Alaska Neuro/Therapy Children’s Summer Groups
The Alaska Neuro/Therapy Children’s Summer Groups are almost here! Check out the poster for details!
Blog
Fix it in Five with Lynette Louise
Her methods may seem different, but so is the way those with autism interact with the world. I love her heart and her approach. So authentic and eloquent. Both seasons are worth your time.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is one of the most under-identified learning difference that I’ve come across. The neat thing is, it’s fairly easy to identify…as long as you know what to look for. Susan Barton is a well known expert in this field. She posted some great, easy to understand videos/webinars if you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating brain difference! Click here to view them.
91.1 Line One Recording
Here is the recording from our live show: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/10/07/neurofeedback-and-addautism/
Enjoy!
Autism or Asperger’s?
With the new release of the DSM-V in May 2013 we no longer see Asperger’s listed as a disorder. Autism and all of its related subsets (i.e., pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, etc.) were put under one big umbrella – Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three levels of severity were assigned, three being the most severe symptoms and one being the least. In some ways this brought more attention to the fact that Autism is very much a spectrum disorder. There is a popular saying among the autism community, “If you’ve met one autistic child, you’ve met one autistic child.” This highlights the fact that each individual with this diagnosis is unique within the context of their diagnosis.
Unfortunately, this merger also included Asperger’s Syndrome. Many clinicians and families are beginning to recognize this as a detriment because Asperger’s Syndrome has a distinct presentation from Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is characterized by deficits (which range in severity) in three areas: impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted stereotypical behavior patterns. It is a spectrum disorder because these symptoms can manifest in various forms and with different intensity. People with Asperger’s display deficits in the same areas, but with one distinct difference; Asperger’s clients have a desire to interact socially, but cannot do so fluidly or appropriately. They are highly egocentric and tend to talk only about their preferred interests, ignoring the subtle nonverbal cues of others who may portray boredom or impatience with the topic.
Not only do we see these differences play out in one’s life, but when we take a look at the brain, via an EEG recording, we see differences between the brains of those with Autism and those with Asperger’s. For example, an EEG recording of an Autistic individual typically shows differences from the normal population at sites F3 and F4. These sites are closest to the region of the brain that produces mirror neurons. In Asperger’s clients, there are often distinct differences from the normative database (those who do not have any psychological diagnosis) at the F6 site. F6 is close to Broca’s area which is responsible for speech production.
What do you think? Should Asperger’s Syndrome remain a distinct diagnosis from Autistic Spectrum Disorder? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below!
AK Neuro/Therapy Center on the radio!
Al, Kathleen, and Shannon will be on the radio, KSKA 91.9 Line One – Your Health Connection, on Monday at 2:00pm! We are very excited to talk to the community about our areas of specialty; ADHD, Autism, mindfulness and neurofeedback. If you’re interested in hearing about the overlap between ADHD and autism, the best approach to treatment, and how our culture responds to individuals with these disorders give us a listen! We’ll be happy to take questions from listeners. See you there!
Service Dogs and Autism
Great story! Thank you Alaska Dispatch News for raising awareness about autism. Click here.
Here are some service animal resources in our area:
NFB
Neurofeedback, which dates back to the early 1900’s, is slowly gaining recognition. And it’s about time. This article provides an easy to understand description. Enjoy!
“The way neurofeedback works is fairly simple: Electrodes are attached to various parts of the skull and hooked up to a computer or tablet of some kind with installed software that reads activity in those regions and computes an appropriate response delivered back to the brain. The brain then uses that data to adjust itself, in the same way that you might be inspired to fix an-out-of place lock of hair while looking in the mirror. As the brain changes, the feedback changes. Think of neurofeedback as a kind of learning for the brain, says Kirk Little, a Cincinnati psychologist and president of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research. If you tell a dog to sit, push its butt down and give it a cookie 100 times, the dog is going to learn how to sit on its own [when] you just shake the [cookie] box. You’re doing the same thing with the brain’s electrical discharges rewarding people for modifying their brain waves.”
Video Games and ADHD
“…chronic stress effectively “short circuits” the frontal lobe, a hyperaroused and mentally depleted child will have trouble paying attention, managing emotions, suppressing impulses, following directions, tolerating frustration, accessing creativity and compassion, and executing tasks. All of these effects are compounded by screen-time disrupting the body clock and hindering deep sleep. In fact, the effects on sleep alone can explain many of the mood, cognitive and behavior issues associated with screens, and also explain how screen effects can build over time, making them easy to miss.
When people say my strict screen-time recommendations—which are based not just on clinical experience and research but also on how the brain works—are “not realistic,” and that children “must learn to manage technology,” my response is this:
It’s not realistic to expect the brain to adapt to intense and artificial stimulation it was never meant to handle. It’s also not realistic to expect a child with still-developing frontal lobe to control their screen-time, whether that means managing how long they play a game, how they use or misuse social media, or how they behave afterward.
Parents need to learn the science behind how screen-time overstimulates the nervous system, how this manifests as an array of symptoms and dysfunction, and what that looks like in their own child. Learning this information can literally change the course of child’s life; it helps parents to make informed and mindful screen management decisions, and steadies them from being swayed by cultural trends and misleading headlines. It puts parents in the driver’s seat.
While the world may have changed, how the brain responds to stress and what it needs to thrive has not.” Read the full article below.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201609/is-your-childs-brain-video-games