At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age

The New York Times (May 21, 2009) -- LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. — The ladies in the card room are playing bridge, and at their age the game is no hobby. It is a way of life, a daily comfort and challenge, the last communal campfire before all goes dark.

“We play for blood,” says Ruth Cummins, 92, before taking a sip of Red Bull at a recent game.

“It’s what keeps us going,” adds Georgia Scott, 99. “It’s where our closest friends are.”

In recent years scientists have become intensely interested in what could be called a super memory club — the fewer than one in 200 of us who, like Ms. Scott and Ms. Cummins, have lived past 90 without a trace of dementia. It is a group that, for the first time, is large enough to provide a glimpse into the lucid brain at the furthest reach of human life, and to help researchers tease apart what, exactly, is essential in preserving mental sharpness to the end.

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Ticket To Work Home-Based Job

NTI, the National Telecommuting Institute has a non-profit program to

assist people with disabilities and home employment called the Ticket

To Work Home-Based Jobs. Most positions are telecommunication,

home-computer jobs.

Wages are from $9 - $15/hour.

Contact information is as follows:

Websiste - www.mytickettoworkathome.org

Phone - 866-501-8387

To view the website, please click on link above.

Down's syndrome reveals one key to fighting cancer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People with Down's syndrome rarely get most kinds of cancer and U.S. researchers have nailed down one reason why -- they have extra copies of a gene that helps keep tumors from feeding themselves.

The findings could lead to new treatments for cancer, the researchers reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday, and further study of Down's patients might reveal more ways to fight tumors.

The researchers at Harvard University and elsewhere made use of a new kind of embryonic-like stem cell called an induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cell. These cells, made from ordinary skin, can be transformed to act like powerful stem cells, the body's master cells.

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Robotic Therapy Holds Promise For Cerebral Palsy

ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) — Over the past few years, MIT engineers have successfully tested robotic devices to help stroke patients learn to control their arms and legs. Now, they're building on that work to help children with cerebral palsy.

"Robotic therapy can potentially help reduce impairment and facilitate neuro-development of youngsters with cerebral palsy," says Hermano Igo Krebs, principal research scientist in mechanical engineering and one of the project's leaders.

Krebs and others at MIT, including professor of mechanical engineering Neville Hogan, pioneered the use of robotic therapy in the late 1980s, and since then the field has taken off.

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New Gene Linked To Autism Risk, Especially In Boys

ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — UCLA scientists have discovered a variant of a gene called CACNA1G that may increase a child's risk of developing autism, particularly in boys.

Classic autism strikes boys four times more often than girls. When including the entire spectrum of autism disorders, such as the milder Asperger syndrome, boys are diagnosed 10 times more often than girls.

The journal Molecular Psychiatry publishes the findings in its May 19 advance online edition. "This is a strong finding," said Dr. Stanley Nelson, professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "No one has scrutinized the role that CACNA1G plays in autism.

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Children Who Are Depressed, Anxious Or Aggressive In First Grade Risk Being Victimized Later On

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2009) — Children entering first grade with signs of depression and anxiety or excessive aggression are at risk of being chronically victimized by their classmates by third grade, according to a new longitudinal study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Victoria, looked at more than 400 Canadian children beginning in the autumn of first grade. The children were asked about their experiences being bullied (such as being hit, pushed, and shoved, or being teased and excluded from play). Their teachers were asked to report on the children's symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as on their displays of physical aggression. The researchers returned at the end of first, second, and third grades, at which time they asked the children and their teachers to report on the same issues.

Most children (73 percent) showed few symptoms of depression and anxiety over the three years. But 7 percent of the children showed continuously high levels. The remaining 20 percent showed moderate symptoms at first, but these increased over time. Victimization by depressed and anxious children wasn't evident until third grade.

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Neurons That 'Mirror' The Attention Of Others Discovered

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2009) — Whether a monkey is looking to the left or merely watching another monkey looking that way, the same neurons in his brain are firing, according to researchers at the Duke University Medical Center.

"We speculate that the neurons' activity may lie beneath critical social behavior, such as joint attention," said Michael Platt, Ph.D., Duke professor of neurobiology and evolutionary anthropology and senior author of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "If social inputs to the neurons are disrupted, that might contribute to the social deficits seen in autism and other disorders."

People spontaneously follow the gaze of other people, and this joint attention helps promote social bonding, enhance learning, and may even be necessary for the development of language. People who can't do these things are at a decided disadvantage, and may fail to develop normal patterns of social interaction, Platt said.

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PAALS: Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services

PAALS is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

PAALS is a provisional member of the 

Assistance Dogs International (ADI). 

Misson

Enriching and empowering children and adults with physical disabilities and social needs by training service animals and providing animal assisted educational and recreational activities.

Goals

To train and provide service dogs for individuals with varying abilities. To train assistance animals to create activities for kids with physical and social challenges in South Carolina. To train and provide service animals for various special needs people in our community (ex. Therapy dogs). To increase assistance animal awareness. To provide a program where at-risk youth and/or retired individuals can give back to the community. To provide in training for therapeutic uses (ex. Use in ABA therapy for autistic kids).

Services

PAALS overall goal is to train assistance animals to help individuals with disabilities other than blindness or deafness. These animals can help with a vast array of tasks to assist with physical disabilities, and social needs as assigned assistance animals, or using them through quality programs to groups or organizations that can benefit from our assistance animals.

PAALS, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services is not affiliated with Practical Animal Assisted Life Services or the book Practical Partners. Practical Animal Assisted Life Services has recently changed their name to Dogs for Disabled.

To view the PAALS website, please click on link above.

To view the PAALS May 09 Newsletter: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/226737/12c4baad3d/1582500029/2f8a7b771d/

Age-related Difficulty Recognizing Words Predicted By Brain Differences

ScienceDaily (May 14, 2009) — Older adults may have difficulty understanding speech because of age-related changes in brain tissue, according to new research in the May 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that older adults with the most difficulty understanding spoken words had less brain tissue in a region important for speech recognition. The findings may help explain why hearing aids do not benefit all people with age-related hearing difficulties.

Although some hearing loss can be a normal part of aging, many older adults complain about difficulty understanding speech, especially in challenging listening conditions like crowded restaurants. Research has suggested that this decline in speech recognition is independent of hearing loss.

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Videoconferencing Can Increase Patient Access To Stroke Specialists

ScienceDaily (May 11, 2009) — A new scientific statement says a remote exam using high-quality videoconferencing equipment is as effective as a bedside stroke evaluation.

Physicians must quickly evaluate stroke patients to determine if they’re eligible for time-sensitive treatment such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) that can save brain function and reduce disability. Stroke and brain imaging specialists are often required to perform the evaluation. However, the United States has only an average of four neurologists per 100,000 people, and not all of them specialize in stroke, according to the statement.

Telemedicine, or telestroke, uses interactive videoconferencing via webcams connected to a TV or computer screen, which allows the patient, family and the bedside and distant healthcare providers to see and hear each other in full color and in real time.

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Find local resources, providers, services, and support

Welcome to Autism Source

Welcome to the Autism Society of America's on-line referral database. 

Search nationwide autism-related services and supports by location or service type. Autism Source, created in 2004, is the most comprehensive database of its kind. ASA strives to offer only credible and reliable resources to our constituents, therefore we have employed our nationwide network of chapters and collaborated with other autism organizations and professionals throughout the U.S. It is because of these collaborative relationships that Autism Source continues to grow and is kept current with comprehensive resource listings.

To view the website, please click on link above.

Assistive Technology Online Network

Thanks to the Department of Education Regional AT Specialists, we have the following information

Student Summer Camps

Summer Camps in South Carolina

Pattison’s Academy Summer Day Camp

Date: TBD, 5-6 weeks in June & July; 9:00am – 3:00pm

Where: Charleston, SC

Cost: $150 Weekly.  Cost includes snacks, field trips, crafts and therapy services (as long as therapists are able to bill Medicaid or private insurance.) Additional funding resources may also be available.

Participants: Ages 1 - 15 years old who have multiple and\or severe disabilities (Physical impairments, visual, hearing, cognitive impairments).  

Description: Pattison's Academy Summer Camp provides therapy, enrichment and FUN for children and a nice break for their caregivers. 

Contact: http://www.pattisonsacademy.org/Summer_Camp09.html or 843-849-6707

Camp Lion's Den

Date: TBD

Where: Clemson, SC

Cost: N/A

Participants: Ages 7 – 17 with visual impairments

Description: Serving visually impaired children of South Carolina, this program is sponsored by the Mid-Day Lions Club of Anderson, SC and the South Carolina Lions, Inc. 

Contact: cuolcamps-L@clemson.edu

Camp Sertoma

Date: TBD

Where: Clemson, SC

Cost: N/A

Participants: Ages 7 - 13 who are underprivileged or have speech/hearing impairments

Description: Sponsored by the Sertoma clubs of South Carolina, the program offers opportunities for fun, skills development and education in an outdoor environment. Children are placed in groups with seven other children according to age and previous camp experience. 

Contact: www.campsertomasc.com

Summer Camps outside of South Carolina

Camp Chatterbox

Date: June 21- June 27

Where: Stillwater, NJ 

Cost: Cost: $850 for a child and parent. Additional family members may attend Camp for an added fee.

Participants: Ages 5 - 15 who use augmentative & alternative communication devices and a training program for their parents. 

Description: Camp Chatterbox gives children an opportunity to interact with other children using AAC systems while learning to use their devices in functional activities. It is sponsored by the Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ. 

Contact: http://www.campchatterbox.org

Camp Communicate

Date: August 28 – August 30

Where: Rome, ME   

Cost: $375. This fee includes the programming, meals and accommodations for one camper and one parent/caregiver.  For information on additional caregiver costs – please see the website.

Participants: Ages 8 - 20, must be accompanied by a caregiver

Description: Camp Communicate is an innovative weekend designed specifically for non-verbal children who use augmentative & alternative communication to communicate. Each camper will have the opportunity to attend workshops and share information and strategies in a supportive environment. 

Contact:  http://www.pinetreesociety.org/camp_communicate.asp

Courage Camps

Date: Various dates in June & July

Where: Maple Lake, MN

Cost: Varies; some $40; Camp offers scholarships for campers who need financial assistance. 

Participants: Varies depending on camp; See website for more information

Description: Large variety of camps for people with disabilities organized by the Courage Camps.  Information for two camps is listed below. 

For more information contact: http://couragecamps.org/

Literacy Camp  

This unique session is for struggling readers (all disabilities), ages 12 - 18, who would like a positive literacy experience. Educators under the direction of Dr. David Koppenhaver and Dr. Karen Erickson, national literacy experts, will be working with campers to determine literacy needs and intervention strategies to begin to address those needs. Campers must be ambulatory and independent with self-care. 

For specific information about this session, contact Barb Wollak at bawollak@gmail.com

Augmentative Alternative Communication Camp

This session is for teens, ages 12 - 19, who use synthesized speech devices. This session is not designed for beginning AAC users, but for those users who need to learn more about the capabilities of their device and the importance of communication.  Campers participate in all the fun camp activities, such as horseback riding and tubing behind a boat. Device use is encouraged before, during, and after each activity, (except in the water!) Campers are able to meet other teens who use AAC devices as well as interact with a proficient AAC mentor. 

For information about this camp visit: http://couragecamps.org/lakeside_summer.html#prog10

Brain Abnormalities Associated With Social Orienting Ability Found In Toddlers With Autism, According To Imaging Study

ScienceDaily (May 7, 2009) — Toddlers with autism appear more likely to have an enlarged amygdala, a brain area associated with numerous functions, including the processing of faces and emotion, according to a new report. In addition, this brain abnormality appears to be associated with the ability to share attention with others, a fundamental ability thought to predict later social and language function in children with autism.

"Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder likely involving multiple brain systems," the authors write as background information in the article. "Converging evidence from magnetic resonance imaging, head circumference and postmortem studies suggests that brain volume enlargement is a characteristic feature of autism, with its onset most likely occurring in the latter part of the first year of life." Based both on its function and studies of changes in its structure, the amygdala has been identified as a brain area potentially associated with autism.

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