The UCLA PEERS Program is the subject of a KNBC Channel 4 Los Angeles feature story. PEERS is a UCLA CART funded pilot study investigating the efficacy of a parent-assisted social skills intervention for teens with autism spectrum disorders (PI Liz Laugeson).
The story airs 5PM April 30, 2008.

Dr. Daniel Geschwind was featured in a channel ABC7 Los Angeles one hour segment on the book "Autism Heroes: Portraits Of Families Meeting The Challenge", by Dr. Barbara Firestone. For more information and to view the segment, click here.

UCLA CART Scientist Susan Bookheimer was quoted April 4 in the Wall Street Journal.com about why humans are drawn to infants' faces. "Some Scientists Argue We are Built to Coo at the Sight of a Baby"

A UCLA study that identified a new autism gene linked to delayed speech and language attracted widespread coverage Jan. 10 by Reuters, ABC News.com, U.S. News & World Report, The Australian, Chicago Tribune and the London Daily Telegraph, among others. Two other research teams connected the same gene to autism in separate studies; all three papers were published January 10 in the online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Full Text

Dr. Daniel Geschwind was featured in an Associated Press article regarding a study on vaccines and autism. The study concluded that there is no link between the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal and autism. Dr. Geschwind commented on the study and the search for causes of autism.

UCLA CART scientist Maricela Alarcon was featured in a segment on the Spanish language television network Telemundo. The story examined casein and gluten free diets for kids with autism.

UCLA CART scientist Daniel Geschwind was quoted in a San Bernardino County Sun article entitled "A Mother's Flu Could Hold Key to Child's Health," on new research showing a link between immune responses to the flu during pregnancy and children born with schizophrenia and autism.

UCLA CART scientist Daniel Geschwind was quoted in a ScienceNOW article entitled "Mutation Gives Mice Autistic Symptoms." This study by University of Texas researchers found that mice with a genetic mutation linked to rare human cases of autism showed impaired social interactions, a hallmark symptom of the disorder.

Mari Davies, a UCLA graduate student working in the lab of UCLA CART scientist Susan Bookheimer, was quoted May 6 in a Health Day News article about her study of autistic children who can't "read" subtleties of expression in a person's face. The piece was also carried by Forbes.com. Davies was also quoted in a separate article by Ivanhoe Newswire that appeared on the website of Channel 14 (IN). "Autistic Children Miss Visual Cues in Facial Expressions, Study Finds"

Research by UCLA CART scientist Mirella Dapretto on the links between autism and mirror neurons was cited in a Newsweek article on autism: "A Family Affair"

Research by Marian Sigman, Co-Director of UCLA CART, was featured in a UPI story concerning the development skills of siblings of autistic children. The UPI article, titled "Autism Siblings May Have Delayed Development", referenced research published in a special issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The siblings of the autistic children studied ranged in age from 14 months to four and half years. Dr. Sigman's group found that, except for some small delays in verbal abilities, after the age of four and a half most of the children were able to close the gap between their development and that of other children of the same age who had siblings with normal development.
Gamliel I, Yirmiya N, Sigman M. The development of young siblings of children with autism from 4 to 54 months. J Autism Dev Disord. 37(1):171-83. Epub 2007 Jan 3.

The first results from a five-year study in which UCLA CART was one of 13 international centers that identified two possible new genetic links to autism attracted wide coverage over the weekend. UCLA CART scientists Dr. Daniel Geschwind and Rita Cantor were co-investigators on the publication in Nature Genetics. Extensive world-wide media coverage of this major breakthrough in autism genetics includes stories by NBC Nightly News, Newsweek, MSNBC, USA Today, CNN.com, Reuters, Discovery Channel Reports, among many others.

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Geschwind on the KPCC radio show AirTalk with Larry Mantle by downloading the audio from the KPCC website.
For video of one family's story, go to http://streaming.uclahealth.org/autism.

Dr. Mirella Dapretto was featured in a United Press International article about potential causes for autism: Ped Med: Autism Tied to Neural "Cracks"

The autism research of Dr. Daniel Geschwind was the subject of a consumer health story by United Press International: Ped Med: Studies Look at Heredity, Autism. The story focused on clues about genes linked to inherited traits that do not cause autism by themselves, but may be associated with the disorder.

UCLA CART scientists, Drs. Daniel Geschwind and Sarah Spence (now at the NIMH), were quoted in Newsweek's "Growing Up With Autism," an article discussing the challenges faced by teenagers and young adults with autism.

The Cover Story of the November issue of Scientific American discusses how mirror neurons may be involved in autism. UCLA CART scientist Mirella Dapretto's landmark work on mirror neurons in autism is prominently featured.

Dr. James McCracken, UCLA CART Scientist and director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, was quoted by Bloomberg News on the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Risperdal, an adult antipsychotic drug, for treating irritability in autistic children and adolescents.

Dr. Pegeen Cronin, UCLA CART Scientist and Associate Director of the UCLA Autism Evaluation Clinic, was interviewed on KGO-TV San Francisco in a segment titled "Number Of Autistic Children In CA Doubles".

Dr. Pegeen Cronin, UCLA CART Scientist and Associate Director of the UCLA Autism Evaluation Clinic, was interviewed on KABC-TV Los Angeles. The segment titled "Diagnosing Autism Earlier" was part of a report on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of children with autism.

Dr. Mirella Dapretto, UCLA CART Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior was interviewed regarding her research into mirror neurons and autism Her work was cited in a June 19 Telegraph article "How Babies Can Read Minds from Age One"

Dr. Mirella Dapretto, UCLA CART Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, was quoted discussing her ground-breaking work on mirror neurons and autism in an article in the London Times. She discussed the implications of her work on understanding human empathy.

Research on the brains of autistic children by UCLA CART scientist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, was featured May 30 by KABC-Channel 7. His team discovered a key difference in a part of the brain that creates mirror neurons - cells that activate when children mimic other people's actions. Autistic children's brains did not activate these cells, which may explain their inability to experience empathy. Iacoboni believes an autistic child's brain can be trained to create more mirror neurons.

Dr. Spence was interviewed by the Palisadian-Post regarding diagnosis and treatment of Autism for an article Autism: There Are No Clear Answers. Dr. Dapretto's research on mirror neurons and autism were also cited in the article.

Research by Dr. Rita Cantor and her colleagues at UCLA CART was named one of the top 100 science stories of the year in the January 2006 edition of Discover magazine. Dr. Cantor's research identified the likely region of an autism gene on chromosome 17, providing the first genetic link to autism that did not involve another chromosomal disorder.

Dr. Mirella Dapretto, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, gave an in-depth interview on Public Radio Station KPCC. Dr. Dapretto discussed her brain imaging research, published in the December issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience. You can listen to a recording of this interview by downloading the audio from the KPCC website. To read more about Dr. Dapretto's research, visit her Research page.

Dr. Candace Wilkinson and Dr. Marian Sigman co-author an article titled "Innovative Treatment Approaches for Children with Autism" in the fall issue of Autism News of Orange County. To view or download the full text of the article, click here.

Dr. James McCracken, professor and director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and his study of the safety of the drug risperidone in treating children with autism, were cited in the Aug. 8 Boston Globe - "Out of Control Anger"

The August issues of Discover and Popular Science magazines each published a feature story on new research from UCLA CART geneticists that has pinpointed the location of the autism gene on chromosome 17. Dr. Rita Cantor, Professor of Genetics, commented on the study, which was originally reported April 1 by the American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings explain why the disease strikes four times as many boys as girls.

On July 19, the Washington Post published its second article on research showing that the antipsychotic drug risperidone is safe and effective for intermediate treatment of autistic children who have violent or aggressive symptoms. Dr. James McCracken, professor and director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, was lead author and a site investigator for the National Institute of Mental Health study. An article also appeared in the July 24 Nashua Telegraph - "Schizophrenia Drug May Help Quell Disruptive Behavior"

Dr. Marian Sigman, professor in residence at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, and her research related to language delays in very young children was cited June 9 in a Wall Street Journal article on diagnosing autism.

The City News Service, Science Daily, Medical News Today (U.K.), My DNA (TX), The North County Times (Escondido, Riverside, CA) Wire Services, RxPG News, and I-Newswire covered UCLA research that pinpointed the chromosome region that contains a gene mutation linked to autism, and then successfully duplicated the effort in a separate population. Finding the gene is the first step to providing better screening and potential treatments for autism. View or download article.

Dr. Sarah Spence, director of the Autism Evaluation Clinic and Assistant Professor in the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, commented February 22 in a National Public Radio "All Things Considered" report on a campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week that encourages parents to monitor young children's social, emotional and physical development. Spence and the clinic also were spotlighted in CBS Marketwatch's "Vital Signs" column on February 23. She also commented February 24 on MSNBC.com.

Dr. Daniel Geschwind, Associate Professor of Neurology, appeared in a February 21 NBC "Nightly News" report on the rising number of autism cases nationwide.

Dr. Susan Bookheimer, a Professor in the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, and her imaging research were featured in a one-hour NBC special titled "Autism: The Hidden Epidemic," which aired February 19 on affiliates in Los Angeles and other major markets.

The June 16 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association includes a feature on autism treatment and research at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital's Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization Program. The article highlights research led by Connie Kasari, professor of psychological studies in education, and Ivar Lovaas, professor emeritus of learning and behavior in psychology. Kasari, Stephany Freeman, co-director of the Early Childhood program, and Dr. Marian Sigman, professor in residence of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and psychology, are quoted: "Autism Interventions Come of Age"

Medical News Today (UK) ran an April 1 story that cited new findings linking birdsong to speech disorders. Partly funded by UCLA's Mental Retardation Research Center, the research was led by Stephanie White, a member of the Brain Research Institute, and co-authored by Dr. Daniel Geschwind, associate professor of neurology: "Bird's song may be linked to speech disorders"

Dr. Daniel Geschwind, as associate professor and director of the Neurogenetics Program in the Department of Neurology, and his ongoing work are referenced in a February 24 New York Times article on autism: "Lifting the Veil of Autism One by One by One"

Dr. Daniel Geschwind, assistant professor of neurology, commented January 12 in a USA Today story about the genetic roots of autism. Geschwind also was quoted January 11 in a Houston Chronicle story about hyperlexia: "Science getting to roots of autism"

Dr. Sarah Spence, assistant professor of psychiatry, commented January 12 in a Los Angeles Times article about the hormone secretin as an alternative treatment for autism: "Autism drug fails latest clinical trial"

Dr. Daniel Geschwind, assistant professor-in-residence of neurology, commented in the July 16 Los Angeles Times about research linking an accelerated increase in head size by the age of 1 to the development of autism: "Autism Linked to Head Size at Birth, 1st Year"

Dr. Marian Sigman, professor in residence of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, commented in a May 13 Reuters News Service article about rising autism diagnoses in California. The article also cites a study she co-authored on the topic: "Calif. Autism Rate Doubles in 4 Years"

Dr. Daniel Geschwind, assistant professor of neurology, was quoted in a May 13 Los Angeles Times story about an increase in the rate of autism cases in California.