Court: Make Currency Recognizable to Blind

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government discriminates against blind people because American currency is not designed to be distinguishable to visually impaired people, a federal judge said on Tuesday...

...Robertson was ruling on a lawsuit filed by The American Council of the Blind against the U.S. Treasury Department. The council accused the department of violating the Rehabilitation Act, which was passed by Congress to ensure that people with disabilities can maximize their independence and 'inclusion and integration into society.'"

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Actors Summons Tears of LA CAST of Characters:Gifted in Special Ways, This Troupe of Laughter ... and Pride

"Erin O’Neill is an actress."
"Sure, she never has been in a dramatic production, but when you watch her do improv as an employee at a retail store return counter, it’s hard to imagine anyone’s learning more in just eight acting classes."

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Video Games for ADHD

"SAN JOSE, Calif. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- As much as 6 percent of the American population has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a disorder that makes it hard to focus. The usual treatment is medication that can have serious side effects. But now, some doctors are successfully treating ADHD with video games. "

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Cell Transplants Restore Sight in Blind Mice

"Blind mice regained some ability to see after getting transplants of cells taken from the eyes of other mice, strengthening the prospect that it may someday be possible to restore vision in some people who have lost most or all of their eyesight, scientists reported yesterday.

Researchers in London and Michigan who did the work warned that it would be years before similar efforts might be tried in people who have lost their vision from macular degeneration or other kinds of blindness that might respond to the treatment."

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Anxiety Sensitivity a Risk to Mental Health

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The fear of fear itself may make people more vulnerable to developing certain psychiatric disorders, a study suggests.

Researchers found that people who are especially sensitive to the physical signs of anxiety - from sweaty palms to a pounding heart - have a higher risk of developing anxiety disorders, including recurrent panic attacks."

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Students Work on Life Skills

"There is no textbook to teach someone how to function in everyday life, but Beth Tuten has found a curriculum."

"Every day in her special education class, students simulate life on their own in an apartment, step-by-step."

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Can Caffeine Protect Against Alzheimer's?

"Connie Lesko's not looking for the jolt that a cup of hot java offers."
"Instead, she's hoping new research that shows caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's pans out: The 56-year-old from Wimauma, Fla., has two parents with this incurable disease."

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Walking Under Water for Cerebral Palsy

Ivanhoe Broadcast News(Murfreesboro, TN)

Swimming, splashing, sliding... must kids love the water, and 11 year old Sarah Grace is no different. But all the water works is actually physical therapy. Sarah Grace was born more than four months premature and weighed just over one pound. She was the smallest baby to ever survive at her hospital.

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Study: Autism Affects Entire Brain

"Report Challenges Theory That Condition Is Limited To Specific Regions

(WebMD) New research is challenging the long-held belief that autism affects only those regions of the brain that control social interaction, communication, and reasoning — suggesting, instead, that the disorder affects the entire brain. The government-funded study found that even highly functioning autistic children had difficulty when asked to perform a wide range of complex tasks involving other areas of the brain. This suggests different parts of the autistic brain have difficulty working together to process complex information. This may be the driving component of autism, the researchers say. "

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Mutated Gene Raises Autism Risk, Study Finds

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. researchers said Monday that they had identified a genetic mutation that raises the risk of autism and could also explain some of the other symptoms seen in children with autism...Dr. Pat Levitt and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, studied 743 families in which 1,200 family members were affected by autism spectrum disorders, which range from fully disabling autism to Asperger's syndrome.

They found a single mutation in a gene called MET, which is known to be involved in brain development, regulation of the immune system and repair of the gastrointestinal system. All of these systems can be affected in children with autism. 'This is a vulnerability gene,' Levitt said in a telephone interview. 'There are not genes that actually cause autism. It raises the risk.' "

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CDC Finances Study into Causes of Autism

ATLANTA - "The largest federal study to date into the causes of autism was announced Friday — a multi-state investigation that will involve 2,700 young children."

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and five other research centers will study the youngsters over five years. The research is designed to ferret out any genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to autism."

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High Rate of Sleep Apnea in Down Syndrome Kids

FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- "Abnormal sleep patterns and obstructive sleep apnea affect more than half of children with Down syndrome, but parents may not know whether their children have these problems, U.S. researchers report."

"Based on the findings, they also advise that all parents of youngsters with Down syndrome get their child's sleep patterns tested by polysomnography by age 3 or 4."

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High-Tech Glasses Help Those With Tunnel Vision

THURSDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- "A visual aid invented by U.S. scientists may help improve vision and mobility for people with tunnel vision."

"The study found that the device -- which combines a tiny camera, a pocket-sized computer and transparent computer display mounted on a pair of glasses -- significantly increased the effectiveness and speed with which visually impaired people were able to find objects."

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