Certain Children With Autism Show More Improvement Than Others

April 2nd, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) — About 10 percent of children
with autism experience rapid gains in skills — progressing from severely
affected to high functioning — but minority children with less-educated
mothers are much less likely than richer white kids to fall into this
group, a new study suggests.

Analyzing nearly 7,000 California children with autism, researchers
from Columbia University in New York City also found that these kids
typically display six typical patterns of social, communication and
repetitive behaviors and that those whose symptoms were least severe at
diagnosis tend to improve more quickly than others.

“These children follow really different pathways over time, changing at
very different paces and according to very different patterns,” said study
author Christine Fountain, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia’s
Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. “Most children do
get better, at least a little bit. But we found it somewhat surprising
that about 10 percent improve really rapidly and to a great extent.”

The study is published online April 2 and in the May print issue of the
journal Pediatrics.

According to information released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 88 American children has
autism, a developmental disorder characterized by deficits in
communication and social interaction along with repetitive behaviors.

The new study, which didn’t examine the effects of autism treatments or
interventions, observed symptom trajectories in participants born between
1992 and 2001 from diagnosis through age 14. Factors examined also
included race, ethnicity, mothers’ education level, gender and
socioeconomic status.

Most improvements in autism symptoms occurred before age 6, the study
said, and the rapidly improving group — dubbed “bloomers” — started
with low scores and ended with scores comparable to patients in
high-functioning groups.

“We were really pleased that there is this group, which is relatively
small but significant, who are able to improve so quickly,” Fountain said.
“It’s going to provide a hopeful message for parents [of autistic
children]. We need more research to find exactly what’s going on to make
these children bloom.”

While communication and social behaviors might improve more
dramatically in some children, the study found that patterns of repetitive
behaviors — which can include hand-flapping and head-banging — tended to
remain relatively stable, improving or worsening in only about 15 percent
of children over time.

Minority children whose parents were in the lowest socioeconomic groups
were much less likely to be “bloomers” than those with more advantages,
the study said. Among all children with autism, those with accompanying
intellectual disabilities were more likely to stay in the low-functioning
groups.

Based on the socioeconomic differences, expanding minority children’s
access to early treatment and educational services seems critical, the
authors said.

Another expert said the study will help those working with children who
have autism. “I think what’s impressive is that this study documents what
clinicians have seen — that there can be a very variable outcome among
children with autism and that all things being equal, the children that do
best over time are those who start out with less impairment and less
intellectual disability,” said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental
and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s
Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park.

The study was limited because its data didn’t offer reasons why some
children with autism improve more than others, Adesman said, other than
pointing to differences in ethnicity or socioeconomic status. But, “to
some extent, this study helps us identify the likely range of outcomes,
which is going to be helpful for clinicians,” he added.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine had more about autism.