Adults with autism tend to have a different set of psychiatric conditions than do those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a study of more than 1 million people suggests1. Autism and ADHD often overlap and may share biological roots. The new findings may help clinicians spot the conditions that differ among these individuals, such as depression and anxiety, and […]
Two new studies use medical records from countries with nationalized health care to link autoimmune disease and obesity in parents to the likelihood of having a child with autism. The first study, published online in October in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, looked at 129,733 children born in hospitals in Nova Scotia, Canada, between 1990 […]
Apps spell big business in the healthcare industry: Dozens of apps are marketed to people with conditions including depression, anxiety and autism. And Google parent company Alphabet announced Friday that it will buy wearable fitness tracker company FitBit. But many app developers sell users’ data, including their name, medical status and sex, to third parties such […]
When Toni and Jim Hoy adopted their son Daniel through the foster-care system, he was an affectionate toddler. They did not plan to give him back to the state of Illinois, ever. “Danny was this cute, lovable little blond-haired, blue-eyed baby,” Jim says. Toni recalls times Daniel would reach over, put his hands on her […]
“I don’t have any history of cancer in my family, so it wasn’t something I was on the lookout for,” Ramirez says, sitting outside the library of her alma mater, Arizona State University. Ramirez was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 23. Now, more than a decade later, she’s healthy and so are her […]
A panel of autism scientists and advocates is charged with a tall order: making recommendations for the care of autistic people worldwide. The panel is slated to meet for the first time today after the 2019 International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Montreal. Convened by the journal The Lancet, the group includes more than 20 of the […]
In the United States, 117 people from 13 states contracted measles between 1 January and 15 July of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the same time period, 45 states and the District of Columbia reported 3,886 mumps infections. In 2015, there were 20,762 reported cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in […]
Young people with autism have more psychiatric and medical conditions than do their typical peers or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests1. The early onset of these problems suggests they do not stem solely from a lifetime of poor healthcare, says lead researcher Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program […]
Kieley Parker never imagined she would need an antidepressant. “I always win those stupid sunshine and happiest person awards. People see me as an incredibly joyful person,” she says. But in fall 2014, Parker left her job as a third-grade teacher and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her fiancé. Starting over in a new city […]
A popular U.S. federal-state program that provides health coverage to millions of children in lower- and middle-class families is up for renewal 30 September. But in a deeply divided Congress facing such pressing concerns as extending the nation’s debt ceiling, finding money for the Hurricane Harvey cleanup and keeping the government open, some health advocates […]
A new rule to restrict legal immigration in the United States, published by the Trump administration this month, is sowing confusion and anxiety even among immigrants not directly affected by it, as fear spreads faster than facts, immigration and health policy experts say. The rule would allow the federal government to more easily deny permanent residency […]
Autistic people who have trouble identifying their emotions, a condition known as alexithymia, are likely to have anxiety, depression and problems with social communication, according to a new study1. Alexithymia may also contribute to worsening mental health: People with severe alexithymia are more likely than those without to develop anxiety over time. Roughly half of […]
