Also: * Autistic Boy Missing in South Carolina

UK Government Launches New Study Into Autism

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_227715.html

A pioneering study to re-examine the causes of autism by considering the views of both experts and ordinary people has been launched by the Government.

The review, which aims to obtain a “clear and comprehensive” picture of what is currently known about the condition, will be conducted for the Department of Health by the Medical Research Council.

Psychiatrist Professor Eve Johnstone, who will chair the review, said she was “delighted” that the public would be participating.

A spokesman for the DoH said: “This information will help to identify the areas where future research is needed which will help scientists develop high quality proposals for research funding.

“Importantly, the Medical Research Council will involve lay understanding - and experience - of autism, as well as recognised experts in appraising the evidence base.”

Professor Johnstone added: “Consumer input is vital so that lay people can contribute to the process and feel that the review has taken account of their concerns.”

The review meetings, which will take place between now and the summer, will allow in-depth discussion of the topic by scientists, lay members, practitioners and interested parties such as the National Autistic Society.

The MRC will then prepare a report in the autumn for the DoH and for wider circulation to provide advice to policy-makers, patients, interest groups, researchers and the public.

The study will look at the causes of autism more broadly than the MRC’s earlier expert review which examined evidence around links between the condition and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunisation.

That study, which finished in April last year, concluded there was no new evidence to suggest a causal link between MMR vaccination and autism.

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Autistic Boy Missing in South Carolina

[By Tyrone Walker of The Post and Courier.]

http://www.charleston.net/pub/news/state/autist0304.htm

More than 100 law enforcement officers and emergency personnel searched Saturday for an autistic child who wandered away from a Dorchester County home.

Late last night, authorities concerned about inclement weather continued searching for the 6-year-boy in a two-square-mile area centered on the Second Texas community in rural Dorchester County, just outside of St. George.

“The weather has taken a bad turn on us,” said Dorchester County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Turner. “We’ll continue the search until we find him.”

The boy, wearing a blue T-shirt and red shorts, walked away from a home on Alonzo Road between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

“Our main concern is that he’s out in the elements. He’s not dressed to be in the elements. We are concerned about the temperature dip and his well-being,” Turner said.

Rain was expected to continue overnight, and temperatures were expected to hover in the low to mid 60s, according to the National Weather Service.

During the day, officers and emergency workers used a helicopter, horses and all-terrain vehicles to comb woods, swamps and open fields bordered by Alonzo, Deer and Second Texas roads.

The boy’s doctor told authorities that while the youngster, who is about 3 ½ feet tall and weighs about 70 pounds, might be able to hear searchers’ calls he was unlikely to answer, Turner said.

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