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May 17, 2013
Weekly Edition Issue 15, Volume 6
It's All About the Choices!
Greetings!
Please enjoy our weekly newsletter and have a great weekend!
News Items:
- Methylphenidate 'Normalizes' Activation in Key Brain Areas in Kids With ADHD, Study Suggests
- Kids With Autism Quick To Detect Motion
- Gender Differences In Brain Anatomy Of Dyslexia
- Research: Social Skills and Early Powered Mobility
- Grammar Errors? The Brain Detects Them Even When You Are Unaware
- Human Intelligence Cannot Be Explained By The Size Of The Brain's Frontal Lobes
- Breastfeeding May Reduce Risk of ADHD in Kids
- Preterm Infants Benefit from Massage Therapy
PediaStaff News
- New Feature! Introducing the "PediaStaff Therapy Placement of the Week"
- Meet Kate! Our PediaStaff Therapist of the Week!
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources- Book Review: No More Meltdowns
- Game Review: Tell Tale - A Fun Story-Telling Game
- Sensorimotor Activity of the Week: Painting with Sound
- PT Activity of the Week: Beware the Stairs to Nowhere!
Articles and Special Features - PT Corner: Movement Magic of Tree Fu Tom
- SLP Corner: What Does Nonacademic Adverse Effect Mean?
- Pediatric Therapy Corner: Really Fun Therapy for Kids With Special needs: It's Called "Pinball"
- Worth Repeating: 10 Ways to Use Poetry in Your Classroom
- Also Worth Repeating: 5 Steps to Making the Most of Your Child's Curiosity
Feel free to contact us with any questions about our openings or items in these pages. Have you discovered our RSS feed? Click on the orange button below to subscribe to all our openings and have them delivered to your Feed Reader! Don't have an RSS Feed Reader set up? Sign up at Blogtrottr and have our blog posts delivered right to your email. Have a great weekend and Take Care! Heidi Kay and the PediaStaff Team
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ADHD in the News: Methylphenidate 'Normalizes' Activation in Key Brain Areas in Kids With ADHD, Study Suggests
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[Source: Science Daily]
The stimulant drug methylphenidate "normalizes" activation of several brain areas in young patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a review published in the May Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) show increased activation of key brain areas after a dose of methylphenidate in young patients with ADHD, according to the systematic review by Constance A. Moore, PhD, and colleagues of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. They
Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
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Autism Research in the News: Kids With Autism Quick To Detect Motion
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[Source: NPR Blog]
Children with autism see simple movements twice as fast as other children their age, a new study finds.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Rochester were looking to test a common theory about autism which holds that overwhelming sensory stimulation inhibits other brain functions. The researchers figured they could check that by studying how kids with autism process moving images.
"One can think of autism as a brain impairment, but another way to view autism is as a condition where
Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
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Dyslexia in the News: Gender Differences In Brain Anatomy Of Dyslexia
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[Source: Medical News Today]
Using MRI, neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center found significant differences in brain anatomy when comparing men and women with dyslexia to their non-dyslexic control groups, suggesting that the disorder may have a different brain-based manifestation based on sex.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
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Assistive Technology News: Research: Social Skills and Early Powered Mobility
| [Source: Assistive Technology via Your Therapy Source]
Assistive Technology published research on social skills and early powered mobility. The participants included 23 children with physical disabilities between the ages of 18 months and 6 years of age. Data was collected at wheelchair evaluation, wheelchair delivery, and approximately 6 months later. The following results were seen:
Read the Rest of this Abstract on our Blog |
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Language Processing in the News: Grammar Errors? The Brain Detects Them Even When You Are Unaware
| [Source: Science Daily.com]
Your brain often works on autopilot when it comes to grammar. That theory has been around for years, but University of Oregon neuroscientists have captured elusive hard evidence that people indeed detect and process grammatical errors with no awareness of doing so. Participants in the study - native-English speaking people, ages 18-30 - had their brain activity recorded using electroencephalography, from which researchers focused on a signal known as the Event-Related Potential (ERP). This non-invasive technique allows for the capture of changes in brain electrical activity during an event. In this case, events were short Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
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Neurological Development in the News: Human Intelligence Cannot Be Explained By The Size Of The Brain's Frontal Lobes
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[Source: Medical News Today]
Research into the comparative size of the frontal lobes in humans and other species has determined that they are not - as previously thought - disproportionately enlarged relative to other areas of the brain, according to the most accurate and conclusive study of this area of the brain.
It concludes that the size of our frontal lobes cannot solely account for humans' superior cognitive abilities.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
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ADHD in the News: Breastfeeding May Reduce Risk of ADHD in Kids
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[Source: Special Ed Post]
by Christie Rizk
Breastfeeding is generally thought to be healthier for newborn babies than bottle feeding. According to a new study published today in Breastfeeding Medicine, breastfeeding may even keep children from developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they get older.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
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Infant Massage in the News: Preterm Infants Benefit From Massage Therapy
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[Source: Medical News Today]
It seems that even for the smallest of people, a gentle massage may be beneficial. Newborn intensive care units (NICUs) are stressful environments for preterm infants; mechanical ventilation, medical procedures, caregiving activities and maternal separation create these stressful conditions.
Born under-developed, preemies have an immature autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls stress response and recovery. For a preemie, even a diaper change is stressful and the immature ANS over reacts to these stressors. Since preterm infants can't process stressors appropriately, interventions are needed to enhance ANS function and maturity.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
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PediaStaff News: New Feature! Introducing the "PediaStaff Therapy Placement of the Week"
| Welcome to our new weekly feature for our blog -the "PediaStaff Therapy Placement of the Week" We know you count on PediaStaff for the articles, research, reviews and therapy tips that we share with you on a daily and weekly basis on our blog and in our newsletter. But it's the business behind the content
Read the More About this New Feature on our Blog |
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PediaStaff News: Meet Kate! - Our PediaStaff Therapist of the Week
| Meet, Kate! Kate met the PediaStaff team for the very first time, at the AOTA conference in San Diego just last month. She is interested in school-based occupational therapy and wanted her first contract assignment to be in the Pacific Northwest for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. After talking at at our booth with Mac - PediaStaff's Sr. Staffing Consultant for the northwest, it was determined that she would be a great fit for one of our public school district clients in Washington State. In fact, the match was so good that she interviewed with our client as soon as she got back home from the conference. She starts this fall!
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Book Review: No More Meltdowns
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Review by Barbara Smith, OTR/L
Book by Dr. Jed Baker
Published by Future Horizons
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Jed Baker speak at a Future Horizons conference- where he shared many of the same concrete and logical strategies he describes in his book- No More Meltdowns. I recommend attending one of his presentations to fully appreciate his wisdom, experience and humor. Carol Stock Kranowitz, author of The Out- of- Sync Child wrote the foreword to this book because as an educator she recognizes the critical role of sensory-based strategies as part of the four-step program to prevent incessant meltdowns. As an occupational therapist, I too appreciate how Dr. Baker explores the child's sensory challenges when evaluating behavioral triggers and implementing interventions.
Read the Rest of this Review on our Blog |
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Game Review: Tell Tale - A Fun Story-Telling Game
| 'Editor's Note: We recently have been asking some of our favorite bloggers to v review a couple of games by Blue Orange Games. Thank You Ruth Morgan, of Chapel Hill Snippets for her second review - of Tell Tale!
The game we played today was Tell Tale-the game comes with 60 double-sided cards. Kids pick several cards and tell their best stories using the pictures. Some of the stories can get a little funny since the cards lend to humor! Check out the video at the end of this post for specific directions but it's not complicated.
From the website: Discover the art of storytelling with Tell Tale. Be guided through your own unique tale with cards illustrated with a variety of characters, settings, objects and emotions. If a picture is worth a
Read the Rest of this Review on our Blog |
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Sensorimotor Activity of the Week: Painting with Sound
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Editor's Note: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!
[Source: No Time for Flashcards]
This painting with sound activity was too brilliant to not share. It's a perfect addition to a 5 senses theme. I can't claim any credit for this other than choosing a great preschool for my kids. This came directly from my daughter's teachers and when I saw it Wednesday I gasped because it's pretty rare when I see something new to me. The only thing I changed was to put it on a vertical surface but that
Learn More About this Fantastic Activity Through a Link on our Blog |
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PT Activity of the Week: Beware the Stairs to Nowhere!
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[Source: Beyond Basic Play]
Whenever you practice stairs or any walking activity, make sure you're working towards some goal and not just making a kiddo go up and down, up and down with no purpose.
Some strategies I use:
- placing puzzle or game pieces at the bottom of the stairs and have the game at the top of the stairs
- having balls at the top of the stairs and having my kiddos push the balls down and watch them roll
- placing toys on different steps and collect them on the way up to make a challenging
Read the Rest of this Article on our Blog |
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PT Corner: Movement Magic of Tree Fu Tom
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by Joni Redlich, DPTA new interactive tv show on Sprout called Tree Fu Tom has made its way over the pond from the UK. It is aimed at children ages 3-7 and my 4 year old has been asking to watch it again and again. The show is about a boy named Tom who shrinks and turns into a cartoon to enter the world of his garden. Tom and his friends encounter challenges and have to problem solve solutions. This is where the magic comes in. Tom calls upon his "Big World Magic" that he needs help from the viewers to get. Kids are encouraged to do the Tree Fu movement sequences along with Tom.
Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog
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SLP Corner: What Does Nonacademic Adverse Effect Mean
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by Ana Paula G. Mumy, MS, CCC-SLP
Author's Note: Though this issue has come to my attention through my current place of employment, the views expressed here are directly mine and not of my employer.
I've worked in the schools for the past 13 years, either directly or indirectly as a consultant/contractor, but currently I'm also a private practitioner working primarily with children. In the last month, I've had two families come to see me because their children have been denied speech services at school because it's "not affecting them academically." Though I'm happy to work with these children, it has prompted me to advocate for them, so I contacted the special education administrators in the respective school districts, and this article stems from our
Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog
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Pediatric Therapy Corner: Really Fun Therapy for Kids With Special needs: It's Called "Pinball"
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[Source: Love That Max] by Ellen Seidman I haven't yet been to a therapy center that offers pinball therapy. Max's occupational therapists have yet to recommend it, though I feel certain they would endorse it. Insurance surely would not pay for it. But it's awesome, and a good reminder that therapy comes in all shapes and forms. We'd road tripped to Asbury Park, NJ, our first time down at the shore since Sandy; the boardwalk reopened just last month. Wandering around we came upon the Silverball Museum Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog
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Worth Repeating: 10 Ways to Use Poetry in Your Classroom
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[Source: Reading Rockets]
By: Keith Schoch
Often when I mention poetry during a workshop, at least one teacher laments, "I would love to do more poetry with students, but there's so much else to teach in my curriculum!" What I try to encourage (and I'm often helped big time by the workshop participants) is for this teacher to consider using poetry within her curriculum, as an integral part of her language, reading, and writing lessons, rather than as an add-on. In other words, I ask her to find a purpose for poetry.
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Also Worth Repeating: 5 Steps to Making the Most of Your Child's Curiosity
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Editor's Note: Nice Article to share with the parents/guardians of your kiddos
[Source: I Can Teach My Child]
Just recently my five year old daughter could not attend the swimming lessons that were part of her school program due to a nasty head wound. As she was so disappointed to be missing out on swimming, I wanted to be sure that we did something fun during the two extra hours a day we would have together, while also making the most of the time she would be away from school - being engaged, productive and learning together.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog
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Please Note: The views and advice expressed in articles, videos and other pieces published in this newsletter are not necessarily the views and advice of PediaStaff or its employees but rather that of the author. PediaStaff is not endorsing or implying agreement with the views or advice contained therein, rather presenting them for the independent analysis and information of its readers.
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