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Music lessons may offer children intellectual benefits and fine-tune their sensitivity to emotion in speech, according to research by two University of Toronto psychologists presented at APA's 2003 Annual Convention. In one of the reported studies--in press at Psychological Science--E. Glenn Schellenberg, PhD, recruited 144 6-year-olds to take free weekly arts lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for one year. He randomly assigned children to either keyboard or voice lessons--the experimental groups--or drama lessons or no lessons--the control groups. The drama lessons served to control for increases in IQ that could result from participation in any extracurricular activity, said Schellenberg. He tested children's IQ before and after the year of lessons, and found that while IQs increased across the board by about 4.5 points because of attending a year of school, scores for the children in the music groups increased an additional 2.5 points. That's a small, but significant, connection, he noted. He suggested that the periods of focused attention, memorization and concentration associated with the lessons and practice may explain the increase. "We also know that schooling raises IQ, and it may be that music training is enough of a school-like activity to do the same," he explained. When the children took the post-lessons IQ test, a subset of them also participated in a study--in press at Emotion--led by Bill Thompson, PhD, to test whether music lessons promote sensitivity to speech prosody, which is the musical aspects of speech used to convey emotions. Thompson and his collaborators, Schellenberg and graduate student Gabriela Husain, presented children with eight happy and sad sentences in random order, once in English and once in Tagalog--a Filipino language foreign to all participants. Children identified whether the speaker sounded happy or sad by pressing a button directly below a corresponding picture, then repeated the process with a set of fearful and angry sentences. Next, the children heard computer-generated tone sequences and, for each, judged whether the computer was happy or sad in one phase, and scared or angry in another. The researchers had expected high scores from the drama lessons group--given that using the voice to convey emotion is central to drama--and they were right. But they were surprised to find that children who took keyboard lessons scored just as high, and significantly better than the children who took voice or no lessons. What's more, the researchers found similar results in additional studies with adults who had taken music lessons as children. Thompson posited that the results may reveal a form of cognitive transfer--that perhaps the same area of the brain processes both speech prosody and music, and that "training in one domain would act to engage and refine those neural resources." He plans to further explore theassociation and possibly test whether music training has implications for foreignlanguage acquisition.

A forum recently started a thread called 'I hate'. I went on a bit of a bender. Had no idea I had so much hate.... but I can promise my 'I love' list is much longer. :-) Donna *) I hate when anyone gets enjoyment out of intentionally harming people. I hate when people actively promote inequality I hate the assumption there's only one answer to a human problem I hate the big sell one-size-fits-all 'science' claim/pitch that rips off families I hate any prescriptive push that tells people how to be 'normal' or how to fit a stereotype. I hate the way anyone assumes all people with autism or Asperger's are all the same when we're as different from each other as non-autistic people are from each other. I hate the way new stereotypes are replacing old ones. I hate it when 'caring' limits opportunity to discover want I hate gushy compliments aimed at solitary people with little/no use for them I hate being idealised then people being annoyed when I'm simply a human just like anyone else. I hate the way TV, movies and magazines have promoted very false versions of 'normality' and pressured people to measure themselves by it. I hate seeing little babies being babysat by TV for weeks on end. I hate the bravado with which people flag wave their pride in self harming of all kinds. I hate the days where OCD convinces me my husband Chris will die. I hate when bipolar rubbish makes me unstable I hate when my ocasional tics have people stop in their tracks and check I'm 'ok'. I hate when exposure anxiety makes me struggle to meet new people or social phobia makes it hard to go into the garden or down the shop. I hate when people blah too fast and give me no processing time, no gestures to experience their words and mock me if I use objects to hold onto their different points and relationships between them. I hate when people say 'its easy' then show or tell me how to do something without helping me physically map out the pattern of DOING IT. I hate when people assume that losing a simultaneous sense of self and other is a character flaw instead of a processing issue I hate when people think I've snubbed them because face blindness makes them look like an intruding stranger. I hate when I get scared of people saying hello. I hate when the only kind of fun as an adult that I'm offered is verbal things. I hate that I can't touch paintings in galleries to hold the picture together through touch. I hate that tapping or smelling things is assumed 'retarded'. I hate that when I'm using gestural signing people assume I'm deaf. I hate when people think that learning something academically translates into being able to process and manage the same thing in 'real time'. I hate when people say 'you'll get it' and 2 years later I still can't because its a processing issue. I hate when people want you to mimic their structures and patterns and never be yourself, just so you can look more 'normal'. I hate fluorescent lights in places I have to meet new people, speak, understand, learn or relax. I hate the third handshake in a row that makes me feel like biting the person. I hate that we can't face and be flawed and still be equal, but I'm still holding hope there'll be a day we can. oooo, had no idea I had so much to hate! I promise there is also a list much longer of things to love. ... Donna Williams autistic author of 9 books in the field of autism www.donnawilliams.net

Every one of our personality traits holds a strength which can become an addiction. Yet when we OVERindulge what we find comfort in, we become disordered and we lose ourselves. For we are more than simply the natural drives of our own traits. We are the will which has the strength to limit and restrain the overindulgence in our own strengths And the determination and endurance to persist in exercising the areas we are weakest in the pursuit of balance. It is in that balance we can best live comfortably with ourselves and we others too can live most comfortably with us. For a list of these traits, here's the link... http://www.ptypes.com/type_passions.html ... Donna Williams *) Donna Williams http://www.donnawilliams.net/ http://nobodynowhere.com/ http://auties.org

If 12-year-old Chandler Kinney's mother turns her back for long enough, Chandler has dashed next door or close to the fence to play with Einstein, a golden retriever who lives next door. "She absolutely loves dogs," Paula Kinney, Chandler's mother, said. "She will sit at the fence for hours. She will let him lick her hands and she will just rub him." Chandler is autistic and developmentally delayed. Although she is 12, she behaves like a 4-year-old. Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that affects 1 in 150 individuals. According to AutismSpeaks.org, the disorder occurs in all racial, ethnic and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. Benefits Of Animals Kinney understands the health benefits that animals can offer to her daughter, but has elected not to get a dog because she is waiting for her 2-year-old to get a little older before taking on additional responsibility. But, when Kinney learned about a new product, the biOrb aquarium, designed to help autistic children, she said she would definitely be open to trying anything that would help her daughter. "Yes, I would definitely be interested in something like that -- and if it has lights," Kinney said. The biOrb aquarium combines the look of a traditional fish bowl with the performance of a high-tech aquarium, featuring a blue light. It is an 8-gallon, globe-style aquarium and can serve as the home to both tropical and coldwater fish. The biOrb aquariums, produced by Reef-One and Casco, came about after research suggested that watching fish can help reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation and enhance learning abilities to provide healing benefits for children with autism. Reef-One President Paul Stevenson said the aquariums, which are made with Plexiglas, are kid-proof. The company will also donate some of the biOrb aquariums to AutismSpeaks. Mom Says Animals Beat Activities Kinney has tried several different activities, such as music and motion classes, swimming, horseback riding, roller-skating and occupational, physical and speech therapy, to help Chandler. She said that she noticed the benefits of the activities, but horseback riding in particular helped. "She also has sensory integration disorder, so she was really clumsy," Kinney said. "She didn't have good body awareness, and the horseback riding and skating really helped." An Arizona-based program specializes in treating autistic children with sensory integration disorder. Michelle Muller, owner and founder of Autism Spectrum Alternative Program, involves all the members of a family in horseback riding. She said that autistic children have a sixth sense, and they don't connect to the world using the five senses that most people use. "(The way they communicate is) just not the same as ours," she said. "It's like a different language." Muller said she provides hippotherapy, which involves riding a horse as well as equine-facilitated therapy, which is a whole-body experience that includes riding, feeding and touching the horse. "It's not drug-related," Muller said. "It's all natural. It's all going back to the basics." She said the response she gets from her families is pretty close to amazing because communication lines are finally opened. "I haven't see a child yet that doesn't light up when on a horse. They are just in bodies that don't respond to their minds," she said. "Their mind is trapped in a body that can't communicate." The 5-year-old program also involves yoga, color therapy and relaxation techniques. Muller, who uses an 8-acre ranch, said it brings her great joy to watch a child ride up a hill and finally reach the top and scream, "I did it!" Get Your Child Involved There are many ways to get your own child involved with animals, whether he or she is autistic or not. Allowing them to care for fish can be a great way to develop responsibility without having the schedule of walking a pet like a dog. Rodents or cats can also help your child develop a schedule and bond with a pet at the same time. If you have the time and energy to care for a dog, they can provide companionship, responsibility and physical activity. If you want a dog but worry about your child not taking much responsibility or growing too attached, consider a foster program that allows you and your child to care for a pet while it waits for a permanent home. Check with your local Humane Society to see if you and your children can volunteer to walk pets or play with cats, or check withVolunteerMatch.org to see if there are any child-friendly volunteer opportunities available.

Abnormal antibodies in maternal blood that bind to fetal brain cells may contribute to the development of autism, according to two new studies from the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis. Immunologist Judy Van de Water and her colleagues isolated a form of antibody called "immunoglobulin G," or IgG, from 61 mothers of autistic children and found that in seven cases, it bound to two proteins in fetal brain tissue. Six of those mothers had children with regressive autism, in which children appear to develop normally for the first year or two before developing symptoms such as loss of social or language skills. The team also extracted IgG from 62 mothers whose children were healthy. None of those antibodies was able to bind to the fetal tissue proteins. The studies' results will be published in the March issue of the journal NeuroToxicology. Following up on those findings, behavioral scientist David Amaral of UC Davis and colleagues from the California National Primate Research Center injected four rhesus monkeys with human IgG from mothers of autistic children three times near the end of the first trimester of the monkeys' pregnancies. All the offspring of the exposed monkeys demonstrated repetitive behaviors that are analogous to those exhibited by autistic children, such as pacing, back-flipping, twirling and swinging more often and for longer periods of times. The behaviors, called "stereotypies," became more pronounced after weaning and were more striking when the animals were placed in unfamiliar settings. Offspring of four female monkeys exposed to IgG from mothers of healthy children showed no such behaviors. The study "links exposure to abnormal immune system factors during pregnancy with specific behavioral outcomes in offspring," Amaral said. The study was published online by the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

Autism Management Limited - #5 in a series of informative papers All doctors in treating children have to meet three important expectations. The welfare of the child, parental expectation of the treatment, and accepted professional standards of care. Frequently these work in harmony. Children have frequent ear, nose and throat infections being exposed to virus and bacteria at home, later at nursery, crèche, playgroup and at school. Parents catch the same infections and deal with them more effectively since they have frequently been exposed to the ineffective agent before. Common reasons for prescribing antibiotics to children will include sore throat, and otitis media. There is currently discussion in the medical literature about the use of antibiotics in young children. A recent paper in the British Medical Journal (1), which was a randomised double blind trial, from Holland, in which the patients were chosen at random in the presentation group, and did not know whether they were receiving an antibiotic or placebo (inactive dummy tablet) suggested that antibiotics were of limited use in uncomplicated Otitis media (ear infection). Subsequent correspondents have drawn attention to possible misuse of these medicines and the need for suitable intervention using other agents. The majority of autistic children have a history of allergy within the family and appear more likely than other children to react badly to infections, appearing to need more medical intervention than most children. Some American non-autistic children have been reported as spending as much as 90 days of the first two years of life taking some form of antibiotic treatment.(2) This may be causally related to the fact that 32% of these children now wheeze, 26% use bronchodilators and 12% have asthma before the age of 5. In the UK the use of antibiotics in childhood is less, but the increase in asthma, and related conditions is equally alarming. Pressure has also been placed upon parents and physicians from manufacturers, with misleading articles in the medical press, resulting in 20 fraud investigations by the US Government.(3) There is considerable evidence to support the presence of an incompetent immune system in autistic children, with evidence of heritable failure complicated by exposure to infective agents and the frequent use of antibiotics. Calls by physicians for fever and pain relief using simple analgesia such a paracetamol as the first line of treatment may help to reduce exposure, and perhaps start to reduce the rise in prevalence of drug resistant bacteria. Vitamin C has been shown to raise serum interferon levels in response to viral infections, (4) The use of Echinacea has also been shown to increase T cell and other immune call activity.(5) Combined together they can be used as an effective first line of treatment. Giving either on a prolonged basis does not seem to be helpful. The following protocol is used with success by parents attending the Manchester and London clinics. VITAMIN C RESCUE REMEDY Vitamin C is an essential in the body's defences against infection. Susceptible children will not tolerate relatively unimportant infections and this can lead to prolonged illness. In the case of behaviourally disturbed children exacerbations of symptoms previously well managed. Echinacea is an effective activator of T cell lymphocytes which fight infection. The method: Use Vitamin C 1 gram fizzy tablets; they can be bought as Redoxan or Own brand. Buy the plain type; for some children the colourants can be upsetting. Bioforce Echinacea is the best available at the Pharmacy or health store Dose: I gram three times a day until 10 tablets have been given. Do not give more; there is some evidence to suggest that persisting with large doses can cause cell damage in the bowel which may be pre-cancerous. Give Bioforce 10 drops three times daily for 5 days starting at the same time as Vit C Don't give them together; the Vit C is a powerful agent and may destroy the Echinacea When to give it: On the first sign of a cold or the flu settling in or if the child is exposed to a family member with a cold. Side effects: Vitamin C can if given in large amounts cause diarrhoea. When given in this dosage if appears to be safe for all children aged 2 upwards. Smaller children should have the dosage of Vitamin C reduced by 50% to avoid this possibility. If you do not see a reduction of symptoms within 48 hours or your child appears to be worsening in symptoms then contact your family physician as soon as possible. References: 1) Damoiseaux RAMJ, van Balen FAM, Hoes AW, Verheij TJM, de Melker RA, Primary Care based randomised double blind trial of Amoxycillin versus placebo for acute otitis media, in children under 2 years. BMJ=2000;320:350-4 2) Paradise JL, Rockette HE. Colbourne DK, Bernard BS, Smith CG, Kurs-Lasky M. Janosky JE. Otitis Media in 2253 Pittsburgh area infants: Prevalence and risk factors during the first two years of life. Paediatrics 1997; 99:318-33 3) Cantenkin. Time to stop misuse of antibiotcs Letter. BMJ 2000;765 4) Geber WF.. Effect of Ascobic acid. sodium salicylate, and caffeine on serum interferon levels in response to viral infection. Pharmacology 13 (3): 228-33, 1975 5) Bauer R, Wagner H. Echinacea species as potential immunostimulatory drugs. Econ Med Plant Res 5: 253-321, 1991 *********************************************************** Copyright (c) 2000 [Autism Management Limited]. All rights reserved. Revised: September 07, 2000 ***********************************************************

Psychiatric News December 3, 2004 Volume 39 Number 23, Clinical & Research News Joan Arehart-Treichel A 5-year-old autistic boy became more sociable while he was taking D-cycloserine. The antibiotic is one of the medications that looks promising for increasing socialization in autistic children. Researchers have identified some medications that help autistic youngsters socialize. For example, when autistic children were given selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or atypical antipsychotics in open-label studies, they became more spontaneous than before and interacted more with other people than before. However, these medications' putative ability to increase socialization in autistic youngsters has yet to be demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials. Also, it is not yet known whether the purported socialization benefits derive from a direct impact on socialization or via an indirect effect-say, by reducing irritability and anxiety. Still another medication that looks promising for autistic children is the antibiotic D-cycloserine, a pilot study reported in the November American Journal of Psychiatry suggests. The study was headed by David Posey, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Indiana University and director of the university's autism treatment center. Various factors prompted Posey and his colleagues to undertake a pilot study to determine whether D-cycloserine might increase socialization in autistic children In addition to being used to treat tuberculosis for 45 years, D-cycloserine enhances the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. Adding low doses of D-cycloserine to antipsychotics other than clozapine can temper social withdrawal in persons with schizophrenia, several studies have suggested. D-cycloserine has been safely used in children at high doses to treat tuberculosis, and the low doses of D-cycloserine used in persons with schizophrenia have produced limited side effects. In the pilot study by Posey and his coworkers, 10 individuals who met a DSM-IV diagnosis of autism and who were on average 10 years old received a placebo for two weeks, then three different, ascending doses of D-cycloserine during each of three two-week periods. The daily doses were about 0.7 mg/kg, 1.4 mg/kg, and 2.8 mg/kg, respectively. The subjects' social withdrawal was measured with four yardsticks at the start of the study, at the end of the placebo phase, and at the end of each two-week phase. The yardsticks were the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Social Responsiveness Scale, a modified Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist. Test results were encouraging. For example, subjects performed significantly better on the Clinical Global Impression Scale after they had received the medium and high doses of D-cycloserine than they had at the start of the study. Subjects performed significantly better on the social withdrawal subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist after they had gotten the highest dose of D-cycloserine than they had at the start of the study (see chart). In four of 10 subjects, social improvement was clinically meaningful. One of these four subjects was 5-year-old "Greg." Greg had been in individual speech therapy and in group social skills training with a speech and language therapist for two years The therapist was not informed about Greg's participation in the D-cycloserine study. Nonetheless, she noted marked improvement in his attention, spontaneous use of language, and initiation of social interaction while he was on D-cycloserine. The pilot study was financed by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), the National Institutes of Health, a Daniel X. Freedman Psychiatric Fellowship Award, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. See Graphic here: http://www.sarnet.org/img/3chart.gif

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer CHICAGO -- Government researchers say they found little evidence of a link between vaccinations and developmental problems in a study of more than 140,000 U.S. children. The report didn't satisfy vaccine critics, who claimed the study's initial results showed a stronger connection but were watered down. They also noted that the study's lead author now works for a vaccine maker. The study, published Monday in the December issue of Pediatrics, is one of the latest attempts to determine whether older vaccines with the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal led to nervous-system problems such as autism, as some vocal critics contend. In one group of children studied, routine vaccines in infancy appeared to slightly increase the risk for tics. In another group, a slight association was seen with language delays but not tics. A third group showed no associations with any disorder. In all, more than 140,000 children were studied and no link was found with any other disorders, including autism, said co-researcher Dr. Frank DeStefano of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many previous studies of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal also failed to find strong evidence of any link. The new results are reassuring, DeStefano said, and more definitive answers are expected from in-person examinations the CDC is giving some of the study participants. But Dr. Mark Geier, a geneticist who has worked as a consultant on parents' lawsuits against vaccine makers, said the researchers' own earlier analysis of the study results found strong links between vaccines and such problems -- and that the published results attempt to conceal those findings. He claimed the final analysis "is intentional fraud." DeStefano acknowledged that the early results suggested stronger links with some disorders, though not autism, but denied that there had been pressure or a cover-up. He said the final data reflect a more thorough recent analysis. The study's lead author, former CDC researcher Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, now works for vaccine maker GlaxoSmithKline in Belgium, and Geier said that connection may have influenced how the research was reported. Verstraeten, who left the CDC in July 2001, did not respond to an e-mail request seeking a response, and company spokeswoman Nancy Pekarek said he did not wish to discuss the results. She provided a written statement in which Verstraeten indicated that since leaving the CDC he has worked only as an adviser as the study was finalized and prepared for publication. The researchers analyzed data from three health maintenance organizations on children born between 1992 and 1999 and tracked for several years. Information was gathered on several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, attention deficit disorders, stammering and emotional disturbances. While the researchers were beginning to examine their results, public health officials were beginning to publicly address concerns about the use of thimerosal in childhood vaccines. Mercury in high doses has been linked with neurodevelopmental problems. Parents and others worried about potentially dangerous overexposure to thimerosal because of the increasing number of vaccines recommended in childhood. Vaccine makers have since phased out use of thimerosal as a preservative in childhood vaccines used in the United States, though trace amounts remain in some vaccines. It is still used as a preservative elsewhere, especially in developing countries, said Dr. Thomas Saari, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' infections diseases committee and a pediatrics professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Vaccine expert Dr. Neal Halsey of Johns Hopkins University said the study shows that if there is any association between older vaccines and mild disorders, "it must be relatively small." "A major health risk should have shown up in a consistent pattern in all three of the HMOs," Halsey said. Still, he said the findings might have been different if the researchers had done a separate analysis by gender, since boys are much more susceptible to mercury exposure than girls. * __ On the Net: Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org FDA: http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times PEDIATRICS Vol. 112 No. 5 November 2003, pp. 1039-1048 Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases Thomas Verstraeten, MD*,, Robert L. Davis, MD, MPH, Frank DeStefano, MD, MPH, Tracy A. Lieu, MD, MPH||, Philip H. Rhodes, PhD, Steven B. Black, MD, Henry Shinefield, MD and Robert T. Chen, MD for the Vaccine Safety Datalink Team * Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Vaccine Safety and Development Activity, Epidemiology and Surveillance Division, National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington Center for Child Health Care Studies, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School, and Division of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, California Objective. To assess the possible toxicity of thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) among infants. Methods. A 2-phased retrospective cohort study was conducted using computerized health maintenance organization (HMO) databases. Phase I screened for associations between neurodevelopmental disorders and thimerosal exposure among 124 170 infants who were born during 1992 to 1999 at 2 HMOs (A and B). In phase II, the most common disorders associated with exposure in phase I were reevaluated among 16 717 children who were born during 1991 to 1997 in another HMO (C). Relative risks for neurodevelopmental disorders were calculated per increase of 12.5 µg of estimated cumulative mercury exposure from TCVs in the first, third, and seventh months of life. Results. In phase I at HMO A, cumulative exposure at 3 months resulted in a significant positive association with tics (relative risk [RR]: 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-3.38). At HMO B, increased risks of language delay were found for cumulative exposure at 3 months (RR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01-1.27) and 7 months (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.13). In phase II at HMO C, no significant associations were found. In no analyses were significant increased risks found for autism or attention-deficit disorder. Conclusions. No consistent

By Stephanie Esters, Kalamazoo Gazette, Michigan Police and school officials say they are trying to determine what killed a 15-year-old autistic student who became combative and was restrained by staff at Parchment High School. The student, Michael Renner-Lewis III, appeared to have a good start at the first day of school Monday morning, said Chief William Bongers of the Parchment Police Department. Sometime that morning, however, the sophomore experienced a seizure. He seemed to recover, but later he became combative, apparently striking out at others, Bongers said. At least four staff members at the high school apparently tried to quiet the teen, each grabbing one of his limbs and sitting down on the ground with him inside a large room behind the school's auditorium. Michael appeared to calm down. "At this point, while one of the aides was talking to him, he closed his eyes," Bongers said. "Immediately, they realized something was definitely wrong, and they activated 911." At some point, the staffers tried CPR, and when Bongers arrived after getting a call at 1:57 p.m., he used a portable heart defibrillator to try to start the young man's heart. He said emergency personnel worked on the teen for at least 35 minutes. Michael was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Bongers said he had not yet had a chance to interview the staffers involved in the rescue attempt. School Superintendent Ronald Fuller said federal privacy laws prevented him from discussing certain details about the incident. "The young man was having a really good first day and in no way was this tied to any disciplinary measure," Fuller said. "But we feel that at this time, from our preliminary results, that our people handled everything in an appropriate manner and we don't have an answer yet." Fuller said investigations are being conducted by the Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner's office, Parchment Police Department, KRESA and the school district. "We don't suspect foul play," Bongers said. According to a woman who identified herself as a family friend, Michael attended a special class at Parchment High School. She said Michael's parents were not available for comment. Funeral arrangements were pending at Harper Funeral Home.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre (ARC) at Cambridge University and David Lammy, Culture Minister, today launch a novel animation DVD to help young children with autism. (Media-Newswire.com) - The Transporters DVD, commissioned by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, aims to help children with autism to look at the human face and to learn about emotions. The series of 15 five-minute episodes features the adventures of eight lovable toys with human faces, each focusing on a different human emotion. Stephen Fry is the narrator. Behind the fun and colourful world of The Transporters lies some of the latest Cambridge research. The Autism Research Centre has been working with Culture Online and Catalyst Pictures to find new ways to help children with autism learn about emotions. Children with autism tend to avoid looking at human faces and find it hard to understand why facial features move in the way that they do. This inability to read emotions on the human face impairs their ability to communicate with other people. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen comments: "Just as a child with dyslexia can be helped significantly by using tailored educational methods to ease them into reading words, so a child with autism can be helped significantly by using tailored educational methods to ease them into reading faces." Research by Dr Ofer Golan and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen from ARC found that following a four-week period of watching the DVD for 15 minutes a day, children with high-functioning autism caught up with typically developing children of the same age in their performance on emotion recognition tasks. One parent who took part in the clinical trials said of their son with autism: "We have noticed a change in his behaviour, speech and range of emotional expressions since he started watching The Transporters. It's a bit like someone's flicked a switch in his head." Children with autism are often fascinated by rotating wheels, spinning tops, rotating fans, and mechanical, lawful motion. They prefer predictable patterns. For this reason all the toy vehicles featured in the The Transporters run on tracks or on lines. The 15 key emotions portrayed in The Transporters aimed at 2 to 8-year-olds are: happy, sad, angry, afraid, excited, disgusted, surprised, tired, unfriendly, kind, sorry, proud, jealous, joking and ashamed. Each episode has an associated interactive quiz to help the child learn about the featured emotion. Jane Asher, President of the National Autistic Society, said: "This is such a wonderful initiative and is going to make a huge difference to the lives of some very vulnerable children. Both the concept and the execution of The Transporters are excellent, and I'm very proud and grateful that the NAS is able to distribute 30,000 free copies of the DVDs to the people who need it. Having worked in the field of autism for over 20 years, I know that a sensitive approach like this is exactly what's needed, and I wish it the success it deserves." The DVD will be sent out with a booklet for parents, teachers and carers. Copies can be requested via the website at http://www.transporters.tv. David Lammy, Culture Minister, said: "The Transporters is the latest interactive project from the Culture Online team, which has an enviable reputation for creating fun and engaging learning experiences. Imagine what a confusing world it must be for a child who cannot understand the significance of a smile or a frown. This project aims to make a very real difference to children with autism in helping them to understand human emotions." Claire Harcup, commissioning executive at Culture Online, said: "The Transporters exemplifies what Culture Online projects are all about: it's fun and engaging but has a serious intent. The Transporters uses ground-breaking animation techniques to place human faces on the vehicles." Stephen Fry, who narrates The Transporters, said: "The Transporters is a fun yet educational animation series that I am pleased to have been a part of. It is an important and worthwhile creation to help children with autism understand emotions."