Special Needs News - 5 August 2014, Autism & Oxytocin, Autism & Ecstacy and Dyscalculia

Normal levels of oxytocin in children with autism

The idea that autism is caused by low levels of the hormone oxytocin has no basis, according to a new study. Researchers measured levels of oxytocin in children with and without autism.  They found the levels of oxytocin varied in all kids.  In addition, they discovered that social functioning was better in children with high levels of oxytocin irrespective of whether the child had autism.  More information is available on NPR.

Can ecstacy help autism symptoms?

A psychiatrist at UCLA medical center is researching the effects of ecstacy or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on autism symptoms. In the study, Dr Charles Grub is testing whether low doses of MDMA can help symptoms such as social anxiety and isolation in adults with autism. No results are available yet. More information is on the website of the Los Angeles Daily News. 

Credit: Microsoft

Over half of children with dyscalculia have another disorder

More than half of children with dyscalculia also have a reading and spelling disability report researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Munich.

"These data were quite a surprise for us", stated lead researcher Dr Gerd Schulte-Körne confesses. "This finding forces us to think again about diagnostic procedures for specific learning disorders but, above all, about how we can more effectively treat these conditions." Science Codex has more information about this study.

©Mary M Conneely T/A Advocacy in Action