AUSTRALIAN GIFTED CONFERENCE. The 13th National Conference on Giftedness is scheduled for July 12-15, 2012, in Adelaide, South Australia. According to conference organizers, "This conference will bring together experts in the field of giftedness and talent and combine these with the latest research from around the world." Find out more.
MEDSCAPE ON AUTISM. In a series called "Game Changers in Pediatrics 2011," Medscape pointed to key findings from research in the area of ASDs. Some of the findings show how much more there is to learn about ASD, some point out things that don't work in treating ASD. Find the Medscape article.
PANDAS. The Los Angeles Times published an article about pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS), a sudden-onset mental disorder marked by OCD-type behaviors. The article also mentions the possibility that other disorders, including cases of autism, might be linked to improper immune system response. Find out more.
GIFTED AND DIFFICULT. A small school in Torrance, California, takes talented students who have difficulties in the normal classroom. For many of the 21 students at the school, The Center for Learning Unlimited, the issue is Asperger's. One "graduate" of the school is at the top of his class in middle school. Read more.
BIOCHEMICAL IMBALANCE IN AD/HD. A recent study has unveiled a new suspect in the biochemistry of AD/HD, this one the receptor protein for the transmitter acetylcholine. Children with AD/HD have about half the protein that typical subjects do. According to a study author, "This indicates that several signal substances are implicated in ADHD and that in the future this could pave the way for other drugs than those in use today." Read more.
AND FINALLY THIS. Researchers in Finland monitored subjects' brains by MRI as the subjects listened to tango music. The results indicate that music affects many areas of the brain. From a write-up of the research: "The researchers found that music listening recruits not only the auditory areas of the brain, but also employs large-scale neural networks. For instance, they discovered that the processing of musical pulse recruits motor areas in the brain, supporting the idea that music and movement are closely intertwined. Limbic areas of the brain, known to be associated with emotions, were found to be involved in rhythm and tonality processing. Processing of timbre was associated with activations in the so-called default mode network, which is assumed to be associated with mind-wandering and creativity." So much for just "listening" to music. Find the write-up.
"BLAMING PARENTS: What I've learned and unlearned as a child psychiatrist" is the title of an article on a Scientific American blog. But the article starts with what the psychiatrist learned in the ER with her severely ill infant son, and her recognition of the way she sometimes dispensed "parent blame" in her own practice. She recounts old, supposed parent-related causes for schizophrenia and autism, reminds us of how much is not known about childhood disorders, and covers the complexity of the old nature/nurture split. Read about the doctor's conclusions for when to blame parents... and when not to.
APPLYING THE VIDEO GAME MODEL TO EDUCATION. Neurologist-turned-educator Judy Willis explains how video games can provide a model for "best teaching strategies." She covers the brain's dopamine-based reward system, the concept of individualized achievable challenge, and other concepts to build her case. Read her article at Edutopia.
"AUTISM NOW" ON PBS. If you're interested in learning more about the current PBS NewsHour series "Autism Now," you may find it at the site of the Diane Rehm Show.
TEACHER RESOURCE. Microsoft sponsors a U.S. Innovative Education Forum, and the application period is now open. Submit a project that demonstrates "the innovative use of technology in ways that reflect the themes for 2011: Engaging students, inspiring creativity, and preparing for the future." Projects must include Microsoft technology. Chosen educators attend the forum for free, as nearly as we can tell. Find out more.
BRAIN CLUTTER is a term associated with conditions such as AD/HD, Tourettes' OCD, and schizophrenia. A new study has identified a group of neurons that seem to be important in filtering non-essential information. Find out more.
PREDICTING LEARNING. Researchers have used neuro-imaging to use the "flexibility" of the brain's regions to predict how well someone will learn, at least in the short term. "Allegiances" between brain regions change over time, so in theory determining when the brain is flexible should tell whether learning will be better or worse on a particular day. Read more.
THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC LESSONS. Musical training as a child can lead to higher scores on tests of cognitive skills, even decades later, according to a new study. "The high-level musicians who had studied the longest performed the best on the cognitive tests, followed by the low-level musicians and non-musicians, revealing a trend relating to years of musical practice. The high-level musicians had statistically significant higher scores than the non-musicians on cognitive tests relating to visuospatial memory, naming objects and cognitive flexibility, or the brain's ability to adapt to new information." Read more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Find out how marketers are using online games as a path to young consumers. One example: "Create a Comic," created by General Mills to supposedly sell Honey Nut Cheerios to young players. According to The New York Times, "General Mills and other food companies are rewriting the rules for reaching children in the Internet age. These companies, often selling sugar cereals and junk food, are using multimedia games, online quizzes and cellphone apps to build deep ties with young consumers." Read more.