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Sense of Touch Effects Thoughts and Behavior

The journal Science published research on how a human’s sense of touch influences thoughts and behavior. Subjects participated in various experiments to see how an objects weight, texture and hardness can influence decision making. In one experiment, the researchers had the subjects sit in hard or soft chairs and negotiate prices of a car. The […]

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Autism and Picky Eating

The April issue of the Journal of Pediatrics reports on the rate of picky eating in children with autism compared to a control group without autism. The Children’s Activity and Meal Patterns Study (CHAMPS)included 53 children with autism and 58 children without autism. A food diary was kept for 3 days and parents answered a […]

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Research: Sensory System and Predictability

Exciting research from the Journal of Neuroscience was published which indicates that is takes less effort for the brain to register predictable images than unpredictable images. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers determined that the brain is not static waiting to process visual information, but attempts to predict visual information. When the brain is […]

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Autism, ADHD and Motor Skills

The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published research comparing the movement abilities of 91 children ages 6-10 with autism (28), ADHD (29) or typical development (34). The results indicated that children with autism or ADHD scored significantly lower than the control group on overall gross motor development, locomotor skills and object control skills. The […]

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Visual Supports during Therapy Sessions

It is well known that children with autism and certain other disabilities benefit greatly from the use of visual supports throughout the day. Visual supports can be pictures, objects, written words, body language and cues. Some children use visual supports as a primary means of communication in the classroom and home. If this is a […]

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Children with Autism and Handwriting

The current issue of Neurology published research on handwriting abilities in children with autism (14 children with autism and 14 children without autism). The research indicated that children with autism displayed poorer quality in forming letters but size, alignment and spacing were similar to their peers without autism. In the study, motor skill level was […]