[Source:  MSNBC.com]

For years, the conventional wisdom was that babies learned how to talk by listening to their parents. But a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that our little angels are using more than their ears to acquire language. They're using their eyes, too, and are actually pretty good lip readers.

The finding could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention for autism spectrum disorders, estimated, on average, to affect 1 in 110 children in the United States alone.

In the study, researchers from Florida Atlantic University tested groups of infants, ranging from four to 12 months of age and a group of adults for comparison.

Editor's Note:  We first became aware of this story through a pin on Pinterest.   You can read her story as told by her mom, as well as view/sign her petition through our blog.   

A Philadelphia hospital is taking heat after reportedly telling one mom her daughter would not be able to receive a kidney transplant because the 3-year-old has an intellectual disability.
 

Chrissy Rivera wrote about her daughter's experience at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in a blog post last week. Since then, more than 18,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the hospital to reverse course.

High school cheerleader and art student Thera Sanchez  took a quick nap one day last October, and when she woke up, the life she had known was gone.

In its place, she was plagued by uncontrollable body movements, tics and verbal outbursts, similar to Tourette's syndrome. It turned out Sanchez was not alone, as she is one of 12 girls from LeRoy Junior-Senior High School in upstate New York who has been exhibiting symptoms of a mysterious condition that has baffled doctors.

"I'm very angry,'' Sanchez told TODAY's Ann Curry during an interview Tuesday. "I'm very frustrated. No one's giving me answers.''

[Source: Psych Central.com]

Although it may seem paradoxical, a new study finds that a structured physical activity program can help children who suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  

Children with ADHD often struggle with hyperactive impulses and have trouble maintaining attention.

Researchers discovered performing defined physical exercises helped children improve muscular coordination and motor skills, and enhanced their ability to process information.  

The study is discussed in the recent issue of the Journal of Attention Disorders.

[Source:  Science Daily]
 

Although the genetic basis of autism is now well established, a growing body of research also suggests that environmental factors may play a role in this serious developmental disorder affecting nearly one in 100 children. Using a unique study design, a new study suggests that low birth weight is an important environmental factor contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
 

"Our study of discordant twins - twin pairs in which only one twin was affected by ASD - found birth weight to be a very strong predictor of autism spectrum disorder," said Northwestern University researcher Molly Losh. Losh, who teaches and conducts research in Northwestern's School of Communication, is lead author of the study that will be published in the journal Psychological Medicine and is now available online.

And the degree of improvement didn't depend on how old kids were when they got their second implant, according to the study, published in the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery.  

An improved quality of life after a second implant "is not surprising," said Betty Loy, who studies deafness and cochlear implants at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

[Source: New York Times via MSNBC]

Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and may make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new analysis suggests.

The definition is under review by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is completing work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The D.S.M, as the manual is known, is the standard reference for mental disorders, driving research, treatment and insurance decisions.