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[ad_1] The share of American children who have ever been diagnosed with a developmental disability increased again in 2021, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and now more than 1 in 10 boys have had an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or another developmental delay. Among kids ages 3 to 17 years old, 8.56% have ever been diagnosed with any developmental disability as of 2021, according to the latest results from the agency's ongoing National Health Interview Survey . "We're interested in understanding the prevalence of these conditions in the population so that we can make sure we have adequate services available for families and children who need them," said Benjamin Zablotsky, a statistician for the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics and lead author of the new report. A previous report , examining trends from 2009 to 2017, found increases wer

[ad_1] According to a recent study performed by a UCLA Health researcher, pregnant women whose household tap water included greater amounts of lithium had a modestly increased chance of their kids being diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is believed to be the first to identify naturally occurring lithium in drinking water as a possible environmental risk factor for autism.  "Any drinking water contaminants that may affect the developing human brain deserve intense scrutiny," said lead study author Beate Ritz, MD, Ph.D., professor of neurology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.  "In the future, anthropogenic sources of lithium in water may become more widespread because of lithium battery use and disposal in landfills with the potential for groundwater contamination. The results of our study are base

[ad_1] According to new Stanford School of Medicine research, children with autism have memory issues that limit not only their ability to remember faces but also their capacity to retain other types of information. The study discovered that these deficits are represented in unique wiring patterns in the children's brains. The research, which will be published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, clarifies a debate about memory function in kids with autism, showing that their memory struggles surpass their ability to form social memories. The finding should prompt broader thinking about autism in children and about treatment of the developmental disorder, according to the scientists who conducted the study. “Many high-functioning kids with autism go to mainstream schools and receive the same instruction as other kids,” said lead author Jin Liu, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Memory is a key predictor of aca

[ad_1] The share of American children who have ever been diagnosed with a developmental disability increased again in 2021, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and now more than 1 in 10 boys have had an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or another developmental delay. Among kids ages 3 to 17 years old, 8.56% have ever been diagnosed with any developmental disability as of 2021, according to the latest results from the agency's ongoing National Health Interview Survey . "We're interested in understanding the prevalence of these conditions in the population so that we can make sure we have adequate services available for families and children who need them," said Benjamin Zablotsky, a statistician for the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics and lead author of the new report. A previous report , examining trends from 2009 to 2017, found increases wer