Monthly Archive for December, 2008

Gun safety at home

Published on 23 December 2008 in Families, Musings, News, Prevention and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , .

The combination of a child and a gun is frightening to me. Although guns are certainly not involved in all of them, “In the United States, unintentional injury, homicide, and suicide are the first, second, and fourth leading causes of death among persons aged 1–19 years, respectively,” according to Stephanie J. Bernard, Leonard J. Paulozzi, and L. J. David Wallace, of the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (U. S. Center for Disease Control).

When one adds into the kids-guns mix the variable of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, the situation becomes even more concerning. Some children with EBD may lack the ability to discriminate between a real and a toy gun; others may not have the impulse control to defer acting like they are shooting a gun upon picking one up; clowning around might lead to an accident. And none of those examples even begin to consider the possibility of premeditated actions.
Continue reading ‘Gun safety at home’

Sphere: Related Content

Mirror neurons symposium

Published on 22 December 2008 in Autism, News, Research and The press. 1 Comment

A press release entitled “How mirror neurons allow us to learn and socialise by going through the motions in the head” from the European Science Foundation provided additional conceptual basis for the role of mirror neurons in the development of social behavior. I’ve covered a potential connection between Autism and mirror neurons several times in the past here on EBD Blog so, even though the ESF report is not expressly about EBD or Autism, I thought I ought to drop a quick note about its availability. Link to the ESF press release.

Sphere: Related Content

New resource

Published on 17 December 2008 in Autism, Bookshelf, Families, News, Research, Schizophrenia and Treatment. 0 Comments

I have not yet had the chance to review it, but from the table of contents, the new book entitled Effective Practices for Children With Autism: Educational and Behavioral Support Interventions That Work and edited by James Luiselli and colleagues appears to be a valuable resource. I’ve sent a request to my library to have dibs on it when some other reader returns it.

Luiselli, J. K., Russo, D. K., Christian, W. P., & Wilczynski, S. M. (Eds.). (2008). Effective practices for children with autism: Educational and behavioral support interventions that work. New York: Oxford.

Sphere: Related Content

K. Kavale’s death

Published on 16 December 2008 in News and The press. 0 Comments

For folks who do not routinely read LD Blog or SpedPro: I report sadly that Ken Kavale died Saturday. I posted an obituary yesterday at Kenneth A. Kavale, 1946-2008.

Sphere: Related Content

Very Tweet

Published on 16 December 2008 in Autism, News and The press. 0 Comments Tags: .
Autism Twitter Day

Will I remember to post tweets today at the appointed hours, as per Bonnie Sayers’ Internet hit, “Autism Twitter Day?”

NPR covers vaccination

Published on 11 December 2008 in Autism, Causes, Families, News, Research and The press. 0 Comments

The US public radio show Morning Edition covered the hullabaloo caused by celebrities spouting expertise about vaccines causing Autism. In “Defending Vaccines: Actress Dispels Link To Autism,” Jon Hamilton presents a well-grounded story:

A movie star and a prominent scientist have teamed up to reassure the public that childhood vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.

Amanda Peet, who starred in films including The X-Files: I Want To Believe and Syriana, is working with Paul Offit, the chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Their goal is to counter the assault on vaccines led by celebrities including Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey and Holly Robinson Peete.

Link to Mr. Hamilton’s story. It’ll take fewer than 5 mins to listen to or read it. Then, sit back and watch the comments fill and overflow like an animated vessel with an open tap pouring into it. Note that Mr. Hamilton has repeatedly reported about research and Autism; his earlier stories on this topic are worth reviewing; here are links to earlier stories of his I’ve covered: 16 Mar 2007, 11 Apr 2007, and 8 Nov 2007; additionally, see Mr. Hamilton’s NPR bio page where there are links to other stories.

Sphere: Related Content

CoMed’s landmarks multiply

Published on 8 December 2008 in Autism, Causes, Families, News, Research and The press. 2 Comments Tags: .

As happens when I see words such as “breakthrough” and “miracle,” my skeptackles arise when I find “landmark” used to refer to new research. In my Occamistic view, studies don’t qualify as breakthroughs or landmarks until they have been closely vetted and, yes, replicated. So it was when I heard of a landmark study announced by the same folks this morning who had just announced one in October 2008.
Continue reading ‘CoMed’s landmarks multiply’

Sphere: Related Content

CCBD forum 2009

Published on 2 December 2008 in Acting in, Acting out, Behavior management, Bullying, Conduct disorder, Delinquency, News, Professsional development, Research, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Here’s a special opportunity to learn about how to address challenging behavior problems. This is a star-studded line-up.—JohnL

International Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders

Professional Development

2 0 0 9 International Forum

Achieving Academic and Social Competence: Improving Educational Outcomes for Challenging Students

Tuscany Suites and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

January 30-31, 2009

Continue reading ‘CCBD forum 2009′

Sphere: Related Content

Bad Behavior has blocked 826 access attempts in the last 7 days.