This sparklingly humane book makes the case that there is no such thing as neurologically ‘normal’

by Steven Poole

A boy with autism, who was often tied to a chair and expected to sleep upright, died after he was given a cold shower and allegedly put in very cold temperatures in a garden shed.

The boy's death on October 1, 2011, came after his parents turned to using ties and packing tape to restrain the boy as they "were not coping" with his behaviour, a court has heard.

The 11-year-old's mother is on trial in the Sydney District Court for the manslaughter of her son. 

Bill ​O'Chee

It is shocking to discover that children with disabilities are being disciplined using the same methods used by the CIA in the torture of suspected terrorists.

While the CIA's interrogation methods have attracted widespread condemnation, there has been but a muffled squeak over children with autism being locked in darkened rooms, cages or boxes in Australian primary schools.

A 16-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after being found chained to a bed in his family's Blacktown home.

The  teenager, who is believed to have autism, was found by a charity worker who had attended the home, police said.

He had allegedly been left in the house by himself and was chained to a bed in a back room of the small brick home.

Police and paramedics arrived at the Mort Street just after midday on Tuesday and freed the teenager before removing him from the home on a stretcher. 

Many children with autism are missing out on routine care such as dental check-ups and haircuts because of their condition, according to experts.

Telethon Kids Institute autism researcher Andrew Whitehouse said there were ordinary aspects of life that most people took for granted but could be highly challenging for children with autism.

Professor Whitehouse is speaking at an Autism West symposium being held in Fremantle tomorrow and Saturday.

Estimating autism’s prevalence is tricky. No strategy is perfect, so researchers rely on a combination of approaches, such as sweeping national surveys and smaller pockets of meticulous monitoring.

BY KATE YANDELL

Two massive efforts to sequence the DNA of more than 11,000 people are finally complete. Together, they provide the most detailed picture yet of genetic variation across the general population. They also give researchers a starting point for finding genetic variants tied to a variety of conditions, including autism.

By political reporter Dan Conifer

The Federal Government is being warned about potential cost blowouts in the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The agency overseeing the NDIS said factors including the increasing prevalence of autism, workforce and supply shortages, and states shifting health costs could cause overruns.

Nearly 9 out of 10 parents of children with autism have tried unproven alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, fish oil or special diets, to help their children overcome symptoms. This practice is most common among highly educated parents and those with children under 4 years of age.

A Supreme Court judge in Perth has overturned a decision to revoke the bail of a man with a mental disability, who a magistrate claimed was "playing games" by failing to "engage" during a court appearance.

After an urgent hearing, Justice Stephen Hall ruled Nima Afrasiabi, who has Asperger's syndrome and symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder, should not have been remanded in custody by the magistrate when he answered his bail and appeared in the Intellectual Disability Diversion Court on three damage charges.