Study - Yawning Not Contagious for Children with Autism

Children with autism apparently don稚 respond to social yawning, however, prompting some researchers to blame their well-chronicled struggle with empathy.

A new Japanese study suggests that, instead, children with the disorder miss facial cues, such as closed eyes, that make yawning contagious. The study was published 22 July in Autism Research and Treatment.

The researchers say children with autism miss those cues because they avoid looking at people痴 faces. But that may not entirely explain it. For example, a small 2009 study found that typically developing children yawn even when they致e only heard another person do so, but children with autism do not.
Catching cues:
In the new study, the researchers set up two experiments to determine whether children with autism look at others・faces enough to catch a social yawn.

Read more here.

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Cashing In On Fears Of Autism: Scientists Claim They Can PredictWhether A Mom Will Have A Child With Autism

Very recently, scientists at the UC Davis Mind Institute published a study that described 7 antibodies found in the blood of some mothers of autistic children, and much less often found in mothers of normally developing children. They suggested that these antibodies somehow got into the brains of developing fetuses, causing autism in the children. They even gave a name to this form of autism: maternal autoantibody-related, or MAR autism. If true, this study suggests that a test for these antibodies might predict whether or not a child will have autism. The study seems plausible, and it was published in a respectable journal called Translational Psychiatry. Unfortunately, though, the study and the way it has been promoted are plagued with problems. Is this a test that mothers should take? In a word, no.

 Read more here.

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Soft Skills to Pay the Bills נMastering Soft Skills for WorkplaceSuccess

"Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success," is a curriculum developed by ODEP focused on teaching "soft" or workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities. Created for youth development professionals as an introduction to workplace interpersonal and professional skills, the curriculum is targeted for youth ages 14 to 21 in both in-school and out-of-school environments. The basic structure of the program is comprised of modular, hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas: communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

 Click here to see more. 

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iPads in the Classroom, Transforming Learning Experiences - Billings -Sept. 25-26, 2013

Register for this event What:We have all heard the hype about iPads and how this mobile device will change the way that we use technology, but what does that mean for education? If you are looking for an interactive, hands-on workshop that will help you realize the power of this device and how it can be used in a K-12 classroom, then this is the one for you. This workshop is designed to introduce educators to using the iPad as a tool to enhance their teaching and thus improve student learning. This course looks at iPad basic operations as well as advance configurations and use as a teaching tool integrated into existing content. During this workshop you will have the opportunity to discover the countless ways you can use this device to change the way you "do" education. This workshop will assist you in learning the basics of working with your iPad, how to research apps to determine which ones are right for your classroom, and introduce the many accessories that can be added to your iPad to extend its functionality. This workshop is for the beginner to the old pro.When:September 25-26, 2013Where:Montana State University College of Education, Room 1221500 University Dr. Billings, MT 59101Cost:Free of charge

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Young Adults With Autism Less Likely to Have Jobs, Live Independently

Young adults with autism are less likely to find work or live on their own than their peers with other kinds of disabilities, two new studies show. The studies detailed the fates of a national sample of 20-somethings who had received special-education services in high school. The first study focused on employment. Researchers found that only about half of those with autism had ever held a job since high school, and only about a third were currently working. Even worse, young adults on the autism spectrum were less likely to be getting a paycheck than people the same age who had other kinds of disabilities. More than 80 percent of those with speech and language difficulties reported having at least one job, for example, while 62 percent of those with intellectual disabilities had ever been employed. When kids with autism did find work, they made less money. On average, young adults with autism earned $8.10 an hour, while those with other kinds of impairments -- including low IQs, learning disabilities, and trouble speaking and communicating -- were paid between $11 and $12 an hour. The second study focused on living arrangements. Researchers found that only 17 percent of young adults with autism, who were between 21 and 25 years old, had ever lived on their own.

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Focused iPad Summit in Kalispell, October 2013

Us, not CSPD.

Barb

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PECS Level 2 - Great Falls - October 2013

      This training is partially funded through the Montana Autism Education Project.

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10 Weirdest Things Linked To Autism

I write about autism a lot. Much of what I write has to do with autism-related research, and I keep tabs on what comes down the pipeline every day–because a new autism finding turns up every day. Some of it seems pretty reasonable, but a few things I’ve seen linked to autism–always a mathematical relationship, never a causative one–just leave a reader thinking, “Eh?,” possibly with a little stereotypical head-scratching added in. Or maybe the occasional throwing of items within reach. Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite a list. Here are the 10 weirdest–and in some cases, most dangerous–factors I’ve seen linked to autism. 1. No worms. Without question, my all-time favorite autism-linked factor has to be “an absence of worms.” It’s a wriggly hypothesis that lacks even a correlation to drive it, but it sure did get a lot of attention. I can confirm anecdatally that I’ve never heard of an autistic person who had worms, but I also haven’t known non-autistic people who have, either.

 Read more here. 

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Training in Autism Friendly Protocols Help to Improve ER Care

“So often practitioners misconstrue behavior of patients with autism and do not realize the behaviors they exhibit are not maladaptive but rather those that characterize the condition, and this leads to poor outcomes,” says Dr. Arvind Venkat, vice chair of the department of emergency medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and co-author of the “Assess Communicate Treat for Autism (ACT)” training manual along with Joann Migyanka, a former teacher of children with autism and associate professor of special education at Indiana University and now autism consultant; Jeffrey Fratangeli, director of program evaluation and accreditation in the College of Education and Educational Technology at IUP; and Susan Glor-Scheib, professor in IUP’s special education and clinical services department. “It’s time for those of us in the general health care system to get prepared,” says Venkat, noting that ACT recommends care delivery that will result in the best experience and outcome for the patient and his/her family members.

 Read more here. 

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It's An Autism ThingŠLet Me Help You Understand

A good autism blog from a dad. Who is also a comic.

see here:

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