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Archive for October, 2011

Missing

 

By: Kristen Green , Rex Springston

Updated: October 27, 2011 – 7:17 AM


Authorities in Hanover county continued to search without success overnight for 9-year-old Robert Wood Jr., an autistic boy who disappeared Sunday while on a walk with relatives.


The Hanover Sheriff’s Office is asking for more volunteers today and especially wants those who already have been registered and trained to return. People who want to volunteer are asked to arrive at 9 a.m. at Kings Dominion dressed in appropriate clothing for a hike in dense woods. A valid identification is also required.


(This has been a breaking news update. Stay with TimesDispatch.com for updates on this and other news events.)


6:33 a.m.


Johnny Mitchell got down on his knees, took off his cowboy hat and crawled under a backyard deck in hopes of answering the region’s prayers.


“I’ve got to watch out for nails,” Mitchell said as he squirmed into the dimly lit space.


Mitchell was one of 940 volunteers who searched Wednesday for 9-year-old Robert Wood Jr., an autistic boy from Caroline County who disappeared Sunday afternoon in a wooded park in north-central Hanover County.


As many as 200 of them also had volunteered Tuesday, and the total over two days reached about 1,600. Hundreds of other people are helping with logistics for the search.


Mitchell’s group, all wearing bright reflective vests, checked the north side of Verdon Road, just southeast of where the child disappeared. The search was one of 74 search missions completed Wednesday, some of them covering the same ground twice.


Mitchell, 58, knows the area — he had hunted there, and relatives own property there — so he thought he could add something extra to the search.


There was nothing under the deck.


“That little boy has gotten to me,” said Mitchell, striding back to his group and carrying a stick to beat back briars. “He’s somebody’s child.”


Robert, who doesn’t speak, disappeared during a walk with family in North Anna Battlefield Park. The search — by land, air and water, with people, dogs and horses — has continued night and day since then.


The temperature dropped into the 40s each night from Sunday to Wednesday.


On Sunday, bloodhounds “alerted” on Robert’s scent near the spot he disappeared, but the trail ended at the North Anna River, said Hanover sheriff’s Capt. Michael Trice. Other dogs have since picked up the same scent, but it has also ended near the river.


“That tells us he may have originally gone to the river,” Trice said.


He said dive teams and kayakers have searched upriver from the site where Robert was last seen and downriver to U.S. 1, more than a mile to the east. He said the river’s water level had been lowered to make searching easier.


Asked the odds that Robert is still alive, Trice said the question isn’t relevant at this point. “We are going to continue this until we find him. … We’re operating under the assumption that Robert needs our help.”


He said a sheriff’s team has been assigned to stay with the boy’s family around the clock, adding that “they’re doing as expected.” The family has asked that the boy be referred to as Robert, rather than Robbie, officials said.


Volunteers began showing up Wednesday before daybreak, and the first teams headed into the woods about 8 a.m.


The Sheriff’s Office is asking for more volunteers today and especially wants those who already have been registered and trained to return. People who want to volunteer are asked to arrive at 9 a.m. at Kings Dominion dressed in appropriate clothing for a hike in dense woods. A valid identification is also required.


On Wednesday, the searchers tackled a 22-square-mile area north and south of Verdon Road, Trice said. Robert disappeared in the park north of the rural road.


Searchers hiked for miles through thick, swampy woods with no trails, some of them carrying treats or toys for Robert in their pockets.


About 50 searchers were too tired to finish Tuesday, Trice said. About six were so fatigued they required medical treatment. He said Wednesday one person was treated for a sprained knee.


The volunteers included people taking vacation days, retirees and at least one man who just got laid off.


“Instead of looking for a job, I thought it was time to help,” said Andy Stevens, 31, of Chesterfield County.


Waiting in a long line to be processed as a volunteer, 79-year-old retiree Tommy Haymans of Henrico County said he and his wife are caring for three adult, mentally disabled sons.


“I like to think,” Haymans said, “that if anything happened to them, I’d get a following like this to look for them.”


Source:

http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/oct/27/7/tdmain01-hundreds-of-volunteers-search-for-lost-au-ar-1413413/


UPDATE:   Robert Wood Jnr., Missing Autistic Boy, Found Alive in Va.


Related Articles


“Mute autistic boy missing in Virginia”:

http://a.abcnews.com/US/search-continues-robert-woods-jr-missing-mute-autistic/story?id=14827692

“Fears for Missing Autistic Boy”:

http://crimesceneusa.blogspot.com/2011/10/fears-grow-for-missing-autistic-boy.html



 A Still Jacket


Synopsis


Roman doesn`t speak – not a word in twenty-six years. But the joy he takes in filming and being filmed is one expression of his life with autism. We follow Roman and Xaver through their daily routine on a farm in the Swiss Jura (Northwestern Switzerland). There are cows to be looked after and wood to be chopped. The drama between them ensues around the educational use of a chainsaw, with the aid of which Xaver attempts to help Roman acquire a feeling for physical control. A fascinating, often conflicted relationship, in which forces of attraction and rejection alternate in quick succession, develops between Roman and Xaver. At times, Roman appears to draw strength froms Xaver`s calm and understanding manner. At other times, he reacts with violent rejection. For a while, Xaver manages to wake and sustain Roman’s interest and to draw him out of his isolation. However, setbacks follow soon, riddles remain unsolved. «A Still Jacket» is a film about relationships and their impossibility. Moments of peace and security – underlined by poetic nature observations – are contrasted by depictions of desperate emotional outbursts and anxiety attacks. Ramòn Giger not only succeeds in drawing a striking portrait, but realizes a contemplative reflection on the nature of human relationships themselves. «A Still Jacket» formulates an appeal to impartiality and unadulterated sensuousness and turns the roles of director and actor, of those filming and those being filmed, on their head. In the end, Xaver dies. Asked what he would like to give Xaver for along the way, Roman’s answer is: «the strength to let go».


Director’s Statement


In search of my own social competence, I completed my civil service (an alternative for conscientious rejectors to the mandatory military service in Switzerland) in a home for disabled people. There, I got to know Roman and Xaver and came into contact with a situation which shed a completely new light on questions I had regarding interhuman relationships, empathy and understanding for another human being. I wondered which kind of relationship a person whose only survival strategy is total self-isolation is capable of, even though he presumably has the same need for affection and social interaction as everyone else and may yearn especially strongly to be noticed and recognized by his environment. And, in turn, which kind of understanding can I (as someone capable of ‘normal’ social interaction) develop for Roman, whose experience of life – so I assume – is completely different from my own? The assumption that Roman, due to his autism, thinks primarily audio-visually and not linguistic-conceptually, prompted me to focus the filmic search predominantly on Roman’s unique mode of perception. I often found myself prejudiced by clichés and scientific theses of how the world of an autistic person was supposed to work. A process leading to a radical rethinking started. It was Roman himself who gave the key to a more just and balanced approach: he wanted to be considered as a “total human being”, not just as an autistic person. This approach, which rejects any form of psychologizing, opened up a whole new perspective on Roman. I’m noticing that in common usage the term ‘autism’ is no longer understood as a disability but rather as otherness, even though it can absolutely affect sufferers’ lives in a significant way and severely limit their independence. Strictly speaking, only very few autistic people suffer from a mental disability. In most cases, their intelligence quotient (IQ) is average to above-average. Roman, too, is neither physically nor mentally disabled. Even so, his appearance and behavior are interpreted as ‘handicapped’. So the discrepancy between his outer appearance and his inner nature is only a perceived one. The typical prejudice that autistic people are incapable of developing compassion for those around them is suggestive of that irritation. Far be it from me to call into question the fact that autistic people have difficulties in ‘correctly’ interpreting human interactions, nor that this insecurity is experienced as a threat and affects their attitude towards others. However, it is impossible to infer from this the true nature of their inner experiencing. Is it not true for all of us that we allow real meeting of hearts and minds with others only when, in doing so, something significant is decided? I can well imagine that, sitting at my father’s deathbed, I will recollect all the opportunities I missed to truly meet with him. And I will wonder why I was unable to allow that intimate connection before. But for this, no symptomatic picture needs to be drawn for I am like Roman in this, and Roman simply a human being.


Related Articles

“Seeing the world from many angles

Documentary Festival opens: Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) presents 115 films from 32 countries, from Nov. 9 to 20.”

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Seeing+world+from+many+angles/5612872/story.html



 

ASAN Presents….


The Navigating College Handbook

“I wish I had a manual like this one when I was going through undergrad.” 
-Mike Liu, Student at Medical College of Wisconsin
 
“This is a much needed resource… This guide will be an invaluable  resource for college students.” 
Carol Quirk, Board President of TASH

Navigating College Handbook

Navigating College Cover

Navigating College
A Handbook of Self Advocacy
Written for Autistic Students from Autistic Adults

The Navigating College handbook is a first-of-its-kind resource written by autistic adults for autistic college students exploring the various aspects of the higher education experience. From traditional topics like classroom accommodations and dorm life to hot-button issues such as disclosure and sexuality, Navigating College provides first-person insights from current and past college students on the autism spectrum. Unlike many other resources written by parents or professionals,
Navigating College is designed to be uniquely accessible and relevant to autistic people ourselves, utilizing the insight and perspectives that comes from experience. Whether you’re a student on the autism spectrum yourself, a parent or family member looking to purchase a copy for an autistic relative or an educator or disabilities services professional, we hope you enjoy and make good use of this valuable resource.

Logo

Navigating College Website

 

We are happy to announce that, along with
Navigating College, we are also launching a dedicated website on autism and college issues: NavigatingCollege.org. This site will not only serve as our launch pad for the handbook, but as an ongoing resource for college students on the spectrum, family members, disability services professionals and others. Through regular blog posts from autistic college students detailing first-hand experiences, NavigatingCollege.org will offer original content that will extend and elaborate upon our handbook. In addition, many of our upcoming projects dealing with Autism and College will be featured on the site going forward. You can download an electronic copy of our handbook free of charge by going to NavigatingCollege.org.

To order print copies, please visit the University of New Hampshire’s IOD Bookstore, or for more information or questions about bulk orders, please contact Melody Latimer at mlatimer@autisticadvocacy.org. As well, you can download the electronic copy of our Navigating College flyer here.




Article Date: 21 Oct 2011 – 0:00 PDT


What is more desirable: too little or too much spare time on your hands? To be happy, somewhere in the middle, according to Chris Manolis and James Roberts from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and Baylor University in Waco, TX. Their work shows that materialistic young people with compulsive buying issues need just the right amount of spare time to feel happier. The study is published online in Springer’s journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.

We now live in a society where time is of the essence. The perception of a shortage of time, or time pressure, is linked to lower levels of happiness. At the same time, our consumer culture, characterized by materialism and compulsive buying, also has an effect on people’s happiness: the desire for materialistic possessions leads to lower life satisfaction.


Read in Full:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236311.php

 




By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
Associate Editor


I’m a nightmare in the mornings. Seriously. Usually, I either begrudgingly shoot out of bed or crawl out — negative thoughts already swirling in my brain. Before I’ve even started my day, I’m already tense and irritated.


Maybe you can relate to being stressed or negative before you even leave the house (or in my case, walk a few steps into the home office). Not surprisingly, this doesn’t set the best tone for your day. Here’s a list of easy-peasy tips to perk up your mood and relieve any tension every morning.


1. Take a hot shower.


Water is known for having calming effects. A shower can soothe any aches and pains and help you feel refreshed and ready for the day. It does a great job of washing away your grogginess, too. (And you smell better! It’s a win-win for everyone.)

 


2. Eat an energy-boosting and fulfilling breakfast.


Many of us sprint out the door with a strong cup of coffee and maybe a boring bagel, if we remember to eat. Instead, take a few minutes to sit down and savor your breakfast. Pay attention to the tastes, textures and scents. If you don’t have time, still take foods on the go that you genuinely enjoy eating. Eating something nutritious and tasty nourishes both your body and your mind.


3. Notice the beauty of Mother Nature.


On your way to work, pay attention to the changing leaves and fragrant flowers, the sunshine or rainfall and the shapes the clouds have made. As Jeffrey Brantley, MD, and Wendy Millstine write in their book Five Good Minutes: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm & Focused All Day Long: “Nature is bountiful and plentiful, and yet we often forget to take notice of nature’s simple gifts of joy and serenity…When you take this time to open your senses to the pleasures of what is just outside your door, you open your mind and body to nature’s restorative power to soothe and heal you.”


4. Take five minutes to tune into your breathing.


This can really help release any tension. Brantley and Millstine write:


Sitting or lying down, place your hand on your abdomen and inhale and exhale, deeply and slowly. Visualize a meadow with a small creek running through it. You are wading in a babbling brook, and you can hear the wind and the birds overhead. The current tugs gently at your ankles. Recognize the rhythm of your breathing. As you inhale, say the word “warm” aloud. Imagine the warmth of the sun and water around your body. As you exhale, say the word “heavy” to yourself. Allow yourself to reach a comfortable and soothing place from within.


(I guess the key is to do this without falling back asleep!)


5. Take a morning walk.


Sunlight is a mood booster. So is physical activity. Put them together, and you have a great way to start your day. Of course, if walking isn’t your thing, you can stretch first thing in the a.m. or participate in any other physical activities you enjoy.


Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/10/12/8-ways-to-relax-and-boost-your-mood-in-the-mornings/

 

Waking from a beautiful dream



Eating Disorder Recovery


By John M. Grohol, PsyD
Founder & Editor-in-Chief


There’s a lucrative cottage industry in the U.S. for the residential treatment of almost anything you can imagine. Everything from “Internet addiction” and drug and alcohol problems, to eating and mood disorders. If you can treat it in an outpatient setting, the thinking goes, why not treat it in a “residential” setting for 30 or more days where you control every aspect of the patient’s life?


The “residential” treatment approach has long been available for eating disorders, since the treatment of these disorders tends to be long and complicated. Andrew Pollack writing for the New York Times notes how these kinds of programs have now become the focus of insurance companies looking to cut back on treatment options.


It’s no surprise, really. With the rollout of mental health parity — requiring that insurance companies can no longer discriminate against people with mental disorders for their treatment options — those companies are looking for other places they can cut costs. Residential treatment for eating disorders appears to be one obvious area.


So is residential treatment a legitimate modality for helping people with eating disorders? Should insurance companies cover the costs of such care?

 

According to one study (Frisch et al., 2006), the average length of stay in a residential treatment center for an eating disorder is 83 days. That’s nearly 3 months of full-time, round-the-clock treatment and care. The cost for such care? On average, it’s $956 per day. You read that right — nearly $1,000/day is the average cost for such care. That means a single patient at such a treatment center is bringing in, on average, $79,348.


Proponents of residential treatment admit there’s little research to back its use for eating disorders, but are adamant such programs are effective and needed:


Read More …

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/10/14/little-research-supports-residential-treatment-of-eating-disorders/




By Psych Central News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 14, 2011


Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with schizophrenia are associated with a higher 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease, new research suggests.


Past studies have shown that schizophrenia is associated with significant coexisting health concerns. This includes an increased risk for the metabolic syndrome — which is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease).


Antoni Sicras-Mainar from Badalona Serveis Assistencials in Spain and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis of administrative claims in 705 individuals who has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.


Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/10/14/marker-predicts-heart-disease-in-people-with-schizophrenia/30338.html

 



Bipolar magazine


By Psych Central News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 14, 2011


Children who grow up in families where other mental disorders are present — such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety — appear to be at greater risk for developing bipolar disorder later in life, according to new research.


Researchers still do not know what causes bipolar disorder, although it is argued that family history is presently the strongest predictive factor for being diagnosed with bipolar. If an older relative has bipolar disorder, you are at greater risk for developing it.


In the present longitudinal study, led by John Nurnberger from the Indiana University School of Medicine, examined the lifetime prevalence and early clinical predictors for psychiatric disorders in 141 high-risk children and adolescents from families with a history of bipolar disorder.


Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/10/14/bipolar-disorder-risk-factors-found-in-families/30342.html




By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 18, 2011


With apologies or perhaps as depicted by Jason Statham, a new study suggests those who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies.


The study looks at how personality, attitude and values contribute to aggressive driving behaviors.


Sadly, aggressive driving causes a third of all accidents that involve personal injuries and two-thirds of all fatal accidents in the United States.


“It explains much of the phenomenon we knew existed,” said Ayalla Ruvio, lead author and an assistant professor of marketing at Temple University.


For instance, “we know men tend to be more aggressive drivers and we know men tend to see their cars as an extension of themselves more than women.”


Ruvio’s article, published online in the Journal of Psychology & Marketing, takes a consumer behavior perspective of this phenomenon and features two studies conducted in Israel.


One took a holistic look at the influence of personality, attitudes and values gathered from 134 surveys of men and women with an average age of 23.5.


The second study, of 298 people, built from the first and added the factors of risk attraction, impulsivity, driving as a hedonistic activity and perceptions about time pressures.


The studies found:

  • *People who perceive their car as a reflection of their self-identity are more likely to behave aggressively on the road and break the law.
  • *People with compulsive tendencies are more likely to drive aggressively with disregard for potential consequences.
  • *Increased materialism, or the importance of one’s possessions, is linked to increased aggressive driving tendencies.
  • *Young people who are in the early stages of forming their self-identity might feel the need to show off their car and driving skills more than others. They may also be overconfident and underestimate the risks involved in reckless driving.
  • *Those who admit to aggressive driving also admit to engaging in more incidents of breaking the law.
  • *A sense of being under time and pressure leads to more aggressive driving.

  • Read in Full:
  • http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/10/18/aggressive-drivers-identify-with-their-car/30443.html



By Therese J. Borchard
Associate Editor


Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Douglas Eby,
M.A./Psychology, who is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative
expression, high ability and personal growth. He is creator of the Talent
Development Resources series of sites (including HighlySensitive.org)
at http://talentdevelop.com. I know many of you are “highly sensitive” and enjoy articles on that topic, so I am excited to pique his highly-sensitive brain today!

 


Question: If you had to name the top five gifts of being highly sensitive, what would they be?


Douglas:


1. Sensory detail


One of the prominent “virtues” of high sensitivity is the richness of sensory detail that life provides. The subtle shades of texture in clothing, and foods when cooking, the sounds of music or even traffic or people talking, fragrances and colors of nature. All of these may be more intense for highly sensitive people.


Of course, people are not simply “sensitive” or “not sensitive” — like other qualities and traits, it’s a matter of degree.


Years ago, I took a color discrimination test to work as a photographic technician, making color prints. The manager said I’d scored better, with more subtle distinctions between hues in the test charts, than anyone he had evaluated.


That kind of response to color makes visual experience rich and exciting, and can help visual artists and designers be even more excellent.


2. Nuances in meaning


The trait of high sensitivity also includes a strong tendency to be aware of nuances in meaning, and to be more cautious about taking action, and to more carefully consider options and possible outcomes.


3. Emotional awareness


We also tend to be more aware of our inner emotional states, which can make for richer and more profound creative work as writers, musicians, actors or other artists.


A greater response to pain, discomfort, and physical experience can mean sensitive people have the potential, at least, to take better care of their health.


4. Creativity


Psychologist Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, estimates about twenty percent of people are highly sensitive, and seventy percent of those are introverted, which is a trait that can also encourage creativity.


As examples, there are many actors who say they are shy, and director Kathryn Bigelow, who recently won an Academy Award, has said, “I’m kind of very shy by nature.” The star of her movie The Hurt Locker, Jeremy Renner (who was reportedly shy as a child), has commented that “in social situations she can be painfully shy.”


Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/03/28/5-gifts-of-being-highly-sensitive/