Study Points to Neural Basis for Social Deficits in ADHD Kids

The Brains of Kids with ADHD Do Not Recognize Angry Expression

[Source:  Medical News Today]

Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior in children with ADHD can result in social problems and they tend to be excluded from peer activities. They have been found to have impaired recognition of emotional expression from other faces.
 

The research group of Professor Ryusuke Kakigi of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, in collaboration with Professor Masami K. Yamaguchi and Assistant Professor Hiroko Ichikawa of Chuo University first identified the characteristics of facial expression recognition of children with ADHD by measuring hemodynamic response in the brain and showed the possibility that the neural basis for the recognition of facial expression is different from that of typically developing children.

Peanut Allergy: Could Pulsed Light Remove Allergen From Peanuts? 

[Source:  Medical News Today]

Around 1.9 million people in the US are allergic to peanuts, exposing them to dangerous reactions such as anaphylaxis. But a scientist from the University of Florida has been experimenting with pulsed light to inactivate allergenic proteins in peanuts, potentially protecting individuals with peanut allergies.

Researchers used pulsed light technology to inactivate allergenic proteins in whole peanuts. Could this make peanuts safer for those with allergies?

Researchers used pulsed light technology to inactivate allergenic proteins in whole peanuts. Could this make peanuts safer for those with allergies? 

The Association Between Empathy, Neurohormones and Aggression 

[Source:  Medical News Today]

Empathy is typically seen as eliciting warmth and compassion - a generally positive state that makes people do good things to others. However, empathy may also motivate aggression on behalf of the vulnerable other. Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo, examined whether assessed or elicited empathy would lead to situation-specific aggression on behalf of another person, and to explore the potential role of two neurohormones in explaining a connection between empathy and aggression. The study is published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

X Factor's Most Inspiring Singer This Season 

Getting a good critique from Simon Cowell is rare - but X Factor contestant Rion Paige is no stranger to defying the odds. 

Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a rare disorder that caused a curving of the joints in her wrist, Paige, 13, has grown up always knowing she is different. 

"It was hard for me, as a little kid, to see other kids holding microphones and able to move around when we used to go to karaoke places, and I would have to have my mom hold the microphone," Paige, whose first name is pronounced "Ryan," tells PEOPLE. 

Lachlan's First Hearing Aids Aged 7 Weeks Old 

Editor's Note:  Is it ok to have two feel good stories in one week?   This is beautiful!! 

Improving Babies' Language Skills Before They Can Speak 

[Source:  Science Daily]

In  the first months of life, when babies begin to distinguish sounds that make up language from all the other sounds in the world, they can be trained to more effectively recognize which sounds "might" be language, accelerating the development of the brain maps which are critical to language acquisition and processing, according to new Rutgers research.
 

PediaStaff Placement of the Week:  SLP in San Antonio, TX  

Featured Supervisory Job of Week: BCBA Supervisor, California 

SLP Freebie of the Week:  Spooky Speech  

Book Review:  Just Breathe - When Teachers Practice Mindfulness  

[Source:  Edutopia]
 

Once in a while, a resource comes along that is so invaluable to our work as educators that I have to share it with you. Meena Srinivasan's new book Teach, Breathe, Learn:  Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom, is such a resource. It speaks to a yearning I hear across our country: a desire to teach and work in a way that is anchored in joy, emerging from compassion, and that is more humane and slower than the way we work now.
 

What Meena honestly and graciously offers in this easy-to-read book is a roadmap for this desire. She introduces a variety of mindfulness practices and then offers a wealth of resources for how to integrate these into our lives and classrooms. Anyone interested in implementing mindfulness in schools must read this book.

OT/PT Activity of the Week: Giant Balloon Toss:  Giant Balloon Toss 

[Source: Your Therapy Source]
 

Here is a simple, new way to play balloon volleyball.  Just blow up a bunch of balloons and put them in a clear, plastic bag.  Starting tossing the giant bag of balloons.  The balloon bag allows for a large, very slow moving target to help children who may be just learning how to catch.
 

Try playing a game of balloon volleyball.  Try laying on your back and hitting the giant balloon bag with your feet to add in some core strengthening.  See what games your child can create with the big bag of balloons.

School Nurse / SLP Resource: for Dental Health Month  

Editor's Note:  SLPs:  How well do you know the School Nurses at your school and district.  This would be a wonderful gift to give to your school nurse, as a reaching out/getting to know you better offering!  The more we collaborate, the better it is for the children!

October is National Dental Health Month! To help children with disabilities and their families with dental hygiene needs, our friends at n2y would like to GIVE these materials to anyone and everyone!