Latest autism spectrum disorder Stories

DETROIT, June 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has again been compelled by a lawsuit to pay claims for autism spectrum disorder treatment known as Applied Behavior Analysis, or "ABA." In the case of Matthews v. Blue Cross, Case No. 09-018750-CK , Wayne County Circuit Court, Blue Cross accepted a case evaluation award of $125,000 in favor of the plaintiff, Cheryl Matthews, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge. Matthews alleged in her lawsuit that Blue Cross...

Clusters are associated with areas of greater parental educationResearchers at UC Davis have identified 10 locations in California where the incidence of autism is higher than surrounding areas in the same region. Most of the areas, or clusters, are in locations where parents have higher-than-average levels of educational attainment. Because children with more educated parents are more likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, one need look no further for a cause, the authors...

Major study involves university professor of psychiatryThe first ever major study into adults living with autism was published today (Tuesday 22nd September) by the NHS Information Centre. The report, entitled 'Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England 2007' was written by Professor Terry Brugha, a Consultant Psychiatrist with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester with a team of UK researchersThis...

DETROIT, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The family of an autistic child filed a motion in federal court today to confirm settlement of a class action against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The family alleged in the suit that the insurer wrongfully refused to cover behavioral therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), on the baseless ground that the care was "experimental." Under the terms of the settlement reached at a court-ordered conference on Wednesday, June 17, 2009,...

The annual costs of autism spectrum disorder in Britain is more than $42 billion a year, researchers estimate. The study, published in the Journal Autism, said the cost of supporting children with autism spectrum disorder was estimated to be $4.2 billion per year. The cost of carrying for adults with the disorder was put at $39 billion annually. Martin Knapp of the London School of Economics provided a comprehensive analysis of the economic impacts of autism spectrum disorder in Britain...

Children who are firstborn, breech or whose mothers are 35 or older are at significantly greater risk for an autism spectrum disorder, U.S. researchers said. Researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine showed women who give birth at age 35 or older are 1.7 times more likely to have a child with an autism spectrum disorder, compared with women between the ages of 20-34. First author Dr. Deborah A. Bilder said children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder also were nearly 1.8...

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Responding to the needs of the growing number of Pennsylvanians living with an autism spectrum disorder, Secretary of Public Welfare Estelle B. Richman today unveiled three new regional autism centers geared toward improving access to services, education, research and training for families and professionals in need. "The increased prevalence of autism has resulted in a greater demand for services, but the development of new programs has...