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Autism Support Network today announced the launch of its free online support community available at http://www.AutismSupportNetwork.com.

She seemed to be everywhere. Last fall, actress Jenny McCarthy could be found on a host of American talk shows, including Larry King Live, The View and The Oprah Winfrey Show promoting her book Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism. During the Oprah appearance, she made several controversial claims, including the idea that vaccines had a role to play in causing her son’s autism.

The advocacy group Autism Speaks in 2009 will target at least 10 states — including New York, California and Ohio — to push for legislation that would require health insurers to cover autistic behavioral therapy, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. The group already has endorsed bills in New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan.

A new screening method can be used to detect the chromosomal abnormalities most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders. By screening for genetic defects associated with various kinds of cognitive impairment, the approach described in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics will help clinicians identify the underlying causes of some patients’ autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

People with autism-related disorders are less likely to make irrational decisions, and are less influenced by gut instincts, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study adds to the growing body of research implicating altered emotional processing in autism.

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are hoping to learn more about the causes of autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, by putting a controversial theory to the test. The team in the Social Cognition Group in the School of Psychology are looking for volunteers to take part in a series of tests that include computer tasks and puzzles, a short interview and a Magnetic Resonance brain scan (MRI).

A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has discovered an important clue to why children with autism spectrum disorders have trouble imitating others: They spend less time looking at the faces of people who are modeling new skills.

Related to perceived threats and to autism A hand moves forward, but is it a friendly gesture or one meant to do harm? In an instant, we respond — either extending our arm forward to shake hands or raising it higher to protect our face. But what are the subtle cues that allow us to interpret such movement so we can properly respond to others? In research projects designed to assist the U.S.

Angela Browning MP is urging fellow MPs to ensure a brighter future for people with autism by backing a draft Private Members’ Bill, launched by The National Autistic Society (NAS) in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 7th October.

The first national survey of attitudes toward autism reveals that a small but significant percentage of people still believe the disease is caused by childhood vaccines. The survey of 1000 randomly selected adults was conducted for the Florida Institute of Technology. Nearly one in four (24 percent) said that because vaccines may cause autism it was safer not to have children vaccinated at all.