Clipmarks | Autism Clips

Asperger's Syndrome and Kindergarten

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:34:23 GMT

clipped by: boakly

When the hurdle of preschool is overcome, parents may feel confident that their youngster will be well equipped to also handle kindergarten. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that the main reason why the child was able to do well in preschool is the fact that they, as parent advocates, took the initiative to work with the teachers and playground supervisors to create an environment for the child in which she or he could thrive.

Tags: asperger's syndrome, developmental disability, autism

"Unlocking The Inner Savant In All Of Us"

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:20:40 GMT

clipped by: cakebelly

Clip Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Unlocking The Inner-Savant In All Of Us

We are all capable of the extraordinary savant skills displayed by people with autism according to Professor Allan Snyder, speaking at the Royal Society today. Snyder argues that it is our inbuilt expectations of the world that stop us from using them.

Savant skills are typically confined to five areas: art, music, calendar calculating, mathematics and spatial skills and these skills are accompanied by an exceptional ability to recall meaningless detail. In autistic savants these skills appear spontaneously at a young age.

Prof Snyder has been able to artificially induce savant skills in people who do not have autism using the inhibiting influence of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to turn off that part of the brain which controls all our inbuilt expectations.

"To do this," says Snyder, "we direct magnetic pulses into the brain, to a specific site called the left anterior temporal lobe, which is near to the left ear

Researchers decode thought

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:58:20 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: “In one of our early studies, we showed people words representing tools and words representing buildings,” Mitchell said. “We found that we could train our model so that it could successfully distinguish new tool words from new building words.” Having developed a model able to categorize objects correctly approximately 90 percent of the time, the team sought to determine the effect that viewing an object as a picture, as opposed to viewing an object as a word, has on a person’s brain activation patterns. The team therefore trained their model on fMRI data collected from subjects looking at pictures, and then tested the model on fMRI data collected as subjects read corresponding words.

“The accuracy was almost the same,” Mitchell said. “The fact that it doesn’t matter whether we use a word or a picture means that we are really capturing the neural activity associated with the meaning of an item, and not just the [item’s representation].”

Clip Source: thetartan.org

Researchers at CMU have developed a computer-based model designed to decode the patterns of neural activity within the human brain.

Their model is not only able to differentiate between a person’s perceptions of different physical objects, but is also able to predict the brain activation patterns associated with new, untested objects.

The knowledge acquired from this research may lead to an increased understanding of certain neurological conditions. “With these techniques, we can ask how a person with autism, for example, represents a concept like ‘friendship,’ ‘parent,’ or ‘love,’ and compare that neural representation to those of typical people, in order to see what is different,” Just said. “It is amazing to think that the [required] technology was not even available 10 or 15 years ago,” Mitchell said. “But now we can use it to study questions that people have been interested in for thousands of years.

Tags: brain, neuroscience, neural correlates

Drugs Hint At Potential Reversal Of Autism

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:04:38 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: www.npr.org

Drugs Hint At Potential Reversal Of Autism

by Jon Hamilton

Listen Now [7 min 47 sec] add to playlist

Morning Edition, September 23, 2008 · Scientific researchers can spend years in the lab on obscure topics, like how a sea slug remembers or how a fruit fly sees color. But every now and then, a basic scientist makes a discovery that changes human lives.

Mark Bear, who directs the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, is one of those basic scientists. He's discovered a system in the brain that could change the lives of thousands of people with the genetic disorder known as Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X is a mutation on the X chromosome that can cause mental retardation and autism. Until now, there has been no treatment.

Bear and other scientists have also identified several drugs that seem to correct the problem.

The drugs don't replace the missing brakes in the brain.

they limit acceleration by reducing the activity of a group of receptors on brain cells known as mGluR5 receptors.

Tags: health

The boy with the incredible brain-Savant autism

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:09:59 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Clip 2 What is particularly unusual about Daniel is That he can explain what is happening in his Brain
It is a Florid Example of Synesthesia

Clip Source: au.youtube.com

[Video]

Proof that Vaccines Cause Micro-Vascular Strokes

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:07:34 GMT

clipped by: infopunk
clipper's remarks: On October 6th, 2008, Dr. Moulden will release his detailed methodology proving that vaccines cause micro-vascular strokes.

Listen to Dr. Andrew Moulden discuss the damage vaccines do to the human brain in these audio clips.

Clip Source: newsblaze.com

Clip Source: justgetusin.com

Dr. Andrew Moulden BA, MA, MD, PhD is a proud Canadian born and raised who's spent 21 years studying the human brain as a researcher, medical doctor and neuro-psychiatrist. His discoveries lead him to develop new methods that conclusively prove that vaccines cause micro-vascular strokes in babies and children. This information is currently in U.S. federal circuit court and will be in Canadian courts soon using the Hazardous Products Act which makes companies liable for the harm they cause.

In a nutshell: too many large white blood cells collect in certain areas around too many foreign particles (viruses, mercury, etc.) injected into our body at once and cut-off the blood-supply in the capillaries to vital organs. This lack of oxygen leads to autism, SIDS and many other illnesses in both children and adults. The symptoms were often obvious and given various 'disease' names. But not the causes. Until now.

Please see his website at http://www.amassnetwork.com/ for more information.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: vaccine, stroke, micro-vascular stroke, dr. andrew moulden

The boy with the incredible brain-Savant autism

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:06:15 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Clip 1

Clip Source: au.youtube.com

[Video]

educatiion & learning - top search terms

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:30:55 GMT

clipped by: worstellr

Clip Source: pulse.ebay.com


1.	real estate
2.	teacher
3.	lakeshore
4.	autism
5.	kindergarten
6.	school supplies
7.	bulletin board
8.	flash cards
9.	pocket chart
10.	science

A Switch to Turn Off Autism?

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:04:59 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: I won't mind if this goes ahead in leaps and bounds.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Scientists say they have pinpointed a gene in the brain that can calm nerve cells that become too jumpy, potentially paving the way for new therapies to treat autism and other neurological disorders.

"It's exciting because it opens the field up," says Michael Greenberg, a neurobiologist at Harvard Medical School. "Nobody has [found] a gene that controls the process in quite that way before."

THE BRAIN'S BRAKES: Scientists have fingered a gene that calms brain cells down when they get too excited.
© ISTOCKPHOTO/KIYOSHI TAKAHASE

The brain is continually trying to strike a balance between too much and too little nerve cell activity. Neurologists believe that when the balance tips, disorders such as autism and schizophrenia may occur. They are not sure why neurons (nerve cells) go berserk. But Greenberg says he and his colleagues located a gene in mice and rats that helps keep neural activity in check—and may one day be manipulated to prevent or reverse neurological problems.

Tags: medical

Eye tracking & mental disorders

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:47:03 GMT

clipped by: chipperdean

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

scientific american

Eyes: A New Window on Mental Disorders

Clues about autism, Williams syndrome and the social brain come from tracking eye movements

By Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon

Humans are social animals. In recent years, psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists have revealed the distinct parts of our brain that allow us to interact, collaborate and communicate with each other. One important way of studying the “social brain” is to look at what happens in the brain during neuro-developmental disorders associated with atypical social abilities. Two such disorders are autism and Williams syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder. The exciting new study by the psychologist Deborah Riby and Peter Hancock at Newcastle University uses cutting edge methods in eye tracking to investigate the unusual social preferences and behaviors in people with Williams syndrome and autism.

Tags: s&p, mental health

autism speaks

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:15:20 GMT

clipped by: dbrazdz

Clip Source: www.autismspeaks.org

Hand In Hand

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:51:48 GMT

clipped by: kkutney

Clip Source: handinhandproject.blogspot.com

A Dominican Republic Education Project - Opening Doors For Children Of All Abilities

Currently, children who struggle with dyslexia, autism, or other special needs are excluded from the predominantly private school system. Medical diagnosis is unavailable and parents lack the instruction and support necessary to lead healthy families. Hand-in-Hand is a unique, inclusive educational project in the Dominican Republic. We aim to provide the following:

Appropriate education to children of all learning abilities, as well as to those whose families live in poverty

Medical diagnosis of learning challenges

Counselling for families to help cope with the unique challenges of raising special needs children.

Doctors, teachers and qualified counsellors are in place and ready to begin!

re: resperidol

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:58:12 GMT

clipped by: pemberley

Clip Source: clipmarks.com

Clip Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

In October 2006, RISPERDAL® was also approved in the U.S. for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder, including symptoms of aggression towards others, deliberate self-injuriousness, temper tantrums, and quickly changing moods, in children and adolescents ages five to 16 years. That indication was the first time the FDA approved any medication for use in children and adolescents with autism.

Autism in college

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:21:20 GMT

clipped by: traviscrocker

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

parents tried to help, but he wasn't comfortable with them intervening at college. He was relieved to discover Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities, a group that helps college students like him

Hackett's grade point average increased from 1.5 to 3.6.

"They kept me on track," says the now 21-year-old political science major. "They helped me manage my time."

syndrome hampers communication and social skills

more reluctant to ask for help

College students must become their own advocates, a change that can take them and their families by surprise

"It's night and day" from high school, she said. "It's a whole different world."

One in 166 children is now diagnosed with autism, compared to 1 in 2,500 a decade ago.

Marshall University, home to the West Virginia Autism Training Center. Through its College Program for Students with Asperger's Syndrome, graduate students help autistic students manage class assignments and develop social and living skills.

Tags: autism, resource, special needs, disability, aspergers, intervention

Rev. Sykes

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:54:45 GMT

clipped by: csoles

Clip Source: neurodiversity.com

As a mother of a child with fragile x syndrome (the leading inherited cause of mental impairment including autism), my concern is that Rev Sykes, etc. should be investing large amounts of people, time and money into valid genetic research instead of misdirecting resources into very questionable and unproven theories. It’s amazing how people can be motivated to support a scientifically unproven cause when there is big $$$ to be realized, especially when lawyers get into the picture. Does this really help our children in the long run?