Short, Fun Exercise Sessions Improve Class Behavior

Changes in Speech Patterns Could Be Used to Monitor Mental Health

[Source:  Psych Central]
 

New research may lead to a smartphone app that analyzes your speech to monitor your mental health.

It's based on research from the University of Maryland that shows that certain vocal features change as feelings of depression worsen.
 

Researchers envision the day when those who are feeling depressed can open the app on their smartphone and simply talk about their day. That information is sent to your therapist, who can use the recording to monitor your depressive symptoms.

Study: Rates of Mental Illness Steady in Children and Teens  

[Source:  Psych Central]
 

A large study of Canadian youth discovers symptoms of mental illness in children and adolescents do not appear to be increasing.
 

The finding, as published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), suggests a different mental health trajectory compared to some media reports.
 

"Popular media tends to perpetuate the idea that the prevalence of mental disorders is increasing," writes Ian Colman, Ph.D., Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Epidemiology and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. "However, research supporting this position has been inconsistent."

Parents Lead Effective Language Therapy for Kids with Autism 

[Source:  Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry via Special Ed Post]
 

by Mandy Oaklander
 

Parents can learn how to give effective therapy to their children with autism, a new study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry finds.
 

Researchers at Stanford University looked at a type of therapy called Pivotal Response Training (PRT), which is one the of the handful of treatments shown to be effective for kids on the autism spectrum, says Kari Berquist, PhD, study co-author and a clinical instructor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and an autism clinician at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. The therapy focuses on improving kids' motivation language skills by reinforcing their use of language related to the task at hand. One of the advantages is it can be done anywhere: anytime a child attempts to ask for something by name-a toy, say-they'd be rewarded with the item they requested, which reinforces their use of language.

Cooking Classes May Influence Kid's Food-Related Preferences

Given the rise in childhood obesity and known cultural shifts away from cooking, a review of cooking programs targeting elementary school children was conducted to understand program design and outcomes and to inform research gaps. This review assesses the evidence on childhood cooking programs and their association with changes in food-related preferences, attitudes, and behaviors of school-aged children.
 

Researchers systematically searched PubMed, Ovid-Medline, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) databases. They included primary research articles that involved cooking education programs for children and searched reference lists for eligible articles. Studies considered for review contained a hands-on cooking intervention; had participants aged 5 to 12 years; were published in a peer-reviewed journal on or after January 1, 2003; and were written in English.

Brain Dissociates Emotional Responses in Fearful Situations  

[Source:  Science Daily.com]

Hot Job of the Week:  Early Childhood Ed SLPs for Portland, OR

PediaStaff is seeking a full time Speech-Language Pathologist for the bustling Greater Portland area. You will have the opportunity to work with children ages 3 to 5 in center based settings.  This job starts as soon as possible.  This is a contract position and we offer excellent pay from $38/hr to $48/hr based on your experience, plus benefits.

Qualifications: Must hold a Masters degree in Communication Sciences; a current state license (or eligible) if applicable.
 

Hot Featured Job of the Week:  School BCBA Job - Wilmington, NC 

Our client is a school district in Coastal North Carolina.  We are seeking a BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST (BCBA) in the Wilmington, North Carolina area serving K-12.  The position is full time 7.5 hours per day and will run through the end of the school year starting immediately until June 11, 2015. The BCBA will work with students, staff and parents to develop behavior plans and monitor progress as well as be present at IEP meetings. 
 
Hourly pay between 40-44.00/hour Based on Experience and per diem status in accordance with IRS guidelines.  Medical Benefits are available.  
 

Resource of Week:  Teaching Learners w/Multiple Special Needs  

Not sure who we have to thank for showing us this blog/website, but its a good one. Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs is a very useful site specifically for teachers of children with severe, profound and complex special needs.

Fun Fact to Share:  Why Do we Stick out Tongues To Concentrate?  

[Source: Seth Boatright-Horowitz, Post-doc/Fellow, Neuroscience, Brown University]

The tongue has one of the largest representations both in motor cortex and sensory cortex of any appendage. It's role in basic taste/odor as well as communication and sensation makes it a major attentional "draw" for the brain (try and ignore a bad taste or not play with a loose tooth with it). When you are carrying out a difficult task, (particularly one which is both motor 

Seasonal Activity of the Week:  Cranberry Sensory Play 

[Source:  Growing a Jeweled Rose]
 

This cranberry sensory activity was easy to set up and kept Jewel and Rosie engaged for quite a while.  They found so many ways to play and explore.
 

All you need for this activity is a bag of cranberries, a bin or container, and whatever kitchen gadgets you might have on hand.  We purchased our cranberries for under $2.  As far as gadgets I gave the girls scoopers, cups, a garlic press, a lemon squeeze, a potato masher, and a few bowls.  The girls began by simply exploring the berries

Motor Activity of the Week:  Motor Magic

Here is a sample activity from Your Therapy Source's book, Motor Magic, Turn Fine Motor Skills into Gross Motor Skills