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 […]
A recent study published in Current Biology reports on the sense of smell and memory. In the study the researchers noted that people remembered unpleasant smells the best. Associations of objects and good or bad smells made an imprint on the brain. This only occurred with smells and not sounds. In addition, functional MRI scans […]
Here is our latest issue of a digital pediatric occupational and physical therapy monthly magazine. If you can not view it below you can download a pdf copy.
Autism360 is a new website where you can share and learn about others with autism. It is a free service that matches a profile of someone with autism with similar people with autism and what types of treatment worked for them. You can track medical treatments and outcomes on the website. Essentially, it is an […]
Here is a video from the CBS Early Show on an artist with autism who has a photographic memory for architecture. This is true talent. (PS – Have to mention this: be sure to check out his pencil grasp. Just goes to show you that as long as the grasp works for you leave it […]
Came across this new tool for augmentative communication called Tap2Talk. Seems like a nice alternative for augmentative communication. Watch the video for how it works. The positive features are: the price point, no Internet access is required, cool age appropriate tool and you can put in your own pictures and voice. One negative is that […]
A researcher from NJIT, Architect B. Lynn Hutchings, offers suggestions for schools to make changes to the physical lay out of buildings to accommodate for students with disabilities. Some of her suggestions are: 1. Inter-disperse related services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy throughout the school 2. Auditoriums should have ramped aisles and stages. […]
Recently, there have been more studies on autism and motor skill development. Many children with autism exhibit delays in motor skill acquisition. Some research has shown deficits in the following areas: 1. dynamic balance and diadochokinesis (rapid pronation/supination of forearms)2. fine motor skills with regards to timed movements3. increased variability to perform simple movements4. performing […]
The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published research on the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on children with autism. A 12 week intervention of therapeutic horseback riding for 19 children with autism resulted in less inattention, distractibility and sedentary behavior. In addition, the children displayed increased social motivation, sensory seeking behaviors and greater sensory […]
A Northwestern University study researched how children processed three sounds with background noise present in the room. The three sounds, “ba”, “ga” and “da” were difficult for children to interpret. The researchers used a new technology that is sensitive enough to measure how the nervous system represents differences in sounds in each person. This study […]