Omega 3 Can Help Children with ADHD

Child-Directed Play Blends Kids with Autism into Group

[Source:  Psych Central]
 

Finding a setting that allows autistic kids to socialize with more normally developing peers is often a Catch-22 for parents.
 

For while autistic youth need significant practice to develop social skills, deficits in this skill set often make play, and associating with similar age kids challenging.
 

Research by Dr. Pamela Wolfberg, a professor of special education and communicative disorders at San Francisco State University, provides a solution by developing a different type of play group that focuses on collaborative rather than adult-directed activities.

Mental Practice vs Physical Practice for Finger Opposition Skills

[Source:  Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport via Your Therapy Source]
  

Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport published research on the effects of mental practice (MP) and physical practice (PP) on a finger opposition task among 36, nine to ten years old, children. The children were randomly assigned to either a MP group, PP group or no practice (NP) group. The MP and PP groups participated in a single session of training with the dominant trained hand. The MP group was trained by mentally rehearsing the movements, the PP group was trained by executing the movements, and the NP group had no training. The performance of three groups was evaluated under identical conditions before training, after 5 min, and at 4 days, 7 days, and 28 days after training. 

Down Syndrome Study Reveals Clues to Genetics of Heart Defects 

[Source:  Medical News Today]

 Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality in humans, involving a third copy of all or part of chromosome 21. In addition to intellectual disability, individuals with Down syndrome have a high risk of congenital heart defects. However, not all people with Down syndrome have them - about half have structurally normal hearts.  

The risk of AVSD is higher in children with Down syndrome. An atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) means that the central region of the heart separating the atria from the ventricles has failed to form properly.

Sleep Disorders Often Missed in Toddlers With Psychiatric Disorders 

These sleep difficulties are often underdiagnosed in children with behavioral and emotional issues, yet can greatly affect well-being, according to John Boekamp, Ph.D., clinical director of the Pediatric Partial Hospital Program (PPHP) at Bradley Hospital in Providence, R.I.  

"It is important for families to be aware of how important sleep is to the behavioral adjustment and well-being of young children," said Boekamp.

Neonatal News: Poop Color Screening Could Prevent Infant Deaths  

[Source:  Medical Xpress]
 

Paying attention to the color of a newborn's poop can mean the difference between life and death for babies with the rare liver disorder biliary atresia-the leading cause of liver transplants in children. The disease is almost universally heralded by white or clay-colored stools but is often diagnosed with woeful delays.
 

Now, research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center  reveals that a stool color screening card given to new parents and already proven to save lives and improve outcomes in Taiwan, could also mitigate the economic toll of the disease in the United States.

Hot Job:  Pediatric Outpatient PT - Glenview, IL  

Hot Jobs: Outpatient Therapy Positions Throughout Arkansas

More Hot Jobs:  Huntsville, TX - SLP, OT & PT  

PediaStaff has immediate openings for a full-time SLP, a full-time OT and a part-time PT to work in a thriving outpatient clinic in the vicinity of Huntsville, TX.
 

The gap is quickly closing between the bedroom communities of northern Houston and Huntsville!  Shopping, education, and real estate growth is alive and well in this area of Texas.  Our client sees a pediatric caseload in an outpatient setting for OT, PT and Speech.

Share of the Week: Success!  

School Nurse Resource of the Week: Super Nutrition Tracker  

Thank You to the National Association of School Nurses on Facebook for the heads-up on this new, free resource for teachers.
 

SuperTracker Nutrition Lesson Plans for High School Students are now available! This series of four lesson plans is designed to help students grades 9-12 learn how to build a healthy diet using SuperTracker.  
 
Teachers can select from a variety of topics including selecting healthy snacks, finding personal recommendations for what and how much to eat, evaluating food selections, and building healthy meals. Each lesson plan includes learning objectives, detailed instructions, and accompanying resources and handouts. 

OT/PT Activity of the Week:  Spider Web Scavenger Hunt

[Source:  Hands on As We Grow]
 

With Halloween only days away, my kids are asking me every day how much longer until Halloween. We've been doing lots of fun activities around Halloween themes.
 

I really should have done a Halloween countdown! Next year...
 

Of course, we had to sneak in a Halloween scavenger hunt!
 

I had a hard time searching for ideas for a Halloween scavenger hunt to go on. All I found were hunts to find Halloween decorations in the neighborhood.

Seasonal Activity of the Week:  Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Craft

Editor's Note:  Halloween will be over soon, but pumpkins are good all autumn long.  I love this craft for speech and language work!  Fantastic for following directions, sequencing, conversation and storytelling.   How else would you use it for therapy?
 

[Source:  Carrots are Orange]