Language Support In Schools Vital For Children With Autism

ScienceDaily (Nov. 12, 2009) — Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. "It is important that pupils are offered the support to which they are entitled," says Jakob Åsberg in a new thesis at the University of Gothenburg.

Pupils with these neuropsychiatric disorders are often reported as having problems with spoken and written activities. However, relatively little research has been carried out within the field. Considering how important such skills are for coping independently in school and in working life and society in general, it is of great importance that we become better informed about these issues," considers Jakob Åsberg, who is publicly defending his thesis in psychology.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Free Webcast on AT for Hearing Loss

Join the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center at ILRU for a webcast:

"Update on Assistive Technology for those with Hearing Loss"

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 2:00pm Central.

Rose Minette, Hard of Hearing Specialist for the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services will provide information on the latest innovative assistive technology solutions that can accommodate persons who are deaf or hard of hearing in accessing the workplace, businesses and public services. Topics of discussion will include:

Accessibility issues Assistive listening devices Best accommodation practices Improved accessibility for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing

To link to this webcast and download accompanying materials visit:
http://ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/calendar.html

For instructions on how to access a webcast visit:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/instructions.html

Please visit this site ahead of time to test and ensure your computer is configured and updated to participate in the webcast.

For technical assistance, please check out our FAQs (frequently asked questions) at:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/FAQ.html

Or contact a webcast team member at swdbtac@ilru.org or 713.520.0232 (v/tty).

This webcast is supported through the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center, a project of ILRU. The Southwest ADA Center ( www.SouthwestADA.org) is one of ten Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide training, technical assistance and materials dissemination on the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws. NIDRR is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

Call 1-800-949-4232 v/tty to reach the DBTAC that serves your area.

We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009!

To visit the Southwest ADA Center, please click on the link above.

Theory About Long And Short-term Memory Challenged By New Research

ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2009) — The long-held theory that our brains use different mechanisms for forming long-term and short-term memories has been challenged by new research from UCL, published in PNAS.

Neuroscientists formed this theory based on observation of patients with amnesia, a condition that severely disrupts the ability to form long-lasting memories. Typically, amnesia is caused by injury to the hippocampi, a pair of brain structures located in the depth of the temporal lobes.

Despite the condition devastating long-term memory, such patients are quite proficient in rehearsing a phone number over short periods of time, as long as their attention is not distracted. This led to a hypothesis that the hippocampus supports long-term but not short-term memory. However, the UCL study shows that this distinction now needs to be reconsidered.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy Restores Walking Ability In Rats With Neck Injuries

Illustration of rat with spinal injury. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Irvine

ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2009) — The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries -- a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage.

In January, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration gave Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., permission to test the UC Irvine treatment in individuals with thoracic spinal cord injuries, which occur below the neck. However, trying it in those with cervical damage wasn't approved because preclinical testing with rats hadn't been completed.

Results of the cervical study currently appear online in the journal Stem Cells. UCI scientist Hans Keirstead hopes the data will prompt the FDA to authorize clinical testing of the treatment in people with both types of spinal cord damage. About 52 percent of spinal cord injuries are cervical and 48 percent thoracic.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Children With Autism Show Slower Pupil Responses, Study Finds

The computerized binocular infrared pulillography device produces a movie and other data that demonstrate how the eye's pupil reacts to a flash of light. (Credit: University of Missouri)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2009) — Autism affects an estimated 1 in 150 children today, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Despite its widespread effect, autism is not well understood and there are no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Recently, University of Missouri researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. In the study, MU scientists found that children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change.

"No comprehensive study has been conducted previously to evaluate the pupils' responses to light change, or PLR, in children with autism," said Gang Yao, associate professor of biological engineering in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering. "In this study, we used a short light stimulus to induce pupil light reflexes in children under both dark and bright conditions. We found that children with autism showed significant differences in several PLR parameters compared to those with typical development."

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

NLM® is pleased to announce a redesign of the PubMed interface.

While retainfing the robust functionality, the interface was simplified to make it easier to use while promoting scientific discovery.

The changes to PubMed are outlined below. Please note that search processing, including Automatic Term Mapping, has not changed.

Here are a few of the changes:

PubMed Homepage

The PubMed homepage has been streamlined, requiring less effort to find resources. The new homepage includes an NCBI Header, Search Bar, and Footer that are common to all PubMed pages (see Figure 1).

Summary Results

Changes to the Summary format include these modifications (see Figure 2):

-Item checkboxes appear above the item number.

-The previous free article notations have been combined into the single indicator, Free article.

-Items in the Clipboard display the green note, Item in clipboard, in lieu of displaying the citation -number in green.

-Display Settings and Send to features (see below) appear only at the top of the search results.

-To move to another page, the options are now First, Last, Previous, and Next.

My NCBI Filters

Filter your results, on the right of the screen, has replaced the Filter tabs (see Figure 2). It provides Manage Filters, a quick link to change filter selections. Free Full Text has been added as a default filter option for users not signed in to My NCBI. Click on the filter link to display the filter contents. A plus sign, will display which if clicked, will add a search for that filter to the search box.

Limits

Limits (which can be activated on the Advanced search page) appear on the upper right of the screen, with links to change or remove them (see Figure 3).

Related Data

Find related data has replaced the database "Links" selections previously available on the Display pull-down menu. After selecting a database from the menu, a database-specific options menu will display if more than one option is available, as well as a description of how the related data were generated (see Figure 3).

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

EdVenture EdCeptional Families Nights Nov 09 - Mar 2910

EdCeptional Families Nights!

Ever wonder what resources are available for your child’s individual needs and challenges?

EdVenture Children’s Museum is proud to provide parents, teachers and caregivers of children

with disabilities and special needs the opportunity to expand their knowledge of resources while

allowing their children to explore the largest children’s museum in the Southeast!

For three special evenings, the museum will open its doors to provide families with critical, helpful information about services and resources that can enhance their children’s lives:

November 14, 2009 ~ 5:00pm-7:00pm

Families with children with physical disabilities

January 23, 2010 ~ 5:00pm-7:00pm

Families with children with sensory and/or developmental challenges

March 20, 2010 ~ 5:00pm-7:00pm

Families with children with hearing/vision impairments)

For more information, call 803-400-1133.

No reservations needed. Children and adults are welcome!

211 Gervais Street • Columbia, South Carolina 29201

803-779-3100 • www.edventure.org

Tuesday – Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday Noon-5:00pm

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

Alzheimer's Lesions Found In The Retina

UCI neuroscientist Zhiqun Tan lead research that found the retinas of mice may mirror the brain ravaged by Alzheimer's disease. (Credit: Photo by Daniel A. Anderson / University Communications)

ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2009) — The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but new research indicates they also may mirror a brain ravaged by Alzheimer's disease.

UC Irvine neuroscientists have found that retinas in mice genetically altered to have Alzheimer's undergo changes similar to those that occur in the brain -- most notably the accumulation of amyloid plaque lesions.

In addition, the scientists discovered that when Alzheimer's therapies are tested in such mice, retinal changes that result might predict how the treatments will work in humans better than changes in mouse brain tissue.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Sights And Sounds Of Emotion Trigger Big Brain Responses

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2009) — Researchers at the University of York have identified a part of the brain that responds to both facial and vocal expressions of emotion.

They used the MagnetoEncephaloGraphic (MEG) scanner at the York Neuroimaging Centre to test responses in a region of the brain known as the posterior superior temporal sulcus.

The research team from the University's Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre found that the posterior superior temporal sulcus responds so strongly to a face plus a voice that it clearly has a 'multimodal' rather than an exclusively visual function. The research is published in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

New Medicare Videos on NIHSeniorHealth.gov

Seven new videos have been added to Medicare Basics for Caregivers on NIHSeniorHealth.

* Who Is Eligible for Medicare?
* Getting Medicare
* Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B
* Do You Have to Pay to Get Medicare Part A and Part B?
* Choosing How to Get Your Medicare Coverage
* Medicare Part D: Prescription Drug Coverage
* Getting Extra Help

To view the seven new videos, please click on the link above or visit:
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/videolist.html#medicare.

Neuroscientists Find Brain Region Responsible For Our Sense Of Personal Space

Patient SM, a woman with complete bilateral amygdala lesions (red), preferred to stand close to the experimenter (black). On average, control participants (blue) preferred to stand nearly twice as far away from the same experimenter. Images drawn to scale.

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2009) — In a finding that sheds new light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have pinpointed the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal space.

The discovery, described in the August 30 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, could offer insight into autism and other disorders where social distance is an issue.

The structure, the amygdala—a pair of almond-shaped regions located in the medial temporal lobes—was previously known to process strong negative emotions, such as anger and fear, and is considered the seat of emotion in the brain. However, it had never been linked rigorously to real-life human social interaction.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

AAIDD F.Y.I.

November 2009, Vol.9, No.11

Visit www.aaidd.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.responsetrack.net/aaidd/sign_up

Dear AAIDD Friends and Colleagues:

The New Definition and Classification Manual of Intellectual Disability by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is now available.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues latest statistics on newborns with low and very low birth weights.

AAIDD's Environmental Health Initiative (EHI) to present teleconferences dealing with autism and the environment. Also, EHI has produced a new pamphlet on environmental health risks and pregnancy.

Report on the state of health care for persons with disabilities spotlights the effectiveness of the Rosebud Reservation Developmental Clinic in South Dakota.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards more than 50 autism research grants, totaling more than $65 million

Study on cardiovascular risk factors in older people with intellectual disability finds all had unhealthy diet; most lacked exercise and were overweight.

THE NEW DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION MANUAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IS NOW AVAILABLE.

Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports, the new 11th edition of the definition and classification system by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is now available. This is the first official AAIDD definition manual with the terminology "Intellectual Disability" (formerly mental retardation). Learn more about this progressive system of diagnosing and classifying the condition of intellectual disability. To purchase the Manual, please visit the bookstore.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues latest statistics on newborns with low and very low birth weights.

Child Health USA 2008-2009, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, includes updated statistics on newborns with low birth weight an d very low birth weight, populations that are more likely than normal-birth-weight children to experience developmental disabilities. The figures also include a breakdown by maternal race/ethnicity. Read the full report.

AAIDD's Environmental Health Initiative (EHI) to present teleconferences dealing with autism and the environment. Also, EHI has produced a new pamphlet on environmental health Risks and pregnancy.

Cindy Schneider, M.D., of the Center for Autism will speak at an AAIDD Environmental Health Initiative teleconference on "Environmental Toxins and Potentiation," Tuesday, November 10 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. Next month, the teleconference will be on "Autism and Environment: What do we know? What don't we know?" The speaker will be Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor and chief at the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis. That conference is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. There is no charge. Find out how to tune in. Also, listen to audio archives of past teleconferences dating back to 2007. Read more abo ut AAIDD's Environmental Health Initiative.

Also, EHI has produced Environmental Health Risks and Your Pregnancy, a new pamphlet that can be given to women during OB/GYN visits. Download the pamphlet.

Report on the state of health care for persons with disabilities spotlights the effectiveness of the Rosebud Reservation Developmental Clinic in South Dakota.

A new report from the National Council on Disabilities, The Current State of Healthcare for People with Disabilities, cites a clinic serving the South Dakota Rosebud Reservation as an example of an effective program for children with developmental disabilities. The report's general findings concerning persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities point to disparities in health status, poor dental care, lack of needed health services, inadequate health care transition from childhood to adult care, and lack of adequate health care provider awareness and communication. Read the full report.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards more than 50 autism research grants, totaling more than $65 million.

The 50 grants are the result of the largest-ever funding opportunity for research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which was announced in March 2009 and supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The studies receiving awards "hold the best promise of revealing what causes autism, how it might be prevented, what treatments are effective, and how service needs change across the lifespan," said Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health and chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Selected studies range from discovering the specific genes underlying autism to developing a new tool to reduce screening costs to examining possible links between traffic-related pollution and ASD risk. Read the news release with more examples of selected projects.

Study on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Older People with Intellectual Disability Finds All Had Unhealthy Diet; Most Lacked Exercise and Were Overweight.

In a Dutch study published in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the authors evaluated the cardiovascular health of 470 individuals with intellectual disability ages 50-90 years old. Almost 100 percent of the participants had an unhealthy diet, and close to 70 percent lacked exercise and were overweight. Secondary conditions related to these factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, afflicted a significant percentage of these individuals. The authors endorse campaigns to promote health, which are focused on education, and the introduction of preventive screening programs in this population. Read the final article.

AAIDD F.Y.I. is compiled by Anu Prabhala, Editor and is published by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Formerly AAMR). Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to anu@aaidd.org. To learn about AAIDD products, visit http://bookstore.aaidd.org. For more information on becoming an AAIDD member, visit http://www.aaidd.org/Membership/index.shtml.

Subscribe for free at http://www.responsetrack.net/aaidd/sign_up

Access past issues of AAIDD F.Y.I. at www.aaidd.org/FYI/

To view the AAIDD F.Y.I. webpage, please click on the link above.

Alzheimer's Researchers Find High Protein Diet Shrinks Brain

Researchers studying Alzheimer's disease found that, unexpectedly, a high protein diet apparently led to a smaller brain. (Credit: iStockphoto/Kelly Cline

ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2009) — One of the many reasons to pick a low-calorie, low-fat diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and fish is that a host of epidemiological studies have suggested that such a diet may delay the onset or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Now a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Neurodegeneration tests the effects of several diets, head-to-head, for their effects on AD pathology in a mouse model of the disease. Although the researchers were focused on triggers for brain plaque formation, they also found that, unexpectedly, a high protein diet apparently led to a smaller brain.

A research team from the US, Canada, and the UK tested four differing menus on transgenic mouse model of AD, which express a mutant form of the human amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP's role in the brain is not fully understood; however it is of great interest to AD researchers because the body uses it to generate the amyloid plaques typical of Alzheimer's. These mice were fed either

• a regular diet,
• a high fat/low carbohydrate custom diet,
• a high protein/low carb version or
• a high carbohydrate/low fat option.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.