Autism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hormone thought to encourage bonding between mothers and their babies may foster social behavior in some adults with autism, French researchers said on Monday.

Researchers found that of 219 children born before the 26th week of pregnancy, 8 percent met the criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at age 11. That compared with none of 153 classmates who were born full-term and included in a comparison group.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Being an older mother significantly increases the risk of having a child with autism, but being an older father only increases the risk when the mother is under the age of 30, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

The paper, published in 1998 and written by British doctor Andrew Wakefield, suggested the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot might be linked to autism and bowel disease.

The Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper on Tuesday that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.

U.S. researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents.

Autism, a brain disorder that interferes with communication and social skills, affected an estimated one in 110 American 8-year-olds in 2006, according to a federal study released Friday.

You may have heard the oft-quoted statistic that autism affects 1 in 150 US children. Turns out it's more like 1 in 91 -- and about 1 in 58 boys, according to new figures released Sunday.

Mia recalls her beautiful, vibrant mother whose radiant smile was dimmed by depression, medication and, finally, cancer – but her memory lives on in the hearts of her daughter and her grand-daughters.

After many years of depression Jan's talented and creative son, Ben, is eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. As he becomes increasingly traumatised, Jan's sense of loss is intense. She now speculates whether earlier intervention could have made a difference to the outcome.

Karrie Karahalios can show a child with Asperger's Syndrome when he's lost in a conversational riff or a taciturn spouse when he doesn't speak very much.

A British computer hacker, Gary McKinnon, 42, wins right to fight extradition to US Friday after being accused of hacking into computers owned by the US military and NASA space.

An autopsy is planned in the Bahamas for actor John Travolta's 16-year-old son, who died suddenly while on vacation with the family in the Bahamas.

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston have denied reports that Jett was autistic. Autism is not recognized by the Church of Scientology, of which Preston and Travolta are both prominent members.