Early births linked to Autism and learning disorders?

With Caesarean sections becoming more and more popular globally, many women now have the ability to choose their delivery dates. While this may make things easier, scientist in a recent study found that babies born at 39 weeks, which is a common delivery point for many women, have an increased risk of developing a learning disability. 

In Scotland, scientists have been studying the birth histories of  more than 400,000 schoolchildren. They concluded that while babies born at 40 weeks have a 4% risk of learning difficulties, those born at 37 to 39 weeks of gestation have a 5.1% percent risk, a significant increase. 


 The medical community has already developed a consensus regarding the link between premature babies and learning/developmental disabilities, but this study highlights possible risks for babies born in the 24 to 40 week range which was not commonly thought to have been an issue. 

Research is still being done on this subject and much evaluation still needs to be done. If you are pregnant or planning on starting/continuing a family, please consult your physician regarding your best options for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. Find useful information here.
  

Cal State San Marcos Announces New M.A. in Education Program

More M.A. programs in SLP are kick starting in California as the demand for SLPs heightens. San Marcos has just announced a new Master’s of Arts in Education with an Option in Communicative Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Suzanne Moineau, director of the Communicative Sciences and Disorders program at San Marcos said, "There is currently a significant shortage of speech-language pathologists to service the children with communication disorders in our public schools.”

There are several options for individuals interested in working in the public school system, which desperately needs therapists for all age ranges. Find out more about educational programs in your area by visiting the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website. It's never too late to start a career in Communicative Disorders!

More on Cellceutix...

In May, we spotlighted Cellceutix as they continue to move towards a potential breakthrough in Autism research. Today, they responded to overwhelming public support regarding this matter in a press release. The company is expediting research and collaborating with the InterEd Faculty of Clinical Research (IFCR) to accelerate the development of KM-391, which as we mentioned in our previous post has potential links to Autism.

Very exciting and interesting news- we are keeping our fingers crossed as this research develops further.

A "chemical fingerprint" for Autism?

There has been recent talk of a possible simple, definitive test for autism done through testing urine.While this would be a huge breakthrough in autism research, some professionals are still skeptical.
The research was done at the Imperial College in London and a researcher involved in the project says he may have found a "chemical fingerprint" in the urine of children with autism that can determine whether or not autism is truly present.  These findings are based on the premise that people with autism have gastrointestinal issues which change their digestive chemistry, a topic that has also been debated.

Interesting thing to think about, you can read more from the ICL press release here.