Relationship Found Between Napping, Hyperactivity, Depression And Anxiety

ScienceDaily (June 9, 2009) — Napping may have a significant influence on young children's daytime functioning, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 8 at Sleep 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Results indicate that children between the ages of 4 and 5 who did not take daytime naps were reported by their parents to exhibit higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression than children who continued to nap at this age.

According to lead author Brian Crosby, PhD, postdoctoral fellow of psychology at Pennsylvania State University, previous studies have shown that poor or inadequate sleep is linked with symptoms of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression; researchers involved in this study were happy to demonstrate the potential importance of napping for optimal daytime functioning in young children, as napping is often overlooked in favor of nighttime or total sleep.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Experts: For Kids -- No Sports, No Schoolwork, No Text Messages

ScienceDaily (June 9, 2009) — When it comes to concussions, children and teens require different treatment, according to international experts who recently published consensus recommendations. The British Journal of Sports Medicine's new guidelines say children and teens must be strictly monitored and activities restricted until fully healed. These restrictions include no return to the field of play, no return to school, and no cognitive activity.

The new consensus is from the International Conference on Concussion in Sports. Children's pediatric concussion expert and neuropsychologist Gerard Gioia, PhD, participated in the panel, and played a key role in delineating the differences between children, adolescents and teens, and adult athletes.

"These consensus recommendations mark the first time that international experts have focused on specialized treatment for kids," said Dr. Gioia, chief of Neuropsychology at Children's National. "This conference of experts has led the way in developing protocols for adult athletes, and now international protocols take into consideration that the developing brain of the child and adolescent requires special consideration. The guidelines also point to the important role parents, coaches, and teachers play in assessing and treating young athletes."

To view entire article, please click on link above.

PAALS Summer Camp spaces available

We have a few spots left for youth with special needs in our camp this summer and some scholarships are available. We talk with each family to make sure the camp is suitable for their specific special needs. If you want a flyer sent to you as an attachment, please contact Jennifer at or 788-7063, or call Linda Carter at 754-6720 x203.

-----------------------------------------------------

* Beginner Camp:

July 20-July 24, 2009              

Monday-Friday 8:30am-12:30pm, Fee:  $175

*Other RCRC camp available for afternoon until 6pm

Located at Crane Creek Community Center

Learn the basics of service dog training, community 

service ethics, and work side by side with other youth

and special needs  individuals, all while pairing up to

train a service dog candidate

** Advanced Camp for returnees & Special needs:

July 27-July 31, 2009

Monday-Friday 8:30am-3:30pm, Fee:  $250

Ages 12-16 for returnees who attended previous camp and/or volunteer with dog programs and ages 11- 19 for special needs

*Other RCRC camp available for afternoon until 6pm

Located at Crane Creek Community Center

Building

on Beginner’s camp junior trainers will get more advanced service dog

behaviors to practice and responsibility of the dogs. 

PAALS stands for "Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services." 

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

Free webinar on Accessibility in PDF documents and forms

When: Wed, Jun 17, 2009
Time: 10:00 am US Pacific (1pm US Eastern)

In this eSeminar, you'll learn how to:
• Create accessible PDF documents and forms
• Analyze existing PDF files and make them accessible
• Add other interactive features to make your documents and 
forms more accessible

Join us Wednesday, June 17 2009 at 10:00 am US Pacific, for a free
eSeminar on how you can use the features in Acrobat 9 to make PDF
files fully accessible and Section 508 compliant. Learn how to create
accessible PDF documents and forms, analyze existing PDF files for
accessibility, and add other interactive features to make your
documents and forms more accessible.
In addition to our special guest speaker, Adobe Accessibility Product
Managers Andrew Kirkpatrick and Greg Pisocky will be on hand in the
chat room to answer your questions.
Accessibility features in Acrobat 9 fall into two broad categories:
Features for making existing PDF documents more accessible for reading
and features for creating accessible PDF documents. To create
accessible PDF documents, you must use Acrobat, not Reader. Acrobat 9
also offers a complete set of tools to create and optimize accessible
PDF files from almost any source.

To register for this event, go to:
http://acrobatusers.com/monthly_topic/2009/06
AcrobatUsers.com hosts a large selection of written and video
tutorials on create accessible PDF documents and forms at:
http://www.acrobatusers.com/topics/accessibility

To visit the SCATP website, please click on link above.

Common Autism Medication Is Ineffective For Repetitive Behaviors, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (June 1, 2009) — Citalopram (Celexa), a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to a multi-site clinical trial guided by lead author Bryan H. King, MD, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle Children's Hospital and professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Because citalopram is also prescribed for patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), these study results may challenge the widely held premise that repetitive behaviors in children with ASD are similar to repetitive behaviors often found in cases of OCD.

"We're continuing to learn new information about the multiple variables that may cause or contribute to autism spectrum disorders, as well as how to treat them," said King. "Even as our understanding of autism grows, so much still remains a mystery. While our study's findings may be frustrating news for hopeful families and clinicians, each new finding helps us to re-examine and revise treatment plans, refine future studies and build upon what we know as we search for effective treatments and eventually cures for this complex group of disorders."

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Capturing The Birth Of A Synapse: Mechanism Locking Two Neurons Found

Receptors are needed for synapses to become functional. Neuroligin (red) on the surface of the cell is tethered to neurotransmitter receptors (mauve) that reside in intracellular vesicles. This enables both synaptic components to move together to a site of synapse formation. (Credit: Courtesy of Philip Washbourne)

ScienceDaily (May 28, 2009) — Researchers have identified the locking mechanism that allows some neurons to form synapses to pass along essential information. Mutations of genes that produce a critical cell-adhesion molecule involved in the work were previously linked to autism.

The discovery -- captured with fluorescent imaging of excitatory neurons harvested from rat pups shortly after birth and studied in culture as they continued to develop -- is described in a paper in the journal Neural Development.

"We've caught two neuronal cells in the act of forming a synapse," said principle investigator Philip Washbourne, professor of biology at the University of Oregon. He describes the cell-adhesion neuroligin proteins on the membranes of receptor neurons as "molecular Velcro."

The research team of six UO and University of California, Davis, scientists found one of many finger-like filopodia, or spines, that reach out from one neuron is nabbed by neuroligin molecules on the membrane of another neuron. In turn, neuroligins recruit at least two other key proteins (PSD-95 and NMDA receptors) to begin building a scaffold to hold the synapse components in place. The moment of locking is captured in a video (link below) that will appear with the paper's final version at the journal's Web site.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Study Clarifies a Depression Risk

New York Times (June 2, 2009) -- Teenagers whose parents have a history of depression are at particularly high risk of becoming depressed themselves. Now, a large clinical trial has found that a group cognitive behavioral program that teaches coping and problem-solving skills to such high-risk teenagers can reduce the risk.

But, the study also found, the success rate of the prevention program varied greatly depending on the mental health status of the teenagers’ parents at the time they began intervention. The program was much more effective than standard care if the parents were also not depressed when the intervention began.

The study was published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

by Roni Rabin

To view entire article, please click on link above.

SCSDB grant provides high-tech tools for daily tasks

John Byrum/john.byrum@shj.com

Leslie Brown, a graduate of the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind, uses a Omni barcode scanner to identify a product from a grocery store shelf. The device scans the barcode and then speaks the name of the product.

GoUpstate.com (Wednesday June 3) -- After reaching for a snack on the grocery store shelf, Leslie Brown scanned the box's barcode and heard "Quaker Granola Bar, chocolate chip." Saying she hated chocolate, Brown put it back and moved on to the next item.

Brown, 27, is a graduate of the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind. She can't see the items she's shopping for in the grocery store, but thanks to new vision technology tools, Brown can shop more independently.

SCSDB's fundraising arm, The Walker Foundation, purchased two Omni barcode scanners and three KNFB Readers, which double as phones, with a $8,372 grant from Bi-Lo Charities Inc. The high-tech tools will help students accomplish everyday tasks such as shopping, dining in a restaurant or cooking a meal.

"We like to say technology is a great equalizer, and these tools are must-haves for individuals who are seeking independence," Elizabeth McKown, SCSDB's interim vice president of outreach services, said in a written statement. "By helping our students who are blind use assistive devices such as readers and scanners, they can accomplish daily activities with ease."

by Lee G. Healy

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Long-distance Brain Waves Focus Attention

Neurons in the visual cortex (area V4) encode the visual scene, and neurons in the FEF portion of prefrontal cortex control the focus of attention. When attention (cone and circle) is directed to the red book, neurons in FEF and V4 (represented by red triangles) start firing rhythmically, and the neural activity becomes synchronized across the two areas. (Credit: Image courtesy of MIT)

ScienceDaily (June 2, 2009) — Just as our world buzzes with distractions — from phone calls to e-mails to tweets — the neurons in our brain are bombarded with messages. Research has shown that when we pay attention, some of these neurons begin firing in unison, like a chorus rising above the noise. Now, a study in the May 29 issue of Science reveals the likely brain center that serves as the conductor of this neural chorus.

MIT neuroscientists found that neurons in the prefrontal cortex — the brain's planning center — fire in unison and send signals to the visual cortex to do the same, generating high-frequency waves that oscillate between these distant brain regions like a vibrating spring. These waves, also known as gamma oscillations, have long been associated with cognitive states like attention, learning, and consciousness.

"We are especially interested in gamma oscillations in the prefrontal cortex because it provides top-down influences over other parts of the brain," explains senior author Robert Desimone, director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Doris and Don Berkey Professor of Neuroscience at MIT. "We know that the prefrontal cortex is affected in people with schizophrenia, ADHD and many other brain disorders, and that gamma oscillations are also altered in these conditions. Our results suggest that altered neural synchrony in the prefrontal cortex could disrupt communication between this region and other areas of the brain, leading to altered perceptions, thoughts, and emotions."

To view entire article, please click on link above.

Common Autism Medication Is Ineffective For Repetitive Behaviors, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (June 1, 2009) — Citalopram (Celexa), a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to a multi-site clinical trial guided by lead author Bryan H. King, MD, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle Children's Hospital and professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Because citalopram is also prescribed for patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), these study results may challenge the widely held premise that repetitive behaviors in children with ASD are similar to repetitive behaviors often found in cases of OCD.

"We're continuing to learn new information about the multiple variables that may cause or contribute to autism spectrum disorders, as well as how to treat them," said King. "Even as our understanding of autism grows, so much still remains a mystery. While our study's findings may be frustrating news for hopeful families and clinicians, each new finding helps us to re-examine and revise treatment plans, refine future studies and build upon what we know as we search for effective treatments and eventually cures for this complex group of disorders."

To view entire article, please click on link above.

SC Assistive Technology Exchange

***SC Assistive Technology Exchange May 29 2009 Update***

Thanks to Catherine Graham for this updated list of items on the SC AT Exchange.

If you have questions about items on the Exchange, it would be best to email or call Catherine Graham (information provided below).

Catherine Leigh Graham
catherine.graham@palmettohealth.org
(803) 434-3189

Special note: We're now listing accessible homes on the AT Exchange.

The SC Assistive Technology Exchange is an online recycling database to help citizens with disabilities and older people with functional limitations find affordable assistive technology devices and equipment. For more information or to buy, sell or donate, visit the Web site at http://www.scatpexchange.net/ or email Catherine Graham at Catherine.graham@palmettohealth.org.

Catherine Graham and Janet Jendron, SC AT Exchange Administrators

Please visit the page at http://www.scatpexchange.net/ and find the contact information for these and other items.

As of May 29, 2009 09:37 AM

Items Available

Daily Living

• Boys Shoes For AFO's, Answer 2
  
• Etac Commode/Shower Chair
  
• HOUSE - Wheelchair accessible, Lake Carolina - The Oaks, Wheelchair accessible home in northeast Columbia. Please go to http://public.fotki.com/Robyn/223-oak-cove/ for details and pictures.
  

Mobility, Seating & Positioning

• 42" Rifton prone stander
  
• Child's Corner Chair
  
• Columbia Med. Bath chair
  
• Craftmatic 1 Bed
  
• Leckey High Low Chair
  
• Hospital Crib by HARD
  
• Jazzy Heavy Duty Power Wheelchair
  
• Jazzy 1120 Power Chair
  
• Jazzy Pride 1121 power wheelchair
  
• Large Columbia 8700 Bath chair
  
• Merits P182 Powerchair
  
• Multi positioning RB2 bath chair
  
• Hoyer Deluxe power patient Lifter HPL402
  
• Merius Power wheel chair
  
• Permobil C300 Power wheelchair
  
• Jazzy 1120/2000 power wheelchair w/ attendant drive
  
• Pride Jet 2 HD (Heavy Duty) Scooter
  
• Reclining Shower Chair, Sammons Preston, Item 927685
  
• Rifton Youth Activity Chair
  
• Rifton Small Gait Trainer
  
• Gazelle PS Stander
  
• Convaid Safari Stroller
  
• Adjustable Supportive Crawler
  
• Columbia Medical Wrap around bath support
  
• Quickie Youth caregiver operated wheelchair
  
• Columbia thera medic car seat
  
• Invacare 2005 hydraulic patient lift device
  
• Guldman- model GH2 power patient lift device
  
• Libre, by Freedom Designs small youth wheelchair
  

Other

• Halo Helmet, Sammons Preston
  
• Nebulizer, Proneb Ultreya
  
• jevity 1cal
  

Recreation, Sports, and Leisure

• Adaptive Tricycle , Wrangler, Adaptive tricycle for child with disability
  
• Swing Seat, JennSwing
  

Speech Communication

• ERICA Eye Gaze Speech Generating Device
  

Vehicle Modification and Transportation

• Accessible Van ('99 Custom Ford E150), Ford E150 Custom Conversion Van
  
• Dodge 2500 Wheelchair Access. Van, Dodge 2500 Van, 1998 Full size
  
• Hand Controls, Monarch Mark I-A
  
• Wheelchair Accessible Van, 2005 Toyota Sienna LE Rampvan
  

Items being Sought

Computers and related

• Used computer
  

Daily Living

• "Sure Hands" Ceiling Hoist
  
• CPAP with humidifier
  
• E&J Shower Wheel Chair
  
• Electric or Manual Hoyer Lift
  
• Emergency System
  
• Recumbent Bike
  

Environmental Adaptations

• Portable Wheelchair Ramp
  
• Portable Wheelchair Ramp for Van
  

Hearing

• Hearing Aid and Eyeglasses
  

Mobility, Seating & Positioning

• 14x14 light weight folding wheelchair
  
• 20 x22 or 20x20 Wheelchair cushion
  
• Corner Chair for activities for 19 month old with CP
  
• Electric Adjustable Bed (not hospital
  
• Power Lift Chair for a friend in need who has Parkinson's Disease
  
• Lift chair with motor that fully reclines
  
• Personal Lift to assist with transfers for a child approx 125lbs
  
• Adult Standing Frame
  
• Tomato Soft Seating System for 19 month old with CP
  
• Transfer Tub Bench
  
• Used Manual Wheelchair
  

Recreation, Sports, and Leisure

• Kayak
  

Speech Communication

• AAC Device, In desperate need of a Springboard Lite or Vantage Lite for my son
  
• Easy Talk16, Augmentative Communication Device
  

Vehicle Modification and Transportation

• Powerchair Transport Accessories
  
• Exterior Power Chair Lift with a Hitch
  
• Exterior Power Chair Lift with a Hitch
  
• Hi Top Handicap Van
  
• Power Rear vehicle mounted scooter lift
  
• Side Door Van Handicap Lift
  
• Van Wheelchair Ramp
  

To view the SC Assistive Technology Exchange website, please click on link above.

Alzheimer's Discovery Could Bring Early Diagnosis, Treatment Closer

(Credit: iStockphoto)

ScienceDaily (May 23, 2009) — A discovery made by researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Research Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital offers new hope for the early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

In a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on May 15, Dr. Hemant Paudel, his PhD student Dong Han and postdoctoral fellows Hamid Qureshi and Yifan Lu, report that the addition of a single phosphate to an amino acid in a key brain protein is a principal cause of Alzheimer's. Identifying this phosphate, one of up to two-dozen such molecules, could make earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's possible and might, in the longer term, lead to the development of drugs to block its onset.

The crucial protein, called a tau protein, is a normal part of the brain and central nervous system. But in Alzheimer's patients, tau proteins go out of control and form tangles that, along with senile plaques, are the primary cause of the degenerative disease.

To view entire article, please click on link above.

New Model Of Depression/anxiety Enhances Understanding Of Antidepressant Drugs

ScienceDaily (May 27, 2009) — A recent study finds that the antidepressant effects of drugs like Prozac involve both neurogenesis-dependent and -independent mechanisms, a finding that may lead to development of better treatments for depression and anxiety. The research, published in the May 28th issue of the journal Neuron, utilizes a new experimental mouse model of depression/anxiety that is the first to permit simultaneous examination of multiple effects of antidepressant treatment in the same animal.

The specific molecular influences of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other types of antidepressants commonly prescribed for treatment of depression and anxiety disorders are not well understood. "Recently, compelling work in rodents has suggested that SSRIs may stimulate changes in a brain region called the hippocampus as well as other brain structures," says study author Dr. Denis J. David from the University of Paris-Sud. "For example, anxiety/depression-like changes in behavior have been linked with a decrease in cell proliferation in the hippocampus, a change that is reversed by antidepressants."

To view entire article, please click on link above.