Little evidence supports autism treatment options in adolescents

Vanderbilt University researchers studying interventions for adolescents and young adults with autism are reporting today that there is insufficient evidence to support findings, good or bad, for the therapies currently used.

Although the prevalence of autism is on the rise, much remains to be discovered when it comes to interventions for this population, the researchers concluded.

“Overall, there is very little evidence in all areas of care for adolescents and young adults with autism, and it is urgent that more rigorous studies be developed and conducted,” said Melissa McPheeters, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of Vanderbilt’s Evidence-Based Practice Center and senior author of the report, a systematic review of therapies published by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Zachary Warren, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, said, “There are growing numbers of adolescents and adults with autism in need of substantial support. Without a stronger evidence base, it is very hard to know which interventions will yield the most meaningful outcomes for individuals with autism and their families.”

Key findings:

The researchers systematically screened more than 4,500 studies and reviewed the 32 studies published from January 1980 to December 2011 on therapies for people ages 13 to 30 with autism spectrum disorders. They focused on the outcomes, including harms and adverse effects, of interventions, including medical, behavioral, educational and vocational.

• Some evidence revealed that treatments could improve social skills and educational outcomes such as vocabulary or reading, but the studies were generally small and had limited follow-up.

• Limited evidence supports the use of medical interventions in adolescents and young adults with autism. The most consistent findings were identified for the effects of antipsychotic medications on reducing problem behaviors that tend to occur with autism, such as irritability and aggression. Harms associated with medications included sedation and weight gain.

• Only five articles tested vocational interventions, all of which suggested that certain vocational interventions may be effective for certain individuals, but each study had significant flaws that limited the researchers’ confidence in their conclusions. The researchers’ findings on vocational interventions will be featured in the Aug. 27 issue of Pediatrics.

As recently as the 1970s, autism was believed to affect just one in 2,000 children, but newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder. Boys with autism outnumber girls 5-to-1, which estimates that one in 54 boys in the United States have autism.

“With more and more youth with autism leaving high school and entering the adult world, there is urgent need for evidence-based interventions that can improve their quality of life and functioning,” said Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Special Education and lead author of the report.

Additional investigators on this report include Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, M.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Pharmacology and Kennedy Center investigator; Dwayne Dove, M.D., Ph.D., fellow in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics; Nila Sathe, M.S., M.L.I.S., program manager, Institute for Medicine and Public Health; and Rebecca Jerome, M.L.I.S., M.P.H., assistant director, Eskind Biomedical Library.

Their research, published in the report, Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Effective Health Care Program and conducted through Vanderbilt’s Evidence-Based Practice Center.

You have read this article with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://universosportinguista.blogspot.com/2012/08/little-evidence-supports-autism.html. Thanks!

Study finds a new pathway for invasive species – science teachers

A survey of teachers from the United States and Canada found that one out of four educators who used live animals as part of their science curriculum released the organisms into the wild after they were done using them in the classroom.

Yet only 10 percent of those teachers participated in a planned release program, increasing the likelihood that the well-intentioned practice of using live organisms as a teaching tool may be contributing to invasive species problems.

The study was presented today (Aug. 7) in Portland at the national meeting of the Ecological Society of America.

"Live organisms are a critical element for learning and we don't want to imply that they should not be used in the classroom," said Sam Chan, an Oregon State University invasive species expert and a principal investigator on the study. "But some of our schools – and the biological supply houses that provide their organisms – are creating a potential new pathway for non-native species to become invasive.

"We need to work through the whole chain and educate both the teachers and suppliers about the potential damages – both environmental and economic – that invasive species may trigger," added Chan, a Sea Grant Extension specialist and former chair of the Oregon Invasive Species Council.

The study surveyed nearly 2,000 teachers in Florida, New York, Indiana, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, California, Connecticut, British Columbia and Ontario. Conducted primarily by Sea Grant researchers, it also included focus groups and interviews with teachers, curriculum specialists and biological supply house owners and managers.

The researchers found as many as 1,000 different organisms utilized by the teachers, and many frequently listed species were known or potential aquatic invasive species including elodea, crayfishes, amphibians, mosquito fish, red-eared slider turtles and other aquatic plants and snails.

Crayfish, Chan said, provide an interesting case study.

"Oregon teachers who have ordered crayfish that originate in the Pacific Northwest have found that their mortality is extremely high, so many have taken to ordering crayfish from distributors who get their supply from Louisiana," Chan said. "The problem is that we have no idea whether those crayfish may carry diseases or parasites that may be problematic if those animals are released into the wild here."

Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the study also pointed to the dilemma that teachers face over what to do with the animals after the curriculum section has been completed.

"Teachers are evenly split over the idea of euthanasia," Chan said. "In some cases, it may be the only option. We don't recommend what teachers would do, but suggest they consult a local veterinarian. Our goal as researchers is to make the teachers and biological supply houses aware that releasing organisms into the wild may cause problems and to think about using native species in lessons whenever possible."

One problem, Chan acknowledged, is that biological supply house managers don't see this as their issue. About 50 percent of the animals used by teachers came from pet stores or aquariums; the others from supply houses.

"More than one of them told us 'it isn't our job to educate the teachers,'" Chan said. "On the flip side, there were some who said they would be willing to work with us to try to provide more local organisms."

Chan and his colleagues say the project provides a rare opportunity to study an invasive species pathway along the entire chain, from the wholesaler to the release of organisms into the wild. Educating the teachers and the suppliers about invasive species issues is the first step toward changing behavior, the OSU researcher points out.

"Many of the teachers were mortified when we pointed out they may be exacerbating the invasive species problem," Chan said. "They want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. But it is a complex issue. We don't want to discourage the use of live organisms in teaching because they can provide focus, enhance student interest, and foster responsibility and care.

"But there are consequences to using them and both teachers and suppliers should consider what will become of these organisms when the classroom lessons are over," he added.

You have read this article with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://universosportinguista.blogspot.com/2012/08/study-finds-new-pathway-for-invasive.html. Thanks!

Drugging, drinking and smoking during the school day

CASAColumbia’s 2012 back-to-school teen survey, National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVII: Teens (August 2012) reveals that 86 percent of American high school students say that some classmates are drugging, drinking and smoking during the school day and almost half know a student who sells drugs at their school.

The survey also reveals that 52 percent of high school students say that there is a place on or near school grounds where students go to get high during the school day. Thirty-six percent say it is easy for students to use drugs, drink or smoke during the school day without getting caught.

This year’s survey once again looks at teen social networking and found that 75 percent of 12- to 17-year olds say that seeing pictures of teens partying with alcohol or marijuana on Facebook, MySpace or another social networking site encourages other teens to want to party like that.

The CASAColumbia survey also looks at the impact of teens being left home alone overnight and parental expectations on teen substance use.

You have read this article with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://universosportinguista.blogspot.com/2012/08/drugging-drinking-and-smoking-during.html. Thanks!