The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has published a paper entitled Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function. This paper provides an overview on executive function and how it develops in children. Executive functions include working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive or mental […]
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published a pilot study comparing sensory integration versus fine motor interventions in children with autism. Children with autism or PDD were divided into two groups, with 20 children receiving sensory integration treatment and 17 fine motor skill treatments. The participants received eighteen, 45 minute treatment sessions during a 6 […]
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published a single subject design research study on the effectiveness of using therapy ball chairs on classroom participation in children with autism. Six boys with autism spectrum disorder were assessed using video recordings during circle time when they were sitting on the therapy balls. The results indicated that each […]
There are thousands of applications available for the iPhone and the iPad. For those of you who work with children with autism it can be difficult to know where to start when you search the applications that are available. A few people have written some informative blog posts on apps and autism. Check them out […]
Check out this video on a new swing that a grandfather invented. Looks great for a sensory clinic or playground. You can view more info at the website for the Swring at http://swring.com/
Autism Research has published research on how children with autism process multisensory information. Using brainwave EEG recordings, the researchers were able to determine that the 17 children with autism (ages 6-16 years) did not process multisensory information (MSI) as efficiently as the control group without autism. John Foxe, PhD, one of the co-authors of the […]
Pediatrics published research on young children with autism and their feeding habits. Questionnaire data was compiled on 79 children with autism at 6, 15, 24, 38 and 54 months of age. Results indicated the following for the children with autism compared to control group: late introduction of solids after 6 months with slow feeding characteristics […]
Two researchers at the University of Connecticut received a large grant ($404,639 to be exact) to study whether robots can improve the motor skills of children with autism. They are developing a robot that can gradually increase the complexity of motor movements. The researchers hypothesize that the robots are simpler and more predictable therefore easier […]
The Journal of Pediatrics completed a retrospective chart review on 196 children less than 6 years of age with various developmental disabilities. Sixty three of the children (32%) were reported to exhibit self injurious behaviors. When comparing the children with self injurious behaviors and those without no differences were seen between the two groups regarding […]
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. […]