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NICHD researchers studied the startle reflex of zebrafish in response to a sudden loud noise, and how this reflex is muted when another sound is delivered a second before a target sound. This muted startle response, prepulse inhibition, is also seen in people. The researchers identified two clusters of neurons that are responsible for prepulse inhibition, which are close to the group of cells responsible for the startle reflex in fish. These clusters of neurons prevent sound information from reaching those cells, thereby preventing sensory overload.
July 25, 2018
A presidential proclamation was issued in celebration of the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The proclamation reaffirms the commitment to create opportunities for all Americans to live full and independent lives and to recognize the contributions of Americans with disabilities. This proclamation declared July 26, 2018 as a day of celebration.
July 24, 2018
NIMH-funded researchers have linked high levels of maternal inflammation during pregnancy to reduced brain circuit communications and altered long-distance brain wiring at birth, poorer cognitive functioning at one year, and reduced impulse control and working memory at two years. Deficient working memory is thought to be key to “executive functions.” Researchers measured pregnant mothers’ blood levels of an inflammatory messenger and conducted neuroimaging and behavioral assessments of their children. Children whose mothers had higher levels of inflammatory messengers showed sped-up growth in the long-distance wiring pathway, which predicted poorer cognitive outcomes at age one which are often seen in autism.
July 17, 2018
Participants with ASD underwent a fMRI while they played a picture puzzle game. They did not know that the activity of their social brain circuitry controlled the game. Following the game sessions, scans while the brain was at rest showed increased connectivity between two key networks of the social brain that are compromised in ASD.
July 9, 2018
An analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health found that approximately 30 percent of children aged 9 to 35 months received a parent-completed developmental screening and about 37 percent received developmental surveillance from a healthcare professional in the past year. Screening rates vary widely across states and overall remain low.
June 28, 2018
CMS released a four-page informational bulletin in response to the January joint report from the HHS Office of Inspector General, Administration for Community Living, and Office for Civil Rights that found state officials were not informed or failed to respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and untimely death in group homes for people with developmental disabilities. The bulletin addresses one of the three suggestions made to CMS, which was to implement oversight programs. CMS encourages states to adopt a standardized definition of "critical incident" or situations that warrant reporting. States are also urged to utilize the January report's suggestions for best practices when conducting audits of incident management systems, mortality reviews, and quality oversight.
June 26, 2018
In his latest Director's Message, Dr. Joshua Gordon discusses the variety of research that is being conducted at NIMH to meet the vision of understanding mental illness and transforming treatment. He first outlines initiatives aimed at identifying those in need, which includes NIMH's ServeASD program. ServeASD supports efforts to develop and study the effectiveness of early screening programs as well as testing intervention and services among transitioning youth. Dr. Gordon also discusses delivering the highest level of care to populations diagnosed with schizophrenia, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
June 22, 2018
Dr. Lance Robertson, the ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging, celebrates the nineteenth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C. that decided that people with disabilities cannot be unnecessarily segregated into institutions and must receive care in the most integrated setting possible. This setting allowed more community, school, and workplace supports to become more available. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and the Title VII Independent Living Programs.
June 13, 2018
The National Institutes of Health has formed the Trans-NIH Pediatric Research Consortium to coordinate global pediatric research across its 27 institutes and centers. This consortium will advance existing efforts to address issues that affect child health and well-being, including autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
May 30, 2018
A new study identified an association between rare structural variants in noncoding segments of genes inherited from fathers and autism in their children. Researchers studied 829 families, including 880 individuals with autism, without genetic mutations that have been previously linked to autism. They studied the contribution of these noncoding variants, called cis-regulatory elements (CRE-SVs), and found that when fathers passed on these variants there was an association with autism in their children. This association was not found when the variants were passed on by mothers.
April 26, 2018
The CDC published its latest autism prevalence estimates based on the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, an active surveillance system that provides estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of ASD among children aged 8 years residing in 11 ADDM Network sites in the United States.
April 19, 2018
April is Autism Awareness month. Here at NIMH, autism is a year-round priority. We’ve been busy on multiple fronts, from keeping track of existing programs, to planning the next set of initiatives, to working with our federal and public partners to ensure coordination of efforts. We are working hard because we know individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families are counting on us.
April 18, 2018
The 2017 Summary of Advances provides short, plain language summaries of the top 20 research articles selected by the IACC. The studies selected for 2017 have provided new insight into potential biomarkers to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental trajectories of children with ASD, and the impact of the various prenatal exposures on ASD risk.
Sunday, April 2, 2018
World Autism Awareness Day is an opportunity to recognize and support all children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Today, millions of adults and an estimated 1 out of every 68 children in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of ASD.
March 29, 2018
This year’s observance highlights the importance of empowering women and girls with autism. They face multiple challenges, including barriers to accessing education and employment on an equal footing with others, denial of their reproductive rights and the freedom to make their own choices and a lack of involvement in policymaking on matters that concern them.
March 27, 2018
Able South Carolina is a Center for Independent Living that has been awarded a Partnerships in Employment (PIE) Systems Change Grant from the ACL. Able South Carolina launched a pilot program to provide students with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to get work experience during high school and works to educate employers.
March 27, 2018
The Social Security Administration is seeking input on their Representative Payment Program to improve SSA’s ability to identify beneficiaries who can direct the management of their own benefits. The deadline for input is April 6, 2018.
March 23, 2018
Congress passed bipartisan legislation to help families locate missing loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, autism and related conditions. Kevin and Avonte’s Law (S. 2070), named in honor of two boys with autism who perished after wandering from safety, also supports training for caregivers to prevent and respond to instances of wandering.
February 28, 2018
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar has designated Ann E. Wagner, Ph.D., as the National Autism Coordinator. In this role, Dr. Wagner will play a vital role in ensuring the implementation of national autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, services, and support activities across federal agencies.
February 14, 2018
The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) has released its 2017 report, America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis: Effects on People with Intellectual Disabilities, Families, Communities and the U.S. Economy. This report reports on how direct support professionals (DSP) promote participation on the U.S. economy and explores the high turnover rate of DSPs.
February 12, 2018
Two new grant opportunities have been announced by NIDILRR. One of which promotes disability and rehabilitation research on college and career success for students with serious mental illness or traumatic brain injury.
January 22, 2018
On Monday, January 22, 2018, the President signed into law: H.R. 3759.
January 12, 2018
This press release is related to a presentation from the October 2017 IACC Meeting.
This toolkit includes a set of screening questions that can help nurses or physicians in medical settings successfully identify youth at risk for suicide.