Eight women representing prominent mental diagnoses in the nineteenth century. Image via Wikipedia
By Sandy Gautam
I recently read ‘
Neurodiversity: discovering the extraordinary gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and other brain differences‘ (you can read a mini review here) by Dr. Thomas Armstrong and came away impressed. In the book Dr Armstrong makes a strong case for viewing the traditional disabilities from a differences perspective and to focus on the different strengths and abilities of the neurodiverse people. A recurring theme of this blog has been that autism and schizophrenia/psychosis are opposites on a continuum model as proposed amongst others by Christopher Badcock and Beranard Crespi. Dr Armstrong touches on this model in his chapter on autism, though that not central to his thesis .
 
Friday, July 30, 2010 – Autism Unexpected by Jean Winegardner
Silver Spring, MD (7/30/10) — My autistic son, Jack, thrives on routine. As much as school can be difficult for him, he still needs the day-to-day ritual of getting up at the same time, heading out to school, then returning home after a structured day. Summer presents a challenge, with its long, unstructured days, often with nothing to do.
I am fortunate in that Jack qualifies for Extended School Year (ESY) services, which means that he gets to go to half-day school for all of July. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to keep him tethered to routine. Sadly, that school ends today.
It is hard to maintain routine without an external force that compels you to do so, but if your child is like mine, it can be very worth it. Having just emerged from two and a half days without power at my home due to the recent Maryland storm—which also meant no school for two days—I see how Jack’s behavior suffers when he is left at loose ends.
It’s not that he goes haywire, but he is just obviously thrown off. It was with palpable relief that I put Jack on the school bus again on Wednesday, once his school re-opened, and I could see that he was happy as well.
Now that school is over, I’m thinking of ways to help Jack stay in a routine for the next four weeks until school starts. One of my tactics is to keep the same restraints on TV and video game time that I keep during the school year. It is tempting during the summer to let my kids turn on the TV as early as noon, but my goal every day is to restrict them to the hours of 5 to 6:30 p.m., just like during the school year.
That leaves a lot of time to fill every day. For the past several summers, I have created my own home version of camp with different topics each week to keep my kids busy and to keep their minds working. This summer, we’ve covered topics as diverse as “Where does our food come from?” and simple machines.
Introducing a new theme each week keeps things interesting, but also maintains stability throughout the week. For our food week, we visited farms. Home Depot and the National Building Museum were our destinations for simple machine week.
Read in Full:Â http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2010/jul/30/summer-routines-kids-autism/
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Friday, July 30, 2010 – Autism Unexpected by Jean Winegardner
Silver Spring, MD (7/30/10) — My autistic son, Jack, thrives on routine. As much as school can be difficult for him, he still needs the day-to-day ritual of getting up at the same time, heading out to school, then returning home after a structured day. Summer presents a challenge, with its long, unstructured days, often with nothing to do.
I am fortunate in that Jack qualifies for Extended School Year (ESY) services, which means that he gets to go to half-day school for all of July. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to keep him tethered to routine. Sadly, that school ends today.
It is hard to maintain routine without an external force that compels you to do so, but if your child is like mine, it can be very worth it. Having just emerged from two and a half days without power at my home due to the recent Maryland storm—which also meant no school for two days—I see how Jack’s behavior suffers when he is left at loose ends.
It’s not that he goes haywire, but he is just obviously thrown off. It was with palpable relief that I put Jack on the school bus again on Wednesday, once his school re-opened, and I could see that he was happy as well.
Now that school is over, I’m thinking of ways to help Jack stay in a routine for the next four weeks until school starts. One of my tactics is to keep the same restraints on TV and video game time that I keep during the school year. It is tempting during the summer to let my kids turn on the TV as early as noon, but my goal every day is to restrict them to the hours of 5 to 6:30 p.m., just like during the school year.
That leaves a lot of time to fill every day. For the past several summers, I have created my own home version of camp with different topics each week to keep my kids busy and to keep their minds working. This summer, we’ve covered topics as diverse as “Where does our food come from?” and simple machines.
Introducing a new theme each week keeps things interesting, but also maintains stability throughout the week. For our food week, we visited farms. Home Depot and the National Building Museum were our destinations for simple machine week.
Read in Full:Â http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2010/jul/30/summer-routines-kids-autism/
 
- Dominik Kurek, OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF
- Jul 30, 2010 – 12:47 PM
Some 100 teachers are back in Oakville classrooms this week, but they are not there to teach, but to learn themselves.
The teachers are at Emily Carr Public School, each one learning one of three possible programs offered at the school. The programs are a few of the 70 or so provided province wide by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario at its 2010 Summer Academy.
The local programs began Tuesday and concluded Thursday.
The three programs offered locally are:
• One aimed to develop an understanding of how students with learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, can better function within a classroom setting in order to learn best.
• Another focused on the use of technology and the integration of art and literature in mathematics.
• And lastly how to teach, plan and manage a combined-grades classroom and successfully balance literacy and numeracy programs and engage Grades 1-4 students.
The majority of the teachers are local, however, some have traveled from beyond the Greater Toronto Area to take part in one of the aforementioned programs.
Teacher Sue MacVicar-Stewart, who is instructing the special education class, said she has about 25 teachers in her class.
“The real strength of this is that it’s teachers who are actually providing the in-service,†she said. “So, it’s teachers that are in the classroom and are providing their experience and sharing their expertise. Also, the teachers get to choose their topics.â€
MacVicar-Stewart is a teacher at the Toronto District School Board. She said because teachers can choose the topic they learn, they can pick the one better suited for their, or their school board’s, needs.
“I’m looking at students who have autism, ADHD and learning disabilities and better understanding that learner and the needs in the classroom and what instructional strategies we can use, what we can actually do in the classroom to help those students learn better.â€
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- Dominik Kurek, OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF
- Jul 30, 2010 – 12:47 PM
Â
Some 100 teachers are back in Oakville classrooms this week, but they are not there to teach, but to learn themselves.
Â
The teachers are at Emily Carr Public School, each one learning one of three possible programs offered at the school. The programs are a few of the 70 or so provided province wide by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario at its 2010 Summer Academy.
Â
The local programs began Tuesday and concluded Thursday.
Â
The three programs offered locally are:
• One aimed to develop an understanding of how students with learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, can better function within a classroom setting in order to learn best.
• Another focused on the use of technology and the integration of art and literature in mathematics.
• And lastly how to teach, plan and manage a combined-grades classroom and successfully balance literacy and numeracy programs and engage Grades 1-4 students.
The majority of the teachers are local, however, some have traveled from beyond the Greater Toronto Area to take part in one of the aforementioned programs.
Teacher Sue MacVicar-Stewart, who is instructing the special education class, said she has about 25 teachers in her class.
Â
“The real strength of this is that it’s teachers who are actually providing the in-service,†she said. “So, it’s teachers that are in the classroom and are providing their experience and sharing their expertise. Also, the teachers get to choose their topics.â€
Â
MacVicar-Stewart is a teacher at the Toronto District School Board. She said because teachers can choose the topic they learn, they can pick the one better suited for their, or their school board’s, needs.
Â
“I’m looking at students who have autism, ADHD and learning disabilities and better understanding that learner and the needs in the classroom and what instructional strategies we can use, what we can actually do in the classroom to help those students learn better.â€
Â
Source:Â
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 29, 2010
Researchers believe a new study suggests a particular sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson’s disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed.
Scientists used Mayo Clinic records to identify 27 people who experienced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder for at least 15 years before developing one of three conditions: Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies or multiple system atrophy.
Multiple system atrophy is a disorder that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
People with REM sleep behavior disorder often act out their dreams with violent movements, such as punching, which can injure themselves or bed partners.
The research is published in the July 28, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/29/rem-sleep-disorder-as-early-warning-of-neurologic-impairment/16180.html
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 29, 2010
Researchers believe a new study suggests a particular sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson’s disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed.
Scientists used Mayo Clinic records to identify 27 people who experienced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder for at least 15 years before developing one of three conditions: Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies or multiple system atrophy.
Multiple system atrophy is a disorder that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
People with REM sleep behavior disorder often act out their dreams with violent movements, such as punching, which can injure themselves or bed partners.
The research is published in the July 28, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/29/rem-sleep-disorder-as-early-warning-of-neurologic-impairment/16180.html
 
Article Date: 29 Jul 2010 – 5:00 PDT
Two powerful new tests developed by psychologists at Harvard University show great promise in predicting patients’ risk of attempting suicide.
The work may help clinicians overcome their reliance on self-reporting by at-risk individuals, information that often proves misleading when suicidal patients wish to hide their intentions. Both new tests are easily administered within minutes on a computer, giving quick insight into how patients are thinking about suicide, as well as their propensity to attempt suicide in the near future.
“Experts have long sought a clear behavioral marker of suicide risk,” says Harvard Professor of Psychology Matthew K. Nock, an author of two papers describing the new assessments of suicidal behavior. “The current approach, based on self-reporting, leads to predictions that are scarcely better than chance, since suicidal patients are often motivated to conceal or misrepresent their mental state. We sought to develop more sophisticated, objective measures of how psychiatric patients are thinking about suicide. Our work provides two important new tools clinicians can use in deciding how to treat potentially suicidal patients.”
Nock and colleagues report on the tests in two papers, one in the current Journal of Abnormal Psychology and a second published in Psychological Science. Unlike many previous efforts focused on biological markers of suicidal behavior, their work identifies two behavioral markers: subjects’ attention to suicide-related stimuli, and the extent to which they associate death or suicide with themselves.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196234.php
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Article Date: 29 Jul 2010 – 5:00 PDT
Two powerful new tests developed by psychologists at Harvard University show great promise in predicting patients’ risk of attempting suicide.
The work may help clinicians overcome their reliance on self-reporting by at-risk individuals, information that often proves misleading when suicidal patients wish to hide their intentions. Both new tests are easily administered within minutes on a computer, giving quick insight into how patients are thinking about suicide, as well as their propensity to attempt suicide in the near future.
“Experts have long sought a clear behavioral marker of suicide risk,” says Harvard Professor of Psychology Matthew K. Nock, an author of two papers describing the new assessments of suicidal behavior. “The current approach, based on self-reporting, leads to predictions that are scarcely better than chance, since suicidal patients are often motivated to conceal or misrepresent their mental state. We sought to develop more sophisticated, objective measures of how psychiatric patients are thinking about suicide. Our work provides two important new tools clinicians can use in deciding how to treat potentially suicidal patients.”
Nock and colleagues report on the tests in two papers, one in the current Journal of Abnormal Psychology and a second published in Psychological Science. Unlike many previous efforts focused on biological markers of suicidal behavior, their work identifies two behavioral markers: subjects’ attention to suicide-related stimuli, and the extent to which they associate death or suicide with themselves.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196234.php
 
Article Date: 29 Jul 2010 – 0:00 PDT
Heterosexual women bear the brunt of narcissistic heterosexual men’s hostility, while heterosexual men, gay men and lesbian women provoke a softer reaction, according to psychologist Dr. Scott Keiller from Kent State University at Tuscarawas in the US. This is likely to be due to women’s unparalleled potential for gratifying, or frustrating, men’s narcissism. They are crucial players and even gatekeepers in men’s quests for sexual pleasure, patriarchal power and status. Dr. Keiller’s findings are published online in Springer’s journal Sex Roles.
Research to date has shown that narcissists’ low empathy, feelings of entitlement, and perceptions of being deprived of ‘deserved’ admiration and gratification can make them prone to aggression and vengeance.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196133.php