Research Article about Down syndrome

I love research.  This one particularly hit home because my daughter has Down syndrome.  You can find this research information from the Harvard Gazette HERE.

Have you seen this? A man diagnosed with autism passed the bar exam!

I saw this over the weekend and have been smiling ever since!  A man diagnosed with autism graduated from law school and passed the bar exam on his first try.  This is huge!  This can open up more opportunities for other adults with special needs to attend university.
Check out the video from NBC San Diego Channel 7.

After School Restraint Collapse - yes, it's real!

There is a viral article circulating the past two years about After School Restraint Collapse by Andrea Nair.  You can find the article here.

After School Restraint Collapse refers to a child who is well behaved at school but seems to fall apart in that department once he or she gets home.  Learn more about it and what you can do about it.

Another Great Article

How awesome is this?!  A person with autism has just signed a contract to play baseball.  I linked the previous sentence so you can see the article.

MIT Research titled How You Talk To Your Child Changes Their Brain.

Those of you who know me well know I love research.  Here is a FANTASTIC article about MIT's current research on child language acquisition.  It turns out that back and forth conversation with your child does more to increase language skills than using flashcards or electronic games. 

My two favorite takeaways:  

“The really novel thing about our paper is that it provides the first evidence that family conversation at home is associated with brain development in children. It’s almost magical how parental conversation appears to influence the biological growth of the brain,” says John Gabrieli, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and the senior author of the study.

AND.....

"Babies tend to learn by watching and copying the adults they are most attached to, which is why singing and cuddling are much more effective than high-tech educational tools when it comes to development. "

Here is the link:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/how-you-talk-to-your-child-changes-their-brain/

Autism In The Workplace

CBS Sunday Morning did a great piece on the changes happening in the workplace. More people with autism are being sought out and hired by major companies. Check this out!  I am beyond excited to see this. As doors open for this population it means that these businesses (and hopefully all places of work) will start to see potential in all abilities. Well done CBS and all the workplaces featured in this piece.

Article: Children't Shouldn't Flip Flop Their Way Through Summer

We (Miss Jeana, Miss Jen, and I) are concerned with safety on the playground.  We've noticed that flip flops are not supportive and can lead to increased injuries on the playground.  Not to mention that they are constantly falling off little feet when playing.  Here is a great article that explains the reasons.  Click on the title below to access the article.

Children Shouldn't Flip Flop  Their Way Through Summer