, , , ,

Signs of Autism at 1 Month

The August issue of Pediatrics reports on a retrospective study over 11 years of over 2100 NICU newborns. The researchers discovered that the infants who later received a diagnosis of autism had a higher incidence of persistant neurobehavioral abnormalities such as increased upper extremity muscle tone and asymmetrical visual tracking at one month of age. […]

, ,

Benefits of Sensory Integration Interventions

The American Occupational Therapy Association released information on the sensory integration interventions resulting in positive outcomes. This press release discusses a review of 27 studies on the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy. The researchers found that: “Results of the systematic review suggest the sensory integration approach may result in positive outcomes in sensorimotor skills and […]

,

Including All Children on the Playground

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published research in 2008 on children’s interaction on the school playground. Twenty children were videotaped for 11 weeks on a school playground. The children participated in extended recess with loose parts or materials such as bicycle tires, hay bales, fabric, trash can lids, strips of foam and more. Following […]

, , ,

Mother’s Touch Effects on Brain Development

Recent research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, indicates that a mother’s touch not only provides security, comfort and love but also cognitive function and stress reduction. This study was performed using rats. The results indicated that “sensory stimuli from maternal care can modify the gene that controls a key messenger of stress called corticotropin-releasing […]