Comic Book Stars World's First Hero With Autism

[Source:  NBC News]

Extraordinary superpowers, high-flying villains and fearless, world-saving heroes are the stuff of countless comic books. But the newest star to hit the comic circuit is different than most.

Michael is a comic book character with autism - a hero with a mathematical mind, artistic gift and an abundance of compassion. Face Value Comics says he is the first hero with the disorder among comic books.

The creator of the series, Dave Kot, hopes his books can help people on the autism spectrum better understand the world around them.

Readers with Dyslexia Have Disrupted Network Connections

[Source: Science Daily]

Dyslexia, the most commonly diagnosed learning disability in the United States, is a neurological reading disability that occurs when the regions of the brain that process written language don't function normally.

The use of non-invasive functional neuroimaging tools has helped characterize how brain activity is disrupted in dyslexia. However, most prior work has focused on only a small number of brain regions, leaving a gap in our understanding of how multiple brain regions communicate with one another through networks, called functional connectivity, in persons with dyslexia

Different Postures and Energy Expenditure in Children with Cerebral Palsy 

[Source:  Your Therapy Source] 

What Neural Circuits are Activated by CBT?

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics provides new insights on how psychotherapy works. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG). It is unknown, how variants of CBT differentially modulate brain networks involved in PD/AG. This study evaluated the effects of therapist-guided (T+) versus self-guided (T-) exposure on the neural correlates of fear conditioning in PD/AG.

In a randomized, controlled multicenter clinical trial in medication-free patients with PD/AG who were treated with 12 sessions of manualized CBT, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used during fear conditioning before (t1) and after CBT (t2). Quality-controlled fMRI data from 42 patients

Understanding the Brain of Teenage Boys

[Source:  Psych Central]

Pushing boundaries and taking risks during adolescence is common, but for some the behavior becomes maladaptive.

Emerging research is now illuminating the source of this behavior providing insights that will be helpful in reducing unsafe teen conduct.

In a new issue, Florida State neuroscientist Pradeep Bhide, Ph.D., brought together some of the world's foremost researchers in a quest to explain why teenagers - boys, in particular - often behave erratically.

Job of the Week:  Certified Behavior Analyst - Champaign, IL  

We are working with a client who has an immediate full time need for a Pediatric Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in Champaign, IL. 

The hours are flexible as you can make your own schedule based on which clients you will need to sit in and supervise but  some BCBAs work 4, 10 hour days, or 5, 8 hour days.  Some Saturday hours required.

This is a 100% home health setting.  This position requires 65% billable productivity-26 billable hours and the remaining non-billable hours (14 hours). The billable hours are mostly comprised of supervising and doing home visits.  This can also include doing any assessments, etc....  The only time BCBAs typically have to provide the direct therapy is if they aren't hitting their productivity or if a therapist is unable to make a session, so the BCBA will sub. The BCBA will be supervising a whole team of Line Therapists and Lead Line Therapists.  

Resource of the Week: Scooter Board Bungee Exercises 

Pinterest Pin of the Week: Band Aid Butterflies!

[Source:  No Time for Flashcards]

When I think of all the things I look forward to as the days get warmer and the flowers start blooming butterflies are at the top of my list. They are a fantastic spring theme for teaching life cycles, about bugs ( especially for those kinds not interested in creepy crawlies) and art lessons about mirror images. Oh and butterfly crafts are just fun and beautiful to make!

Pinterest Pinboard of the Week:  "4 School Nurses"  

PediaStaff would like to welcome several school nurses to our team this school year! We are really enjoying working with all of you and hope that school nursing will become an integral part of what we do and who we are as a company.

As you know, we strive to be more than the typical staffing firm.   We want to be a resource for you throughout your career as a school-based clinician, - and school nurses are no exception to that rule.