Pediatric Brain Development in the News:  Concerns About Anesthesia's Impact On the Brain

Dyslexia in the News: Brain Imaging Study Eliminates Differences in Visual Function as a Cause of Dyslexia

A new brain imaging study of dyslexia shows that differences in the visual system do not cause the disorder, but instead are likely a consequence. The findings, published today in the journal Neuron, provide important insights into the cause of this common reading disorder and address a long-standing debate about the role of visual symptoms observed in developmental dyslexia.

Autism in the News:  Understanding Sex Differences in Autism: Symposium Summary   

[Source:  Autism Speaks.org]

by Alycia Halladay, PhD, Autism Speaks senior director of environmental and clinical sciences

Over more than thirty years of autism research, one finding has stood out in its consistency: Boys are at least four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

But why?  What clues does this difference provide for understanding what causes autism? How should it guide how we develop behavioral therapies and other treatments?

Autism Behaviors in the Mainstream News:  'Stimming' in the News (BBC)  

What is this word?  It's stimming, short for the medical term self-stimulatory behaviours - a real mouthful.

Stimming might be rocking, head banging, repeatedly feeling textures or squealing. You'll probably have seen this in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but not really wanted to ask about it.

It is a term used widely in the ASD community.

Cerebral Palsy in the News:  Treating Cerebral Palsy by Retraining Muscles   

Recent research was completed that compared treadmill training versus overground walking effects on balance skills using a randomized controlled trial with blinded evaluator. The participants were children with cerebral palsy ages 3-12, GMFCS levels I through III. The experimental group received 30 minute treadmill training session two times per week for 7 weeks. The control group participated in overground walking, 30 minute sessions, 2 times per week, also for 7 weeks.

The results indicated the following:

Autism Behaviors in the News:  Postural Control and Repetitive Behaviors in Children with Autism   

[Source:  Your Therapy Source]

Recent research was published on postural control and repetitive behaviors in children with autism.    The participants including children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing controls ages 3-16. The center of pressure sway area during quiet, comfortable stance were compared to scores on the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised. The results indicated the following:

• increased postural sway in children with ASD
• greater frequency and intensity of restricted, repetitive behaviors were present in the children with ASD

Low Birth Weight Babies in the News:  Reduced Brain Volume in Kids With Low Birth-Weight Tied to Academic Struggles    

[Source: Science Daily]

An analysis of recent data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 97 adolescents who were part of study begun with very low birth weight babies born in 1982-1986 in a Cleveland neonatal intensive care unit has tied smaller brain volumes to poor academic

More than half of the babies that weighed less than 1.66 pounds and more than 30 percent of those less than 3.31 pounds at birth later had academic deficits. (Less than 1.66 pounds is considered extremely low birth weight; less than 3.31 pounds is labeled very low birth weight.) Lower birth weight was associated to smaller brain volumes in some of these children, and smaller brain volume, in turn, was tied to academic deficits.

Infant Emotional Development in the News:  Infants Express Non-Verbal Sympathy For Others In Distress     

[Source: Live Science]

Babies may be able to show sympathy before their first birthday, according to a new study in which 10-month-olds preferred the victims rather than the aggressors in a bullying encounter.

The research, published Wednesday (June 12) in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to find evidence of possible sympathy in children younger than toddlers, the researchers said. Sympathy is the feeling of concern for others.

Autism Research in the News:  First Comprehensive and Prospective Characterization of a Genetic Subtype of Autism     

[Source:  Science Daily]

In the first prospective study of its kind, Seaver Autism Center researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provide new evidence of the severity of intellectual, motor, and speech impairments in a subtype of autism called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS). The data are published online in the June 11 issue of the journal Molecular Autism.

Featured Job of the Week:  Pediatric OT - Boston Strong! 

PediaStaff Therapy Placement of the Week:  Meet Tava!   

Therapy Activity of the Week:  Following Directions / Map Skills Activity Grid Game   

We at Kids Activities Blog love great kids activities like this that get kids moving while teaching them concepts they need to learn.

The goal of this map game is to work your way through the grid by following the directions given. Practice counting and using the words left, right, forward, and backward.

App of the Week:  Heads Up!   

[Source:  All4MyChild.com]

Book Review: Early Communication Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals   

Reviewed by Rebecca L. Jarzynski, M.S., CCC-SLP
Book Written by Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Published by: Woodbine House

OT Activity of the Week:  Unbuttoning Rings   

I have made sensory socks before and asked children to pull them apart to work on motor planning skills. I have also made socks that attached to one another by buttoning but recently decided to add a button (made by cutting large plastic circles)  and a button hole so that each one could be buttoned into a  a ring. I connected them together like links so that the children would have to open the buttons to take apart. Each sock has 1/2 a supermarket plastic bag inside to give it some substance but not be too bulky.