WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY, I AM HAPPY BECAUSE I AM LOVED.

"You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune out."

Autism acceptance is seeing us as whole, complete human beings worthy of respect. Autism acceptance is recognizing that we are different and helping us learn to work within our individual patterns of strengths and weaknesses. www.worldautismsociety.org

There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what he cannot do

Open House, Kids activities at SMILES FOUNDATION on 26th January, Republic day at Hyderabad

They are waiting for you to enter their world.
www.worldautismsociety.org

Behavior is communication. Change the environment Behaviors will change. www.worldautismsociety.org

Wish you a Happy New year

 The grains millet, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa (as well as many others) are naturally gluten free. As long as you purchase only those products labeled gluten freethese grains are perfectly fine for you to eat.

Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Grown mainly in Africa and Asia. Millet is found in three varieties - Pearl Millet is called Bajra, Finger Millet is called Ragi and Proso Millet is called Barriin Hindi. Millets can be cooked in the grain form and can be milled to make excellent flour that is multipurpose in nature from rotis to patties, breads.

Teach the way kids learn..

1 in 10 kids hit by neuro disease

Homeopathy can treat birth disorders. Research studies update.

NO CHILD'S PLAY. GAMING ADICTION HAS DOCS WORRIED

Controlling Autism

Can AD/HD be a gift? It is all about how you look at. It is not Disability it is different ability. www.WorldAutismSociety.org

How to nurture a child's mental health.
Www.WorldAutismSociety.org

It is not ADHD, KIDS need time

Qatar tests technology to detect autism in minutes

The first study of its kind in the region has found at least one in 100 children in Qatar suffer from some form of the disorder.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/qatar-tests-technology-detect-autism-minutes-180402131044979.html

In medical terms "prevention is better than cure"

In case of learning disabilities early intervention is half cure.

Kids learning brain develops 80% before age 6. So during this golden period if any child is given extra support needed we can transform them close to normal.

Autism Early Intervention System & Natural Wellness Methods.
BLUESMILES, Touching Billion of Lives, Transforming from Dependent to Independent Living URL: http://www.worldautismsociety.org/TEDxSREC_BLUESMILES.pdf (Click to Download he detailed Presentation)

www.smilesfoundationindia.org

Www.WorldAutismSociety.org
Touching Billion of Lives

Best Walking Techniques

How parasitic worms and hot tubs may treat autism symptoms?
https://www.google.co.in/amp/www.foxnews.com/health/2013/12/12/how-parasitic-worms-and-hot-tubs-may-treat-autism-symptoms.amp.html

Silence is of four kinds:

Silence of Speech,
Silence of the Eye,
Silence of the Ear,
Silence of the Mind.

Only the last is pure Silence and is most important. i.e. Autism. http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information.

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Being Autistic
I am Out of Box Thinker

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Being Autistic, I can fly higher with little support

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Early Intervention is
Half Cure for Autism

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Autism is critical than
Global Warming

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Change in Life style & Engaging Autism Kids in Meaningful way is the best Prescription

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Autism is not a Disease
Autism Cause is a Mystery, Autism is Spectrum Disorder

http://www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
http://www.autism.school for more information. Accept & Understand Autism And Add Color in Your Life

www.smilesfoundationindia.org and
www.autism.school for more information. Accept, Acknowledge &
Appreciate Autism Kids, they are part of normal society

www.smilesfoundationindia.org and www.autism.school for more information

Impossible to I'M possible

April 18th, Autism Awareness Posters Launch by Commandant Shri Srinivas Rao and Dr. Sri Latha along with Smiles Foundation team at Police Battalion 1 Main Hospital. www.smilesfoundation.in

www.smilesfoundation.in

Autism Awareness Program in Vijayawada as a part of Happy Sunday in view of 2nd April, World Autism Awareness Day.

Blood test to identify Autism Spectrum Disorder at early age

Early Detection of Autism thru blood sample test during the initial months of kids born. Said by a professor in USA University.

Parents awareness program on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. A workshop suggesting how to support child as a parent.

Innovative treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder
-- Autism Help (Autismhelp.in)

Novel software spots scores of new autism candidates | Researchers have trained a computer algorithm to recognize the characteristics of autism genes.

Autism Awareness - Autism web Channel, Smiles Foundation

Microsoft Wants Autistic Coders. Can It Find Them And Keep Them? (www.autismhelp.in)

Complete family environment will help to transform Autism children socially interactive (www.Autismhelp.in)

Kids never fail..it is environmental influence creates failures  (www.autismhelp.in)

Cycling good for Hyperactivity reduction and increase attention span.. Autism Help India

Cycling good for Hyperactivity reduction and increase attention span.. Autism Help India

SMILES FOUNDATION www.smilesfoundation.in

Study: Vitamin B12 levels low in brains affected by autism or schizophrenia
https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/study-vitamin-b12-levels-low-brains-affected-autism-or-schizophrenia

What is Brain in Hand? Brain in Hand is an assistive technology designed to help individuals with autism to achieve more.
It is based on well-established therapeutic principles such as CBT, solution focussed therapy, and recovery based rehabilitation allowing the learning from these approaches to be turned into a set of patient centred strategies.
A cloud-based solution, Brain in Hand enables you to access detailed personalised support when and where you need it from your phone. You and your supporters can monitor usage, trends and success of interventions from a secure website.
Together this gives the confidence to do more things independently, opening up new horizons in daily life, education and work.

Too much folic acid a cause of autism?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Too-much-folic-acid-a-cause-of-autism/articleshow/52226136.cms

Antipsychotic drug use linked to autism risk in youths
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Antipsychotic-drug-use-linked-to-autism-risk-in-youths/articleshow/52538382.cms

Autism, intellectual disability linked to mother's immune dysfunction
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Autism-intellectual-disability-linked-to-mothers-immune-dysfunction/articleshow/52651274.cms

Children with autism struggle to cope with noise
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Children-with-autism-struggle-to-cope-with-noise/articleshow/52667920.cms

Emotions harming humans

A GOOD LAUGH AND A LONG SLEEP ARE THE BEST CURES FOR ANY THING

25 tips for happy and healthy living

ANDHRA PRADESH -  May 10, 2016   Page 12 - Article in Telugu by Eenadu News daily on Autism Awareness.

Inaugural of www.autism.school (Autism education and awareness portal) published in Namaste Telangana telugu news Daily

Inaugural of www.autism.school (Autism education and awareness portal) published in Andhra jyothi news Daily

SMILES FOUNDATION Autism awareness posters launch published in sakshi telugu news Daily.

Inaugural of www.autism.school (Autism education and awareness portal)

Virual Momento: 2nd April world Autism day. World Autism Day press meetings held at press club somajiguda Hyderabad on 2nd April, 2016
Inauguration of Autism Awareness Posters. launch of www.autism.school (Autism education and awareness portal) and www.autismhelp.in. (Autism information web channel)

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వేసవి వచ్చేసింది. తనతోపాటు వడగాలులు, దాహం, నీరసం, అలసట... తీసుకొస్తుంది. వీటివల్ల చిరాకుతో మరింత నీరసం.

రోజంతా సూర్యుడు నిప్పులు కురిపిస్తాడు. ఆ ఎండలకు ఒకటే ఉక్కపోత. పగలు ఎక్కువ, రాత్రి సమయం తక్కువగా ఉంటుంది. కొద్దిపాటి జాగ్రత్తలు తీసుకుంటే మండు వేసవిని కూడా చల్లని వెన్నెలా ఆస్వాదించొచ్చు.
వేసవి చిట్కాలు:--

1) ఆహారపథార్థాలలో నూనె కొంచెం తగ్గించి వాడాలి.
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2) ఆకుకూరలు ఎక్కువగా తీసుకోవాలి.
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3) ఉదయం పూట నూనె వంటలు కాకుండా, ఆవిరి కుడుములు ఇడ్లీలు ఆరోగ్యకరమైనవి.
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4) కర్భుజాలు ఎక్కువగా తీసుకోవాలి.
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5) మజ్జిగ అన్నంలో మామిడి పండ్లు తింటే విటమిన్ A & D లు ఎక్కువగా శరీరానికి అందుతాయి.
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6) కూల్ డ్రింక్స్ కన్నా, కొబ్బరి నీళ్ళు చాలా మంచివి.
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7) కాఫీ , టీ లకు వీలైనంత దూరంగా ఉండాలి.
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8) కిటికీలకు, గుమ్మాలకు వట్టి వేళ్ళుతెరలని తడిపి కట్టుకుంటే, వేడిని ఇంట్లోకి రానీకుండా, చల్లదనాన్ని ఇస్తుంది.
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9) సాధారణంగా పిల్లలు వేసవి సెలవులలో, ఎండలోకి వెళ్ళి, ఆటలు ఆడుతారు. అలా ఎండలోకి వెళ్ళనీయకుండా, ఇండోర్ గేమ్స్ ఆడించాలి.
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10) పలుచని మజ్జిగలో, కాసింత నిమ్మ లేదా డబ్బాకులు వేసి ఉప్పు వేసుకుని, పలుచగా కలిపి, పిల్ల, పెద్ద అందరూ తాగితే ఆరోగ్యానికి మంచిది.

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11) వేసవిలో బయట జ్యూస్ లు ఎక్కువగా తీసుకోకుండా, ఇంట్లో అన్ని రకాల పండ్లతో మరియు కూరగాయలతో జ్యూస్ లు చేసుకుని తాగాలి.
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12. పిల్లలకు మజ్జిగ, కొబ్బరి నీళ్లు, గ్లూకోజ్ నీళ్లు, నిమ్మరసం, ఎండు ఖర్జూరం నానబెట్టిన నీళ్లు, సగ్గుబియ్యం కాచిన నీరు, గ్లాసుడు నీళ్లలో చిటికెడు ఉప్పు, ఓ స్పూన్ పంచదార కలిపి ఒ.ఆర్.ఎస్ ద్రావణంలా కలిపి ఇస్తే మంచిది.
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13. తాటిముంజెలు వేసవిలో మాత్రమే అందుబాటులో ఉంటాయి. లేత కొబ్బరిలా ఉండే తాటి ముంజెలు ఆరోగ్యానికి ఎంతో మేలు చేస్తాయి. కొబ్బరిబోండాలు కాస్త రేటు ఎక్కువ అనిపించినా తర్వాత హాస్పటల్, మందుల ఖర్చుతో పోల్చుకుంటే వీటికి పెట్టే ఖర్చు తక్కువే. కొబ్బరి నీళ్లలో అనేక పోషకాలు ఉన్నాయి. అధిక ఉష్ణోగ్రతను తగ్గిస్తుంది. మూత్ర విసర్జన సాఫీగా అయి కిడ్నీలకు సంబంధించిన వ్యాధులు దరి చేరవు. కొబ్బరి నీళ్లలో గ్లూకోజ్ కలుపుకుని తాగితే వేసవి బడలిక, నీరసం చాలా త్వరగా తగ్గిపోతుంది.
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14. నీరు ఎక్కువగా ఉండే ఆహార పదార్థాలు తీసుకోవాలి. అలాగే నీటిని ఎక్కువగా తాగాలి.
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15. వేసవిలో భయటకి వెళ్ళేటపుడు కళ్ళకు సన్ గ్లాస్ మరియు టోపీ వంటిని ధరించండి
Important note *
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16. వయస్సు 50 దాటన వారు తమ ప్రయాణాలలో తప్పక ORS packets పాకెట్స్ వెంట తీసుకెళ్ళాలి.
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17.ఒకవేళ మీరు వివిధ రకాల ఆరోగ్య సమస్యలను కలిగి ఉంటె మాత్రం, ఎక్కువగా సూర్యరశ్మికి బహిర్గతం అవకండి. గుండె సంబంధిత వ్యాధులు, ఊపిరితిత్తుల వ్యాధులు మరియు మూత్రపిండ సమస్యలు కలిగి ఉన్న వారు సూర్యరశ్మికి బహిర్గతం అవటం వలన త్వరగా డీ-హైడ్రేషన్'కు గురి అయి వ్యాధి తీవ్రతలు అధికం అవుతాయి.
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18.వేసవికాలంలో శరీరానికి అతుక్కొని, బిగుతుగా ఉండే దుస్తువులను ధరించకండి. వదులుగా, కాటన్'తో తయారుచేసిన బట్టలను ధరించండి. దీని వలన మీ శరీరానికి గాలి తగిలి డీ-హైడ్రేషన్ జరిగే అవకాశం తక్కువగా జరుగుతుంది.
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19.ఆల్కహాల్, సిగరెట్ మరియు కార్బోనేటేడ్ వంటి ద్రావణాలకు దూరంగా ఉండండి. వీటి వలన శరీర ఉష్ణోగ్రతలు పెరుగుతాయి.
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20. వేసవికాలంలో భయటకి వెళ్ళేటపుడు మీతో వాటర్ బాటిల్'ను తీసుకెళ్ళండి.....

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Autism Can Be Cured! Here's The Proof
https://plus.google.com/+AutismHelp/posts/38iwf1MQrJv

Carnatic RAGAS & BENEFITS ( Indian Traditional Classical Music)

🎵Ahir Bhairav:
Gives free relaxed feeling and mitigates dust allergies and skin disease. Good for arthritic conditions

🎵Amrutavarshini:
Ushana vyathi nasini ( alleviates diseases related to heat)

🎵Ananda Bhairavi:
Supresses stomach pain in both men and women. Reduces kidney type problems. Controls blood pressure

🎵Bagesri:
Helps in attaining Guru's grace

🎵Bhairavi:
Reduces anxiety, pressures, skin, disease, allergies

🎵Bhupala:
To awaken someone out of deep sleep

🎵Charukesi:
26th raga in the melakarta scale (parent) of the south Indian classical music. Rejuvenates the mind helping one to age gracefully. It enlivens the singer and listener.

🎵Desh:
The suppression of the senses releases a negative force. The process of sublimation needs a spiritual path. Rag Desh can provide that. Its energy gives the listener serenity, peace, inner joy, right valor, universal love and patriotism

🎵Dwijavanti:
Quells paralysis and sicorders of the mind

🎵Ganamurte:
Helpful in diabetes

🎵Hamsadhwani:
Energy giving. Provides good thinking, chaitanya. Sarvarogaharini (panacea

🎵Hemavati:
Good for joint and back pain

🎵Hindolam:
Improves digestive power. Cures stomach related. problems

🎵Kalyani:
Gives energy and removes tension and acts as general tonic. Dispels the darkness of fear; Gives motherly comfort and increases confidence. Kalyani means mangalam. Recited with faith and devotion, it is believed to clinch marriage alliances. Many authentic reports exist about the raga's power to destroy fear in many forms: fear of poverty, of love, of power, of ill-health, of death, and so on.

🎵Kapi:
Sick patients get over their depression, anxiety. Reduces absent mindedness

🎵Karaharapriya:
Curative for heart disease and nervous irritablility, neurosis, worry and distress.

🎵Kedaram:
Gives energy and removes tension

🎵Keervani:
Promotes dhyana (meditation) at mental and physical levels

🎵Kokilam:
Helps to prevent stone formation, burning sensations, sleeplessness and anxiety.

🎵Madhuvarshini:
Good for nerves. Cures diseases like slight headache, sleeplessness, and sinus problems.

🎵Madhyamavati:
Clears paralysis, giddiness, pain in legs/hands, etc. and nervous complaints

🎵Malaya Maruta:
To awaken someone out of deep sleep

🎵Maya Malava Gowla:
Counters pollution. It can be called the Gateway to Carnatic music. The history of Camatic music says that the blessed musician, Purandaradasar, introduced the system of Mayamalava gowla. This raga has the power to neutralize toxins in the body. Practicing it in the early hours of the morning, in the midst of nature will enhance the strength of the vocal chords.

🎵Mohanam:
Mohanam is present where beauty and love coexist. It filters out the ill-effects of kama (desire for sex) , krodha (anger) and moha (lust), bestowing immense benefits on the listener. Also said to sures chronic headaches, indigestion, and depression.

🎵Neelambari:
To get rid of insomnia

🎵Ranjani:
Cures kidney disease

🎵Rathipathipriya:
Adds strengh and vigor to a happy wedded life. This 5-swara raga has the power to eliminate poverty. The prayoga of the swaras can wipe off the vibrations of bitter feelings emitted by ill will

🎵Rohini:
Cures back pain, joint pain, etc.

🎵Sama:
Makes mind sober, tranquil, induces good sleep. Good for world peace.

🎵Saramati:
Elevates from depressed state. Cures balagraha dosham in children ( undiagnoses crying and imitability). For sleeplessness, itching, eye and ear problems, skin problems, and the problems of hearing irregular sounds

🎵Sindu Bhairavi:
Removes sins and sorrows and saves from unforesenn events

🎵Sivaranjani:
Powerful raga for meditation; bestows benevolence of God. Removes sadness, ushana roga santi (diseases related to excess heat). Good for general health

🎵Sandhya Kalyani:
Cures ear, nose and eye diseases. Relieves chronic clods. Gives good sleep and freshness

🎵Shankarabharanam:
The power of this raga is incredible. It cures mental illness, soothes the turbulent mind and restores peace and harmony. If rendered with total devotion for a stipulated period, it can cure mental disorders said to be beyond the scope of medical treatment. It also is said to have the power to shower wealth.

🎵Shanmugapriya:
Sharpens the intellect of the singer as well as the listener. Instills courage in one's mind and replenishes the energy in the body.

🎵Subhapantuvarali:
Alleviates mental dilemmas and indecisiveness

🎵Suddha dhanyasi:
Remover of sorrows. Gives a happy feeling. Tonic for nerves. Cures rhinitis and migraine.

🎵Suruti:
Mitigates stomach burn, insomnia, fear, disgust

🎵Vakulabharanam:
Alleviates asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, depression, skin disease and skin

🎵Varali:
Varali is good for vayu tatva, heart, skin ailments and gastric problems.

🎵Vasanta / Vasanti:
Controls high and low blood pressure, cures heart as well as nervous diseases. Can dear the fog of confusion when a series of medical tests has to be analysed. It heals nervous breakdowns.

🎵Vasantham:
Cures paralysis

🎵Viswambari:
General tonic, acts quickly

🎵Yamuna Kalyani:
Gives freshness and dynamism

BRAIN BEHAVIOR

SMILES Foundation and www.autism.school committed to facilitate the required therapy services with very nominal fee by trained therapists and Free individual & parent counseling sessions at their campus.

I Make A difference in a life of Child with Autism. Contact Smiles Foundation to Diagnose before age 3 to transform kids to normal stream and Get support to join normal school

Wish you Happy Republic Day

TEAM WORK IS THE STRENGTH, TEAM WORK IS THE SUCCESS
TEAM WORK IS THE FUTURE

Wishes you Happy Pongal

Child Care and Child Pampering issues

Announcer: NIH Radio, from Bethesda.
Announcer: For many teenagers and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) finding a job represents a critical step in personal development and gaining greater independence but it can also be a time of uncertainty and questions. That's why the National Institute of Mental Health has funded a groundbreaking web based program called JobTIPS. Developed by Do2learn.com of Raleigh North Carolina Jobtips provides the kind of information that helps young people with ASD develop and maintain the skills needed to successfully navigate the employment process. Louis Buchholtz of do2learn.com is content director for JobTIPS...
Louise Buchholtz/ JobTIPS: A number of younger adolescents first in high school struggle with determining what their interest are and how to translate those interests into career contexts that might help them be successful
Announcer: JobTIPS addresses a wide range of social and communications issues as they apply to finding a job including when...or if...a jobseeker should disclose their disorder to an employer…
Louise Buchholtz/ JobTIPS: And we sort of break disclosure down into first asking the individual with the disability should you disclose and how do you determine whether you should disclose. We sort of task analyze that decision. And then if you do decide to disclose when and how you do that — do you do that during application process or before you start the job after you've been hired. Or do you wait until problems might occur and then disclose you have a disability.
Announcer: For young people with ASD JobTIPS offers interactive advice on much more than just getting a job...
Louise Buchholtz/ JobTIPS: One of the things we focus on most is how you keep a job and that's really the most comprehensive section of the JobTIPS website. Because, as many people know, social skills issues whether they be interaction with supervisors, co-workers or customers those potential social skills deficit can often cause an individual to lose the job whether that individual has autism or an intellectual disability
Announcer: To access this free web-based program, go to do2learn.com/jobtips… that's D0…the number 2...LEARN.com...backslash...JobTIPS.
Announcer: This is NIH radio

Announcer: NIH Radio... from Bethesda.
Announcer: Recently, Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch, an associate professor of neurobiology at Stanford, spoke with National Institute of Mental Health Director Dr. Thomas Insel. Devoted to Autism Spectrum Disorder research, Dr. Dolmetsch and his colleagues have generated stem cells from children with autism allowing them to study how the brain develops in children with ASD.
Dr. Thomas Insel: I thought a good place to begin the conversation was to ask you about your interest in autism and how that happened. You're someone who trained in calcium channels... worked on very basic problems in molecular biology and now you're interested in autism...
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: Right, when I first got to Stanford I was interested in a very basic question.. and um.. you know for a few years we worked on that and that was really exciting but it was very arcane. And then about I guess four and a half years ago, our son was diagnosed with autism. And so this really changed my...the direction of my lab. Actually, what really happened was that my wife and I got together and we thought a little bit about what we could do and we came up with a bunch of projects and one of the ideas was that we were going to just change all of our efforts and that's how we started working on autism.
Dr. Thomas Insel: I know what you're working on now has to do with induced pluripotent stem cells. And that's a bit magical for many people... the idea that you can create a stem cell from skin or from some other differentiated cell. Can you explain what that is and how you think that will be helpful for studying autism?
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: Our whole idea of development is that development is sort of a directional arrow. It's kind of like spilling water. You can spill water but you can't unspill water. And we sort of thought development went to the same way. You start out with an egg and you end up with a human- you don't go backwards. But it turns out that that's not quite true. So, this pioneering Japanese group led by Dr. Yamanaka developed this system that allows you to take for example skin cell or blood cell and convert it into a stem cell. And the way you do this is you introduce these four proteins that do something mysterious that nobody completely understands and it changes the cell and makes it into a stem cell. And that stem cell has the capacity to make every cell in your body including brain cells.
Dr. Thomas Insel: So you can make brain cells from the skin or blood cells of a child with autism.
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: Exactly, so what this allows you to do then is you can then take.. for the very first time... you can make these tissues that you wouldn't be able to access normally. So, so you can take the skin cells of a child with autism and you can make stem cells from those skin cells and then you can take those stem cells and you can differenciate them to generate basically little pieces of brain. And then you can analyze the development of those cells as well as their function once they're mature and so this gives you insights that you wouldn't have any other way.
Dr. Thomas Insel: So, when you do this in autism how do those brain cells that you derieve from skin differ in children with autism versus kids who don't have autism.
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: Well, this is something we're still working on, right and I think we're still at the very beginning. I think that the short answer is that we have so far only looked at a couple classes of autism and in those classes of autism we have learned something about how development is changing. So for example in one case we know that these kids are making too many cells that produce dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine and norepinephrine are these really important neurotransmitters that are important for motivation, attention and pleasure and for some reason these children are making too many of them and they're turning on the pathways that generate these neurotransmitters in the wrong cells. And so, that.... I mean just knowing that gives you a target- gives you something to target therapeutically.
Dr. Thomas Insel: Is there some way in which having the stem cells the way you describe is going to help us to develop new therapeutics?
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: Oh absolutely. So, so.... this is the thing, right? We need to understand what is going wrong. And things are going wrong at multiple levels. So, so... we know for example.. so the first sort of level of understanding is we have to figure out what the genes are. We've started to identify many of the genes. The next level of understanding is we have to understand how those genes are actually changing the function and development of the cells and that is what we are working on-what we have developed. Now, once you know what is wrong with the cells you can then look for ways to reverse that.
Dr. Thomas Insel: I can't help but ask the question.. how you done this with your own son? Have you taken skin cells and created stem cells from him?
Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch: We have. And we have sequences genome as well as ours. And you know, I mean, it's um... it's a difficult project to have in your own lab. Um... in a way.. you really want to know. And in a way you really wish.. you really hope that what you find is not too terrible. But absolutely, this is one of the motivations- not the only motivation. I think one of the things I've discovered in working on autism I've met many families - it's been that it motivates you in a way that... you know... is difficult to explain and in a way I never would have expected when I was being trained as a very basic scientist.
Announcer: This is NIH Radio.

Michelle Freund, Ph.D.: The brain initiative recently announced by the White House is really designed to facilitate innovative strategies to better understand the brain. And in order to do that we need new technologies. CLARITY is a great example of the type of new technologies that will enable future brain studies.
So prior to this technology, scientists used methods where they would take thin slices of the brain. They would put these on glass slides, process them with antibodies, which illuminate what chemicals are there. And then they would have to use a microscope to study which transmitters are in which locations. Unfortunately, you can’t see the structure of a neuron in a brain slice.
So with this technology, they’re able to look at the entire neuron in a three dimensional volume. And with this three dimensional structure intact, you can see where the neuron starts and what brain region it projects to. In slices, you can only see what’s in the position where you started. And what this technology will allow is to do is not only study what molecular or single elements of a cell are located in a neuron, but how those communicate with other elements in the brain.
So in the recent publication by Deisseroth and colleagues, they describe not only the ability to look at animal models – or whole brains of animals – but also the ability to look in human brain. So in a post-mortem brain from a child suffering from autism, they were able to trace neuronal projections from a significant volume of tissue. They’re also able to use the technology to stain for neurochemicals located in that brain region. And the potential for this type of research is great for understanding how disruptions in neural circuitry are involved in disorders. It has really transformative potential.
The technology shows us in the video an area of the brain that’s involved in memory, the hippocampus. And this video shows the neurons that are involved in processing memory, where they project, and what neurotransmitters, or chemicals are contained in those neurons. And it shows this in three dimensions, so you see not only where they start and where they project and how they might interact to form memories.
The video through an entire mouse brain shows us how neurons are connected. So the neural circuitry – which neurons project to which areas in the brain, how they might be involved in giving commands to execute certain functions that we know about from physiology studies, but we don’t actually know how they connect to each other. This technology allows you to bring those together.

New mobile app to record behaviors of Autistic kids