Center for Disability Resources (CDR)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Autism Diagnosis Often Made Years After It Was Possible

ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) — "Timely identification and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can impact a child's development and is the key to opening the door to the services and therapies available to children with autism," says Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "Unfortunately, our research shows that the average age of autism diagnosis is nearly six years old, which is three to four years after diagnosis is possible."

Shattuck is the lead author of an article on the timing of ASD identification in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Presbycusis Gene -- Researchers discover gene linked to susceptibility

ADVANCE (May 4, 2009) by Alyssa Banotai-- In the first genome-wide association study on hearing, scientists have identified a gene they suspect to be linked to a susceptibility to presbycusis.1

Rick Friedman, MD, PhD, decided to study age-related hearing loss based on both his background-a doctorate in genetics-and the make-up of the caseload at the House Ear Institute (HEI), in Los Angeles, CA, where he is a clinician scientist. "We see a lot of patients with presbycusis," he explained, "and there's not a lot we can do for them except hearing aids, and not a lot of people want to wear them because of issues like cost and stigma."

He was interested in using the latest technology in genome mapping to study age-related hearing loss as a complex medical disorder. "We know that 50 percent of patients over the age of 80 have presbycusis, but there's about 50 percent or less that don't. Certainly, some of that could be exposure-related, but for the most part it suggests that age-related hearing loss probably is a complex genetic trait," he told ADVANCE.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Estrogen Controls How The Brain Processes Sound

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2009) — Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered that the hormone estrogen plays a pivotal role in how the brain processes sounds.

The findings, published in the May 5 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, show for the first time that a sex hormone can directly affect auditory function, and point toward the possibility that estrogen controls other types of sensory processing as well. Understanding how estrogen changes the brain's response to sound, say the authors, might open the door to new ways of treating hearing deficiencies.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Children With Concussions Require Follow-up Care Before Returning To Play, Say Researchers

ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) — Children hospitalized with concussions should wait until they are seen by a clinician in a follow-up exam before returning to regular sports or playtime activities, according to researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Rather than only consulting a doctor when there are obvious trouble signs after the initial treatment, the Children's Hospital researchers recommend that a qualified healthcare provider perform a formal assessment after hospital discharge but before child resumes exertional activities. The study team used a computer-based testing program created to assess athletes with concussions and determine when it was safe to return to play. The authors found that nearly all the children admitted to the hospital with a concussion had some abnormal brain function during initial testing.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Program Improves Language Skills In Deaf, Hard Of Hearing

ScienceDaily (May 4, 2009) — Children enrolled before they are six months old in a home-based program that teaches language skills to the deaf or hard of hearing are not only able to achieve appropriate language skills but also to maintain them over time, according to a new study.

The study underscores the importance of appropriate follow-up of newborn hearing screens that determine whether a more detailed evaluation of a baby’s hearing by an audiologist is needed, according to Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the study’s main author.

Dr. Meinzen-Derr will present her study May 4 at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore.

The researchers studied 328 children enrolled in Ohio’s universal newborn hearing screening program. As is the case in many states, all infants born in Ohio hospitals or birthing centers receive hearing screenings before discharge. These screenings determine whether a more detailed evaluation of a baby’s hearing is needed.

To View the Entire Article, Please Click on the Title Above.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Asperger's Syndrome: Secret to Success

WebMD March 26, 2008 -- Scientist and autism activist Temple Grandin, PhD, reflects on life with Asperger's syndrome.

While autism spectrum disorder appears on many radar screens today, this wasn't the case when Temple Grandin was growing up in the 1950s. Grandin, now 60, didn't utter a word until she was 3 1/2 years old. As a result, she was labeled "autistic," and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. Fortunately, Grandin's story does not end there.

With the help of early education and a caring nanny, Grandin eventually learned to speak and flourish despite Asperger's syndrome, a developmental disorder marked by severe difficulties in understanding how to interact socially. Today she holds a PhD in animal science, is a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and the author of several books including Emergence: Labeled Autistic and Thinking In Pictures. Grandin is also one of the few livestock-handling equipment designers in the world and has designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States.

By Denise Mann
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

PRO-Parents May Calendar of Events

THESE WORKSHOPS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,

LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ACCOMMODATIONS WHEN REGISTERING.

TO SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP IN YOUR AREA

PLEASE CALL: 1-800-759-4776

* Are workshops for Foster Parents and DSS Staff

5/07/2009

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Workshop

Clarendon County DDSN

312 Pine Street

Manning, SC 29102

Gayle Munn, PRO-Parents of SC

Region 1, Education Coordinator

For More Information or To Register Call:

1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

5/12/2009

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Positive Behavioral Interventions (PBI) Workshop

Union DDSN

226 South Gadberry Street

Union, SC 29379

Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC

Region 3, Education Coordinator

For More Information or To Register Call:

1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

5/13/2009

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Transitioning Into Special Education Workshop

SCAS May Calendar of Events

May 6 9:00-11:00 am drop-in Monthly coffee talk on the first Wednesday of every month at SCAS offices. Families can visit, talk and have coffee with homemade goodies. Children are always welcomed. SCAS offices: West Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach SC

May 12 5:00-7:00 pm Basic Teaching Strategies and Support for Students with ASD-Session 2 of 5 SCAS HQ

806 12th Street, W. Columbia

May 19 5:00-7:00 pm Basic Teaching Strategies and Support for Students with ASD-Session 3 of 5 SCAS HQ

806 12th Street, W. Columbia

May 23 8:30-11:00 am Strides For Autism- Columbia Honorary Chairs: Dr. Harry Wright of USC and Mr. Joe Pinner of WIS Finlay Park, Columbia, SC

May 26 5:00-7:00 pm Basic Teaching Strategies and Support for Students with ASD-Session 4 of 5 SCAS HQ

806 12th Street, W. Columbia

South Carolina Autism Society 806 12th Street West Columbia, South Carolina 29169 ♦ 803-750-6988

http://www.scautism.org/

To view entire article, please click on link above.

First Neuroimaging Study Examining Motor Execution In Children With Autism Reveals New Insights

ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2009) — In the first neuroimaging study to examine motor execution in children with autism, researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute have uncovered important new insight into the neurological basis of autism.

The study, published online in the journal Brain’s April 23 Brain Advanced Access, compared the brain activity of children with high functioning autism and their typically developing peers while performing a simple motor task—tapping their fingers in sequence. The researchers found that children with autism relied more heavily on a region of the brain responsible for conscious, effortful movement, while their typically developing peers utilized a region of the brain important for automating motor tasks. Children with autism also showed less connectivity between different regions of the brain involved in coordinating and executing movement, supporting the theory that a decreased ability of distant regions of the brain to communicate with each other forms the neurological basis of autism.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Mild Alzheimer's: Photos More Useful Than Words

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2009) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that pictures allow patients with very mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) to better recognize and identify a subject as compared to using just words. In addition, the researchers found that these patients can rely on a general sense of knowing or familiarity but not recollection to support successful recognition.

These findings appear in the current issue of the journal Neuropsychologia.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been conceptualized as a transitional stage between healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amnestic subtype of MCI has received a great deal of attention as it has been associated with an estimated tenfold increase in Alzheimer's disease compared to age-matched controls with no cognitive impairment.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Agents That Speed Up Destruction Of Proteins Linked To Alzheimer's Discovered

ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2009) — Taking a new approach to the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, a research team led by investigators at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida has shown that druglike compounds can speed up destruction of the amyloid beta (A-beta) proteins that form plaque in the brains of patients with the disorder.

Researchers say their study, published in the April 22 online issue of PLoS One, demonstrates that this strategy is a viable and exciting alternative to the approach most drug designers have taken to date.

"Historically, a lot of effort has been made at stopping initial production of A-beta in order to halt development of Alzheimer's disease, but we are interested in what happens to A-beta after it is produced," says the study's lead researcher, Malcolm Leissring, Ph.D., from Mayo's Department of Neuroscience.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Friday, May 01, 2009

South Carolina Collaborative Assistive Technology Network (SCCATN)

South Carolina Collaborative Assistive Technology Network (SCCATN)
SCCATN Wiki is a new collaborative effort between the South Carolina
Department of Education Assistive Technology Specialists (SCDE ATS),
the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP), and the
University of South Carolina Programs in Special Education
(PSE). The wiki will provide resources and supports for Assistive
Technology to professionals, parents, and individuals. It is an
on-going collaborative effort and includes information on upcoming
trainings, conferences, free resources, and best practice information
related to Assistive Technology. If you have Technology resource
information that you would like to contribute to the wiki, please
email that information for review to Stacy Springer (sspringer@ed.sc.gov).
http://sccatn.wikispaces.com/

For more information, please click on the title above.

How Human Ear Translates Vibrations Into Sounds: Discovery Of Ion Channel Turns Ear On Its Head

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2009) — Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain. Now, based on new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine, it looks like parts of the model are wrong.

Anthony Ricci, PhD, associate professor of otolaryngology, and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin and the Pellegrin Hospital in France found that the ion channels responsible for hearing aren't located where scientists previously thought. The discovery turns old theories upside down, and it could have major implications for the prevention and treatment of hearing loss.

To view entire article, please click on link above.