ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2001) — ST. PAUL, MN –
More than one area of the brain is responsible for autistic behavior in children with tuberous sclerosis and brain lesions, according to an article published in the October 9 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study included 26 children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic disorder that causes benign lesions or tumors to form in many different organs, including the brain where the lesions are called “tubers.” Autism is a common occurrence in children with TSC. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no cure or specific treatment for tuberous sclerosis. Treatment focuses on controlling or relieving symptoms such as seizures or kidney problems. Skin tumors can be reduced or removed with laser treatment by a dermatologist. Individuals with the disease will be monitored and reevaluated periodically by a multidisciplinary team to keep problems in check.

What are the symptoms?
The benign (non-cancerous) tumors that develop cause many different types of symptoms based on where the tumors are located in the body.

In the brain – The tumors which grow here are hard and resemble potatoes or tubers, and are called cortical tubers. Calcified nodules may also develop in the brain tissue. Neurological problems which occur are seizure disorders (in 60-70% of affected individuals), learning disability (40% of individuals), and behavioral difficulties such as autism, hyperactivity, attention deficit, and destructive behavior. Read the rest of this entry »

Our mission is to raise awareness, help provide support and find a cure for tuberous sclerosis.  Your participation plays an integral role in carrying out this mission.   By supporting Making Differences and  TSC Canada, you can help make a difference in the lives of many.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure.  Funds raised will be used for reasearch to find a cure for TSC as well as provide services for individuals and families affected with Tuberous Sclerosis.  We’d appreciate your forwarding this site to your friends and family.   Funds will be forwarded to TSC Canada on a bi-monthly basis. The names of all donors for that period will be included with the payments.

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Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a congenital genetic disease characterized by certain skin abnormalities and birthmarks, tuber-like growths in the eyes, the brain, and other internal organs, and varying severity of epilepsy and mental retardation. Once considered a rare disorder, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex affects about 1 in 6000/10,000 persons in the population. It is often difficult to recognize as it manifests itself differently from person to person. Individuals affected by the disease fall into three broad categories:  Read the rest of this entry »

I have started this site to help educate people about tuberous sclerosis and it’s effects on the child and family. 

We first discovered that Michael had this disease when he was almost 2 months old.  We had seen him zero in on his hand a few times, but never really thought too much about it, until one evening when I was breast feeding him, his body just stiffened up.  This was 18 years ago, but I remember it like it was just yesterday.  Read the rest of this entry »