Dyslexia Untied

Study finds child abuse and stunted brain development connection

2012-02-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

A small team of researchers has found that various forms of child abuse can lead to stunted development in certain regions of the brain. The research carried out by Martin Teicher, Carl Anderson and Ann Polcari, all working in the Boston area, relied on questionnaires.

MRI brain scans were used to determine that certain parts of the hippocampus, all known to be sensitive to stress, were up to six percent smaller in adults who as children had been sexually, verbally or physically abused. The team has published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The three areas affected: the cornu ammonis, the dentate gyrus and the subiculum, all located in the hippocampus, are known to be vulnerable to stress which leads to less cell development than would normally occur in the absence of abuse.

To test the relationship between brain development and childhood abuse, the research team enlisted a group of otherwise healthy adult volunteers: 73 men and 120 women, all between the ages of 18 and 25.

All were given questionnaires that delved into their childhood, specifically addressing issues of verbal, mental and physical abuse and other types of stresses such as the death of someone close to them or problems between parents.

All were also given brain scans using an MRI machine. The team then compared the answers given on the questionnaires to the possibly impacted areas in the hippocampus of each volunteer. In so doing, they found that the brain regions under study were 5.8 to 6.5 percent smaller than average for those that reported such childhood stresses.

The researchers suggest that smaller brain regions due to childhood stress may help explain the abnormally high levels of mental illness (depression, bi-polarism, anxiety, etc.) seen in adults who have endured abuse as children and why so many wind up with drug dependency problems.

They also noted that one of the regions impacted, the subiculum, serves as a relay, moving information in and out of the hippocampus, which can have a direct impact on dopamine production. Those with reduced volume have been found to have problems with drug addiction and in some cases develop schizophrenia.

The researchers believe that increased stress leads to higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which in turn can slow or even stop the growth of new neurons in the brain which can result in permanently stunting certain brain regions.

The researchers are hoping their results will further highlight the damage that is done when children are subjected to adverse living conditions, leading perhaps to earlier interventions and possibly a means for developing treatments that may aid in preventing the stunting of brain regions, thus helping to pave the way for a better quality of life for those that have been abused as children.

More information: Childhood maltreatment is associated with reduced volume in the hippocampal subfields CA3, dentate gyrus, and subiculum, PNAS, Published online before print February 13, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1115396109

Abstract
Childhood maltreatment or abuse is a major risk factor for mood, anxiety, substance abuse, psychotic, and personality disorders, and it is associated with reduced adult hippocampal volume, particularly on the left side.

Translational studies show that the key consequences of stress exposure on the hippocampus are suppression of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) and dendritic remodeling in the cornu ammonis (CA), particularly the CA3 subfield.

The hypothesis that maltreatment is associated with volume reductions in 3-T MRI subfields containing the DG and CA3 was assessed and made practical by newly released automatic segmentation routines for FreeSurfer.

The sample consisted of 193 unmedicated right-handed subjects (38% male, 21.9 ± 2.1 y of age) selected from the community.

Maltreatment was quantified using the Adverse Childhood Experience study and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire scores.

The strongest associations between maltreatment and volume were observed in the left CA2-CA3 and CA4-DG subfields, and were not mediated by histories of major depression or posttraumatic stress disorder.

Comparing subjects with high vs. low scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Adverse Childhood Experience study showed an average volume reduction of 6.3% and 6.1% in the left CA2-CA3 and CA4-DG, respectively.

Volume reductions in the CA1 and fimbria were 44% and 60% smaller than in the CA2-CA3. Interestingly, maltreatment was associated with 4.2% and 4.3% reductions in the left presubiculum and subiculum, respectively.

These findings support the hypothesis that exposure to early stress in humans, as in other animals, affects hippocampal subfield development.

Sleep Standards are Slipping

2012-02-13T23:30:00.003-08:00

Kids never got enough shuteye, even back in grandpa's day.

That's according to a century's worth of expert advice and sleep studies, which a team of researchers has now distilled into a brief report in the journal Pediatrics.

"There is a common belief that children are not getting enough sleep and that children's total sleep time has been declining," Lisa Anne Matricciani of the University of South Australia in Adelaide and colleagues write.

And while it's true that kids aren't getting as much sack time now as they were in the late 1800s, that doesn't mean experts weren't worried back then, too.

In fact, as the Australian researchers combed through older and older literature, the recommended sleep time was always a good half-hour higher than what kids, or their parents, said they got.

"No matter how much sleep children are getting, it has always been assumed that they need more," the team says.

So why are the standards slipping?

According to Matricciani and company, there just isn't any good science on which to base recommendations. They went through 32 sets of sleep advice, and only one provided any reasoning for its guidance: the actual sleep of 500 healthy kids.

Today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH US) says adults commonly need between eight and eight and a half hours of sleep, whereas newborns should get 16 to 18 hours a day.

Children fall in between, with preschoolers needing 11 to 12 hours of slumber and older kids and adolescents 10 hours.

Those standards are based on how long people sleep when they're not interrupted but one expert reported that there is still little ironclad science behind the numbers.

"We need to do due diligence and do the nitty-gritty effort of measuring sleep in a large group of the population to find out what's normal," said Dr. David Gozal, an expert in childhood sleep problems at the University of Chicago. "That has never been done."

He went on, "If you don't know what's normal because you haven't measured it, then your recommendations are going to reflect what you believe is normal, although that's not necessarily correct."

That also explains why expert recommendations have been shifting downward over time, Gozal said, because physicians are influenced by changing societal expectations the same as everybody else.

"It only reflects the nature of our parental expectations," mused Gozal.

Based on 218 articles that contained self- or parent-reported sleep for children, the Australian researchers estimate that kids' actual sleep duration fell by 73 minutes over a century.

By comparison, recommended sleep times dropped by 71 minutes, but remained 37 minutes above the estimates of real sleep.

Like other researchers, Gozal blames our shorter nights on the accelerated pace of modern society with its 24-7 demands on parents and kids alike.

"The concern that kids aren't sleeping enough is real," he said. "More than 80 percent of parents need to wake up their kids, indicating that their kids don't get enough sleep."

Although it's next to impossible to prove conclusively that diminished shuteye is taking a toll on our health, several studies have linked it to a plethora of ailments, from obesity in American kids to attention problems in Korean high school students to heart disease around the globe.

"We are in fact reducing the amount of sleep as a society, and that is translating, at least in my mind, to an increased risk of many diseases," said Gozal.

So how do you know when your kid has had enough sleep?

"You will know that your child is sleeping enough if they wake up on their own rather than being awoken," Gozal advised. "If they don't get up on time, make them go to bed earlier."

SOURCE: bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online February 13, 2012.

For more good advice and support on how to solve children's sleep issues visit www.dream-angus.com

Vodafone 155 Targets Senior UK Citizens with Physical Disabilities

2012-02-13T00:57:00.001-08:00

Vodafone has released a new phone for senior citizens in the UK called "Vodafone 155". The device is a basic phone and has been specially designed for elderly people with physical disabilities such as limited dexterity, vision or hearing impairments.

It has been priced at £25.

The phone offers user-friendly features such as speed-dialling and listening to recorded calls besides automated texting capabiities through the SOS button. The emergency button (or the panic button) is a trigger that sends calls or messages to pre-designated numbers stored on the phone.

The phone also ports a built-in alert sound to alarm neighbours in case of emergency. Apart from being significantly more affordable than most other phones aimed at senior citizen, it stands out with an oversized keypad with big buttons and large display fonts alongside support for hearing aids, high volume ring tones and noise cancellation technology. It also adds a sliding keylock on its side to prevent accidental pocket dialling.

The display is perhaps a little too small at 1.7-inches with a lowly resolution of 128x160 pixels; however, this, it must be remembered, is a basic phone meant for the visually impaired.

However, the phone does boast of a powerful battery rated to last up to 29 days in standby mode and offers up to 10 hours of talk time.

The phone is available for purchase at all Vodafone stores, under a Pay As You Go (PAYG) scheme. In addition, Vodafone can also import data and contacts from other handsets, free of cost.

Baby knows best: Baby-led weaning promotes healthy food preferences

2012-02-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

A new study by psychologists has shown that babies who are weaned using solid finger food are more likely to develop healthier food preferences and are less likely to become overweight as children than those who are spoon-fed pureed food. (Credit: © Anna Omelchenko / Fotolia)

A new study by psychologists at The University of Nottingham has shown that babies who are weaned using solid finger food are more likely to develop healthier food preferences and are less likely to become overweight as children than those who are spoon-fed pureed food.

The research just published by BMJ Open set out to examine the impact of weaning style on food preferences and Body Mass Index in early childhood in a sample of 155 children.

Co-author of the study, Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, Dr Ellen Townsend, said: "Although numerous studies have focused on when to introduce solid foods into an infant's diet there is a dearth of evidence concerning the impact of different weaning methods on food preferences and health prospects.

We believe our report is the first piece of research to examine whether weaning method can influence food preferences and the future health of the child."

Co-researcher Dr Nicola Pitchford, added: "Our study has produced some very interesting findings. The research suggests that baby-led weaning has a positive impact on the liking of foods that form the building blocks of healthy nutrition, such as carbohydrates.

Baby-led weaning promotes healthy food preferences in early childhood which may protect against obesity."

The researchers enlisted the Nottingham Toddler Lab, based in the School of Psychology, and various relevant websites to recruit parent volunteers for the study.

They all had children between the ages of 20 months and 6½ years and agreed to complete a questionnaire about their experiences of infant feeding and weaning style. 92 parents used baby-led weaning in which the baby is allowed to feed him or herself from a range of solid finger food after the age of 6 months.

63 parents surveyed used traditional spoon-feeding in which they fed their babies smooth purees and increased the texture and range of foods as they grew.

The study also examined the child's preference for 151 different types of food in the common food categories of carbohydrates, proteins and dairy etc. It also took into account the frequency of consumption of each food type and the effect of age on food preference.

Between the two weaning groups, significant differences in preference were found for only one food category -- the baby-led group liked carbohydrates more than the spoon-fed group.

In fact, carbohydrates was the most liked food category for the baby-led group whereas sweet foods was most liked by the spoon-fed group.

The psychologists believe that understanding the factors that contribute to healthy nutrition in early childhood is crucial as this could be the best time to modify food preferences to encourage healthy diets.

The findings show that baby-led weaning has a positive impact on the liking of carbohydrates -- foods that form the building blocks of healthy nutrition. This is a significant result since, up to now, the factors thought to be most influential on early food preferences are sweetness and frequency of exposure.

It was found that children's preference and rate of exposure to foods were not influenced by socially desirable responding, i.e. parents putting down what they think they should report, or socio-economic status, although an increased liking of vegetables was associated with higher social class.

There was an increased incidence of underweight children in the baby-led group and higher obesity rates in the spoon-fed group. But, no difference in picky eating was found between the two weaning groups.

The research project concludes that weaning style does have an impact on food preferences and health in early childhood.

The results suggest that infants weaned through the baby-led method learn to regulate their food intake in a way which leads to a lower BMI and a preference for healthy foods like carbohydrates.

The research team believe their work has important implications for combating the well-documented rise of obesity in contemporary society.

The full report 'Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and Body Mass Index in early childhood in a case-controlled sample' can be found at bmjopen.bmj.com

New changes to GCSE 'will penalise dyslexic pupils'

2012-02-06T04:12:00.000-08:00

Ministers have been accused of discriminating against dyslexic pupils by announcing plans to award 5% of marks in GCSE exams for spelling, punctuation and grammar as part of a drive to improve communication skills.

Dyslexia experts, educationists and teachers' unions say the new rules on marking, announced by the Department for Education last month, will penalise hundreds of thousands with a genuine spelling disability and make it more difficult for them to reach target grades.

At the same time dyslexia groups have reported mounting disquiet and confusion among parents and pupils, who are concerned at the lack of trained staff available in schools who can help them overcome their disadvantage and guide them on how to gain extra time, or other assistance, in exams.

In a white paper in 2010, the DfE expressed the government's determination to better equip young people for the jobs market by placing a greater emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar in GCSE marking.

It stated: "When young people compete for jobs and enter the workplace, they will be expected to communicate precisely and effectively so we think that changes in the last decade to remove the separate assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar from GCSE mark schemes were a mistake.

"We have asked OfQual [the Office of Examinations and Qualifications Regulation] to advise on how mark schemes could take greater account of the importance of spelling, punctuation and grammar for examinations in all subjects."

Last month, OfQual announced that for GCSE courses beginning in September, 5% of marks would be awarded for performance in spelling, punctuation and grammar in English literature, geography, history and religious studies.

A spokesman for OfQual confirmed there would be no special exemptions from the marking regime for dyslexic pupils.

However, as was the case previously, a pupil with a statement of special educational needs can gain up to 25% of extra time in exams.

This can also be made available for a pupil with an evidence-backed recommendation from a suitably qualified teacher or psychologist. But the process of attaining extra time is difficult for many pupils and parents, particularly when expert help is not on hand in schools.

One headteacher of a large state comprehensive school said the change would mean that a pupil who had shown a good knowledge and understanding of, for example, history – but who had spelling problems due to dyslexia – could well end up with a worse grade than a good speller who had done less well on the history questions.

Dr Kate Saunders, chief executive of the British Dyslexia Association, said: "We are greatly concerned that these changes may penalise dyslexic individuals. We feel that it is discrimination.

Dyslexic candidates are not seeking advantage but merely a level playing field in order to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Our continuous efforts to improve conditions have now regressed."

In 2009 the then Labour government announced a £10m package to train 4,000 specialist dyslexia teachers over the following two years after a review of services for children with the learning difficulty, published by the education expert Sir Jim Rose.

The BDA says that many of these specially trained teachers are now being made redundant. It has also had its government funding of £107,000 a year for a helpline withdrawn.

Read more of this article here in the Observer

Dyslexia: There is an upside

2012-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

THE word “dyslexia” evokes painful struggles with reading, and indeed this learning disability causes much difficulty for the estimated 15 percent of Americans affected by it.

Since the phenomenon of “word blindness” was first documented more than a century ago, scientists have searched for the causes of dyslexia, and for therapies to treat it. In recent years, however, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers.

The latest findings on dyslexia are leading to a new way of looking at the condition: not just as an impediment, but as an advantage, especially in certain artistic and scientific fields.

Tucker Nichols

Dyslexia is a complex disorder, and there is much that is still not understood about it.

But a series of ingenious experiments have shown that many people with dyslexia possess distinctive perceptual abilities.

For example, scientists have produced a growing body of evidence that people with the condition have sharper peripheral vision than others.

Gadi Geiger and Jerome Lettvin, cognitive scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), used a mechanical shutter, called a tachistoscope, to briefly flash a row of letters extending from the center of a subject’s field of vision out to its perimeter.

Typical readers identified the letters in the middle of the row with greater accuracy.

Those with dyslexia triumphed, however, when asked to identify letters located in the row’s outer reaches.

The discovery of such talents inevitably raises questions about whether these faculties translate into real-life skills.

Although people with dyslexia are found in every profession, including law, medicine and science, observers have long noted that they populate fields like art and design in unusually high numbers.

Five years ago, the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity was founded to investigate and illuminate the strengths of those with dyslexia, while the seven-year-old Laboratory for Visual Learning, located within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is exploring the advantages conferred by dyslexia in visually intensive branches of science.

The director of the laboratory, the astrophysicist Matthew Schneps, notes that scientists in his line of work must make sense of enormous quantities of visual data and accurately detect patterns that signal the presence of entities like black holes.

A pair of experiments conducted by Mr. Schneps and his colleagues, published in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society in 2011, suggests that dyslexia may enhance the ability to carry out such tasks.

Read more of this article here at NY Times

TED Dimitri Christakis - Media and Children - YouTube

2012-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

Young children who have early exposure to television are more likely to develop an increased risk of behavioural and learning problems, according to a recent study.

The research, led by Dr Dimitri Christakis, paediatrician and director of the Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, has found that too much time spent viewing rapid screen images and sounds can make real-time activities seem boring, causing attention problems when children enter the classroom.

"Parents are surprisingly poorly informed about this and in our studies we're working hard to educate them. Parents need to know TV and other media have real and powerful effects on their kids," Christakis said.

He compared the ages of children's exposure to television and discovered that the average age for a child in the 1970s was four years old. Today, it is four months.

Teaching Number Bonds

2012-02-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

Number bonds.
An extract from the SJBWriting blog:

"We all use them in our adult life without even realising it. When adding up items in our basket at the supermarket, we know that 3p and 7p is 10p, and that 2x 50p is £1.

When we buy something for £5.60 at the market and hand over a £10 note, we know that £5.60 + 40p is £6 and another £4 makes £10, so we know to expect £4.60 change.

Knowing our number bonds is extremely useful, but a lot of children struggle to learn them.

Over the years I have successfully taught many children how to remember their number bonds. As with times tables, the key is to find multi-sensory ways to teach, and to make practising fun.

Some children respond very well to visual clues, and to help these I use colour sticks.

These are strips marked out in 10 sections and coloured in contrasting colours, so that children can see clearly that 2 red squares plus 8 green squares equals 10 squares altogether, and that 8 green squares plus 2 red squares also equals 10 squares altogether.

They are small enough to hold in the hand, and I tend to use them in conjunction with other methods. The children I tutor find them really useful to refer to during games.

Snap and pelmanism are always popular games, and I have made two sets of cards for this. The first set is colour-coded, so when the children turn the cards over there is a visual clue as to whether the two cards add up to 10.

When they turn over the first card, I encourage them to work out what number they need to find to make 10.

When the children are a little more confident I switch to the black and white ones to remove the visual clue, but we still play the same games to keep some familiarity."

If you find this interesting and want to read more of this article, go to SJBWriting

Babies have ‘intuitive physics’ knowledge at birth?

2012-01-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

A US Northwestern University study has found that the evidence for intuitive physics occurs in infants as young as two months – the earliest age at which testing can occur.

Intuitive physics includes skills that adults use all the time. For example, when a glass of milk falls off the table, a person might try to catch the cup, but they are not likely to try to catch the milk that spills out.

The person doesn’t have to consciously think about what to do because the brain processes the information and the person simply reacts.

The majority of an adult’s everyday interactions with the world are automatic, and researchers believe infants have the same ability to form expectations, predicting the behaviour of objects and substances with which they interact.

But the world is not made up of objects alone, and Northwestern researchers looked at whether babies can distinguish between objects in their different forms i.e. one's that can be held, touched or thrown, versus substances such as gas, liquids that can flow and may be drinkable.

According to a review of literature, infants show an understanding that unsupported objects will fall and that hidden objects do not cease to exist. Scientific testing also has shown that by five months, infants have developed the expectation that non-cohesive substances like a gas, sand or water are not solid.

“I think liquid is the best example of a non object that you interact with — a baby has to drink liquid every single day,” said lead author Susan J. Hespos, associate professor of psychology at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

“It’s a universal experience with milk or water. We did studies on whether babies expected water to pour or tumble from an upended cup.

By five months of age, babies expect both water and sand to pour, so we have clear evidence that this type of physical knowledge is available early in development.”

While the intuitive physics knowledge is believed to be present at birth, co-author Kristy van Marle, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri, believes parents can assist skill development through normal interaction, such as playing and talking with the child and encouraging him or her to interact with objects.

“Natural interaction with the child, such as talking to him or her, playing peek-a-boo and allowing him or her to handle safe objects, is the best method for child development,” van Marle said.

“Natural interaction with the parent and objects in the world gives the child all the input that evolution has prepared the child to seek, accept and use to develop intuitive physics.”

Read more on 'Intuitive Physics' in this paper by McCloskey

Also you can read another, older (2001), paper; "Are 'intuitive physics' and
'intuitive psychology' independent? - Testing children with Asperger Syndrome

Autism: Brainwaves 'show risk from age of six months'

2012-01-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

It may be possible to detect autism at a much earlier age than previously thought, according to an international team of researchers.

A study published in Current Biology identified differences in infants' brainwaves from as early as six months.

Behavioural symptoms of autism typically develop between a child's first and second birthdays.

Autism charities said identifying the disorder at an earlier stage could help with treatment.

It is thought that one in every 100 children has an autism spectrum disorder in the UK. It affects more boys than girls. While there is no "cure", education and behavioural programmes can help.

One of the researchers, Prof Mark Johnson from Birkbeck College, University of London, told the BBC: "The prevailing view is that if we are able to intervene before the onset of full symptoms, such as a training programme, at least in some cases we can maybe alleviate full symptoms."

His team looked for the earliest signs of autism in 104 children aged between six and 10 months. Half were known to be at risk of the disorder because they had on older sibling who had been diagnosed with autism. The rest were low risk.

Older children with autism can show a lack of eye contact, so the babies were shown pictures of people's faces that switched between looking at or away from the baby.

Sensors attached to the scalp looked for differences in brain activity.

In low-risk babies, or high-risk babies that did not develop autism, there was a large difference in the brainwaves when looking at each type of image.

There was a much smaller difference in the brainwaves of babies who developed autism.

'Very effective'

Prof Johnson said: "It is important to note it is not a 100% predictor. We had babies who flagged up warning signs who did not develop autism."

There were also babies who did develop autism who had low-risk brainwaves. The test would need to be more accurate before it was used routinely.

Prof Tony Charman, Centre for Research in Autism and Education at the Institute of Education, said: "Differences in the use of eye gaze to regulate social interaction are already a well-recognised early feature in many children with autism from the second year of life.

"Future studies will be required to determine whether measurements of brain function such as those used in our study might one day play a role in helping to identify children at an even earlier age."

Christine Swabey from the charity Autistica said: "The hope is that this important research will lead to improved identification and access to services for future generations.

"Ultimately, the earlier we can identify autism and provide early intervention, the better the outcomes will be."

Dr Georgina Gomez-de-la-Cuesta from the National Autistic Society said: "Further research to investigate these differences will eventually lead to earlier recognition of the condition.

"Early intervention is very effective in supporting those with autism, so recognition in infancy can only be beneficial in helping individuals with autism reach their full potential.

"However, this important research is still in its early stages, and larger studies looking at several early markers of autism will be necessary before a robust clinical diagnosis could be possible at such a young age."

When “OK?” is not OK!

2012-01-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

When asking a child to do something positive, like go to bed or to stop doing something negative, like whining, some mothers and fathers routinely attach the word “OK?” to the end of their response.

It sounds like this:
“It’s time for bed now, honey. OK?”
“I want you to stop whining and use your big girl voice, OK?”

This is bad practice. Why?

First of all, there’s no need for the extra comment. Requests should be kept simple, short and straightforward.

Second, the “OK?” is not a benign comment, it’s a troublemaker. The “OK?” communicates to the child that the parent is anxious about whether or not the youngster is going to cooperate.

Kids can sense this anxiety in their parent’s voice immediately, even though the child may be only two or three years old. The “OK?” tells the child right away that the parent is vulnerable and unsure of herself or himself.

Third, the troublesome “OK?” implies that at this point the child has a choice in the matter.

Now how many kids like to go to bed at night or actually want to stop whining? Not very many.

So combine the kid’s natural aversion to cooperating with the parent’s uncertainty and what do you get? You get the potential for a bad scene complete with arguing, yelling and tantrums.

So next time you want a child to cooperate and you need to make a simple request, DO NOT put “OK?” on the end of it!

Dyslexia: Coloured Reading Rulers

2012-01-26T05:01:00.000-08:00

If your child is having problems with reading he or she might be suffering from visual stress. The symptoms of visual stress whilst reading are: whole words or letters moving on the page, blurred text, distorted text, spinning text, seeing shapes within the text and feeling sick whilst reading, headaches and migraines.

As you can imagine, the effect of visual stress on a reader is profound. Speaking from my own experience I used to feel sick whilst reading and understandably hated reading for most of my childhood.

The symptoms of visual stress effect how a child learns to read and understand what they have read because it inhibits the ability to recognise words quickly and to read smoothly.

How can you tell if your child has visual stress?
This is a question that pops up over and over again but is fairly simple to answer. Ask you child about how they feel when they read. Do they feel sick, dizzy or do they start to get a headache?

Ask if the words stay still or move around the page or blurr. You may also notice that they turn their head or slide the book to the side as they read.

Often children with visual stress report that the text is clearer if they move the book to the side and look at the words through the corners of their eyes.

There is a useful software package to determine if you or your child is suffering from visual stress and I would recommend it for schools and colleges.

If you’re a parent there is a simple way to find out if your child’s reading problems are caused by visual stress.

Coloured Overlays
Coloured overlays are a simple and inexpensive solution to visual stress for children with reading difficulties.

They won’t cure dyslexia but they can significantly help with reading. A coloured overlay ruler is similar in size to a 6 inch school ruler and comes in a variety of colours.

By placing the right colour overlay over text reading becomes much easier because the contrast stops the words from moving or blurring.

How do you know which colour to use?
The overlays come in 10 colours and there are 5 which have proven to be the most popular. So you can order a set of 5 or 10 overlays and simply test them by placing them over the text and seeing which colour works best.

Further info and where to purchase coloured overlay reading rulers and reading overlays.

Mrs. Books - Apples Gosh Golly - YouTube

2012-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

A Children's Educational video. Sharing Fun with the whole Family! Counting Funny, Silly Apples from 1 to 10 with Mrs. Books. Wonderful Music to Sing and Dance Along with too!

Audio Description - RNIB

2012-01-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

Audio Description

On the RNIB website is:

Everything you need to know about audio description (AD) and where it is available.

Amazon eBook readers and apps - RNIB

2012-01-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Amazon eBook readers and apps

You will find the following on the RNIB website:

Amazon are a US company that make some of their products available in the UK. The first four items mentioned below are available in the UK now, the next two are expected to be available soon and the last - the Kindle DX - is only available through the US Amazon website.
Apart from the differences between readers and apps given below, there are other differences which are not so obvious. For example, some newspaper and magazine titles are available for the readers but not the apps.

Dyslexia: MRI Brain Scans Spot Early Signs

2012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Instead of waiting for a child to experience reading delays, scientists now say they can identify the reading problem even before children start school, long before they become labeled as poor students and begin to lose confidence in themselves.

Although typically diagnosed during the second or third grade of school - around age 7 or 8 - a team from Children's Hospital Boston said they could see signs of the disease on brain scans in children as early as 4 and 5, a time when studies show children are best able to respond to interventions.

"We call it the dyslexia paradox," said Nadine Gaab of the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Children's, whose study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Gaab said most children are not diagnosed until third grade, but interventions work best in younger children, hopefully before they begin to learn to read.

"Often, by the time they get a diagnosis, they usually have experienced three years of peers telling them they are stupid, parents telling them they are lazy.

We know they have reduced self esteem. They are really struggling," Gaab said in a telephone interview.

Her study builds on an emerging understanding of dyslexia as a problem with recognizing and manipulating the individual sounds that form language, which is known as phonological processing.
In order to read, children must map the sounds of spoken language onto specific letters that make up words. Children with dyslexia struggle with this mapping process.

"The beauty is spoken language can present before written language so people can look for symptoms," said Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a director of the Center for Dyslexia and Creativity at Yale University.

Signs of early dyslexia might include difficulty with rhyming, mispronouncing words or confusing similar-sounding words.

"Those are all very early symptoms," Shaywitz said.

Dyslexia affects roughly 5 percent to 17 percent of all children and up to 1 in 2 children with a family history of the disorder will struggle with reading, have poor spelling and experience difficulty decoding words.

In her study, Gaab and colleagues scanned the brains of 36 preschool children while they did a number of tasks, such as trying to decide if two words start with the same sound.

They found that during these tasks, children who had a family history of dyslexia had less brain activity in certain regions of the brain than did children of similar ages, intelligence and socioeconomic status.

Older children and adults with dyslexia have dysfunction in these same areas of the brain, which include the junctions between the occipital and temporal lobes and the temporal and parietal lobes in the back of the brain.

Gaab said the study shows that when children predisposed to dyslexia did these tasks, their brains did not use the area typically used for processing this information. This problem occurred even before the children started learning to read.

"The important point of this paper is it shows the need to look for signs of dyslexia earlier," said April Benasich, director of the Carter Center for Neurocognitive Research at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, who was not part of the study.

Benasich studies language processing in even younger children - babies who have a family history of learning disorders.

"There is evidence to suggest that what is thought to be reading failure is there before the kids fail," she said.

Gaab said her study is too small to form the basis of any test for dyslexia but her team has just won a grant from the National Institutes of Health to do a larger study.

Ultimately, she hopes parents will be able to go to their pediatrician and ask for their child to be assessed.

"Families often know that their child has dyslexia as early as kindergarten, but they can't get interventions at their schools," she said in a statement.

"If we can show that we can identify these kids early, schools may be encouraged to develop programs," she said.

The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism & Special Needs: Touch

2012-01-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Fox TV's new Kiefer Sutherland series Touch premieres in two days, on Wednesday January 25th. We're intrigued, and watchful.

The series revolves around a non-verbal child, Jake, who understands numerical patterns other people can't perceive -- and his father Martin's attempts to understand not only what Jake is trying to communicate, but Jake himself.

From the series description at Fox.com:

Blending science, spirituality and emotion, the series will follow seemingly unrelated people all over the world whose lives affect each other in ways seen and unseen, known and unknown. At the story’s center is MARTIN BOHM (Kiefer Sutherland), a widower and single father, haunted by an inability to connect to his emotionally challenged 11-year-old son, JAKE (David Mazouz). Caring, intelligent and thoughtful, Martin has tried everything to reach his son. But Jake never speaks, shows little emotion, and never allows himself to be touched by anyone, including Martin. Jake is obsessed with numbers—writing long strings of them in his ever-present notebooks—and with discarded cell phones.

Some folks are already skeptical. Alyssa Rosenberg at ThinkProgress is critical of series co-creator Kring for "inventing a magical alternative to autism," and Ellen Seidman at Parents.com says:

I like it in concept because it’s a TV program about a kid with special needs, which isn’t very common (understatement alert). I don’t like it concept because I’m concerned it’s going to take the focus away from the amazing reality of our kids—something many people still don’t get. And, count on it, some people are going to think kids with autism actually can do this, feeding into the stereotype of savant abilities.

Matt Web Mitovitch of TV line reports that series star Sutherland believes Touch will highlight the potential of those with autism, and the need for the rest of society to try to better understand autistics:

“The Danny Glover [professor] character is interesting,” says Sutherland. “He believes that we have misdiagnosed a group of people that actually are at a much more advanced form of communication, but because we don’t understand it we’ve diagnosed them with what we can best understand.”

That exploration of what autism is and could be was born of the fact that [series co-creator] Kring has a son who lives with the condition; as such, he’s taking care to see that Touch‘s fictional aspects are founded in scientific fact.

Autism is no longer mentioned on Fox's official Touch site, but Fox secured an autism and special education expert, Joanne Lara, as technical consultant on the pilot. Joanne also advised on the role of Jake, the eleven-year-old protagonist. We spoke with Joanne last week; here's the part of our conversation that centered on the series' special needs themes.

Improve handwriting with small changes

2012-01-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

The best way to encourage children to change is to offer them something they want and then let them find out how to go about getting it. A bit like the carrot on a stick.

Find out how to write neatly by observing someone who is a neat writer and notice what they do that is different from what you do, be like a detective and watch them really closely, just what is it that they are doing differently?

Helping children learn from each other and discovering the information in a fun and enjoyable way will help them be better at remembering the things they must do to improve their handwriting.
If you don’t get the chance to observe someone, here are some things that you can do:

Ensure that your child is sat with both feet flat on the floor and sat up straight. This helps concentration and gets children ready to write. Slouching over their desk and resting their head on their hand is not good for being alert and concentration. It could also mean that they need to visit an optician that specialises in helping children with handwriting and vision problems.
Turn the paper about 20 degrees away from the hand that they write with, this will give their elbow room to move as they write and their hand can relax on the paper.
Hold the pencil with a tripod grip, this is the most effective way to hold a pencil for neat handwriting.
Grip the pencil by imagining it is a baby bird, you don’t want it to fly away but you don’t want to squash it either. This is helpful for
children to understand just how tightly they need to hold it, especially for children who hold on to their pencil so tightly their fingers go white at the knuckles.
If your child is having problems holding the pencil then invest in a good quality pencil grip to help them master the tripod grip with ease.

Sometimes there’s resistance to these changes which could mean your child is not ready or wanting to change. Encourage small changes with lots of fun practise focusing on pencil holding skills regularly, not just with writing but with drawing and painting. They will take time to master, but once mastered, they will lead to success in handwriting for a lifetime.
You can learn more about how to hold a pencil properly and find the right kind of pencil grips for adults and children here
Improve handwriting with small changes

Dyslexic Brian: Pav's home page video - YouTube

2012-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

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Scottish Police Introduce Alert Card for Autistic Adults

2012-01-23T03:10:00.000-08:00

A new card to help emergency services deal with people with autism has been launched.

The Autism Alert card will be carried by adults with the condition in Lothian and Borders and can be shown to the emergency services.

It will include details of a personal contact and expert contact who can tell police and other services how best to deal with the autistic person.

People with autism can have severe communication and social problems and dealing with the police can be hard for them.

Jennifer Bruce from Kirkliston in Edinburgh said the card was "vital" after her own experience with the police.

The 25-year-old said: "It is so important that police and emergency services know that a person has autism.

"I was at a friend's house when police were called, following a complaint from neighbours. I was not directly involved, but still found the situation frightening. The police, in their black and yellow uniforms looked intimidating to me.

"My Asperger syndrome means I can find reading non-verbal communication such as body language a real challenge. The police didn't know I had autism so didn't explain to me what was going on in a way I could understand. If I could have produced an Autism Alert card, I believe it would have helped make the situation less stressful."

The card has already been launched in Strathclyde and the Highlands and will be rolled out across the country.

Dr Robert Moffat, national director of NAS Scotland said: "NAS Scotland is delighted to be in a partnership that addresses the unique challenges faced by people with autism in such a sensible, straightforward and effective way.

The new Autism Alert card is a crucial step in ensuring Lothian and Borders Police are autism aware, and helps people with autism in the local area access the same rights most of us take for granted."

Steve Allen, deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police said: "We welcome the introduction of the new Autism Alert card which will allow our officers to quickly identify a card-holder's condition, improve understanding of their needs and offer them the best possible support.

"Supporting our communities and reducing risk, especially for those with the greatest needs, is at the heart of Lothian and Borders Police. Our staff will continue to support and encourage those who would benefit from using the card, to apply for and use it each and every time they need our help or assistance."

People with autism can apply for the card by calling 0131 551 7260 or email alertcard@aiscotland.org.uk.

Two Steps Forward One Step Back

2012-01-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

You know what I am talking about. Any parent raising a special needs child knows about the setbacks.

The kick in the stomach, racing heart, internal restlessness, sleepless nights re-evaluating and reassessing the situation until you can’t think straight.

That fear that grips you and makes you doubt yourself as a parent, yup, welcome to special needs parenting setbacks.

If there is one thing I can tell you with absolute confidence it is this, there will be setbacks, many setbacks.

There will be those days that out of no where you are struck with the enormity of it all, the days that you just break down and need a good cry.

I remember the days that I measured progress and setbacks in hours. Days that drained me both mentally and physically.

With time and with my childs acquirement of calming and coping skills the hours turned into weeks then turned into months and dare I say, with fingers crossed and pajamas inside out , now years.

I can catch my breath, I can go to the store without a knot in my stomach and a cell phone on loud
clenched in my hands.

Its been a long road of two steps forward and one step back. Smooth sailing you are thinking, not quite, the fear and insecurity I believe will say with me for many years to come.

The panic and constant state of anxiety parents of special needs children experience almost become a part of you. It consumes you.

The nature of the beast becomes embedded in our brains and we know that with so many variables to triggers that we can never completely let our guard down.

Read more of this article here: Two Steps Forward One Step Back Still Gets You Ahead

Specialist Teachers Borrow From Brain Studies

2012-01-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

In a corner of a classroom at the Ivymount School, a frustrated 7th grader tells himself to take a deep breath. Slowly, without distracting his classmates, he calms down.

This exercise is among many strategies derived from brain-science research that educators at this private school are using with students with disabilities. In this case, the technique is being taught to students with Asperger syndrome, for whom self-control in a moment of frustration can be elusive.

The five steps to regaining calm—including breathing deeply, reading directions, and telling oneself to give something a try—are taped to many of the desks of students in the Model Asperger Program.

Ivymount is one of a growing number of schools trying to adapt techniques based on brain research to special education settings, a practice that many teachers and parents may not have even envisioned a few years ago.

While some educators remain skeptical, brain research is slowly migrating from the lab into the classroom, both in predicting which students may have learning difficulties and intervening to help students diagnosed with disabilities.

Opportunities Emerge

Among the efforts under way:

In Cambridge, Mass., a Harvard University center is devoted to training those who want to use neuroscience and cognitive science to improve teaching, including for students with disabilities.
In Washington, George Washington University has created a doctoral program in applied neuroscience in special education.
The Center for Applied Technology, in Wakefield, Mass., employs specialists in neuropsychology, along with other experts, to expand learning opportunities for students with disabilities.
A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is using brain-imaging to predict which children in a given kindergarten class might eventually struggle with reading, because of dyslexia or other reasons, so intervention can take place as early as possible.

"We are just beginning to understand how big this is," said Maxine B. Freund, a professor in George Washington's department of special education and the associate dean of research and external relations. "It's an opportunity we treasure."

That's especially so for students with disabilities, said Kurt W. Fischer, a Harvard professor of psychology and human development and the founder of the graduate school of education's Mind, Brain, and Education program.

"What we need to do is figure out how to harness those differences instead of making everyone learn the same way," he said.

That doesn't mean there shouldn't still be some caution about translating brain research into educational techniques, he said.

"There are people that are skeptical, and they ought to be skeptical," Mr. Fischer said. "There are lots of things happening," he added, but "it's still early."

Turning a Corner

At MIT, neuroscientist and professor John D.E. Gabrieli has been working on using brain imaging to predict which students may eventually struggle with reading. He is clear about connecting his research with the classroom.

One of his current projects involves working with about 20 Boston-area kindergarten classes in inner-city charter schools, suburban district-run schools, and Roman Catholic schools.

As many students as possible are brought to his lab for brain imaging—through the use of noninvasive functional magnetic-resonance imaging, or FMRIS—and the students get additional help based on the results.

Mr. Gabrieli will follow the students for several years to see if the targeted interventions can stave off reading problems.

"How to diagnose and classify children—the more that we can make that scientific and less arbitrary, the better," he said. "If something about the brain—the luck of the draw of their brain—is making reading extra hard for them, maybe we could just intervene early and spare them a lot of grief."

Typically, reading problems aren't diagnosed until students are in 3rd or 4th grade. Not only do reading problems at that age hamper students' ability to learn many subjects, they've lost hours of reading practice outside of school, essentially falling even further behind, Mr. Gabrieli said.

Children who enjoy reading passively hone their skills by reading for pleasure, something poor readers are less likely to do.

One research-based product that already appears to be helping some students is based on existing practices in special education.

Using BrainWare Safari, software made by Learning Enhancement Corp., based in Chicago, students play what seems like a video game for 30 to 45 minutes a day, several times a week, for three months.

The exercises build students' memory skills, their visual- and auditory-processing skills, thinking abilities, and sensory integration, said Betsy Hill, the president and chief operating officer of Learning Enhancement.

The program replicates the work of speech and language therapists, vision therapists, and psychologists, work that is tedious for both students and therapists.

Different exercises require students to click to a beat and deal with other distractions that can compete for what's known as the working memory.

Working memory allows students to do things like take notes at the same time the teacher is talking—a skill not all students easily master.

"Kids are doing one level of an exercise 100, 200, 300 times," Ms. Hill said. "You need that kind of repetition to change those neuropathways."

While students with disabilities may need to spend more time with the software for their brains to be reprogrammed, in a sense, all students have been shown to benefit, she said.

One small study in the 550-student Harbor Beach community school district in Michigan, conducted by a district speech-language pathologist without Learning Enhancement's knowledge, showed students' average improvement on cognitive tests was three years and one month in learning progress after using the program for 12 weeks, confirming results published in a scientific journal.

The district was one of the first users of the program, now in about 300 schools across the country.

Harbor Beach was so convinced of BrainWare Safari's effectiveness, it is now required for all 3rd grade students new to the district.

How Do Students with learning Disabilities Learn?

2012-01-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

In this insightful interview, Associate Professor, The Pennsylvania State University, Altoona College, Barbara Hong defines what a learning disability is, and tells us what elements we should start looking for, when analyzing educational websites to ensure children with learning disabilities are integrated in the educational process.

VOCAs: Assistive Technology for People with Speech Impairments

2012-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

“More important than the right to speech is the right to speak.” The world renowned British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking knows this exactly to be true.

Having been robbed of his ability to speak to a motor neuron disease, Stephen Hawking had to struggle with crude communication systems just to be able to tell his wants and needs…until he discovered VOCAs.

If it had not been for VOCAs, Stephen Hawking’s insights into the nature of space and time would not have been known.

This assistive technology has allowed him to communicate, write and publish his works, and give lectures to live audiences around the world in spite of losing his ability to speak.

In this post we will explore what VOCAs are and how these instruments give people an ability that most of us take for granted.

What are VOCAs?
VOCAs refer to voice output communication aids. These are electronic devices used by people who are either unable to speak or whose speech is difficult to understand.

VOCAs are used for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The term refers to different communication methods used by people who are unable to speak, have difficulty speaking, or have restrictions in understanding spoken or written communication.

Who uses VOCAs?
VOCAs are used by people who have limited or absent speech to communicate with the people around them. These include people who suffer from neurological disorders, such as autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.

VOCAs are also used to help an individual regain his ability to speak that might have been lost due to stroke, brain damage, or a motor neuron disease. An example of a motor neuron disease is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with.

Are there different types of VOCAs?
Just as there are different types of people who use VOCAs, there are also different types of VOCAs. These vary in all shapes, sizes, and complexity.

Dedicated Communication Devices vs. Communication Software Programs

VOCAs may be dedicated communication devices or laptop computers with specialized software installed.

Dedicated communication devices are designed primarily for communication, while computer based VOCAs are typically programmed to include additional features, such as an environmental control system.

An environmental control system allows the VOCA user to independently turn on electronic devices, such as the lights or television, via remote control.

Speech
Some VOCAs use digitized speech or a recorded natural speech of a person for voice output. Frequently used words, phrases, or sentences are recorded and stored into the device by somebody else other than the VOCA user. The VOCA user then pushes a button or turns a switch to play the message.

A VOCA with digitized speech can only say what someone has already recorded into it. However, they are easier to program than the VOCAs that use synthesized speech.

VOCAs that use synthesized speech make use of a speech synthesizer to produce artificial speech. These VOCAs use text to speech systems. This type of device is more flexible because users are not dependent on pre-recorded messages on their device. The speech synthesizer can say any combination of words, phrases, or sentences that the user chooses.

Representation of Messages
VOCAs may use text-based or symbol-based programs to represent messages on the device. Symbol-based VOCAs use pictures or symbols to represent messages which are supplied through symbol organizational systems. This type of device is typically used by individuals whose literacy level makes it difficult for them to use text-based VOCAs.

Text-based VOCAs typically have a keyboard for entering messages. They often feature a “word prediction” facility which helps reduce the number of keystrokes a user has to make. It also functions as a support tool for people whose spelling is not consistently reliable.

How are VOCAs accessed and controlled?

VOCAs can be adjusted according to its user’s needs.

Buttons
Some people that use VOCAs have fine motor skills and they are able to press buttons on the devices. Adjusting the sensitivity of buttons and keyguards can help VOCA users that may have limited motor skills. Keyguards are plates that sit above the buttons of a VOCA device or a keyboard. They help the user to press the right key with more precision.
Switches

People that have limited fine motor skills input messages to a VOCA device through visual scanning. This technique is used by Stephen Hawking. Professor Hawking uses a switch to move through the letters on an onscreen grid. He then presses the switch to select the letter that he wants.

Other Access Methods used in VOCAs
Other access methods include:

a standard mouse;
mouse that can be controlled by the head;
joysticks; and
rollerballs.

Conclusion
It is truly hard to imagine living a life of silence, where your thoughts and dreams stay locked within you. VOCAs have given people with communication problems the freedom to express themselves and live life fully.

Blind users gain Internet access via Smartphones

2012-01-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

Jessica Rathwell holds her iPhone close to her ear while she types out a tweet using special voiceover technology. With remarkable speed, she navigates her way through her tiny keyboard, adding and deleting letters.

Rathwell is blind, and she is a self-described huge Apple fan and tech geek.

Her technology skills have led her to a career in teaching other blind and low-vision people to use Apple computers and devices as they come out of the box, with no additional technology or modifications.

She got her first Apple computer in the 1990s, but had to give up the operating system when they took a big step away from assistive technology.

That meant years of working on a Microsoft system. In 2008, Rathwell saw the Tiger 10.4 operating system for Apple computers that had voice-enabled software. It was the first time Rathwell could take a stock unit out of the box and use it as is.

"For me, it was the joy of inclusion," she says. "When you spend your life in school having to always have some sort of assistive technology, it feels so good when you no longer have to."

By all accounts, Rathwell is a whiz on all things Apple, and teaches other people at the Nanaimo and Region Disability Resource Centre to use a computer and gain full access to the Internet.

Rathwell's Microsoft counterpart is Aedan Staddon. The two have a friendly rivalry, and Rathwell has started learning on Mac computers as well.

"Learning from a blind person is better because they teach you what you realistically can and can't do," he says.

He is currently taking online courses in computer programming through the Cisco Academy for the Visually Impaired.

A room full of people who have sight issues discuss their pre-ferred operating system, and talk about Twitter and Facebook. Before Rathwell and Staddon started teaching, their students' experience with the technology could be kind of scary and frustrating. That's changed now, and their students at NRDRC, a volunteer charity, are happy.

"The Internet is a conversation point," says Rathwell. "And it's nice to be able to use it the same way anybody does."

Listen up: Does Abnormality in auditory processing underlie dyslexia

2012-01-21T03:20:00.000-08:00

"It is widely agreed that for a majority of dyslexic children, the main cause is related to a deficit in the processing of speech sounds," explains senior study author, Dr. Anne-Lise Giraud and Franck Ramus from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France.

"It is also well established that there are three main symptoms of this deficit:

difficulty paying attention to individual speech sounds,
a limited ability to repeat a list of pseudowords or numbers, and
a slow performance when asked to name a series of pictures, colors, or numbers as quickly as possible.

However, the underlying basis of these symptoms has not been elucidated."

Dr. Giraud and colleagues examined whether an abnormality in the early steps of auditory processing in the brain, called "sampling," is linked with dyslexia by focusing on the idea that an anomaly in the initial processing of phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can be used to make a word, might have a direct impact on the processing of speech.

The researchers found that typical brain processing of auditory rhythms associated with phonemes was disrupted in the left auditory cortex of dyslexics and that this deficit correlated with measures of speech sound processing.

Further, dyslexics exhibited an enhanced response to high-frequency rhythms that indirectly interfered with verbal memory.

It is possible that this "oversampling" might result in a distortion of the representation of speech sounds.

"Our results suggest that the left auditory cortex of dyslexic people may be less responsive to modulations at very specific frequencies that are optimal for analysis of speech sounds and overly responsive to higher frequencies, which is potentially detrimental to their verbal short-term memory abilities," concludes Dr. Giraud.

"Taken together, our data suggest that the auditory cortex of dyslexic individuals is less fine-tuned to the specific needs of speech processing."

Studying the Causes of ADHD/ADD

2012-01-21T01:24:00.000-08:00

Doctors do not know exactly what causes ADHD. Through the years, they have speculated that toxins, abnormal foetal development, diet, injury or poor parenting are to blame.

The earliest research into what is now known as ADHD dates back to 1902, when a British pediatrician described 20 children who were "passionate," obstinant and unable to control their impulses.

At the time, he suggested a brain injury might be the key. This has not been confirmed as a cause in most cases. Since then, practitioners have observed that faulty genetics is the more likely culprit.

Today, scientists are scrutinizing genetics for answers. Many now suspect a series of malfunctioning genes may obstruct the normal secretion of chemicals that guide communication among cells in areas of the brain responsible for inhibition and self-control.

This breakdown leads to a loss of self-control, impeding other brain functions responsible for maintaining attention.

In fact, the brain regions involved have been shown to be smaller and less active on scans taken from children with ADHD compared to those taken from healthy children.

Just what may be causing the reduced size of these brain regions is not yet known. Again, researchers hypothesize a genetic mutation may be to blame.

Many now believe that more than one gene plays a role in ADHD. Evidence shows relatives of children with the disorder are significantly more likely to develop it than children from unaffected families.

Furthermore, the children of a parent who has adult ADHD have up to a one in two chance of also developing it.

Studies of twins have placed the risk of ADHD in a child whose identical twin has the disorder at up to 18 times that of a non-twin sibling of a child with ADHD.

While birth injuries and maternal alcohol or tobacco use may be factors in some cases of ADHD, most experts agree those factors account for less than 10 percent of cases.

As scientists seek clues in the hunt for a definitive cause, many insist that a number of the world's great inventors, artists and thinkers have exhibited traits of attention deficit disorder — and have succeeded because of it, not despite it.

Robert Frost, Frank Lloyd Wright, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are examples of creative individuals whose behavior could also be interpreted as the inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity of ADHD.

Does poor parenting cause ADHD?
No. But some parenting practices can complicate the course of ADHD and lower the success of treatment, such as inconsistent discipline, inconsistency between parents or between parents and the child's caretaker, or inconsistency over time (such as enforcing rules one day but not the next).

These practices do not cause ADHD, but they can make life more difficult for these children and complicate treatment.

Dyslexia: It’s not all about Phonics!

2012-01-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

There has been so much news about phonics and how it works lately that I thought I’d tell you that IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT PHONICS!

You wil find that sum childrn are sow ust to lerning fonics that thay downt tayk eny notis of wot the werds look liyk.

And in case you couldn’t read that it says: You will find that some children are so used to learning phonics that they don’t take any notice of what the words look like.

It’s a bit of a shame that all words aren’t spelt phonetically because then ‘we’ wouldn’t have such a big task when it comes to learning how to spell. This is why it can’t all be about phonics when teaching children how to spell.

Don’t get me wrong, phonics is an excellent place to start and when children can’t spell a word using sounds to work out what comes next is a great way to help them and even if the spelling is wrong it can still be read by them or others.

So what am I talking about?! After your child writes the word phonetically he or she needs to look at the word and ask “Does it look right?” Just asking that simple question can make all the difference.

Childrens' vision-testing device could catch problems

2012-01-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

According to figures reported by the University of Tennessee, even though 85 percent of a child’s learning is vision-related, about 80 percent of American children have never had their eyes tested before starting kindergarten.

Even when tests are performed, they are usually only capable of detecting no more than a couple of conditions.

Unfortunately, this means that vision-related learning disabilities such as dyslexia can be missed, and may not be noticed until they are well established.

Now, however, researchers at U Tennessee’s Space Institute have developed a new type of vision-testing system for young children, that could catch a variety of vision problems while they’re still reversible.

The device, known as the Dynamic Ocular Evaluation System (DOES), is reportedly inexpensive, kid-friendly, and only takes about a minute to learn how to use.

It was invented by Ying-Ling Ann Chen, a research assistant professor in physics. She was assisted by Lei Shi, a post-doctoral research associate in laser application, and Jim Lewis, a professor emeritus in physics.

"Vision screening is important at an early age to detect several different causes of vision disorders," said Chen.

"The few children that do get screened today aren't being screened adequately. For instance, many current screening methods do one eye at a time and studies show young eyes will accommodate significantly, and this causes inaccurate results."

Children using DOES simply sit and watch a three-minute cartoon, or play a computer game. No scary eye dilation is necessary, nor are any verbal responses from the child - this point is particularly important, as children taking eye tests are sometimes simply too young to know what their vision should be like, so what they tell clinicians can be misleading.

As the cartoon begins, a three-second procedure uses infra-red light to assess the child's ocular alignment, and checks for binocular refractive risks, high-order aberrations, ocular scattering, and significant neural problems.

This is followed by dynamic tests for less significant signs of abnormal ocular alignment, neural responses, and amblyopia (lazy eye).

The researchers plan on adding more tests, that would use the child's vision to check for mental problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and dyslexia.

All of the data and images are digitally recorded, and can be sent electronically to specialists if needed.

Chen and her U Tennessee colleagues hope that DOES could someday become a standard piece of equipment in pediatrician's offices.

"By not testing our youth, we are potentially missing the window for effective treatment for a lot of conditions," she stated.

Transitions: Preparing for Adulthood

2012-01-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

Click on the image to visit the Preparing for Adulthood website

The Preparing for Adulthood Programme
A programme of work is now underway to explore these proposals, working with SEND green paper pathfinders. The Preparing for Adulthood programme will also provide knowledge and support to all local authorities and their partners, including families and young people, so they can ensure young people with SEN and disabilities achieve paid work, independent living, good health and community inclusion as they move into adulthood. We will be working with the Department for Education and its partners to:

Build on the learning from past initiatives
Support peer to peer learning at a local level to improve outcomes
Share knowledge of what works, the challenges and solutions with Government, local agencies, families and young people.

The Preparing for Adulthood Programme has three strands of work:

Best practice and information sharing
Wider support for all local areas
Pathfinder support.

Help Children Make their own Learning Games

2012-01-19T23:51:00.000-08:00

Click on the pictures to visit GamestarMechanic.

We are excited to think that children can use platforms like GamestarMechanic.com to make math games to help stimulate the learning process.

Let us know your experiences with this product.

Understanding Dyslexia - youTube video

2012-01-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

UK children's speech therapy cuts - Warning!

2012-01-16T04:05:00.000-08:00

In an exclusive interview with The Independent , Ms Gross said parents needed more information about children’s speech development arguing that many families were still unaware how to help their youngsters.

She called for parents to be offered information via smart phones and social networking sites, saying parents were willing to make dramatic changes to their lifestyles once the dangers of their children’s excessive television viewing or dummy use were explained to them.

In her final report, Two Years On, Ms Gross warns that the improvements made in children’s speech during 2011, the national year of communication, risk being overturned because of the “significant cuts” to front-line services.

The cuts come as levels of communication problems identified in children continue to rise, with a 58 per cent growth in numbers of pupils with communication as their primary special need over the last five years.

Ms Gross told The Independent her visits to 105 out of 152 local authorities during her two years in the job had made her “very worried” about the effect of the cuts on children with communication problems.

Ms Gross said she feared that children would face significantly longer waits to see speech and language therapists for assessment. She said: “If you are three and have to wait around 18 months to be seen then it is going to be much harder to catch up. If children can have help and catch up by the time they are five and a half then there progress should be normal from then on. But research shows that a child whose problem persists after five and a half will struggle.”

Ms Gross was appointed the Government’s communication champion in January 2010 in order to boost awareness of the importance of developing children’s communication skills.

Autism: Are apps the key to revolutionising learning?

2012-01-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

Technology has completely and utterly changed Veronica's life.

"She has gone from being a little girl who had no way of showing us how much she knew, to a little girl who now has a portable device she can laugh, play and engage with," says her mother Sam Rospigliosi, from Edinburgh.

"Who knows, she might even use it as her voice in the years ahead if she never learns how to speak again."

Veronica is six years old and severely affected by autism. She has significant learning difficulties and finds many social situations very difficult. She lost all her speech three years ago.

But in common with many other children like her, touchscreen computers have provided a way of learning and communicating that plays to her strengths.

As a result, devices like iPads are fast becoming a 'must-have' for many families of children with autism.

Find Me App Demo from Interface3 on Vimeo.

Richard Mills, head of research at Research Autism and the National Autistic Society, says the technology is an opportunity to take "a huge step forward in our understanding of autism".

"They allow us to have an insight into how children think. People with autism have a different kind of intelligence. Their visual memory is strong, so PCs are highly motivating."
Token incentive

When Veronica took part in the trial of a new iPad app called FindMe, designed by a team of researchers at the University of Edinburgh, she loved the experience.

"Every time Veronica got an answer right, she got a token and she knew she had to get five tokens to get to the musicbox," her mum says.

"She was very motivated to answer the questions."

Aimed at non-verbal children from the age of 18 months upwards, the app encourages players to focus on other people and their needs, something people with autism find difficult.

Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson, a psychologist from the University of Edinburgh who led the app's development, says using touchscreen technology is crucial.

"A mouse and keyboard are not accessible for the youngest children. Early intervention is key for the most severely affected and iPads have allowed us to design for youngest ages.

"The app allows children to rehearse simple social skills over and over again. Practice makes perfect."

Read more of this article here

SIDS: 50% Infant Deaths occur during Co-Sleeping

2012-01-15T23:53:00.001-08:00

An Adelaide pathologist calls on mothers to let their babies sleep in their cribs and avoid couches as well as other soft surfaces.

In an editorial published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), University of Adelaide forensic pathologist Professor Roger Byard said research confirmed adults sleeping beside a baby could increase risk of infant suffocation.

When infants die in their sleep, pathologists look into the possibility of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) along with suffocation.

Prof Byard said half of all infants found unexpectedly dead were sleeping beside an adult at the time, which means the babies may have died from suffocation and not sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

"Accidental suffocation appears to be a more likely mechanism of death than subtle processes leading to SIDS," the professor said.

While many parents believe that sleeping next to their baby is related to establishing a more solid bond between them, Prof Byard said the risks far outweighed any of the perceived gains.

Prof Byard also raised the issue on letting babies sleep on couches and other soft surfaces, as these are also high risk factors for shared-sleeping death.

He explained that adults do not necessarily have to be lying over an infant completely for respiration to be compromised. He said surfaces and the immediate surroundings of a sleeping baby should be free from anything or anyone that could reduce oxygen flow for the baby.

Parental obesity and fatigue are also among the risk factors, he said.

"Some infants are particularly vulnerable to the effects of compromised breathing and there is often no clinical predictor of this vulnerability," Prof Byard wrote in his column.

Fixing the Problem
Apart from being dangerous to the young child, co-sleeping has a serious affect on the adults' lifestyle, their own sleep and their relationship with their partner, if present.

Co-sleeping can be used as a barrier between partners at a particularly difficult time in their relationship. The child is introduced into the bed to avoid addressing the real problem.

Do Not Despair
If you have gone down the route of co-sleeping and now find it is not working for you or is seriously affecting your relationship with your partner, do not despair, it is possible to teach your child to sleep on their own in their own bed.

Contact the Sleep Consultants at Dream Angus and they will be able to help you through the difficult transition of undoing your co-sleeping decision. And they will do this in a sensitive and thoughtful way so as to improve the family dynamics and partner relationships.

Email your questions and contact details to: info@dream-angus.com

Anti-Depressants Increase Blood Pressure in Newborns

2012-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Antidepressant use in expecting mothers can cause their babies to develop pulmonary hypertension, a condition that increases blood pressure in the lungs, according to a study published Thursday in the British Medical Journal.

Babies born from mothers who took the most prescribed type of antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during pregnancy were twice as likely to develop pulmonary hypertension compared with mothers who did not take the medications.

The study could impact about 1.5 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. - the percentage of expecting mothers who take the antidepressants more commonly known by their brand names of Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa and Lexapro.

Researchers reviewed records from 6 million births from 1996 to 2007 in Nordic countries and found the risk of pulmonary hypertension doubled in infants whose mothers took SSIs.

Experts said that the risk remained low.

Juvenile Huntington's Disease: Symptoms of a Deadly Condition

2012-01-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

Huntington's disease is a genetic, incurable neurological disorder that leads to a movement disorder, dementia, and behaviour disturbance and affects one in 10,000 individuals, according to the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Juvenile Huntington's Disease Handbook.

Symptoms don't usually begin until mid-adulthood and less than 10 percent of individuals with the disease develop it before age 20.

However, Fred Taubman, spokesman for the Huntington's Disease Society of America, said that Juvenile Huntington's disease, which affects less than one in 100,000 , has only started being diagnosed over the past decade.

The adult diagnosis of Huntington's disease is usually made in a person who experiences memory or cognitive changes (dementia), and chorea (dance-like movements), often with behavioural or psychiatric problems such as depression, irritability, or mood swings.

That person also usually has a family history of the disease. However, symptoms may be a little different in a child, particularly those under 10.

Symptom groups
HDSA's handbook says that while there is no symptom or group of symptoms that are absolutely required for the diagnosis of Juvenile Huntington's disease, most affected children have several of the symptoms listed below at the time that the diagnosis is made. They include:

Positive family history of the disease, usually in the father - The reasons for the father being the more affected parents still remains unclear.
Stiffness of the legs
Clumsiness of the arms and legs
Changes in oral motor function
Chorea - This typically occurs more during adolescence.
Decline in cognitive function - Adolescents are more likely to lose attention and concentration, while younger children will begin to lose skills such as speech, reading, math and even throwing a ball.
Changes in behaviour and behavioural disturbances - In younger children, when aggressive or disruptive behaviour is related to the disease, changes/disturbances are usually seen along with changes in cognitive function and declining motor skills. However, behavioural problems in adolescents with the disease are more severe, including arson, theft, sexual promiscuity, physical or sexual abuse of younger siblings, severe drug or alcohol abuse, and depression with suicide attempts.
Seizures - Seizures are said to occur in about 25 percent of children with Juvenile Huntington's disease, and may be a presenting symptom. They may be of any type, and may or may not be severe. NB: The physician should never simply assume that seizures are caused by the disease. Any child experiencing seizures should have cerebral imaging studies and an electroencephalogram (EEG), as well as appropriate laboratory studies to rule out metabolic causes such as low blood sugar or drug or toxin ingestion.

TREATMENTS
There are different treatments for all the different symptoms listed, but one treatment rule underscores all: because Juvenile Huntington's disease progresses gradually over years, it remains important to attend to the child's general health needs, such as immunizations, dental care, and other age-appropriate evaluations.

That means every child with the disease should have a pediatrician or family doctor who takes care of those needs. As the disease progresses, a general physician can help a family watch for and treat the expected medical complications of HD.

Here are treatments for each of the symptoms that were previously outlined, minus genetic history, according to HSDA's handbook:

Stiffness of the legs - Medications such as Baclofen, Tizanidine, Diazepam (and other benzodiazepines) and Dantrolene. For more twisted-looking stiff muscles, Anticholinergic agents (Trihexyphenidyl, Benztropine), Carbidopa-levodopa, Dopamine agonists (Pramipexole, Ropinirole) and a Botulinum toxin (Botox) injection can be used. Physical and occupational therapy are also good options.
Clumsiness of the arms and legs - No medications improve control of voluntary movements, such as clumsiness, but both physical therapy and occupational therapy consultation are very useful.
Chorea - Medications such as dopamine-blocking agents (Haloperidol, Fluphenazine, Olanzapine, Risperidone), dopamine-depleting agents (Tetrabenazine, which is not yet approved in the US), benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Clonazepam, Lorazepam) and other agents and treatments such as Amantadine can be used.
Changes in oral motor function - speech language pathology
Decline in cognitive function - No medications have been proven to improve cognitive function in the disease, but many of the cognitive symptoms can be reduced using simple techniques such as breaking tasks down into step-by-step tasks or using checklists to help the child keep on track.
Changes in behaviour and behavioural disturbances - Depression is the most common change in behavior/behavioral disturbance. If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. Sometimes the family doctor or pediatrician will feel comfortable treating a mild depression with medications, while counseling may be helpful at other times. The two can even be used together. Severe depression requires a psychiatric specialist, and on rare occasions, even a young child may need to be hospitalized. Severely depressed individuals should be asked whether they have suicidal thoughts or plans.

Seizures - Children with the disease who have seizures usually have what HSDA calls generalised or myoclonic epilepsy, although other seizure types are possible, such as focal or partial complex seizures. Valproic acid and lamotrigine are considered first choices for treatment of myoclonic epilepsy, although other anticonvulsant drugs, such as Phenytoin, carbamazepine, levetiracetam, topiramate and zonisamidecan be used. Selection of a medication should be made carefully after evaluation is completed.

Read HSDA's handbook for more information about symptoms and treatment, including alternative therapies and medications to the ones outlined above.

Because Juvenile Huntington's disease is rare and differs from the typical adult-onset disease, the affected child's family and caregivers will more than likely face unique challenges, including finding financial, emotional and spiritual support and stability.

One of the biggest challenges, though, is providing an educational program that meets the child's changing needs, according to the handbook.

As soon as a child is diagnosed, it's suggested that the family contact the child's school and begins to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for him or her. Although more common in the US it is still advisable to contact the education authorities to determine their policy on Juvenile Huntingdon's.

US IEP
The US IEP is a plan that is reviewed and updated at least once a year, outlining how the school will address disabilities caused by the disease that interfere with the child's education.

U.S. public schools are required by law to provide for the education of all children through the high school level up to age 21. Because Juvenile Huntington's disease is a disease of many interrelated symptoms, including movement, cognitive and behavioral disabilities, an IEP may include adjustments or variations in academic instruction, physical education, meals, seating, transportation and behaviour control.

Typophile Film: Brent Jackson

2012-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

Even though it’s been around for a few years, if you haven’t seen this wonderful video created for the 5th Typophile Film Festival by BYU design students, it really is an impressive piece of work, especially seeing as no CG effects were used in its production. Enjoy!

Philip Schultz: The Writers Studio Reading Series - YouTube

2012-01-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

Philip Schultz is an American poet, and the founder/director of The Writer's Studio, a private school for fiction and poetry based in New York City.

He is the author of several books of poetry, including The God of Loneliness (2010), a major collection of the poet's works; Failure (2007) co-winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry; Living in the Past (2004); and The Holy Worm of Praise (2002), all published by Harcourt.

Connect with Philip Schultz on Facebook

He is also the author of Deep Within the Ravine (Viking 1984), which was the Lamont Poetry Selection of the Academy of American Poets; Like Wings (Viking 1978, winner of an American Academy & Institute of Arts and Letters Award as well as a National Book Award nomination); and the poetry chapbook, My Guardian Angel Stein (1986).

His work has been published in The New Yorker, Partisan Review, The New Republic, The Paris Review, Slate, among other magazines, and he is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship in Poetry to Israel and a 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry.

He has also received, among others, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry (1981), a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry (1985), as well as the Levinson Prize from Poetry magazine.

His memoir, My Dyslexia, was released by W. W. Norton & Company in September 2011. Philip Schultz lives in East Hampton, NY with his wife, sculptor Monica Banks and their two sons, Elias and August.

Philip Schultz speaking to Writer's Voice

Zeo Sleep System for adults - YouTube

2012-01-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

Do you have problem falling asleep? Been dreaming of a resting night? Want to stop waking up in the middle of the night? Do you have an iPhone?

Then you need the Zeo Sleep System that was shown at CES 2012.

With 64 million Americans facing sleep issues every night and an additional 49 million Americans experiencing problems at least a few nights a week, the need for a good night’s sleep as part of optimum health and wellness has become almost epidemic.

The new Zeo Sleep Manager is the only consumer system that tracks all sleep phases and offers science-based solutions to everyday sleep issues that affect health, aging, mental acuity, energy level, stress level and physical performance.

Zeo Sleep Manager is the only consumer sleep tracking system that measures actual sleep phases, including Light, Deep and REM sleep.

The system uses a wireless headband equipped with SoftWave sensor technology to track these sleep phases and provide a nightly ZQ score, a customized sleep quality score.

The new Zeo Sleep Manager Mobile system sends sleep data directly to users’ smartphones, which then sync automatically to their online Zeo accounts, so they can access online analytical tools to see why they’re not falling asleep.

My guess is, it’s because they spend too much time online looking at the analytics on why they can’t sleep.

For more information on sleep and sleep problems, plus real solutions to real issues, go to www.dream-angus.com

Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome - BWS Support Network UK and Europe

2012-01-12T03:28:00.000-08:00

Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) is an overgrowth syndrome.

An overgrowth syndrome can cause part or all of the body to grow larger than expected.

In BWS, overgrowth is associated with body overgrowth (increased birth weight, height, and head circumference), macroglossia (large tongue), hemihypertrophy (one side of the body -in part or in whole - growing larger than the other side), Omphalocele (Abdominal wall defect) and certain types of tumours as well as other physical characteristics.

The syndrome was first described by Dr Beckwith in 1963 and Dr Wiedemann in 1964.

BWS occurs in approximately 1:14,500 births.

There are roughly thirty characteristics that can be associated with BWS. Those which are used to make a diagnosis (the 5 major characteristics) are listed below.

It is very rare for a child with BWS to have all the characteristics; most cases have only a few of them. Some of the distinctive features of BWS may need to be corrected.

Some of the main characterisics to look for in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS)Large birth weight and length (over 90-95th %)
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in the first four months of life
Macroglossia (large tongue)

Omphalocele: Abdominal wall defect (including even a mild navel hernia)
Ear grooves (creases) or pits

we can also be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/B.W.S.supportnetwork

www.twitter.com/BwsNetwork

BWS Support Network UK and Europe

Read more on BWS in the USA

DisabledGear.com - Used and 2nd Hand Disability Equipment

2012-01-12T03:22:00.000-08:00

DisabledGear.com is a FREE & easy-to-use website designed to make buying and selling second-hand disability equipment painless.

If you like it, please tell others: the more people that use the site, the better it will work for everyone.

And the free-ads section is, well…. FREE!!

You can always upgrade for extra features with a Prime Account

Read their protect yourself against fraud section - see Information pages - and report any abuse.

A community works best together .

DisabledGear.com

Dyslexia:Synesthesia can improve Memory, Reading and Spelling

2012-01-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

We investigated whether functional brain networks are different in coloured-hearing synaesthetes compared with non-synaesthetes.

Based on resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, graph-theoretical analysis was applied to functional connectivity data obtained from different frequency bands (theta, alpha1, alpha2, and beta) of 12 coloured-hearing synaesthetes and 13 non-synaesthetes.

The analysis of functional connectivity was based on estimated intra-cerebral sources of brain activation using standardized low-resolution electrical tomography.

These intra-cerebral sources of brain activity were subjected to graph-theoretical analysis yielding measures representing small-world network characteristics (cluster coefficients and path length).

In addition, brain regions with strong interconnections were identified (so-called hubs), and the interconnectedness of these hubs were quantified using degree as a measure of connectedness.

Our analysis was guided by the two-stage model proposed by Hubbard and Ramachandran (2005).

In this model, the parietal lobe is thought to play a pivotal role in binding together the synaesthetic perceptions (hyperbinding).

In addition, we hypothesized that the auditory cortex and the fusiform gyrus would qualify as strong hubs in synaesthetes.

Although synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes demonstrated a similar small-world network topology, the parietal lobe turned out to be a stronger hub in synaesthetes than in non-synaesthetes supporting the two-stage model.

The auditory cortex was also identified as a strong hub in these coloured-hearing synaesthetes (for the alpha2 band).

Thus, our a priori hypotheses receive strong support. Several additional hubs (for which no a priori hypothesis has been formulated) were found to be different in terms of the degree measure in synaesthetes, with synaesthetes demonstrating stronger degree measures indicating stronger interconnectedness.

These hubs were found in brain areas known to be involved in controlling memory processes (alpha1: hippocampus and retrosplenial area), executive functions (alpha1 and alpha2: ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; theta: inferior frontal cortex), and the generation of perceptions (theta: extrastriate cortex; beta: subcentral area).

Taken together this graph-theoretical analysis of the resting state EEG supports the two-stage model in demonstrating that the left-sided parietal lobe is a strong hub region, which is stronger functionally interconnected in synaesthetes than in non-synaesthetes.

The right-sided auditory cortex is also a strong hub supporting the idea that coloured-hearing synaesthetes demonstrate a specific auditory cortex.

A further important point is that these hub regions are even differently operating at rest supporting the idea that these hub characteristics are predetermining factors of coloured-hearing synaesthesia.

The DOI Paper: DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-6653.2011.02004.x

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (253K)

Mike B's Journey through Dyslexia - YouTube

2012-01-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

"It's hard not to be a hovering helicopter mom when you have a child with a learning disability," says Mary Ann B., mother of 18-year old Mike, a Learning Ally member who is dyslexic.

As Mike prepared to start his freshman year at Rhode Island School of Design, mother and son sat down with us to recall the downs and ups of dyslexia in the family.

Click here to Visit the Learning Alley YouTube site

Click on the picture to visit the Learning Alley website

The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia TRAILER - YouTube

2012-01-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

A dyslexic high school student pursues admission to a competitive college, a challenge for a boy that didn't learn to read until 4th grade.

Additional accounts of the dyslexic experience from children, experts, and Iconic leaders help us understand that dyslexia is as much a gift as it is a challenge.

Click on the picture to visit the D Word Movie Website

Your children's digital footprint

2012-01-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Tips for educating our children about their digital footprint:

1. Don’t lie. Don’t EVER lie to kids. They are a lot brighter than we are, and they will distrust you when they catch you out. “Why can’t I have a Facebook account?”. “Because that’s the rule, you have to be 13″. Not: “The computer won’t allow it”. They’re literal beings. When they discover John down the street has a FB account, you’re busted. HIS computer will allow it…therefore, Mum/Dad lied.

2. Start early. Talk to your children about drugs and alcohol despite the fact they’re a long way off having any interactions with addictive substances. Also talk to them about Social Media despite the fact they are a long way off opening accounts. The earlier we get the conversation started the better.

3. Monitor accounts and monitor your children’s online activities. Yes, they can be on Facebook, Twitter, whatever when they’re old enough: as long as you can see what they’re doing. There’s no difference in the fact that you monitor their tv/movie viewing or where they go out while they’re still young.

As a parent, it’s your duty to guide them and you can’t do that if you don’t know what they’re doing. You are not their friend, you are their parent. Maintain that difference!

4. Clearly to guide your children, you need to understand social media yourself. You will have several friends who HATE facebook and twitter. They curse everyone who dares to share their information and they think the world is going down the toilet due to SM.

In turn, they tell their children that they’re not allowed on there. Ever, ever, ever and “Not in my house”.

This is simply burying your head in the sand and avoiding the issue. It will cause more harm than good. I am sure you did some things as a teen that make you cringe now, and we did some of these things because they were expressly forbidden.

Understanding the ways in which our children communicate with each other will help us much more than simply saying NO and turning your back.

5. Clearly to guide your children, you must understand your online persona and what it represents. We all have several personal and business related social media accounts. However, we NEVER write things on our personal FB account without the realisation that our clients, friends and relatives could easily see it too.

Of course your accounts have security, but it just takes one person to share your status/tweet and the whole world can see it. Bang goes your security!

Your online persona is made up of ALL the things you put on the internet and some people will gather this together to determine who or what you are. We need to explain this to our children too – what they write today will be there for their future boss/partner/friends to see.

These are some basic tips in understanding our digital footprint and helping our children understand theirs too.

Skills Rocket: Reading Software - YouTube

2012-01-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Learn about the up-to-date software you can access on today's market to help you with reading.

Skills Rocket is a FREE e-learning website developed by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Nicola James.

Access a range of extra hints and tips for Adults with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, AD(H)D and other Neuro Differences to help improve your reading skills. Simply register for free and watch your Skills Rocket!

Poor Maternal Diet Increases Risk of Diabetes in babies

2012-01-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

A new study showed that individuals who were not properly nourished while in the womb have reduced ability to store fact correctly later in life, putting them at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases.

The findings could lead to new ways identifying people who are at a greater risk of developing these diseases, researchers said.

According to the team from the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, the research showed that poor diet in the womb cause the individual's inability to store fats correctly as he matures.

Proper fat storage in the body is important, otherwise, these will be stored in the liver and muscle which could lead to diseases.

"One of the ways that our bodies cope with a rich modern western diet is by storing excess calories in fat cells.

When these cells aren't able to absorb the excess then fats get deposited in other places, like the liver, where they are much more dangerous and can lead to type 2 diabetes," said Professor Anne Willis of the MRC Toxicology Unit.

Researchers found that the process of storing excess calories in fat cells is controlled by a molecule called miR-483-3p, which produced at higher levels in individuals who had experienced a poor diet in their mother's wombs than those who were better nourished.

According to the team, miR-483-3p works by suppressing a protein called GDF3.

A study of a group of adult humans who were born with a low birth weight revealed that GDF3 protein was present at around only thirty percent of the levels found in people born at a normal

"It has been known for a while that your mother's diet during pregnancy plays an important role in your adult health, but the mechanisms in the body that underlie this aren't well understood.

We have shown in detail how one mechanism links poor maternal diet to diabetes and other diseases that develop as we age," according to Dr Susan Ozanne, a British Heart Foundation Senior Fellow, who led the work at the University of Cambridge.

"Improving people's diets and encouraging exercise is clearly the best way to combat the epidemic of diabetes and diet-related disease which is sweeping through our society.

However some people are at particular risk of these diseases, despite not looking visibly overweight.

This research will hopefully allow us to help these people to take precautionary steps to reduce their likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes," Professor Willis said.

The findings of the study was published in the journal Cell Death and Differentiation.

Sleep Infographic: What If You Don't Sleep Enough?

2012-01-08T10:58:00.001-08:00

To see the full Infographic chart click on the sample image.

How many times have you told yourself "... it's just sleep." but what happens to your health when you're not sleeping enough?

This infographic designed by FFunction for Zeo, a company that makes an electronic "sleep coach," is less of a real data visualization than a set of illustrated facts but those facts are pretty impressive.

For example, we seem pretty tired all the time and only 7% of people get the necessary eight hours of sleep at night but the effects of this might be more than inconvenient. They may be disasterous.

Getting less sleep is now associated with a 200% rise in cancer, a 100% rise in heart disease, and a 20% rise in the likelihood you'll be dead in 20 years.

UnfortunatelY, not only will you be less healthy, you'll also be fatter. People who sleep an hour more each day lose 14.3 pounds per year and 1 in 3 women find themselves too sleepy for sex!

Studies have shown that sleeping too little effectively puts the body on "high alert," creating increased stress hormones and chemicals associated with inflammation.

Sir Jackie Stewart: Dyslexia 'not a cruel fiction' - YouTube

2012-01-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

Motor racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart has admitted that discovering he had dyslexia was like "being saved from drowning."

Speaking at a dyslexia conference, the Flying Scot said that he still could not remember the alphabet despite knowing the precise details of every racing course in the world.

Find out more at www.deadlinescotland.co.uk

Help for adult dyslexia - YouTube

2012-01-08T05:02:00.000-08:00

Helping adults with dyslexia improve reading skills. Find out how to help adults with syslexia. Dyslexia – information, help, contacts, books, articles, organisations, research, etc., for adults who are or may be dyslexic; dealing with spelling … Coping Skills – About dyslexia – In the workplace www.dyslexia-adults.com/

There are two types of tests for dyslexia: screening tests and comprehensive … Screening tests like these cannot be seen as valid tests for dyslexia, … www.dyslexia-adults.com/a2.html Jun 19, 2007 … Adult Dyslexia Signs and Symptoms – How to Know if You are Suffering From Dyslexia.

ezinearticles.com/?Adult-Dyslexia-Signs-and-Symptoms—How-to-Know-if-You-are-Suffering-From-Dyslexia&id=612344 Apr 10, 2007 … Adult Dyslexia and ADD, issues and accomodations in employment. www.dyslexia.com/library/adultdys.htm

Ben Foss talks about HBO's Journey Into Dyslexia - YouTube

2012-01-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

Care Innovations was pleased to join Parents Education Network on April 15, 2011 for the world premiere pre-release screening of HBO's Journey Into Dyslexia, a documentary by acclaimed filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond.

Join us online at community.careinnovations.com.

Dancing Giraffe: Internet-based Disability Community

2012-01-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Warning…in January 2012, a Giraffe will be dancing in Essex, England, UK!

What is Dancing Giraffe? - An innovative internet community site: providing 'joined up' communication to people with disabilities and their carers.

Nothing like Dancing Giraffe currently exists. This website aims to not only support and inform, but to challenge, inspire and empower disabled people.

It will include engaging editorial and comprehensive content, up-to-date reference and signposting together with user forums and social media.

How do they know so much about what disabled people want and need? Within the Dancing Giraffe, a number of the team are disabled, so they are providing a site that they've always wanted to have and use themselves!

Mission Statement

The aim of Dancing Giraffe is to provide a platform to inspire, inform and represent the disabled community.

Through this internet portal, Dancing Giraffe will offer support and advice for people with disabilities, their carer/s, professionals, organisations and the media.

It will bring together comprehensive information and data about services and facilities available and will present them in one easy to access place. Dancing Giraffe will also provide a forum for all disabled people to discuss and compare access issues and solutions.

Dancing Giraffe is a Community Interest Company. This means they operate under a charitable status and are a 'not-for-profit' group.

People who Became a Noun - Video

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

This reminded me of a lovely illustrated children’s book called If You Were a Noun.

Sleep Problems impairs the health of young diabetics

2012-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) may have difficulty getting a good night's sleep, resulting in difficulty controlling blood sugar and decreased performance in school, according to a study published in the January issue of SLEEP.

Michelle M. Perfect, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues used home-based polysomnography, actigraphy, and questionnaires to track the sleep health of 50 patients, aged 10 to 16 years, with T1DM; results were compared with a control group without diabetes matched for sex, age, and body mass index.

The level of glucose control was simultaneously assessed using continuous glucose monitors and hemoglobin A1C values.

The researchers found that, overall, young patients with T1DM spent about 21 minutes (or 5 percent) less time per seven-hour night in deep sleep than individuals without diabetes.

Even those with mild sleep difficulties experienced more hyperglycemia and emotional and behavioural difficulties, reduced diabetes-related quality of life, lower grades, depression, sleep-wake behaviour problems, poor sleep quality, sleepiness, and lower math scores.

Patients with sleep apnea had associated higher blood sugar levels. As sleep is a potentially modifiable behaviour, the authors suggest that improving clinician awareness of potential sleep problems could help these children and adolescents improve their quality of life.

"Overall, this study supports the need to inquire about sleepiness and sleep habits as part of the clinical care of youth with T1DM.

Clinicians and school-based professionals need to be aware that reports of daytime sleepiness, disrupted sleep, or poor sleep habits, may affect patients' daytime functioning, including the possibility of interfering with their diabetes self-care, quality of life, and school performance," the authors write.

Is LEGO for Girls a Stereotype too far?

2012-01-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

The first female minifigure, those 4-centimeter people with the yellow heads, to appear in the January 2012 LEGO catalogue is a doctor ably holding up the back end of a stretcher with her male colleague in a new ambulance set.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t show up until page 12 of the catalogue, after dozens upon dozens of male ninjas, firefighters and all manner of villains. This is the paradox of LEGO for parents, especially parents of girls.

Lego, the famous Danish toy maker could provide an oasis from the anachronistic gender stereotypes so rampant these days, especially in its City line, where women might be employed in all sorts of capacities, as they are in real life and yet the fantasy lines such as Ninjago, Kingdoms, Hero Factory, and of course, Star Wars, are relentlessly male, with the rare exception of Princess Leia.

According to a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek, focusing on boys was a specific business decision to get the LEGO Group out of a major financial crisis back in 2004 when they were losing $1 million a day. The strategy worked so well that revenues increased by 105% from 2006 to 2010, and sales in the U.S. topped $1 billion for the first time last year.

Dyscalculia: Maths Games for children

2012-01-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

The keen2learn range of educational games for maths has been selected to bring fun into helping practice learning in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Help them learn about fractions, decimals, money, counting and telling the time. The games are ideal as a teaching resource for learning in the classroom fun practice at home from early years learning through to GCSE.

Visit the Keen-to-Learn website and decide for yourself!

English Games to improve literacy

2012-01-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

A great way to command children's attention is through fun educational games. These teaching resources introduce and revise English subjects with children aged 5 to 15 years.

Starting with the alphabet and progress through English grammar and vocabulary using board games, puzzles, story telling, handwriting games and rescue packs.

Visit the Keen-to-Learn website and decide for yourself!

An Introduction to Letters, Numbers and Geography on the Apple iPad - Montessorium

2012-01-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Learn the shapes, names, flags and geographical locations of the countries in North America, through puzzles, challenges and drawing exercises. Based on the proven methodology of Montessori.

Your Child Will Learn

✔ To identify the countries of North America
✔ To discern the shapes of the countries
✔ To recognize the flags of North America
✔ The development of spatial relationships
✔ Fine motor skills and vocabulary

Read more and explore the information on Montessorium

Dyslexic Brian 2012: Reading and Writing Commitment - YouTube

2012-01-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

Dyslexic Brian 2012 Reading and Writing Commitment

50 Facts about Dyslexia

2012-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that includes difficulty in the use and processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or numeric representing numbers or quantities.
The first description of dyslexia appeared in 1896 by Dr. W. Pringle Morgan in Sussex, England, this is what he wrote: “Percy F.,... aged 14,... has always been a bright and intelligent boy, quick at games, and in no way inferior to others of his age. His great difficulty has been—and is now—his inability to learn to read.”
The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek word ‘dys’ (meaning poor or inadequate) plus ‘lexis’ (words or language). Implying only an inadequacy in language tasks.
Dyslexia is not the result of neurological damage, but the product of neurological development.
Dyslexia varies from mild to severe.
Dyslexia does not reflect an overall defect in language, but, rather, a localized weakness within the phonologic module of the brain. This module is the functional part of the brain where the sounds of language are put together to form words and where words are broken down into sounds.
Dyslexia is a unique mindset that is often gifted and productive but learns differently than other minds.

Prevalence of Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects nearly 10% of the population.
Dyslexia is by far the most common learning disability.
According to NIH research, of those who are placed in special education for a learning disability, around 80% of those have dyslexia.
A study at Yale found that the numbers of girls and boys who have dyslexia are about the same.
Dyslexia commonly runs in families.
Children don't outgrow dyslexia.
Some of the most brilliant minds of our time have been known to have dyslexia: Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and John Lennon, to mention only a few.
There are people with dyslexia in many types of highly respected careers such as: Tom Cruise, Danny Glover, Cher, Magic Johnson, Carl Lewis, Bruce Jenner, and General George Patton.
“Given the high prevalence of reading difficulties, it is more likely for your child to have a reading problem than almost any other physical problem for which he is being checked.” - Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

Dyslexic Gifts

Dyslexics often enjoy and excel at solving puzzles.
Dyslexics have excellent comprehension of the stories read or told them.
Most dyslexics often have a better sense of spatial relationships and better use of their right brain.
Dyslexics have excellent thinking skills in the areas of conceptualization, reason, imagination, and abstraction.
Dyslexics have a strong ability to see concepts with a "big picture" perspective.
Dyslexics are adept to excellence in areas not dependent on reading.
Dyslexics typically have a large spoken vocabulary for their age.
Dyslexics tend to be more curious, creative, and intuitive than average.
Dyslexics’ special mode of thought easily produces the gift of mastery.
Dyslexia is not related to low intelligence.

Symptoms of Dyslexia

Dyslexia can affect spoken language, written language and language comprehension.
Dyslexics have trouble breaking down unfamiliar words into letter-sound segments. As a result, reading is slow and filled with errors.
Dyslexics require extra time and effort to process language information.
Dyslexics often need to be taught to look at words linearly, left-to-right.
Dyslexics have difficulty in learning (and remembering) the names of letters.
Dyslexics often fail to understand that words come apart; for example, that "batboy" can be pulled apart into "bat" and "boy" and, later on, that the word "bat" can be broken down still further and sounded out as 'b' 'aaa' 't'
Dyslexics often have a difficult time learning to associate letters with sounds, such as being unable to connect the letter b with the /b/ sound.
Dyslexics will sometimes make reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters; for example, the word "big" is read as "goat."
Dyslexics often struggle to read small "sight" words such as "that," "an," "in."
Dyslexics often substitute words with the same meaning for words in the text they can't pronounce, such as "car" for "automobile."
Dyslexics often omit parts of words when reading.
Dyslexics often have difficulty remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, and random lists.
Dyslexics often have an extreme difficulty learning a foreign language.

Dyslexia Research Findings

Despite popular belief, dyslexics do not see letters backwards. They often have difficulty naming and writing letters, and in fact, writing letters backwards is something that many kids do when they’re first learning to write, whether they have dyslexia or not.
Many individuals with dyslexia have proven to see things three dimensionally, which can effect how they look at words.
Often dyslexics are thought to be reading backwards because of what is called the "Recency Effect." In which they pronounce the word using the most recent sound first, like "tap" for "pat."
Research has shown strong correlations between dyslexia symptoms and deficits in short-term memory and executive functioning.
Dr. Glenda Thorne stated, "Dyslexia is not a deficit in the visual processing system; however, it is a language processing problem. The hallmark characteristic of dyslexia is a breakdown in what is called phoneme awareness."
Yale researchers have shown when people with dyslexia try to read the front part of the brain is over-stimulated while crucial portions in the center and back are under-stimulated.

Solutions for Dyslexia

Research has proven that explicit, systematic phonics can actually help 'rewire' the brain and help dyslexic students learn to read.
The use of the Orton-Gillingham approach can significantly compensate for the language learning and processing problems that arise from dyslexia.
Dyslexics score significantly higher on test when they are given additional time and given the test orally.
Dyslexics do best when directions are two steps or fewer. They often get confused and frustrated with a long list of “to dos” or directions.
The more important, consistent, frequent, multi-sensory, and emotionally reinforcing information is presented, the easier and more enduring language learning becomes for dyslexics.

Dyslexia: The Truth about: Learning Disorders!

2012-01-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

Although learning disabilities occur in very young children, the disorders are usually not recognized until the child reaches school age. This is because learning disabilities are usually identified by school teachers and psychologists through testing of intelligence, academics and processes of learning.

Learning disabilities, until now, have been believed to be lifelong conditions. In some people, several overlapping disabilities may be apparent. Other people may have a single, isolated learning problem that has little impact on their lives.

Types of Learning Disabilities
In the United States and Canada, the term learning disability is used to refer to psychological and neurological conditions that affect a person’s communicative capacities and potential to be taught effectively.

The term includes such conditions as: Dysgraphia, which is a neurological condition characterized by distorted and incorrect handwriting, and Dyslexia, a reading disorder.

Dyscalculia is a neurological condition characterized by a problem with learning fundamentals and one or more of the basic numerical skills.

Often people with this condition can understand very complex mathematical concepts and principles but have difficulty processing formulas and even basic addition and subtraction.

Verbal Dyspraxia is a neurological condition characterized by marked difficulty in the use of speech sounds, which may be the result of a delay in the normal development of the speech production area of the brain.

Dyspraxia is a neurological condition characterized by a marked difficulty in carrying out routine tasks involving balance, fine-motor control, and kinesthetic coordination.

Developmental aphasia is a loss or impairment of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language, due to brain dysfunction or damage.

LD or ADHD
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often studied in connection with learning disabilities, but it is not actually included in the standard definitions of learning disabilities.

An individual with ADHD may struggle with learning, but he or she can often learn adequately once successfully treated for the ADHD.

A person can have ADHD but not learning disabilities or have learning disabilities without having ADHD.

Some believe the conditions can co-occur, however their etiologies, and true presentation are very different.

Children with learning disabilities tend to avoid tasks which are difficult for them and they are often said to “lack attention” while their behavior is actually “task avoidance”.

Someone with a learning disability does not necessarily have low or high intelligence, nor any deficit in their innate ability to learn.

It simply means this individual has an impairment in their learning ability due to a processing disorder such as auditory processing or visual processing that may be detrimental to mainstream teaching methods.

The most common treatments for learning disabilities are special education, tutoring, medication (for attention and concentration) and psychological services (behavioural).

These treatments are directed towards compensating for disabilities and weaknesses while trying to increase ability.

Read More at Brain Balance

Dyslexia Awareness: DAC Interviews Dyslexic Students - youTube

2012-01-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

1) Was there a particular reason for you coming forward for the assessment?
From DAC / Dyslexia Assessment & Consultancy http://www.workingwithdyslexia.com/

Dyslexia: Reading Difficulties

2012-01-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

Reading difficulties are all around us. And while reading is a frequently discussed topic among parents, struggling to read isn't. Families who know their children struggle, or who have reading difficulties themselves, may not want to talk about it. But that's only one reason we don't hear more about the struggling reader.

A study of 445 children in 24 randomly-selected Connecticut schools found that fewer than one-third of the children reading below their age, grade level, or ability were receiving school services for reading difficulties.

This figure suggests that reading problems are seriously under-diagnosed. In cases like these, families may not know that their children need help. This finding is consistent with what we see at Ravinia Reading Center. Smart children employ phenomenal compensatory strategies to hide their inability to read adequately.

Classroom teachers, who teach many children at a time and are expected to have expertise in so many areas, frequently reassure parents that skills will come later.

We have not met teachers who have followed children into later grades to see if these predictions are true. Schools may not be eager to pinpoint reading problems because they are then legally obligated to remediate them, placing additional burdens on their already stretched cost structures.

Sometimes skills do come later, but often they don't. Reading is unlike spoken language, which is innate. Speaking is learned through imitation. Reading is not natural; it must be taught. And whereas some children can learn by whatever method of reading instruction is offered, many cannot.

Dr. G. Reid Lyon, former Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes for Health, estimates that a lucky five percent of kids seem to read with no effort at all, and another 20-30 percent of students overall learn to read with ease when exposed to any kind of instruction.

He says that for about 60 percent of students, though, learning to read will be hard work and their success will depend largely on the effectiveness of the instruction.

About 20 to 30 percent of students will find reading to be one of the most difficult tasks they have ever encountered. How these children are taught to read is critical to their success.

“Reading is the most important work of childhood and yet as many as one in five children struggle to learn to read, with consequences extending beyond childhood into adult life,” said Sally Shaywitz, M.D., the co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity and the author of the book Overcoming Dyslexia. Lyons' estimates are consistent with Shaywitz' 20 percent.

Shaywitz' figure does not highlight underprivileged areas. It reflects a cross-section of American society. Other reputable studies have found even more reading difficulties.

Large-scale surveys testing thousands of children annually carried out by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1998 showed that 69 percent of fourth graders and 67 percent of eighth graders were reading below proficiency levels.

And here's the figure that hits close to home for a lot of us: 55 percent of the children of college graduates performed below proficiency levels in eighth grade.

It's not necessary for us to know exactly which of any of these figures is most correct.

What we know is that in study after study too many of our children cannot read or read below proficiency levels – the prevalence of reading difficulties are everywhere. Fortunately, it’s remediable. Reading is a skill and it can be taught.

Read more here

Dyslexia: Visualisation

2012-01-03T05:23:00.000-08:00

Using visualisation

Visualisation is an amazingly powerful and useful therapy tool. It can be used to support auditory processing skills, visual memory (for example, for shapes, patterns, and scenes), visual sequencing skills (remembering patterns) and expressive language skills. For a child with literacy difficulties or dyslexia, visualisation can help them to learn letter shapes and how to spell words, and it can also help with their vocabulary, as discussed above. Several different methods can be used to discover and develop visualisation skills, and for each child the process will be different.

Developing basic visualisation skills:

ensure the child is able to visualise. This can be difficult as visualisation, despite the name, is not so visual to start with. I often ask a child to draw a picture of him/herself with a thought bubble picturing something we have just spoken about. This can work well alongside the use of language such as “I see....” or “I picture...”, “What do you see?”
when you talk about what you are visualising, the image can be made clearer, and therefore easier to recall, if you talk about its size, smell and colour, how it feels and what is going on around the image
once the child has understood visualisation, start at the basic level, which is to visualise single objects. For example, “Let’s picture a dog. I see a black dog...he is black...he is big...he is barking. Can you see a dog? What colour is he? What is he doing?”
you can then move onto visualising pictures in a row, picturing objects in specific patterns and visualising stories. When reading stories, act out the events with the child, whilst continuously talking about what s/he is seeing and imagining (such as smells, movement and colour). This will help secure the visual images and sequences and therefore the overall recall of the story. To test the use of visualisation after you have read the story a few times, you can ask the child to act out the story and talk about what they saw. For example, “First I saw... then I saw...” Provide models of what you have pictured in the story as well
you can also use visualisation to support storytelling and expressive language skills, by discussing what you see happening.

Once a child can visualise, you can then move on to using visualisation to support letter learning and learning words.

Read more at SEN magazine

Dyslexia: Supporting vocabulary and language skills

2012-01-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

Children with literacy difficulties often have associated word retrieval difficulties, which present as a weakness in finding/retrieving words from memory and then saying the word.

As a consequence, children may misname words and stumble while talking, as they try to retrieve a word. This therefore affects their sentence organisation and clarity.

Improving word retrieval skills will help to develop sentence organisation and, therefore, expressive language skills.

This will also help to encourage confidence in communication, and language skills will, as a result, be addressed and developed alongside classroom literacy skills. There are several strategies that can be used to support word retrieval skills:

teaching children vocabulary within word groups, such as transport, animals and clothing. These word groups can be divided further into their individual subdivisions for older children in KS 2 and upwards. For example, land transport, sea animals and winter clothing
describing vocabulary to help a child learn all the different features and parts of a word. Think of this as making a map of a word. When a child recalls one part of their selected word map, it may help them to recall the connecting parts of the map. When practising descriptions, it is helpful for the child to follow a given structure; for example: 1) name the group/category, 2) where you see it, 3) what it does, 4) what you use it for, 5) the size, 6) the colour and 7) the initial sound of the word. This structure can be adapted as necessary
helping children visualise words as an aid to focusing on a vocabulary topic. This process accesses and uses visual memory as a primary source of recall. You can support this visualisation for vocabulary naming as follows: “I’m at the supermarket; I see some oranges. What do you see next to the oranges?”
using a kinaesthetic approach to learning (employing lots of gesture and movement when talking about words). This can be particularly useful as movement helps to support memory. For example, if you are playing a describing game, you can use gesture or movement to discuss how you use an object, the size of an object and its shape. Often when a child cannot immediately recall a word, acting out the word triggers their verbal memory of that word.

It is essential to mix up strategies so therapy remains fresh and interesting. It is also important for a child to have a variety of different strategies to rely on.

Read more at SEN magazine

Dyslexia: Practically Literate

2012-01-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

Many children with literacy difficulties or a diagnosis of dyslexia have associated speech and language difficulties.

These speech and language needs can be overlooked, though, as literacy skills are more noticeable and tend to become more of a priority, so that children are able to keep up with learning to spell and read.

In fact, speech and language problems, such as word retrieval difficulties, limited sentence construction skills, difficulties producing sounds and overall reduced speech intelligibility, can sometimes be an indicator of dyslexia amongst younger children before they are diagnosed.

So how can speech and language therapy help a child who has weak literacy skills or who has a dyslexia diagnosis? There are several areas to consider, and language needs to be addressed directly, in addition to developing alternative, multisensory strategies that can be used to support overall language and literacy development.

The ideas summarised in this article draw from my own experiences of working with school aged children in a variety of settings. While there is no empirical data to support the methods of therapy suggested, these strategies have proved to be effective through regular progress reviews following therapy input.

Read more at SEN magazine

Dyslexia Awareness, Life Strategies and Online Courses

2012-01-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Announcing an online distance course teaching Dyslexia Awareness.

Dyslexia Awareness have partnered with Life Strategies Ltd. to offer a course based on training materials from their in-person workshops.

Life Strategies offers customized seminars, workshops, courses, and keynotes. Topics include psychometric assessment, work-life balance/sustainability, team strengthening, workplace diversity, career management, and employee development.

The course offers insight into Dyslexia: what it is, what causes it, and how it affects learners and employees who are Dyslexic.

Participants will also learn how to screen for Dyslexia and related issues and plan accommodations for the workplace and adult learning environments.

This online course is targeted at:

service providers,
employment counseling services,
human resource managers,
managers & business owners,
literacy tutors,
Dyslexic employees,
and anyone who wants to understand a Dyslexic adult or employee’s needs in the workplace.

Life Strategies is also offering the course with a special introductory offer with a 25% discount.

The link to the course can be found at: www.lifestrategies.com

Dyslexia ADHD: School for Learning Needs - YouTube video

2012-01-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

http://LindenHS.org Linden Hill School in Northfield, MA serves boys ages 9-16 of average to above average intelligence who have learning differences. The School specializes in ADHD, ADD, Learning Disabilities, and Dyslexia.

Dyslexia: Abnormality in Auditory Processing

2012-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

People with dyslexia often struggle with the ability to accurately decode and identify what they read.

Although disrupted processing of speech sounds has been implicated in the underlying pathology of dyslexia, the basis of this disruption and how it interferes with reading comprehension has not been fully explained.

Now, new research published by Cell Press in the December 22 issue of the journal Neuron finds that a specific abnormality in the processing of auditory signals accounts for the main symptoms of dyslexia.

"It is widely agreed that for a majority of dyslexic children, the main cause is related to a deficit in the processing of speech sounds," explains senior study author, Dr. Anne-Lise Giraud and Franck Ramus from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France.

"It is also well established that there are three main symptoms of this deficit: difficulty paying attention to individual speech sounds, a limited ability to repeat a list of pseudowords or numbers, and a slow performance when asked to name a series of pictures, colors, or numbers as quickly as possible. However, the underlying basis of these symptoms has not been elucidated."

Dr. Giraud and colleagues examined whether an abnormality in the early steps of auditory processing in the brain, called "sampling," is linked with dyslexia by focusing on the idea that an anomaly in the initial processing of phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can be used to make a word, might have a direct impact on the processing of speech.

The researchers found that typical brain processing of auditory rhythms associated with phonemes was disrupted in the left auditory cortex of dyslexics and that this deficit correlated with measures of speech sound processing.

Further, dyslexics exhibited an enhanced response to high-frequency rhythms that indirectly interfered with verbal memory. It is possible that this "oversampling" might result in a distortion of the representation of speech sounds.

"Our results suggest that the left auditory cortex of dyslexic people may be less responsive to modulations at very specific frequencies that are optimal for analysis of speech sounds and overly responsive to higher frequencies, which is potentially detrimental to their verbal short-term memory abilities," concludes Dr. Giraud.

"Taken together, our data suggest that the auditory cortex of dyslexic individuals is less fine-tuned to the specific needs of speech processing."

Children’s School Absenteeism Linked to Mental disorder

2011-12-27T02:21:00.001-08:00

Being absent and missing out on class can be hard on children as they get to miss out on valuable lectures.

This can often times lead to poorer performances, and worse, can lead to ridicule from peers but the reason behind children's absenteeism may be far more problematic than missing out on class as new research finds it may be linked to their mental health.

Students who are frequently absent from school are more likely to have symptoms of psychiatric disorders, according to Jeffery Wood, associaten professor of educational psychology and psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles, who led the study.

In the study, researchers looked at more than 17,000 children in 1st through 12th grades and found that between grades 2 and 8, students who already had mental health symptoms missed more school days over the course of a year than they had in the previous year and than students with few or no mental health symptoms.

These frequent absents, researchers said, is linked with a higher prevalence of mental health problems later on when they reach adolescence.

Findings al show that middle and high school students who were chronically absent in an earlier year of the study tended to have more depression and antisocial problems in subsequent years, leading to missing additional school days in the following years.

Wood noted that their findings may aid others in helping students address mental health issues that in turn, prevent the emergence of chronic absenteeism.

And indeed, mental illness among children must be addressed soon. This is because the problem has become so common that about 20% of American children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness, and that around 5 million American children and adolescents suffer from a serious mental illness, according to MedicineNet.com.

The most common among the mental illnesses in children are anxiety disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, eating disorders, learning and communication disorders, and even schizophrenia.

But in order to successfully deal with a mental illness, a person must be able to identify when a child is suffering from them. Though symptoms may vary from one mental illness to another, some symptoms that generally appear when a child has a mental disorder are:

- Inability to cope with daily problems and activities

- Changes in sleeping and eating habits

- Defying authority, skipping school, stealing, or damaging property

- Frequent outbursts of anger

- Long-lasting negative moods

- Changes in school performance, such as getting poor grades

- Loss of interest in friends and activities they usually enjoy

Kindle Fire for Kids: Best Children’s Books, Apps and Child-Friendly Settings

2011-12-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

The Kindle Fire is one of the most popular holiday gifts this year for adults and children alike.

The Kindle Fire can be used to read magazines, books and watch movies, but it can also be used for educational purposes to help kids learn to read interactively.

We took a closer look at some of the most popular children's books, top apps for kids and some child-friendly settings parents can use to protect their children.

Best Children's Books
The Amazon Online Store offers an impressive collection of colorful children's books and easy readers for young book enthusiasts (some Free!). With over 1,000 tiles, kids can enjoy reading the vibrant and popular books on the crisp Kindle Fire screen.

The Kindle Fire also offers special features to help children read the books including singsong text, a read-aloud option and "Text Pop-Up," which allows children to zoom into text over images to read the smaller font.

Some of the most popular children's books for the Kindle Fire include:

1. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle

2. "A Wolf Pup's Tale" by Rachel Yu

3. "Hooray for Fish!" by Lucy Cousins

4. "Curious George and the Firefighters" by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey

5. "Fireman Small" by Wong Herbert Yee

6. "Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed" by Barbara Park and Denise Brunkus

The children's books can be downloaded directly from the Kindle Fire by entering Amazon's Online store (UK).

Top Apps for Kids
There are an endless number of fun and educational apps that children will enjoy using. The most popular children's apps are iStoryBooks, Dr. Seuss books, Kids Place - With Child Lock and Angry Birds.

1. iStoryBooks: This free app allows toddlers and young children to interact with storybooks through pictures, text and audio. The app is targeted for kids between the ages of 2 and 8 with stories for different reading levels. Some of the popular books included are: Cinderella, Snow White, A to ZX Animals, The World of Trucks and Children's Ramayana.

2. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss: This app is $2.99 and gives children an interactive way to follow along with the Dr. Seuss classic. The app provides a book-like experience where children can read the book themselves, have the Kindle Fire read the book aloud, or use "auto play." The book includes the original Dr. Seuss illustrations. Other Dr. Seuss books are also available in app form, including: The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Dr. Seuss's ABC, and more.

3. Kids Place - With Child Lock: This free program is the dream app for worried parents who may not trust their children with the Kindle Fire. The app allows parents to block certain programs and capabilities on the Kindle Fire so parents can control what their kids see and which apps they have access to. The app also allows parents to set a password PIN to protect parental data through a Child and Toddler lock.

4. Angry Birds: The extremely popular "Angry Birds" game can be purchased for free in the Kindle Fire App Store. Users fling birds across the screen to try to strategically destroy structures and boundaries. This puzzle game is fun for people of all ages, but children will especially enjoy watching the colorful birds fly across the screen.

Child-Friendly Settings for Kids
In addition to the "Kids Place - With Child Lock," there are a number of other ways parents can make their child's Kindle Fire more secure.

A major complaint with the initial Kindle Fire software was the lack of privacy controls and security features that allowed children, for example, to browse the web freely giving them access to adult content. The new software update allows users to turn on "restrictions" to make their Kindle Fire more secure and prevent security breaches or wandering children.

The restrictions option can be found under the Kindle Fire's settings menu. Select restrictions and then select "turn on." Users will then be prompted to give a password and confirm that password. Once a password has been chosen, users have the option of whether or not to password protect web browsing.

If you have children using the device, the password protected Wi-Fi option will prevent your child from browsing adult content. Once your Kindle Fire is password protected, a small key icon will be located in the top right hand corner of the screen next to the battery.

*NB: The Kindle Fire is not avaialble in the UK until January 2012 at the earliest.

Related Article: How-To Get The Most Out of Your Kindle Fire: Top 10 Tips And Tricks

Autism: Communication and Language Development - Talkbox

2011-12-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

Talkbox is a conceptual communication system targeted at autistic children with severe speech impairment.

Unlike popular communication systems that are predominantly text/voice based. talk box aims at creating a evolving and personalised visual language for children with autism.

At the core of Talkbox, lies an intelligent speech processing engine working in tandem with an object detection and identifying system.

Talkbox has a single arcade style button that can be used by the child or his/her parents, to take pictures of objects and people in the setting that the child inhabits.

These images can then be printed out on specifically formatted paper by the talk box and segregated by the parents according to the time/place.

The images on the left panel consists of people the child might need to contact and these can also vary based on time/place.

To create a message, the child taps on the button to release the lid and place the characters in the creation zone.

As soon as the child keeps the first message on the surface the camera begins recording.

The child taps on the image of the person he/she wants to message and tap the button to send the message.

The recipient can respond to the message using touch based smart phones by accessing the child's visual vocabulary online and using the same visuals the child knows.

For one to one communication the child can just use the visuals from his Talkbox and can physically construct the stories for communicating with others.

Elements of the child's vocabulary and messages can also be posted by the parents in a closed online community to create a richer vocabulary and examples for parents new to the system.

Talkbox is a personalisable communication system that enables a child with autism to communicate with his/her loved ones using a language he/she knows and lives in.

It takes advantage of the repetitive behavior that autistic children have to create an uncluttered time/place based vocabulary and connection list.

NFB: Early Explorers

2011-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

The National Federation of the Blind - Early Explorers Program - A Cane Travel Program for Blind and Low Vision Children Ages Infant to Seven

NFB Early Explorers is a free program designed to introduce young blind children and their families to the long white cane.

Providing children with an early start to independent movement and travel ensures that children will be more confident and curious travelers throughout life.

Possessing these skills allows young blind children to learn and play alongside their peers with ease.

Program participants will receive
• Travel Tales, a quarterly parent e-newsletter filled with ideas about how to foster age-appropriate movement in young children through the use of the long white cane
• An informational DVD
• A child-sized white cane
• A subscription to Future Reflections (a quarterly publication for parents and educators presenting articles on a variety of topics)
• Access to a network of resources devoted to serving parents of blind children

Mission of the NFB Early Explorers Program
• Introduce young children and their families to the long white cane
• Provide parents strategies to teach their children cane travel
• Make parents aware of essential resources for promoting success for their young blind children
• Help parents teach beginning cane travel skills
• Help parents instill in their child a love of traveling with a long white cane

Here’s How the Program Works…
1. Complete the Early Explorers Program Registration form online. For any question you may have, the contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.
2. Soon after you register, you will receive your child-sized long white cane and your packet of materials for the program.
3. Read the quarterly parent e-newsletter for tips and ideas for travel activities you can do with your child.
4. As often as possible encourage your child to take his cane with him everywhere he goes and have fun exploring and discovering exciting features of his environment with his favorite new tool, the long white cane.

The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a division of the National Federation of the Blind, is a great resource for parents of young blind children. Please visit the NOPBC main page for more great information.

The NFB Early Explorers Program is sponsored by the NFB Jernigan Institute and NOPBC.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the NFB Early Explorers Program, please contact:

Meleah Jensen
Earlyexplorers@nfb.org
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314, Extension 2418

Read More: NFB - Early Explorers

Rules Your Children didn't Learn at School

2011-12-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

Acetaminophen and Asthma

2011-12-19T23:42:00.000-08:00

The sharp worldwide increase in childhood asthma over the past 30 years has long perplexed researchers, who have considered explanations as varied as improved hygiene and immunizations. Over the last decade, however, a new idea has emerged.

The asthma epidemic accelerated in the 1980s, some researchers have noted, about the same time that aspirin was linked to Reye’s syndrome in children. Doctors stopped giving aspirin to children with fevers, opting instead for acetaminophen.

In a paper published in The Annals of Allergy and Asthma Immunology in 1998, Dr. Arthur Varner, then a fellow in the immunology training program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, argued that the switch to acetaminophen might have fueled the increase in asthma.

Since then, more than 20 studies have produced results in support of his theory, including a large analysis of data on more than 200,000 children that found an increased risk of asthma among children who had taken acetaminophen.

In November, Dr. John T. McBride, a pediatrician at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, published a paper in the journal Pediatrics arguing that the evidence for a link between acetaminophen and asthma is now strong enough for doctors to recommend that infants and children who have asthma (or are at risk for the disease) avoid acetaminophen.

Dr. McBride based his assertion on several lines of evidence. In addition to the timing of the asthma epidemic, he said, there is now a plausible explanation for how acetaminophen might provoke or worsen asthma, a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs.

Even a single dose of acetaminophen can reduce the body’s levels of glutathione, an enzyme that helps repair oxidative damage that can drive inflammation in the airways, researchers have found.

“Almost every study that’s looked for it has found a dose-response relationship between acetaminophen use and asthma,” Dr. McBride said. “The association is incredibly consistent across age, geography and culture.”

A statistical link between acetaminophen and asthma has turned up in studies of infants, children and adults. Studies have also found an increased risk of asthma in children whose mothers who took acetaminophen during pregnancy.

Read more of this article here

Dyslexia and Teacher Training: Kelvin Hopkins

2011-12-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a fact you probably don't know... one in 10 of us has some form of dyslexia.

Luton MP, Kelvin Hopkins, highlighted the fact during his debate in Westminster Hall over concerns that children with dyslexia could be losing out.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Dyslexia looks at the problems dyslexic people face.

Mr Hopkins, its vice chairman, is campaigning for better training for teachers. Set up in 2007, it lists among its members Brian Binley, the MP for Northampton South and Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk).

Mr Hopkins told MPs that one in 10 of the population experiences some form of dyslexia.

'Hidden' condition
"The condition stays with people for life. Some people can accommodate it to an extent, others find it more difficult. "Like colour blindness, it is a condition that is hidden and sometimes not even recognised."

Start Quote
Many thousands of children across the whole ability range are not getting the help they need and are not even being diagnosed, because of the lack of specific training for teachers”

Kelvin Hopkins MP (Lab) Luton North "Many thousands of children across the whole ability range are not getting the help they need and are not even being diagnosed, because of the lack of specific training for teachers," he said.

It was a problem, he added, that was not only distressing for the children and youngsters involved but ultimately it was damaging the economy, as many would drop out of education.

The last government commissioned a report on education and dyslexia by Sir Jim Rose, a former director of OFSTED.

He proposed that initial teacher training should include dyslexia and special learning difficulties and that 4,000 specialist teachers should be created to support dyslexia sufferers.

"That is quite a tall order but that is what he recommended," said Mr Hopkins. "If we are going to approach and attack the problem seriously, we need to follow that recommendation."

The review also wants schools to work more positively with the parents of children who have dyslexia. Mr Hopkins and other MPs who spoke in the debate had stories about people they knew whose conditions had not been picked up while at school.

"Dyslexic children have just as much a right to a good education as all other children," Mr Hopkins told the chamber.

Government review
The Schools Minister Sarah Tether replied that 78,000 pupils receive support for a specific learning difficulty, including dyslexia and dyspraxia.

The government, she said, was in the process of reviewing the provision for children with special needs and would publish its recommendations in the new year.

One in 10 of the population experiences some form of dyslexia
But she said that already her department had introduced a new phonics screening check for children in year 1, which, she hoped, would pick up children struggling with early literacy because of dyslexia.

Teachers were being encouraged to "improve and extend their knowledge and expertise when working with pupils with special educational needs" (although there was no mention of any extra money to help them train).

"We are absolutely committed to reforming the support for children with special educational needs and disability and we will say much more in the new year," she promised.

Mr Hopkins and his committee will be watching very closely, as will the British Dyslexia Association.

It has just launched a petition on the Downing Street website calling for all teachers to be trained in recognising and dealing with the difficulties faced by those with dyslexia.

Dyslexic Space boss boldly goes on mission to get children learning science

2011-12-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

A space scientist has told how she fought dyslexia to make it to the top of her profession.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who tours inner-city schools urging pupils to study science, said students with passion can overcome any obstacles.

She has won a Women In Film And TV award for her work presenting BBC2's Do We Really Need the Moon?

The 43-year-old, who has a daughter aged two, has spoken to 100,000 children in the last year to bust stereotypes about science.

She said: "I go to London schools where pupils may be disillusioned and tell them to find something they have a passion for. If you enjoy the subject it's so much easier to learn.

"Many kids think, 'I have had a slow start in life, my parents have broken up and I have dyslexia'. But I say even if things don't look rosy for you now, that can turn around.

I tell them to have a dream: it can take you very far. But you have to study to fulfil that dream." Dr Pocock was diagnosed with dyslexia at school and "shunted into remedial classes".

It was not until she discovered science at the age of 10 that she became passionate about schoolwork.

"The dyslexia does not go away, but I have found ways of working around it," she said. "In space science I attend international delegations where I have to write onto a screen and everything comes up in big letters.

Sometimes people say, 'You don't spell that word like that.' But I like to be open about my dyslexia so people understand.

"The most important thing is to not give up because you can't spell."

Dr Pocock is the lead scientist at British space technology company Astrium. She is helping to develop the mid- infrared instrument for the James Webb space telescope, which will orbit earth, peering into deep space to discover secrets of the birth of the universe.

She added that some girls still think science is for boys, and when she first told a teacher she wanted to be an astronaut, it was suggested she try nursing "as that was science too".

She said: "There are not that many women and not many black women in science. We aren't doing a good job getting people into science - we need to get it to everybody. Many girls think it's boys' stuff. I am trying to say it's a wonderful subject."

Dr Pocock went to La Sainte Union convent school in Camden, gained A-levels in maths, physics, chemistry and biology, and did a degree in physics and a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Imperial College London.

Autism: Associated Deficits in Temporal Processing

2011-12-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

Currently idiopathic autism is typically diagnosed according to an observational assessment of certain behavioral, social, and cognitive tendencies across dimensions of language, social interaction, imaginative play, and restricted or repetitive cognitions and behavior.

Parent interview is required to confirm presence of specific tendencies within the first 3 years of life. There is, as yet, no bio-medical test or marker for autism, although certain neurological, genetic, and physiological differences are known.

There are often common co-morbid disorders, such as problems with sleep, motor function and attention-hyperactivity. An individual is diagnosed along spectrum of impairment (autistic disorder or autism spectrum disorder).

Thus any psychological theory of autism is required to describe differences, and similarities, across a range of behavioral, social and cognitive abilities, within and between affected individuals. Arguably the three most dominant theories of autistic disorder relate to weak central coherence (or information processing), executive functioning, and theory of mind.

There may be another hitherto, rather unacknowledged possibility: a deficit in temporal processing.

An adaptive sensitivity to the duration of events, and time between them, is critical to adaptive cognitive, behavioral, and social function. There are anecdotal and clinical reports of problems with time in autistic disorder, and successful applied behavioral educational and therapeutic supports with this population often include external signals to indicate the passage of time, temporal structure, and upcoming events.

Currently, the empirical literature on temporal processing in autistic disorder is relatively scant, and encompasses findings spanning a range of psychology; neurological, genetic, behavioral, and cognitive, observational, and computational assessments.

These include reports that children with autism experience difficulties imaging past and future changes of a current situation and understanding that successive events are part of a unitary process; differences in temporal reproduction and duration perception (in the interval range); and electrophysiological reports of disordered temporal binding of stimulus input, apparently over extended periods (than is typical).

These findings are usually complementary, although vary greatly in the nature of the methods and analysis used (for a review, see Allman and Meck, 2011). There is preliminary evidence from data modeling to suggest that aspects of the perception of duration might be “developmentally delayed” in this population (see Allman et al., ).

Consistent among these aforementioned findings is the interpretation of results within the context of a deficit in (some aspect of) temporal processing in autistic disorder (e.g., Boucher et al., ).

These range from suppositions that affected individuals experience problems thinking about time and higher temporal cognition, to notions that there are fundamental differences in the quality of the “subjective present” as it relates to the temporal processing of sensory information.

Clock gene anomalies have been related to sleep, memory, and timing problems in autistic disorder. There have been several attempts to assert a hypothesis of temporal processing disturbance in autistic disorder, both within the discussion of published reports, or in more speculative accounts which go so far as to describe diagnostic features of autistic disorder as manifestations of atypical aspects of temporal processing (for details, see Allman and DeLeon, 2009).

However, there is as yet, no well-defined profile of temporal processing abilities in these individuals, and no sufficiently specified theory.

Read more of this article and published paper: Deficits in Temporal Processing Associated with Autistic Disorder

Multiple sclerosis starts in brain’s outer layers

2011-12-13T23:27:00.000-08:00

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have reversed the traditional understanding of how multiple sclerosis (MS) begins and travels in the brain.

The common view is that the disease starts in the centre of the brain, in the white matter mostly found there, and then moves toward the outer layers, such as the cortex.

But this study, which is unique because it focused on the brain tissues of patients in the very early stages of MS, shows the opposite: that it moves from the outside in.

It begins in the “subarachnoid space,” which surrounds the brain, cushions it and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid. From there it moves into the white matter. This animation shows how the two hypotheses differ.

The findings are also significant because they support the hypothesis that inflammation, not neurodegeneration, is a main driver of the disease.

The authors conclude that it is “overwhelmingly likely” that MS is fundamentally an inflammatory disease, and not a neurodegenerative disease similar to Alzheimer’s.

Researchers are not entirely sure exactly causes MS, but the prevailing theory is that it is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks and destroys its own myelin, a fatty substance essential to the nervous system. It protects the crucial nerve fibres enable different sections of the brain to communicate.

When myelin is damaged (as in MS), messages between the brain and the body are delayed or blocked, leading to MS symptoms such as blindness, numbness, paralysis, and thinking and memory difficulties.

“Our study shows the cortex is involved early in MS and may even be the initial target of disease,” co-lead author of the study and Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Claudia F. Lucchinetti stated.

“Inflammation in the cortex must be considered when investigating the causes and progression of MS”, she says. She and her co-author, Dr. Richard Ransohoff of the Cleveland Clinic, published the results of their study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Equal Futures newsletter

2011-12-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

Netbuddytips's Channel - YouTube

2011-12-12T04:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Netbuddy

Over 1,000 tips from people with first-hand experience of learning disability. Brushing teeth, challenging behaviour, bed-wetting, constipation ... there's a tip for that!

Netbuddy is an award-winning site for swapping practical tips and information on all aspects of supporting people with learning disabilities.

Gingerbread typewriter is entirely edible

2011-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Patti from Baked Ideas made this amazing edible gingerbread typewriter for benefit of City Harvest, and it is displayed at NYC's Parker Meridien Hotel.

So…. typewriter came to mind… a sort of gingerbread house for the letters that live inside!! Christmas unplugged, a letter to santa, granny’s laptop …… it was fun to think about.

First we made a model of the typewriter in cardboard, and then baked all the parts and crafted the roller, paper and metal keys out of sugar paste.

The “glue” is royal icing, and cookies, stacked up, are the inner supports. The keyboard letters are cookies, iced in ivory and trimmed in silver.

The iced gingerbread alphabet letters are frolicking in the sugar snow, sometimes spelling out words (fun, skip, eat, joy.)

I am glad we chose to make a typewriter. It is an image that is a reminder of a simpler time … wintery, happy and unexpected. I hope both kids and adults enjoy looking at it.
It’s 100% edible, down to the rice paper ribbon.

New features in Dolphin's SuperNova version 12 - YouTube

2011-12-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

xtxThis short video is a quick guide to the new features, functionality and application support included in SuperNova version 12.

Link Between Childbirth and Bipolar Affective Disorder

2011-12-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

New research show that risks of developing bipolar affective disorder is increased if a woman experiences a psychiatric episode within the first 30 days after childbirth.

"Childbirth has an important influence on the onset and course of bipolar affective disorder, and studies have shown that episodes of post-partum psychosis are often best considered as presentations of bipolar affective disorder occurring at a time of dramatic psychological and physiological change," the researchers said in the report which was published in Archives of General Psychiatry.

The researchers led by Trine Munk-Olsen, Ph.D., of the National Centre for Register-Based Research, Arhus University in Denmark, collected data on 120,378 women from 1950 to 1991who had a history of a first-time psychiatric contact with any type of psychiatric disorder excluding bipolar affective disorder.

A total of 2,870 of these women had their initial psychiatric contact within the first year after delivery of their first child. During follow-up, 3,062 of the 120,378 women were diagnosed of bipolar affective disorder, of which 132 had their initial psychiatric contact 0 to 12 months post-partum.

Researchers found a significantly higher conversion rate to bipolar affective disorder in women having their initial contact within the first post-partum month. In addition, evidence that the severity of the initial post-partum psychiatric episode may be important, as inpatient admissions were associated with a higher conversion rate than were outpatient contacts, were found.
After fifteen years from initial psychiatric contact, 13.87 percent of women with onset in the immediate post-partum period (0 to 30 days) had converted to bipolar disorder, the study said.

"The present study confirms the well-established link between childbirth and bipolar affective disorder and specifically adds to this field of research by demonstrating that initial psychiatric contact within the first 30 days post-partum significantly predicted conversion to bipolar affective disorder during the follow-up period," the authors conclude.

Podcast on Dyslexia and Autism - The Life Scientific, Uta Frith

2011-12-06T01:20:00.000-08:00

Listen to The Life Scientific by Uta Frith

Professor Uta Frith came from a grey post war Germany to Britain in the swinging sixties, when research into conditions such as autism and dyslexia was in its infancy.

At the time many people thought there was no such thing as dyslexia and that autism was a result of cold distant parenting, but Professor Frith was convinced that the explanation for these enigmatic conditions lay in the brain and she set out to prove this through a series of elegant experiments.

Together with her students (Prof) Francesca Happe and (Prof) Simon Baron Cohen she developed the idea that people with autism find it hard to understand the intentions of others, known as theory of mind.

Neuro-imaging experiments carried out with her husband Professor Chris Frith, meant she was able to show that there is a region in the brain which is linked to dyslexia.

Uta Frith talks about her pioneering work that has changed how we view these brain disorders with Jim Al Khalili.

TEDxLondon - Sir Ken Robinson - YouTube

2011-12-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation. He is also one of the world's leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences everywhere. The videos of his famous 2006 and 2010 talks to the prestigious TED Conference have been seen by an estimated 200 million people in over 150 countries.

He works with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies and some of the world's leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government.

All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education(The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. He was the central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic development as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, working with the ministers for training, education enterprise and culture.

The resulting blueprint for change, Unlocking Creativity, was adopted by politicians of all parties and by business, education and cultural leaders across the Province.

Pirate Queen: Making waves with online learning game

2011-12-02T00:42:00.000-08:00

She was a legendary pirate of the high seas around Ireland but Grainne Mhaol is now set to help children with dyslexia and other reading problems.

An animator whose child has dyslexia has developed a unique online game to encourage others with the learning disability to read.

Linda O'Sullivan, from Co Clare, came up with the idea for her 'Reading Bridges' programme by combining her background in children's animation with her 10-year-old son Oisin's experience with dyslexia.

"This is the first product of its kind designed in Ireland and it's all about creating a fun environment for children who are struggling with reading, or even reluctant to read.

"Children learn better when they're having fun and this game is all about fun-based learning, without the fear of failure," she said.

Embrace
To encourage children to embrace the written word, she based the game on the ancient legend of Grainne Mhaol, the legendary pirate 'Sea Queen of Connacht'.

The game follows the adventures of Jack, a modern boy who falls through a time portal. He meets Grace, a feisty 16th century girl, who is determined to become a pirate like her father.

Together they set off on a series of adventures, which take children through games that helps them with word building, word recognition, short-term memory and visual skills.

The animated game uses phonics -- the building blocks of reading -- in which children learn to pronounce words by associating letters or groups of letters with the sounds they represent.

The phonetic pronunciation of the word -- such as "c - a - t" -- is then reinforced with an animated image and sound of the word.

The games -- aimed at children aged 7 to 12 -- are also designed for children who are reluctant to read or who are falling behind their peers' reading levels at school.

"It's all about building up enthusiasm to read," Ms O'Sullivan said.

Children are encouraged to tackle more complex words through a series of rewards -- such as being awarded gold stars on a chart or getting a loyalty badge, she added.

The game can be particularly helpful, she said, for children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia -- a neurological condition which affects their ability to read.

"While these kids have skills that are enormously important in our world, many quickly turn off reading because of difficulties with perceptual or auditory skills related to dyslexia. Their default is often to find any excuse to avoid reading at all and so much learning is lost as a result.

"Everybody knows somebody with either dyslexia or an undiagnosed reading difficulty," she said.

"Approximately 10pc of all children are somewhere on the dyslexic spectrum, and these children are bright, creative and often visually and spatially very talented.

"Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Walt Disney are just a cross section of talented dyslexics who have changed the world we live in," she added.

A free seven-day trial of the game is available on www.readingbridges.com

Interactive Metronome Demo Video - YouTube

2011-12-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

The IM program provides a structured, goal-oriented process that challenges the patient to synchronize a range of hand and foot exercises to a precise computer-generated reference tone heard through headphones. The patient attempts to match the rhythmic beat with repetitive motor actions.

A patented audio or audio and visual guidance system provides immediate feedback measured in milliseconds, and a score is provided.

Beating Dyslexia Through Music

2011-12-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

Musical skills may translate into reading skills — particularly for children with dyslexia. Research published by Martina Huss, Usha Goswami, and colleagues in Cortex indicates that musical games may be useful in treating dyslexia in young children because an inability to distinguish between strong and weak “beats” is closely related to dyslexia.

Huss and Goswami asked 10-year-old children to listen to pairs of simple songs in which certain notes were accented. To make the songs different, the scientists changed the length of the accented notes.

Non-dyslexic children were able to distinguish between identical and non-identical song pairs by perceiving “rise time,” which is the time it took for notes to reach peak intensity. Dyslexic children had more difficulty using rise time to distinguish between tunes.

According to the research team, these results show that the ability to perceive the pattern of beats in music and the ability to read are closely linked. Early interventions based on music may allow children to perceive the sounds of language more efficiently, leading to greater success when they learn to read.

Non-dyslexic children may benefit from music training too: Research published by Sylvian Moreno in the October issue of Psychological Science shows that preschoolers can improve their verbal intelligence after 20 days of music-based cognitive training cartoons.

References and Further Reading:

Huss, M., Verney, J. P., Fosker, T., Mead, N., & Goswami, U. (2011). Music, rhythm, rise time perception and developmental

Children: Positive Self Esteem

2011-11-30T23:53:00.000-08:00

Click on the Image to show a larger view!

Xmas Holiday Stress - Don't Sweat it!

2011-11-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Click on the Image to show a larger view!

Medical device aids speech therapy

2011-11-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

One out of every 15 kids has a speech impediment. When a toddler says “wabbit” instead of “rabbit,” it may be cute, but as the child grows older, it can be the source of cruel taunts and teasing.

What’s more, conventional speech therapy can take months and may never completely fix the problem. But now a new device arms therapists with a set of tools that can correct the problem with unprecedented precision and speed.

Dyslexia: Teacher’s hi-tech tools give hope

2011-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

AN INNOVATIVE project set up by a teacher at a Scottish primary school has made a significant breakthrough in helping children with dyslexia.

A five-year study of pupils in P3-7 using computer programmes tailored to the needs of individuals has found children’s spelling ages improved by an average of 14 months and, in some cases, by up to 30 months in a school year.

It is now hoped the scheme, which was outlined at the annual conference of the Scottish Educational Research Association last week, can be extended to other schools across Scotland.

A hereditary, life-long condition, dyslexia is a spectrum of difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. One in ten people are thought to be dyslexic, with up to one in four of these thought to be severely dyslexic.

According to Dyslexia Scotland, if the condition remains unidentified, it is likely to result in stress and low achievement and self-esteem.

Fiona Lyon, head of additional support needs at Our Lady of the Missions in Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, used existing computer programmes, modifying them to the individual needs of her students.

After collating results over a five-year period she found it had led to a marked improvement in spelling.

There are around 80 dyslexic children at Our Lady of the Missions, a school of 750 pupils. Using the Wordshark 3s and Education City programmes, Lyon set out to establish whether there was any advantage in using intervention based on IT, rather than traditional methods such as worksheets and a spelling book.

Lyon said gains using traditional methods had been “marginal”, while success using the computer programmes had been “astounding”.

She said: “Information technology offers a flexible way for pupils to communicate, learn and be creative and can be a highly motivating method of providing opportunities to learn and have fun.

“Most classrooms are equipped with computers and an interactive whiteboard, so IT should be part of the pupils’ daily learning.

Lots of schools use Education City, but we use a facility which allows you to tailor-make activities for the children.

I created a bank of activities for the children, but it was pupil-led and they had to save their scores, so there was an element of independent learning.

“These programmes make children listen, sit up and learn. We have seen huge gains which are quite significant”.

Lyon said some children with mild forms of dyslexia were still going undetected.

“Mild dyslexia could probably go undiagnosed, but other more severe forms will definitely not go missed. Normally, you can pick up these children in P1.”

Lyon said her results showed huge improvements in the pupils’ spelling ages, with some increasing by 24 to 30 months in the space of a school year. But the gain was inversely related to the age of a child, showing that the method was most effective with younger children.

Dyslexia Scotland
Dr Margaret Crombie, of Dyslexia Scotland, said the East Renfrewshire project had been a “great success”, which pointed to how computers could be better used to tackle dyslexia.

She said: “Technology can often break down barriers to learning and be a motivational tool, especially for those children who have found learning difficult and off-putting.

Technology has infinite patience and a child can gain the learning needed to master tasks such as spelling that can otherwise appear boring to present-day children.

“Dr Lyon has systematically evaluated the benefits of such technology for learners and has achieved great success. Any projects where children can achieve the success needed to become successful learners are to be welcomed.

“Once again, early intervention has been shown to be vital for effective outcomes. To gain the best results, every teacher needs to have an armoury of tools to help with early identification and intervention”.

Scottish Government
Earlier this month the Scottish Government announced funding of £40,000 to help bolster an online teaching resource supporting pupils with dyslexia.

Launched in June 2010, the dyslexia toolkit is a comprehensive web-based teachers’ resource for the assessment of literacy difficulties and dyslexia.

Education Secretary Mike Russell said: “The Scottish Government is working to improve the life chances of all Scotland’s children and young people.

“If we are going to realise that ambition, learners need to receive support to overcome any barriers they may have to realising their potential.”

Check out more information on Teachers' Resources at the TES website

Timothy Syndrome: Brain finding sheds light on autism

2011-11-28T03:51:00.000-08:00

Cells taken from people with a rare syndrome linked to autism could help explain the origins of the condition, scientists suggest.

The Stanford University team turned skin cells from people with "Timothy syndrome" into fully-fledged brain cells.

The abnormal activity found in these cells could be partially corrected using an experimental drug, Nature Medicine reports.

UK researchers warned the findings might not apply to everyone with autism.

Compared with the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide thought to show characteristics of autism, "Timothy syndrome" is vanishingly rare, affecting an estimated 20 people across the planet.

People who have the syndrome frequently display autistic behaviour, such as problems with social development and communication.

Because it is caused by a single gene defect rather than a combination of small genetic flaws, each making a tiny contribution, it presents a useful target for scientists looking to examine what goes wrong in the developing brain of a child with autism.

Ready for work

The US researchers used a technique developed recently to generate brain cells called neurons from only a sample of the patient's skin.

This allowed them to examine their development in the laboratory, and even use them to test out possible treatments.

They found obvious differences between neurons grown from Timothy syndrome patients, and those from healthy "control" subjects.

The healthy neurons developed into different subtypes, ready for work in different regions of the brain.

In contrast, the proportion of neurons developing into each subtype was different in the Timothy syndrome samples - more were equipped to work in the upper part of the cerebral cortex, and fewer in the lower part.

This meant there were fewer neurons equipped to work in a part of the brain called the corpus callosum, which has the role of helping the left and right "hemispheres" of the brain communicate.

These differences echoed those already observed in mice specially bred with the Timothy syndrome genetic fault.

In addition, the neurons were making too much of a particular body chemical linked to the manufacture of dopamine and norepinephrine, which play a significant role in sensory processing and social behaviour.

Dr Ricardo Dolmetsch, who led the study, said that the abnormalities found tallied with other evidence that autism was due in part to poor communication between different parts of the brain.

The team managed to reduce significantly the number of these malfunctioning neurons by adding a drug as they developed.

This, they said, meant it might be possible one day to treat this defect in a real patient, although the drug used was not currently suitable for children due to side-effects.

The National Autistic Society gave a cautious welcome to findings, but warned that they did not necessarily offer insights into every form of autism.

Researcher Georgina Gomez said: "Timothy syndrome is only one form of autism and so these findings only give a very limited picture of what might cause the condition.

"More work would need to be done to substantiate this particular piece of research."

The Refracted Alphabet Video

2011-11-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

Refraction - The Alphabet from Jesse Zanzinger on Vimeo.

A brilliant visual experiment by Jesse Zanzinger. Refraction: The Alphabet — a stunning visual exploration of the alphabet, rendered in type refracted through backlit signage lettering and images on an iPhone, with voiceover by the late and great Richard Pryor from his Sesame Street ABC. Beautiful.

The 3D Alphabet Book - Pop-up Letters

2011-11-28T00:04:00.000-08:00

We’re suckers for a good pop-up book, but Marion Bataille‘s ABC3D takes it to a whole new level.

Slick, stylish and designerly, it’s hard to capture its tactile, interactive magic in static words — you have to have it in your hands to truly appreciate it.

The Washington Post hit the nail on the head:

Does for paper what Claymation did for mud. It’s a three-dimensional, interactive, cinematic treat for the littlest fingers right up to the oldest eye...

Visit the Publishers website or read more and see the illustrations and videos: The Alphabet Book Rethought | Brain Pickings

David Sacks' Alphabets

2011-11-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

A new book by David Sacks offers much more depth than the designerly eye candy the genre lends itself to.

Alphabets: A Miscellany of Letters is an ambitious exploration of the pervasiveness of letters in everyday life, tracing our visual vocabulary to its roots in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Kanji characters and other ancient alphabets with rich illustrations, beautiful graphic design and typography, found objects, graffiti and more.

Read more at the Brain Pickings website