 |
|
Study finds autistics better at problem-solving
June 17, 2009Autistics are up to 40 percent faster at problem-solving than non-autistics, according to a new Université de Montréal and Harvard University study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping. As part of the investigation, participants were asked to complete patterns in the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) - test that measures hypothesis-testing, problem-solving and learning skills.
"While both groups performed RSPM test with equal accuracy, the autistic group responded more quickly and appeared to use perceptual regions of the brain to accelerate problem-solving," says lead author Isabelle Soulières, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University who completed the experiment at the Université de Montréal. "Some critics agued that autistics would be unable to complete the RSPM because of its complexity, yet our study shows autistics complete it as efficiently and have a more highly developed perception than non-autistics."
"This study builds on our previous findings and should help educators capitalize on the intellectual abilities of autistics," says senior researcher Laurent Mottron, the new Marcel & Rolande Gosselin Research Chair in Autism Cognitive Neuroscience of the Université de Montréal and psychiatry professor. "The limits of autistics should constantly be pushed and their educational materials should never be simplified."
Adds Dr. Soulières: "The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices are among the most complex tests to provide insight on how a person understands and formulates rules, manages goal hierarchies and performs high-level abstractions. Our wager was that autistics could complete such a test and they surpassed our expectations."
University of Montreal
Autistics Current Events and Autistics News RSSPoor recognition of 'self' found in high functioning people with autism
Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others.
Study on Joint Attention Has Implications for Understanding Autism
A hallmark of human nature is the ability to share information and to comprehend the thoughts and intentions of others. This capability involves social cognition (the cognitive processes involved in social interaction) and makes a significant contribution to the foundations for language development, as well as social competence. It also sets us apart from other primates.
The matrix of autism
Autistic children are doubly stigmatized. On the one hand, they are often dismissed as "low functioning" or mentally retarded, especially if they have poor speaking skills as many do. Yet when autistics do show exceptional abilities-uncanny visual discrimination and memory for detail, for example-their flashes of brilliance are marginalized as aberrations, mere symptoms of their higher order cognitive deficit.
Harnessing the brain's plasticity key to treating neurological damage
With an aging population susceptible to stroke, Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions, and military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious limb injuries, the need for strategies that treat complex neurological impairments has never been greater.
Lille, the European hub of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Lille is at the leading edge worldwide in terms of research into Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). NMR is THE big subject in vogue in the current scientific debates. Since its discovery in 1946 by Félix Bloch and Edward Purcell, twelve Nobel prizes have been awarded for their work on NMR. To sum up, we can say that NMR is a revolutionary means of communicating with matter, at the level of the atom, via waves similar to those used for radio (see details below, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, how does it work ?).
University film to smash autism stereotypes
Photographs available Widely held stereotypes of autism are leading to a "scandalous squandering of talented resources" by British employers, according to a senior academic at Sheffield Hallam University. Jeff Baggott, Head of Film and Media at the University, believes that misconceptions of the syndrome have resulted in a disturbing lack of autistic young adults in the workplace. Statistics from the National Autistic Society estimate that a massive 98 per cent of autistic adults are unemployed. He added: "We need to open up opportunities for those affected with autism - and employers have a large role to play. Employers need to realise that autistic people have something very d
More Autistics Current Events and Autistics News Articles
 |
Kimochis Feelings Pack 3 by Kimochi Having mixed feelings? Mixed Feelings Pack 3 gives you more feelings to share with family and friends. Includes: Sleepy, Surprised, Embarrassed, Guilty, Excited, and one Make-Your-Own feeling with washable pen all in a clear pouch! Happy? Smile. Sad? Frown. Kimochis help children identify and express feelings and help parents understand the thoughts their children try to communicate. Kimochi is Japanese for feeling. Each interactive Kimochi has a pouch to store its feelings, felt cushions in bright colors with a facial expression on one side and the name of the emotion on the other side. Children learn by placing the cushion that best matches their feelings into their Kimochi and sharing the experience. The process calms, comforts and instills confidence. These cuddly toys are... |
 |
Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet (Author) Born on a Blue Day is a journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today -- guided by the owner himself. Daniel Tammet is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head. He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores... |
 |
Uneasy Flowers by Autistic Daughters |
 |
Kimochi Mixed Feelings Pack 2: Kind, Hurt, Sorry, Uncomfortable, Friendly, and Make-your-own by Kimochi Having mixed feelings? Mixed Feelings Pack 2 gives you more feelings to share with family and friends. Includes: Kind, Hurt, Sorry, Uncomfortable, Friendly, and one Make-Your-Own feeling with washable pen all in a clear pouch! Happy? Smile. Sad? Frown. Kimochis help children identify and express feelings and help parents understand the thoughts their children try to communicate. Kimochi is Japanese for feeling. Each interactive Kimochi has a pouch to store its feelings, felt cushions in bright colors with a facial expression on one side and the name of the emotion on the other side. Children learn by placing the cushion that best matches their feelings into their Kimochi and sharing the experience. The process calms, comforts and instills confidence. These cuddly toys are modern,... |
 |
Autistic-Like: Graham's Story Directed By: Erik Linthorst Also With: Jody Becker (Producer) When their son was just 15 months old, Erik and Jennie Linthorst suspected something was not quite right. Experts and therapists told them their son was autistic. Sort of. Maybe. Some called him autistic-like. Others said he was not autistic at all. With his parents still seeking a clear diagnosis, Graham was launched into a program of behavioral therapy. Speech therapy. Occupational therapy. Soon after the therapy began, Erik and Jennie noticed something else: the treatment he was getting didn't seem to be on target. Erik took on the conundrum confronting many parents of kids who are "mildly disordered." Handed a fuzzy diagnosis, what should the treatment be? AUTISTIC-LIKE: GRAHAM'S STORY is an intimate family portrait showing one dad's determined quest to find the right therapies,... |
 |
Communication - England by Natl Autistic Society Contains research into the causes of autism and Asperger syndrome, new approaches and treatments, and developments in education and other services. |
 |
Emergence: Labeled Autistic by Temple Grandin (Author), Margaret M. Scariano (Author) A true story that is both uniquely moving and exceptionally inspiring, Emergence is the first-hand account of a courageous autistic woman who beat the odds and cured herself. As a child, Temple Grandin was forced to leave her "normal" school and enroll in a school for autistic children. This searingly honest account captures the isolation and fears suffered by autistics and their families and the quiet strength of one woman who insisted on a miracle. |
 |
Know the Code: Social Skills Card Game by Attainment Company Inc (Author) The Know The Code Cards illustrate 50 social skills in five easy to follow steps. Each card shows a skill with a relevant photo, lists sequential steps and suggests talking points. Use these oversized cards for 8 different games, role plays and individual cue sets. Two sets of 50 laminated 4" x 6" color cards with instructions. |
 |
Uneasy Flowers Autistic Daughters (Primary Contributor) |
|
A Real Rainman: Potrait of an Autistic Savant (Inspiration For Rain Man) Starring: Richard Wawro Documentary on Richard Wawro one of the most talented savants in the world. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |