There’s growing evidence that the brains of autistic children are very different from the brains of other youngsters. Now a new study that found an excess of brain cells in children with autism comes closer to pinpointing the …
Autism
Family MattersAutism
Risk of Autism Is Five Times Higher in Low-Birthweight Babies
Low-birthweight babies are at risk for all sorts of motor and cognitive delays, and researchers have just added autism to the list. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania finds that premature babies weighing less than …
1 in 10 Parents Skip or Delay Vaccines
More than one in 10 parents don’t follow the recommended vaccination schedule for their children, according to a new study. And one in four who do adhere to current guidelines say they still feel that it may not be the best or …
Vaccine Safety: New Report Finds Few Adverse Events Linked to Immunizations
In a new report investigating adverse events caused by vaccines, a panel of experts says there are relatively few health problems caused by the most commonly recommended immunizations, which public health experts advise that all …
Could the Way We Mate and Marry Boost Rates of Autism?
In this week’s paper issue of TIME, author Judith Warner explores a provocative theory about why rates of autism, particularly the mild form known as Asperger’s, are on the rise: because people who have certain “autistic” traits …
Family MattersAutism
For Siblings of Autistic Kids, Risk Is Far Higher Than Thought
Autism runs in families to a much greater degree than previously thought, according to new research that has tracked the younger siblings of children with the developmental disorder.
The Healthland Podcast: Customizing Your Baby, Masturbation, and the Vaccine Wars
Welcome back! This week we debate the ethics of a blood test that can reveal your baby’s sex at just seven weeks of pregnancy. Also: a big new study on how masturbation affects sexual development. Finally, science editor Jeffrey …
Family MattersParenting
Should Pediatricians ‘Fire’ Patients Whose Parents Don’t Vaccinate?
Recently, my 4-year-old got poked five times, and vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella, diptheria, tetanus and pertussis — among other nasties — coursed into her loudly protesting body. Within hours, she’d spiked a …
Video: Ballet’s Emphasis on Repetition Helps Autistic Kids
This week, TIME Video features the dance program Ballet for All Kids, which was created for children on the autism spectrum. “A lot of these kids with autism, they’re trying to communicate something and they have all this stuff …
Study: Siblings of Autistic Kids Show Similar Brain Activity
The genetic roots of autism may reach further in families than previously thought, according to new research.
Family MattersPregnancy
What Does Bottle-Feeding Have to Do With Autism Risk?
As if there weren’t already enough tension between bottle-feeding and breast-feeding moms, now a researcher at the State University of New York at Albany is courting controversy by suggesting that bottle-feeding is associated …
The Healthland Podcast: The Casey Craze, Autism and Tween TV
This week we debate why America has gone precisely nuts over the Casey Anthony verdict. Also, we talk about new findings on the causes of autism. And we try to figure out how TV shapes tween values. Click the play button to …
Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Autism
Children whose mothers use antidepressants during pregnancy may be more likely to develop autism than kids whose mothers do not, say researchers in California.
