In an interesting report published today, it was found that a fever can temporarily relieve autistic kids of their condition by restoring nerve cell communications in regions of the brain affected by autism.

This sound like a study that will have quite a bit of follow-up. Understanding why a fever's effect on the brain causes for a momentary withdraw of autism symptoms could lead to future treatments for this condition that is either increasing in numbers or is increasing in diagnosis.

This quote says it all: "The results of this study are important because they show us that the autistic brain is plastic, or capable of altering current connections and forming new ones in response to different experiences or conditions."

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In what appears to be the largest long-term study of autism causes yet, a five-year study will commence soon that will observe genetic and environmental factors of the condition by looking at 2,700 children (maybe more) and their families.

Autism has been a hot ticket in the news this year as the CDC stated one in 150 or so children born in the U.S. have some form of autism. Naturally, this caused many would-be parents to want more information.

The study will observe children with autism and other developmental delays in addition to those with normal development.

Environmental variables like medical history, genetics, and sociodemographic, lifestyle and environmental factors will all be considered -- and it's about time. So many studies have lingering data collection issues that make conclusions a little less viable from a belief standpoint. This study looks to buck that trend.

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The case of a Pennsylvania doctor who treated an autistic boy with a controversial chemical treatment has reached its pinnacle, as the physician has now been charged with that boy's death.

The suit charges that Dr. Roy Kerry, 69 not only used the wrong drug with the 5 year-old autistic boy, but administered it incorrectly as well.

As a result, Abubakar Tariq Nadama went into cardiac arrest in Kerry's office and died shortly thereafter. Chelation, a treatment meant to remove heavy metals from the human body, was the treatment Kerry was trying to administer, but it has not been approved by the FDA a a treatment for autism.

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In reading quite a bit on autism lately, the data collector in me sensed something I see quite often in medicine: are diseases and conditions really increasing in rate, or are more being properly diagnosed with certain ailments?

Take autism, for example. The CDC set off quite a firestorm this year by stating that 1 in 150 kids is born with autism. As always, many parents jumped to conclusions and thought something in the environment (food, water, air, vaccines) was to blame.

What is the reason for this increase? Was a change in measurement methods or better patterns and definitions of diagnosis the reason for an "uptick" in autism cases? If something comes out of relative nowhere and "grows at a substantial rate," it should always be suspect. Well, I hope.

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Being a health advocate and the sister of an autistic person, I can't help but promote the benefits of physical activity for autistic children (and adults.) I believe that one of the most under-utilized yet effective treatments for autistic individuals is exercise. Obviously, exercise is important for everyone, but especially for those with autism. Several research studies have shown that vigorous or strenuous exercise (a 20-minute or longer aerobic workout, 3 to 4 days a week) is often associated with decreases in stereotypic (self-stimulatory) behaviors, hyperactivity, aggression, self-injury, and destructiveness.

Exercise is important for both their physical and mental health. The human body is truly a remarkable machine, able to cleanse itself of heavy metals, toxins, and more and sustained exercise enhances all of these abilities. Not to mention, heightened physical activity means getting more oxygen to the cells that need it most, the ones in the brain -- no wonder I like working out so much! Exercise can reduce stress and anxiety as well as improve sleep, reaction time, and memory. Exercise is also beneficial to many autistic individuals because most lead relatively inactive lifestyles causing them to gain weight or to even become obese. On top of that, a physical exercise program may also improve a student's attention in the classroom, especially since stereotypic behaviors interfere with teaching.

Exercise is inexpensive, safe, and healthful so it only makes sense to try a program out to reduce behavior problems in the classroom and at home. But why stop there? Don't be afraid to try recreational sports. This may be an enjoyable leisure activity for individuals with autism and, in some cases, it may even help prevent problem behavior such as aggression. Recreational sports may also afford opportunities for socialization, particularly if peers who have been taught to serve as tutors or models are available during the activity.

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Chelation is an FDA-approved medical treatment for removing heavy metals from the body when metal poisoning (like from mercury) happens. But, it's not supposed to be used for autistic children.

Now, a doctor is being charged with involuntary manslaughter for administering chelation therapy to a five year-old autistic boy.Although many believe autism is sometimes caused by vaccinations (due to a mercury-containing preservative), this has not been proven.

What is your thought here? A doctor using an unapproved method for trying to 'treat' autism or the parents of the now-deceased autistic youngster? One of the doctors being talked to about the case is set to testify that the doctor under charge performed acts that "constituted gross negligence."

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This past Monday marked the launch of the first online autism registry in the U.S., the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). The idea behind the IAN Project is to connect the parents of autistic children with researchers to allow the most up-to-date information to flow to the scientists who are working on finding causes, treatments, and cures.

Personally, I'm not much for "registering" anything ("big brother" and all that) but in this case I can see how it could benefit both sides by allowing research to move faster and by giving parents a way to feel like they're doing something to help.

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Many parents of autistic children were included in a recent 19-country survey of 1,200 families who wanted to take a closer look at how genes might be involved in the autism of their children.

Autism, which often results in social awkwardness to a near-complete failure to communicate with the outside world, is estimated to affect nearly 1 in 150 kids just in the U.S. alone (in some form; mild or severe).

Is there really an "autism epidemic" that has hit not only the U.S. but many western societies? Some experts say that society is now looking much more harder for autism and so it is being diagnosed in more numbers. What are the causes, regardless of increasing amounts of individual diagnosis? That is the question.

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Good news for some parents and children dealing with autism: one form of the disorder, Rett syndrome, may be reversible.

Unlike most forms of autism, Rett syndrome does have a known cause -- mutation of the MECP2 gene. But recent research with mice shows that when the MECP2 gene is restored so is normal function and behavior. Of course more research needs to be done to determine if the result is the same in humans as it is in mice, and then to determine just what the treatment might be. But armed with this new knowledge, scientists and doctors can proceed with a much brighter outlook.

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I've been hearing about this quite a bit recently -- one in 150 kids in America has some form of Autism, diagnosed or not. If those numbers are true (not sure), then we've got some severe issues to look at here.

Like -- why are so many kids being affected by this form of mental functioning? As always, the usual culprits come up -- environmental toxins to the junk many kids eat to the condition of their parents insofar as genetic culpability and so on.

But really -- one in 150? That is scary, very scary. This, of course, includes all forms of autism, from mild to severe to Asperger's Symdrome even.

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The CDC has released the results of two of the largest and most comprehensive studies on autism ever, and the results are not at all what was expected.

Previous estimations of how many children across the U.S. are affected with autism were somewhere between 1 in 166 and 1 in 175, but according to this new data the numbers are more like 1 in 150. That doesn't sound like a big difference, but in reality it's huge.

Unfortunately, the studies won't help doctors understand how or why some kids have autism, but it does end the confusion about just how many kids need help with it. And with the number being so much higher than expected, now the motivation is there to focus harder on discovering just how to do that helping.

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