IAN Community E-Newsletter -- January 12, 2012Date First Published: February 8, 2012 Aggression: A Challenge for Families of Children with ASDChildren with ASD sometimes have aggressive and other out-of-control behaviors, and this has been linked with high levels of stress in families. Strangely, little research has been conducted to gauge the extent of the problem. Now, researchers report that aggression occurs at a very high frequency among children with ASD, and is tied to certain child characteristics. Three Key Studies Shed Light on Autism GeneticsThe June 9, 2011 issue of Neuron featured three groundbreaking studies on autism genetics. Two of the studies showed that tiny genetic changes occur much more frequently in children with ASD than in their parents or unaffected siblings. The third demonstrated that many of these changes ultimately result in disruption of brain function, leading to hope that focusing on these disruptions will lead to therapies that are effective no matter what genetic change caused the problem. New Findings on Driving and ASDA new study on driving and young people with ASD has just been published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The study, which recruited families through IAN Research, was based on an online survey. The researchers found that, of the teens who were old enough to drive, 29% were currently driving and 34% planned to learn. There were several factors associated with the likelihood that a teen was driving, including having driving as a goal in the individualized Education Program (IEP), being college-bound, and having a parent who had previously taught a teenager to drive. Teens taking part in this study received fewer citations compared with typical teens (12% vs. 31%) and were involved in fewer motor vehicle crashes (12% vs. 22%), with parents commenting that their teens with ASD are more "rule-bound" and less "reckless" than other teens. For more information, see "Rules of the Road," an article on some of the challenges faced by individuals with ASD who hope to drive. Many of our IAN children with ASD are transitioning into adulthood. Remember to visit the section of IAN Community devoted to Adults with ASD. Bullying Survey Collecting Crucial DataThe IAN Bullying and School Experiences of Children with ASD Survey has so far collected nearly 1,200 responses from families of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The information families share will permit researchers to explore how frequently children with ASD are bullied, what school environments are protective against bullying, and what characteristics put a child with ASD most at risk of being bullied. To watch the survey's progress, visit the IAN Data Explorer and choose the Bullying Survey from the drop-down menu. You can see firsthand how families are answering the questions. The graphs and charts update every 3 hours! Learn about the survey's background and launch. This article includes a video news story on bullying and ASD featuring a young girl with Asperger's, as well as IAN's Dr. Connie Anderson. |
