The most tightly controlled study to date on the gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet found that application of the diet resulted in no significant change in autistic behavior or improvement in symptoms.
"...The researchers undertook a randomized, double-blinded (meaning neither the participants nor the researchers knew which treatment anyone received), placebo-controlled study.
Fourteen children who were put on the diet for at least four weeks were then given snacks containing gluten, casein, both or neither. The researchers evaluated the children for changes in attention, sleep, stool patterns and characteristic autistic behavior. The study did not show significant changes in any of these symptoms for any of the groups..."
"Dr. Leonard Rappaport, chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston, called the findings 'disappointing.'
'Even though I did not believe it really made a difference, I was hoping I was wrong,' Rappaport said. "
...
" 'Actually, I don't think that many parents will be disappointed," Amaral [David Amaral, president of the International Society for Autism Research and professor at the University of California at Davis] said. 'On the contrary, it is very difficult to maintain children on the [GFCF] diet. Some parents who may have failed in maintaining the diet may feel relieved to hear that it might not be a benefit to their child even if they had persisted.' "
...
"[From Dr. Stefani Hines, a development-behavioral pediatrician at William Beaumont children's hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan] 'So far the research that has been the most promising has been aimed at applied behavioral analysis,' she said. 'We still have much to learn regarding best treatment practices for children with autism.' "
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) - the Federal advisory committee mandated by The Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006 (P.L. 109-416 – ) to coordinate research activities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - and the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC), will be holding a full meeting of the Committee on Friday, April 30, 2010.
The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Rotunda Room
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
This meeting will also be available to the public by live videocast.
Schedule subject to change. Meeting may end prior to or later than 5:00 p.m. depending on the needs of the committee.
See the agenda website for full schedule and link to the videocast
Of particular interest may be, Research Update: Autism Treatment Network
Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D.
Chief Science Officer, Autism Speaks
Research Update: Autism in the DSM-V
Susan E. Swedo, M.D.
Senior Investigator, Behavioral Pediatrics Section
Pediatrics and Developmental Neurospsychiatry Branch, NIMH
Research Update: NIH Nonverbal ASD Workshop
Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D.
Director, Laboratory of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Boston University
Ann Wagner, Ph.D.
Chief, Neurobehavioral Mechanisms and Mental Disorders Branch, NIMH
Research Update: Building the Infrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research on Disability Issues
Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, M.D., MSc, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Office on Disability, Office of the Secretary
Conference Call and Webinar of the Subcommittee for Planning the Annual Strategic Plan Updating Process Monday, April 19, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. The agenda is to discuss plans for updating the 2010 IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research.
The public is welcome to participate and no registration is required.
The Contact Person for this conference call is:
Ms. Lina Perez
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC
Room 8185a
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 301-443-6040
IACCpublicinquiries@mail.nih.gov
"coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services concerning autism spectrum disorder to combat autism through research, screening, intervention and education. The Committee’s primary mission is to facilitate the efficient and effective exchange of information on autism activities among the member agencies, and to coordinate autism-related programs and initiatives"
in which the IACC identifies what they have selected as the twenty top studies from the peer-reviewed literature of 2009 providing significant insight into prevalence, biology, potential risk factors and possible interventions related to autism spectrum disorders.
The current report has a somewhat different format than the prior reports of 2008 and 2007 in being more of a list of articles than a background document.
The twenty articles selected for 2009 from the 63 nominated are,
Under the header of "Science, Fads, and Behavior Analysis", the March Organization for Autism Research (OAR) newsletter, The OARacle, reprinted an article from the Autism Spectrum News, Winter 2010, 2(3), p. 21, by Dr. Thomas Zane, Ph.D., BCBA-D
While the conclusions of Dr. Zane's examination of RDI is informative, there is at least equal value in the description of the process starting from literature review through comparison to accepted criteria in determining validity as an evidenced-based practice.
Another interesting article of practical value is,
"How to: Keeping your child safe"
Readers are encouraged to browse the entire March issue, as well as the OAR website to become acquainted with OAR's activities, and funded research and scholarship programs.
Please note that the deadline for responding to this RFI is Friday, February 19th, 2010. OppNet is seeking your help in identifying broad priority areas. The purpose of this RFI is not to solicit ideas for specific, individual research proposals.
OppNet Mission
The mission of OppNet is to pursue opportunities for strengthening basic behavioral and social science research (b-BSSR) at the NIH while innovating beyond existing investments.
OppNet Goals
OppNet advances basic behavioral and social science research through activities and initiatives that build a body of knowledge about the nature of behavior and social systems.
OppNet prioritizes activities and initiatives that focus on basic mechanisms of behavior and social processes; that are relevant to the missions and public health challenges of multiple NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICOs); and that build upon existing NIH investments without replicating them.
The 2010 meeting is being held in Philadelphia, PA, May 20-22, 2010. The IMFAR website reports that registration for the 2010 conference is scheduled to open on February 19, 2010.
(February 11, 2010 -- New York, NY) The Autism Science Foundation today announced that is offering a limited number of grants to parents of children with autism and other stakeholders to support attendance at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), to be held in Philadelphia, May 20-22, 2010. Awards of up to $1000 can be used to cover registration, travel, accommodations, meals and other directly related expenses, including childcare. After the conference, grant recipients will be expected to share what they've learned with families in their local communities and/or online...
Your participation is encouraged and welcome in this RFI recommending top priority challenges for b-BSSR.
For detailed information about the Request For Information and to submit your ideas, please go to http://bbssrresponse.com/. This information will enable OppNet to strategically plan future investments in b-BSSR. [Note: an allocation of $120 million dollars over the next 4-5 years is anticipated]
Please note that the deadline for responding to this RFI is February 19th, 2010. Your help is sought in identifying broad priority areas. The purpose of this RFI is NOT a solicitation of research grant proposals nor to solicit ideas for specific, individual research proposals. Please see the Request for Information notice for the specifics of information requested.
The mission of OppNet is to pursue opportunities for strengthening b-BSSR at the NIH while innovating beyond existing investments. Further information about OppNet, including the definition of what is meant by basic-BSSR (critical to understand if you are going to identify priority areas for investment) can found at http://oppnet.nih.gov/.
A collaboration of The Maine Department of Health and Human Service & The Maine Department of Education recently issued an evaluative report of research evidence for various interventions for autism spectrum disorders.
A helpful discussion of evidence and summary table can be found on pages 8-10
The Winter 2010 issue/volume 7(1) of Science in Autism Treatment, the newsletter of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment contains a useful summary and discussion on the Maine report,
Myers, S.M., Plauche Johnson, C., (2007). Clinical report: Management of children with autism spectrum disorders.Pediatrics, 120(5),1162-1182. (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2362) AAP Policy - American Academy of Pediatrics NB: Applied behavior analysis and functional behavior analysis covered under "Specific Strategies" on page 1164, under "Speech and Language Therapy" on page 1165, under "Social Skills Training" on page 1165, under "Comparative Efficacy of Educational Interventions for Young Children" on page 1166, under "Programs for Older Children and Adolescents" on page 1166.
RELATED PRESENTATIONS, GROUPS, BOOKS & POSTS AUTISM
Presentation: 7. Behavior Analytic Research in the Treatment of Autism David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA "An overview of the state of research in autism that evaluates behavior analytic and non–behavior analytic treatments will be presented, with an emphasis on considerations for future research in applied settings." Presented Monday August 4 at the 2008 National Autism Conference. August 4–8, 2008 Penn State, Pennsylvania (scroll down the page to the presentation, handouts, and audio of the presentation)
Effective Practices for children with autism: Educational and behavior support interventions that work. (2008). New York: Luiselli, J.K., Russo, D.C., Christian, C.P, & Wilczynski, S.M. (Editors). New York: Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-531704-6 [Google books limited preview]
Early intervention for autism spectrum disorders: a critical analysis. Matson, J.L., & Minshawi, N.F. (2006). Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-0-08-044675-2 [Google books limited preview]
