www.aspie-editorial.com

 
available to read at autistic.org

Finding good info on autism is hard when you’re new at  the game.There are a lot of groups “helping” autistic communities right now. There is one though that while the loudest, is NOT representing the communities best interest. The “voice of Autism” should only be provided by autistics. Hype and rhetoric and money going to spreading more hype really aren’t helping. It’s actually hurting the autistic community. When reading about groups, make sure to check that there are autistic adults involved. They do exist, can “speak” for themselves, and should be a part of the group since they understand the disorder.
 

A couple of well known and well backed groups have even put out movies which have been set up to make the disorder look horrible and have had people act out terrible scenarios. Some groups want assimilation and even tests to make sure this disorder disappears. Groups put lies on their websites and are creating fear mongering and discrimination against people on the spectrum. Beware these very visible groups! Another group is advocating that autism has to be cured via very dangerous methods.

Words hurt
There have been so very many words tossed around lately that are driving the autism community crazy.
 1. Cure. Really? There’s nothing to cure. There are behaviors to manage. Wouldn’t you have missed the likes of Edison, Einstein (both thought to be on the spectrum) and Dan Aykroyd (diagnosed with asperger’s) ? See my earlier article on “What X-Men can teach us….”. There is a commercial on VH1, that is insulting at best, about stopping autism now.
 

2. Epidemic. Do you know what an epidemic is? It is spread from person to person contact. People are actually thinking that their children can “catch” autism. Neurological differences aren’t an epidemic. I thought melting pot described things like religion, race, and thinking.There is a petition online to remove this phrase of “autism epidemic”.

Watch for “cures/helps“
Wow. There are literally hurtful things going on. Some parents believe in autistic blood and are removing that blood to help their children. Seriously. This could not only severely hurt the child, but traumatize them far worse than autism will. Also, avoiding all vaccines has never been an idea. People talk about breaking up the schedule. Refusing all vaccines though is a dangerous game for everyone. The vaccines are for diseases that can kill or mame people. Autism is a neurological difference. The thought of avoiding all vaccines is putting the nation as a whole in danger.

And, medicines that cure….. If some guy says he has this oil he got from a snake–run. There are blood tests that can be run for vitamin deficiencies or wheat allergies. Before you start a vitamin regimen or diet change, look into having blood work done just to know where you stand. Don’t do anything drastic without talking to a trusted pediatrician or neurologist. Click on this link for a fun article about whether or not Haagen-Dazs can “cure” autism.

There are so many things to read out there and so many loud voices on their soapboxes it’s hard to know what to believe. Remember, you’re best off if you do your homework and listen to that still, small voice inside. Below is a great video of  how autism adds to our society. A project called The Autism Acceptance Project (TAAP).There is a great line from an autistic man on it – “people who think your disability is a sickness need to be cured of their ignorant attitude.” I’m glad the autistic community is “speaking” up for itself.

Source(Includes TAAP YouTube Video):   http://www.examiner.com/x-10241-Portland-Autism–Parenting-Examiner~y2009m7d1-The-dark-side-of-parenting-an-autistic-child

 

Much of psychology’s efforts over the last few decades have been spent on understanding the nature of memory. Increasingly, though, psychologists are beginning to apply what we’ve learned about memory, so as to help enhance people’s performance. In 2007, the Digest reported on a study that investigated the optimal interval to leave between study periods if you want to remember material long term. Now Claudia Meltzer-Baddeley and Roland Baddeley have tested a related approach to study, known as adaptive training, and found that it too helps boost learning.

The size of the adaptive training benefit was modest but the researchers said “in real life situations, in which motivated people may come back to material repeatedly across larger periods of times, we would expect much bigger advantages of adaptive spacing.” They concluded that adaptive computer based training programmes could prove to be a useful tool “to enhance memory in healthy individuals, as well as people with learning and memory problems.” 

Metzler-Baddeley, C., & Baddeley, R. (2009). Does adaptive training work? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23 (2), 254-266 DOI: 10.1002/acp.1454

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/07/computerised-learning-tool-helps-boost.html

 

The Neuro Times is a fantastic new blog about the history of neurology written by a historian with a passion for the development of brain science.

The author is Stephen T Casper, whose own work has focused on how the US-UK collaborations and rivalries during the 20th century shaped our understanding of the brain.

Although the blog has a similar 20th slant it also casts its net a little wider making it a wonderful historical resource.

It has book reviews, profiles of influential neuroscientists from times past, and discussions of key moments and debates.

Excellent stuff.

 

Mark Lever, chief executive of the NAS, has announced proposals for a major new strategy for the organisation.

He explained: “We are at a pivotal moment for autism services and support in the UK. Awareness of autism has never been higher and in recent years we have made great strides in campaigning for better recognition and support for those with the condition.

“It is crucial that we build on the momentum we now have. Ultimately we want to see quality services and support, and positive outcomes, for every individual affected by autism – and we still have a long way to go to make this a reality.

“We are committed to working in partnership as we move forward and we would welcome discussion on our plans.”

The new strategy is built around three key objectives:

Providing pioneering services
We believe that providing services for people with autism must remain central to what the NAS does. We want to build on our existing wealth of expertise to develop services that are exemplars and a basis for future innovation.

Building a networked autism community
We are looking to build a national network of branches, members, partners and professionals. We want to share experiences, listen and respond to peoples concerns and give the autism community a real voice. We will support this network to lobby and campaign for change in services and support at a national and local level.

Establishing a Centre for Autism
This will be both a physical centre and a virtual hub at the heart of a networked autism community. The autism centre will build capacity and awareness throughout the autism sector by providing information, advice, guidance and training for professionals, parents and people with autism and their supporters. It will be also be a focus for the development of professional practice.

The new strategy will involve some internal restructuring of the organization and some job roles will change. This is currently the subject of ongoing internal discussion. Under the new proposals, the roles of the NAS regional directors would change substantially as the NAS would put into place new national leadership roles in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. These changes are intended to enable us to build up our campaigning activity in the devolved nations and maximize our impact and the support we can offer to local groups. We remain absolutely committed to providing support across the UK through our regional presence.

You can download this announcement as a PDF document below.

Related resources

Relevant documents for downloading

• New strategy for The National Autistic Society (PDF)
  Announced June 2009.

Download Acrobat Reader®

Source:  http://www.autism.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=253&a=19987

 

Rwanda has strongly denied reports that its parliament is considering a draft law which would forcibly sterilise people who are mentally disabled.

Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, deputy speaker of parliament, was responding to a call by US-based activists Human Rights Watch to scrap the proposed law.

He also told the BBC that plans for HIV testing before couples get married are strictly voluntary, not compulsory.

Mr Ntawukuriryayo said the lobby group should check before releasing reports.

He said he had never seen a bill or provision which proposed forcible sterilisation.

Earlier, HRW’s Joe Amon had said: “Provisions in the current bill that increase stigma, rely on coercion and deny… reproductive rights should be removed.”

Forced sterilisation is regarded as a crime against humanity by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Rwanda has successfully managed to lower the spread of Aids in recent years thanks to its HIV campaign, according to World Bank figures.

“While Rwanda has made notable progress in fighting stigma and responding to the Aids epidemic, and has pledged to advance the rights of persons with disability, forced sterilisation and mandatory HIV testing do not contribute to those goals,” said Mr Amon, the health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch.

“These elements of the bill undermine reproductive health goals and undo decades of work to ensure respect for reproductive rights.”

Source:   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8128121.stm

 

More…

 

Much of our lives are spent in groups with other people: we form groups to socialise, earn money, play sport, make music, even to change the world. But although groups are diverse, many of the psychological processes involved are remarkably similar.

Here are 10 insightful studies that give a flavour of what has been discovered about the dynamics of group psychology.

1. Groups can arise from almost nothing

The desire to form and join social groups is extremely powerful and built into our nature. Amongst other things groups give us a most valuable gift, our social identity, which contribute to our sense of who we are.

Just how readily people form and join groups is demonstrated by Tajfel et al. (1971) in the so-called ‘minimal groups paradigm‘. In their study boys who were strangers to each other were given only the slightest hint that they they were being split into two groups. Even without knowing or seeing who else was in their group they favoured members of their own group over the others. Group behaviour, then, can arise from almost nothing.

2. Initiation rites improve group evaluations

Existing groups don’t let others join for free: the cost is sometimes monetary, sometimes intellectual, sometimes physical—but usually there is an initiation rite, even if it’s well disguised.

Aronson and Mills (1959) tested the effect of initiation rites by making one group of women read passages from sexually explicit novels. Afterwards they rated the group they had joined much more positively than those who hadn’t had to undergo the humiliating initiation. So, not only do groups want to test you, but they want you to value your membership.

3. Groups breed conformity

After joining a group and being initiated, we have to get a feel for the group norms, the rules of behaviour in that group. Group norms can be extremely powerful, bending our behaviours in ways we would never expect.

One of the most famous experiments showing how easily we conform to unwritten group rules was conducted by Asch (1951). He had participants sit amongst a group of other people, judging the length of a line. The trick was that all the other members of the group were confederates of the experimenter who had been told to lie about which line was longer. Incredibly 76% of participants denied the evidence from their own senses at least once, just to conform with the group. Afterwards people made up all kinds of excuses for their behaviour. Most popular was a variation on: “that many people can’t be wrong”. Oh yes they can.

4. Learn the ropes or be ostracised

Group norms are extremely pervasive: this becomes all the more obvious when we start breaking them. Garfinkel (1967) had adolescents return to their families and behave totally out of character, i.e. speaking only when spoken to, being polite, acting formally—but only for 15 minutes at a time. Rather than being delighted their parents were shocked and angry, accusing their children of being selfish and rude. Break the group’s rules and you’ll know about it soon enough.

5. You become your job

Although groups have norms—rules that apply to everyone in the group—people have roles within groups and corresponding rules that apply to just their position. The most well-known demonstrations of the power of roles is the Stanford Prison Experiment.

Psychologists put young men into a simulated prison environment, making some prisoners and others guards (Zimbardo, 1972). After only 6 of its planned 14 days the experiment had to be stopped because participants conformed all too well to their roles as submissive prisoners or domineering guards. Some were emotionally disturbed by the experience. Even the experimenters were succumbing to their ‘roles’ as prison superintendents before the plug was pulled on the whole experiment.

6. Leaders gain trust by conforming

A high-profile, high-status role in any group is that of its leader, but where do leaders come from? In some groups, they are appointed or imposed from outside, but in many groups leaders emerge slowly and subtly from the ranks.

A study that has much to teach was carried out by Merei (1949) who observed children at a Hungarian nursery school. He noticed that successful leaders were those who initially fitted in with the group then slowly began to suggest new activities adapted from the old. Children didn’t follow potential leaders who jumped straight in with new ideas. Leaders first conform, then only later, when trust has been gained, can they be confident that others will follow. This has been confirmed in later studies (with grown-ups!).

7. Groups can improve performance…

The mere presence of others can make us perform better. Social psychology pioneer Norman Triplett noticed that racing cyclists with a pacemaker covered each mile about 5 seconds quicker than those without (Triplett, 1898). Later research found this wasn’t all about the effects of competition. The presence of other people seems to facilitate our own performance, but more so when the task is relatively separate to others and can be judged on its own merits.

8. …but people will loaf

In other circumstances, though, people in groups demonstrate a tremendous capacity for loafing. Another social psychology pioneer, Max Ringelmann, found in the 1890s that participants in a tug ‘o war only put in half as much effort when they were in a team of 8 than when they were on their own. It seems that when hiding in the group is easy, for example when tasks are additive and each person’s contribution is difficult to judge, people will slack off to an impressive degree.

9. The grapevine is 80% accurate

Intelligence, rumour, gossip and tittle-tattle is the lifeblood of many groups. It travels at a tremendous pace in big organisations because people love a good bit of gossip, but what are ‘they’ talking about and can you believe what ‘they’ say?

Simmons (1985) analysed workplace communication and found that about 80% of the time people are talking about work and a surprising 80% of the information was accurate. Other studies have come up with a similar figure, suggesting that while details are inevitably lost along the way, the grapevine is mostly accurate.

10. Groups breed competition

While co-operation within group members is generally not so much of a problem, co-operation between groups can be hellish. People may be individually co-operative, but once put in a ‘them-and-us’ situation, rapidly become remarkably adversarial.

Insko et al. (2001) had participants playing a classic game called ‘the prisoner’s dilemma‘ which they used to measure competitiveness. When on their own people were competitive 37% of the time but when they were in a group of three this increased to 54%. People easily become suspicious of other groups, reasoning that while their individual members may be ‘alright’, the group as a whole cannot be trusted.

• Why Groups and Prejudices Form So Easily: Social Identity Theory
• Effectiveness of Mutual Support Groups
• Social Loafing: When Groups Are Bad for Productivity
• Leaders Emerge by Talking First and Most Often

Source:  http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/07/10-rules-that-govern-groups.php

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 1, 2009

New research shows that men under stress may be more likely to take risks, correlating to such real-life behavior as gambling, smoking, unsafe sex and illegal drug use.

In contrast, stressed women moderate their behavior and may be less likely to make risky choices, the study found.

“Evolutionarily speaking, it’s perhaps more beneficial for men to be aggressive in stressful, high-arousal situations when risk and reward are involved,” said Nichole Lighthall of the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology and lead author of the paper.

“Applied to financial risk taking, it’s akin to competition for territory or other valuable resources.”

The researchers asked participants to play a game called the Balloon Analogue Risk Task in which inflating a balloon earns money (five cents per pump). Participants were told that they could cash out their earnings by clicking a “Collect $$$” button at any point in the game.

However, the balloon would explode if it was inflated beyond its randomly determined breakpoint. All winnings for exploded balloons would be lost.

“One valuable aspect of the [balloon task] is its predictive validity for real-world impulsivity,” Lighthall explained.

“Some risk taking was necessary to make gains, but excessive risk was associated with diminishing returns. If you always clicked and never cashed out, you would lose every time.”

The balloon task has been previously used to assess tolerance for risky behavior among inner-city adolescents and substance abusers, among others.

“Obviously, there are situations in the real world where risky behavior would not be beneficial,” Lighthall said. “Sometimes being conservative, thoughtful and taking it slow are good things.”

In the control group, men and women displayed statistically similar levels of risk taking, inflating the balloon about 40 times on average.

However, women in the stressed group only inflated the balloon an average of 32 times – more than 30 percent less often than their stressed male counterparts, who inflated the balloon an average of 48 times.

“Men seem to enter more risky financial situations than women, which was part of the impetus for our study,” Lighthall said. “But only in the stressed condition did we see any statistical differences in risky behavior between men and women.”

Stressful experiences have been shown to stimulate the release of cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone.”

Participants randomly assigned to the stress group held a hand in ice-cold water, which raised cortisol levels, particularly among female participants. No participants were using hormonal birth control.

According to Lighthall, future research might use neuroimaging to explore how the brain processes stress or examine whether psychological stress, such as anticipating giving a speech, would yield similar results as the physical stress manipulation used in this study.

The findings will be published July 1 in the journal PLoS One.

Source: USC

 

We trawl the world’s journals so you don’t have to:

Genetics of High Cognitive Ability (Behavioural Genetics).

Source:   http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/07/special-issue-spotter.html

 

Sharisa Joy Kochmeister, DU graduate, has started a new electronic
magazine for autism, “The Voices and Choices of Autism”. Sharisa has
autism and cerebral palsy and types to communicate. Anyone who is
interested in receiving/writing/ creating art or knows anyone who
would be, please contact her at
<mailto:sharisajoy% 40yahoo.com>sharisajoy@yahoo. com

Our mission is to expand understanding and acceptance of autism and
of people with ASD; and to reinforce the idea that this isn’t a
disease to be cured, but a way of living and being that should be
understood/supported as needed and only if people being supported are
participants. It’s our goal to give those on the spectrum and those
who care and advocate for them an open, widely read forum to share,
learn, educate and feel free to express in a positive, open, hopeful way.