Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Children Sought for Study

"Autistic children sought for medical study
SEATTLE - Scientists searching for the causes of autism are taking a new and hard look at families who have only one child with the developmental disorder, according to the University of Washington. Recent research has shown that the majority of autism cases occur in families with just one child who has disorder, and that's why the University of Washington's autism center is seeking 200 Washington and Oregon families to participate in a new North American study. Parents who would like to enroll their families in the study or who have questions may contact Erin Kipple, project coordinator, at 1 (800) 944-9701 or emh@u.washington.edu, according to the announcement. Other institutions participating in the study are Baylor, Columbia, Emory, Harvard, McGill, Vanderbilt, Washington and Yale universities and the universities of California, Los Angeles; Illinois at Chicago, Michigan and Missouri."
-the Chronicle

More info here on studies at the University of Washington Autism Center. While you are there, you might want to browse around a bit. There is some information for parents/caregivers, a page of autism facts, and access to free online copies of research articles from scholarly journals.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Teen with AS Aims High

I love stories like this one reported by Barbara Hollingsworth in the Topeka Capital-Journal about a teen with Asperger's Syndrome who has been selected to serve as a Congressional Page this summer in Washington, DC. Ben Berlin will be working for Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan.

ZAC Browser

This is cribbed directly from {A}:
Brian Bergstein reports for ABC News about a man who created an Internet browser for children on the spectrum:
"The Zac Browser greatly simplifies the experience of using a computer. It seals off most Web sites from view, to block violent, sexual or otherwise adult-themed material. Instead it presents a hand-picked slate of choices from free, public Web sites, with an emphasis on educational games, music, videos and visually entertaining images, like a virtual aquarium."

Try it out here.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Sensory Integration Classroom

Newspaper articles that discuss sensory integration are rare. Here is a good one by Ginny Miller of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.