Eye Scanner May Detect Autism in Young Children |
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One in fifty-nine children is diagnosed with autism, and it is nearly impossible to diagnose children under two years old. Symptoms of autism may surface as early as 12 months. However, the condition cannot be detected until at least 24 months. Now, thanks to a new eye scan, autism may be detected in younger children.
Eye Scanner
Dr. Paul Constable, a senior lecturer at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, has been searching for an autism biomarker since 2006. He has been trying to find a way to advance early diagnosis and help children with autism receive earlier intervention. Dr. Constable and his research team discovered a non-invasive eye scan that consists of a handheld device that can identify a pattern of subtle electrical signals in the retina. These electrical signals are specific in children with autism. The pattern corresponds to the difference in their brain development.
The eye scan was tested on 180 individuals between the ages of 5 and 21. Some individuals had an autism diagnosis, and some did not. They found the eye scanner was accurate in detecting the electrical signal pattern in individuals with a diagnosis as opposed to those without. The test is a quick, non-intrusive scan with a handheld device.
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Can Dementia Lead to Criminal Behavior? |
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In middle-aged and older people, actions that are not normal for that person may be the first sign of dementia. In some cases, this can include criminal behavior. Someone who would normally be a law-abiding citizen may find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Studies have shown that there can be a connection between dementia and criminal behavior.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a term used to describe drastic changes in the brain that cause memory loss. In most cases, these changes make it difficult for people to perform basic daily activities. Dementia causes changes in behavior and personality. Dementia affects language, memory and decision-making. There are ten different types of dementia, and most cases are caused by a disease and cannot be reversed.
Dementia and Criminal Behavior
Given the changes in behavior and problems with decision making, it is not unusual for someone with dementia to engage in criminal behavior. The prevalence of criminal behavior depends on the type of dementia a person has. A study out of Sweden found that 42% of patients with frontotemporal dementia demonstrated instances of criminal behavior, including theft, traffic violations, threats, pyromania, vandalism, and stalking. Only 14.9% of individuals with Alzheimer's disease demonstrated this behavior. Frontotemporal dementia affects the front and sides of the brain, which are the areas that control behavior.
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Elizabeth Kelley
Criminal Defense Attorney
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Elizabeth Kelley is a criminal defense lawyer with a nationwide practice specializing in representing people with mental disabilities. She is the co-chair of The Arc's National Center for Criminal Justice and Disability, serves on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights, Criminal Justice Section Council, and Editorial Board of the Criminal Justice Magazine. Learn more.
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Elizabeth is interviewed on White Collar Week with Jeff Grant
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Podcast Ep. 15: A Brave Talk About Suicide with Bob Flanagan, Elizabeth Kelley & Meredith Atwood |
Today's podcast is about mental health and the crushing stress and depression that professionals sometimes experience that can include suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, suicide itself, the pain and anguish caused to family and others, and how one can find relief and hope instead of pain, suffering and tragedy.
My guests today are Rev. Bob Flanagan, who has written, spoken and preached about his own mental health issues. And Meredith Atwood, a former lawyer and now author and life coach, who is candid about her suicide attempt, sobriety after drug and alcohol addiction, and finding her way back through triathlons and weightlifting. And Elizabeth Kelley, a lawyer who specializes in representing defendants with mental disabilities all over the country, and in attorney wellness so that they don't burn out and cause harm to themselves, their families, and their clients.
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NYC Pilot Tries Mental Health Responders in Place of Police |
The city joins Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver in testing out new law enforcement alternatives
New York City plans to test out a program where dispatchers send out emergency medical services and mental health crisis workers, instead of police officers, to mental health-related calls, making it the latest city to attempt a pivot away from policing as a cure-all.
The city's mental-health teams will work in two high-need communities starting in February. They will include health professionals and crisis workers from the fire department's emergency medical services division. They will respond in place of the traditional police and paramedic teams, except in cases that involve a weapon or imminent danger, according to a statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office this week.
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Virginia governor conditionally pardons a young Black man with autism who was serving 10 years for a car crash |
Virginia's governor this week conditionally pardoned a young Black man with autism who was serving 10 years in prison after being involved in two car crashes in 2019 that left two people seriously injured.
Matthew Rushin was on his way to pick up pastries at a Virginia Beach Panera on January 4, 2019, when he struck a moving vehicle in a parking lost and fled, authorities said. He then drove head-on into incoming traffic and struck another vehicle, leaving two people seriously injured, according to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
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Prisons are often ill-equipped to handle autistic inmates, who are at risk for mental health problems and abuse.
Andrew Beasley was quickly losing his cool. It was October 2015, and he was about two years into his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey.
Beasley, then 32, had left his MP3 player on a charging station in the facility's computer room, but when he went to retrieve it, it was gone. He thought he knew who had it and frantically started to look for the man.
"I'm forgetting politics. I'm forgetting everything. I'm just looking for my MP3 player," says Beasley, who had been diagnosed with autism two years earlier.
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Many in criminal justice system need mental health treatment, but resources are strained |
In South Carolina and across the country, there is an increasing demand for mental health services. For those facing criminal charges who need evaluation and treatment, that demand is growing harder to meet.
A person with mental health issues in the criminal justice system is often dependent on state resources to ensure a fair ruling. But as requests for psychiatric evaluations and treatment grow, so does the cost, and the system that protects such defendants is, at times, overburdened.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shrinking state revenue and delaying court cases, wait times for treatment are longer than ever and will likely see long-term impact.
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Prison is Even Worse When You Have a Disability Like Autism |
When Drew Harrison was in prison, just sitting in his cell overloaded his senses. To dim the fluorescent lights, he covered the bulbs with toothpaste or paper. To mask overwhelming odors, he wrapped his uniform around his head.
Once, when he asked to stay longer in the prison yard, Harrison, who has autism, was told he was being insubordinate and was put in restricted housing. Another time, he said he requested placement in solitary confinement so he wouldn't have to interact with people, which he found stressful.
After two and a half years, Harrison, who had been convicted of sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend, thought he would get out more than a month early from Greensville Correction Center in Virginia, because of good behavior. But because he had failed to sign up for a job while incarcerated earlier at another Virginia prison, he had forfeited his chance at early release, according to documentation from the Virginia Department of Corrections.
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Representing People with Mental Disabilities: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Best Practices Manual
Representing People with Mental Disabilities: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Best Practices Manual, was edited by Elizabeth Kelley. It contains chapters devoted to a variety of issues confronted by people with mental disabilities in the criminal-justice system, such as:
- Competency
- Sanity
- Malingering
- Neuroscience
- Jail and Prison Conditions
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Representing People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Elizabeth's new book titled Representing People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers was just released by the American Bar Association. Topics include:
- Co-Occurring Disorders
- Testing
- Competency
- Risk of Violence
- Mitigation.
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