Psychostimulants and Cardiovascular Risk in Children with ADHD

Chronic Childhood Stress Leaves Lasting Impact on Brain

[Source:  Psych Central]

Extreme stress experienced during childhood, such as poverty, neglect, and physical abuse, might alter the parts of the brain responsible for learning, memory, and the processing of stress and emotion.

These changes may be linked to negative effects on behavior, health, employment, and even the choice of romantic partners later in life, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.\

"We haven't really understood why things that happen when you're two, three, four years old stay with you and have a lasting impact," said Dr. Seth Pollak, co-leader of the study and UW-Madison professor of psychology.

Researchers Explain the Link Between Language and Emotions:

[Source: Medical News Today]

A team of researchers headed by the Erfurt-based psychologist Prof. Ralf Rummer and the Cologne-based phoneticist Prof. Martine Grice has carried out some ground-breaking experiments to uncover the links between language and emotions. They were able to demonstrate that the articulation of vowels systematically influences our feelings and vice versa.

The research project looked at the question of whether and to what extent the meaning of words is linked to their sound. The specific focus of the project was on two special cases; the sound of the long 'i' vowel (/i:/) and that of the long, closed 'o' vowel (/o:/). Rummer and Grice were particularly interested in finding out whether these vowels tend to occur in words that are positively or negatively charged in terms of emotional impact. For this purpose, they carried out two fundamental experiments, the results of which have now been published in Emotion, the journal of the American Psychological Association.

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Research Shows Boys and Girls Learn Language Differently   

[Source: Science Daily]

Experts believe language uses both a mental dictionary and a mental grammar. The mental 'dictionary' stores sounds, words and common phrases, while mental 'grammar' involves the real-time composition of longer words and sentences. For example, making a longer word 'walked' from a smaller one 'walk'.

PediaStaff Placement of the Week:  OT for Wisconsin Schools 

Congratulations to Cyndi K., OTR/L on her new direct hire position with a school district in Wisconsin through PediaStaff.   She will be a full-time employee of the school district and will work for them, rather than through PediaStaff.

Did you know that PediaStaff places both contract and direct hire?   Yep!  We do.  Call us today to learn more at 866-733-4278 x 500

PediaStaff Interview Tip :  The Importance of Body Language  

Speech Therapy Resource of the Week:  Photo Artic Cards  

Thank You to our friends at Busy Bugs for letting us know about this fantastic collection of free photographic articulation cards on their website!

[Source:  Busy Bugs]

We love using real photo images rather than line drawings with younger children.  The target words on each page have been carefully chosen so that they are recognisable to young children.  Most words are one syllable (and some two syllable) to make home practice more simple.  Choose a sound and you can download it right away and start playing!

Therapy Idea of the Week:  Bubble Wrap Learning  

Activity of the Week: Yoga Poses for Bedtime: Calming Sequence  

Ahhhh!  Summer is here.  After long lovely days at the beach, at the ballpark, on the playground and running around the neighborhood, kids tend to remain wired when heading to bed.  Unless of course a calming activity is deliberately infused into the routine leading up to bedtime.

One such activity can be a short series of kids yoga poses.  Here are top 6 yoga poses for helping your child begin to calm their bodies and minds - in as little as 8 minutes.