsters' behavior and quality of life, according to a new study.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by difficulties in social interactions and communications. Autism spectrum disorders encompass a wide range from mild to severe.

For the study, researchers provided sleep education for the parents of 80 children, aged 2 to 10, with an autism spectrum disorder. During the sessions, the parents learned about daytime and evening habits that promote sleep, including the importance of increasing exercise, limiting caffeine, and lessening the use of video games and computers close to bedtime.

In addition, sleep educators helped the parents create a visual schedule for their children to help them establish a bedtime routine and talked about ways to help kids get back to sleep if they woke up at night.

"We found that one hour of one-on-one sleep education or four hours of group sleep education delivered to parents, combined with two brief follow-up phone calls, improved sleep as well as anxiety, attention, repetitive behavior and quality of life in children with [autism spectrum disorders] who had difficulty falling asleep," study author Dr. Beth Malow, a professor of neurology and pediatrics, and a professor of cognitive childhood development at Vanderbilt University, said in a university news release.

"The parents also benefited; they reported a higher level of parenting competence after completing the education sessions," Malow added. "The one-on-one and group sessions showed similar levels of success. In contrast, an earlier study that simply gave parents a pamphlet without guidance on how to use it did not provide the same level of improvement in child sleep."

The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Future research is needed to determine the best methods for providing sleep education to families, including telemedicine- and Internet-based approaches, Malow said. She and her colleagues within the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network are also building partnerships with local pediatric practices to offer training on sleep education.

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Parent treating child's autism with medical marijuana

This article discusses the controversy going on in Oregon over a family treating their autistic child with medical marijuana.

An Oregon family has turned to medical marijuana to manage their son's severe autistic rage, KPTV reported.

Alex Echols, 11, is severely autistic, and his doctor said Alex's self-destructive behavior is brought on by tuberous sclerosis, a rare, genetic disorder that affects about 50,000 people in the U.S.  

The disorder causes unregulated growth of non-malignant tissue in organs. In Alex's case, his neurologist said growths in Alex's brain have led to seizures and autism.

Echols said by the time Alex was 5, he exhibited intense, self-directed rage. Echols showed us home videos of the rage. He said they videotaped the episodes to show doctors the injuries were self-inflicted.

His parents got him a helmet to protect his head, swaddled him like a newborn and tried mood-altering drugs to control the behavior, with little success. When he was eight years old, the Echols made the heartbreaking decision to move Alex into a state-funded group home.

But was there a way to help him? In late 2009, the Echols said they saw a television news story about a California woman who was using medical marijuana to treat her autistic son. The Echols researched Oregon's medical marijuana program, and in 2010, a doctor approved Alex for medical marijuana use.

Alex is now one of 58 minors currently protected under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. While autism is not a qualifying medical condition like cancer or severe pain, in Alex's case, his seizures were.

And after a few months of treatment, the Echols said they saw a dramatic improvement. 

Echols said Alex's group home will not administer the marijuana, so, about three times a week off-site, his parents give Alex a liquid form of the drug by mouth.

While Dr. Colin Roberts, Alex's doctor and a pediatric neurologist at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, did not condone the treatment, he said he understood the family's desire to help their child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has circulated a resolution that opposes the use of medical marijuana in children. Dr. Sharon Levy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston's Children's Hospital and chairwoman of the AAP's committee on substance abuse, told FOX 12 marijuana is toxic to children's developing brains. She also said enough isn't known about the drug's long-term effects.

The Echols have set up a Facebook page that chronicles Alex's journey. You can find their blog at www.facebook.com/alex.autism.rage.mmj.

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Schoolyard Designed for Children With Autism

A Kansas State University graduate student is creating a schoolyard that can become a therapeutic landscape for children with autism.

Chelsey King, master's student in landscape architecture, St. Peters, Mo., is working with Katie Kingery-Page, assistant professor of landscape architecture, to envision a place where elementary school children with autism could feel comfortable and included.

"My main goal was to provide different opportunities for children with autism to be able to interact in their environment without being segregated from the rest of the school," King said. "I didn't want that separation to occur."

The schoolyard can be an inviting place for children with autism, King said, if it provides several aspects: clear boundaries, a variety of activities and activity level spaces, places where the child can go when overstimulated, opportunities for a variety of sensory input without being overwhelming and a variety of ways to foster communication between peers.

"The biggest issue with traditional schoolyards is that they are completely open but also busy and crowded in specific areas," King said. "This can be too overstimulating for a person with autism."

King researched ways that she could create an environment where children with autism would be able to interact with their surroundings and their peers, but where they could also get away from overstimulation until they felt more comfortable and could re-enter the activities.

"Through this research, I was able to determine that therapies and activities geared toward sensory stimulation, cognitive development, communication skills, and fine and gross motor skills -- which traditionally occur in a classroom setting -- could be integrated into the schoolyard," King said.

King designed her schoolyard with both traditional aspects -- such as a central play area -- and additional elements that would appeal to children with autism, including:

* A music garden where children can play with outdoor musical instruments to help with sensory aspects.

* An edible garden/greenhouse that allows hands-on interaction with nature and opportunities for horticulture therapy.

* A sensory playground, which uses different panels to help children build tolerances to difference sensory stimulation.

* A butterfly garden to encourage nature-oriented learning in a quiet place.

* A variety of alcoves, which provide children with a place to get away when they feel overwhelmed and want to regain control.

King created different signs and pictures boards around these schoolyard elements, so that it was easier for children and teachers to communicate about activities. She also designed a series of small hills around the central play areas so that children with autism could have a place to escape and watch the action around them.

"It is important to make the children feel included in the schoolyard without being overwhelmed," King said. "It helps if they have a place -- such as a hill or an alcove -- where they can step away from it and then rejoin the activity when they are ready.

King and Kingery-Page see the benefits of this type of schoolyard as an enriching learning environment for all children because it involves building sensory experience and communication.

"Most children spend seven to nine hours per weekday in school settings," Kingery-Page said. "Designing schoolyards that are educational, richly experiential, with potentially restorative nature contact for children should be a community concern."

The researchers collaborated with Jessica Wilkinson, a special education teacher who works with children with autism. King designed her schoolyard around Amanda Arnold Elementary School, which is the Manhattan school district's magnet school for children with autism.

"Although there are no current plans to construct the schoolyard, designing for a real school allowed Chelsey to test principles synthesized from literature against the actual needs of an educational facility," Kingery-Page said. "Chelsey's interaction with the school autism coordinator and school principal has grounded her research in the daily challenges of elementary education for students with autism."

King presented her research, "Therapeutic schoolyard: Design for autism spectrum disorder," at the recent K-State Research Forum.

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Parents of Children With Autism More Likely to Get Ailments

Parents of Children With Autism More Likely to Get Ailments




Parents of children with autism are more likely to get common ailments such as colds, coughs and headaches as a direct result of the increased stresses linked to their caring duties, according to research from Northumbria University.

The research is published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, this April which is also National Autism month.

In the first study to look at the physical and psychological well-being of these carers, psychologists Dr Mark Wetherell, Dr Mark Moss and PhD researcher Brian Lovell also discovered higher levels of C-reactive protein in the carers, a marker of inflammation that is linked to increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Dr Wetherell said: "Parents of children with autism face tremendous physical, financial, emotional and social pressures and these can lead to prolonged activation of stress responses which might place them at greater risk of adverse health outcomes.

"The consequences of these effects are far-reaching and can influence the ability of the caregiver to provide consistent, effective and sustainable care for their child."

In a separate study, published in the April edition of Research in Developmental Disabilities the team discovered that carers with lower levels of social support experienced greater levels of stress, depression and anxiety and more common ailments.

The team is now to embark on a new research project looking at how writing about their emotions can have a positive impact on carers' wellbeing. Those taking part in the research will be asked to provide saliva and blood samples and write for 20 minutes for three days on an assigned topic.

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