Autism

[Mayleng]

This may be a little late, but sportsmom asked me to post this message here. You can still get the DVD though.

For those of you dealing with Autism, you can send for a free DVD of the series that is being shown on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC this week. just email to [e-mail]

Quote:AUTISM: THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC?
>Programming Guide 2/19-2/26/05
>
>To receive a complimentary DVD containing all of NBC Universal's
>autism-related programming listed below, please send an e-mail to
>[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>. Please include your
>full name and shipping address in the message.
>Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20
>NBC's Owned & Operated Stations: 7-8pm
>* The 14 NBC stations of the NBC Universal Television Stations group
>will focus on the rising autism epidemic in a one-hour special. (Viewers
>should check their local program listings for individual airdates). Produced
>by KNBC in Los Angeles and hosted by anchor Michele Ruiz, the program will
>help educate viewers about the disorder and provide important information on
>possible causes, warning signs, treatments and therapies. The show also
>examines the enormous impact autism has on the entire family and documents
>one family's personal struggles, frustrations and triumphs as they care for
>their autistic son.
>Monday, February 21
>
>Today: (7am -10am)
>* What is Autism: Detection and the Importance of Early Detection
>* What Causes Autism
>MSNBC: (10:30am - 11am)
>* Dr. Pat Levitt, Director of The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for
>Research; discusses development to discuss advances and treatment of autism.
>
>Nightly News: (6:30pm-7pm)
>* Robert Bazell reports on the reasons why autism has gone from a
>isorder no one knew of a few decades ago to an exploding emergency
>affecting 1.7 million Americans and their families
>Tuesday, February 22
>
>Today: (7am -10am)
>* The Autism Diagnosis and How to Set Up a Treatment Team
>* The Michael Marino Story: When Early Intervention Works
>MSNBC: (10:30am-11am)
>* Lee Grossman, President & CEO of Autism Society of America; has a
>17-year-old autistic son and shares his personal crusade in raising
>awareness and funding for autism.
>CNBC: Power Lunch (12:30pm) and Closing Bell (4:45pm)
>* The Autism Double Whammy: Paying the Emotional and Financial Price
>Nightly News: (6:30pm-7pm)
>* Robert Bazell revisits a California family who responded to their
>son's diagnosis by taking on the scientific establishment to make autism
>research a national priority
>
>Wednesday, February 23
>
>Today: (7am - 10am)
>* Educational Programs for Treating Children with Autism
>* How Autism Affects the Family and Siblings
>MSNBC: (10:30am - 11am)
>* Gloria and Patrick Fay, parents of twin 7-year-old autistic boys;
>they share their personal story of living with autism
>CNBC: Power Lunch (12:30pm) and Closing Bell (4:45pm)
>* Research and Funding.
>Nightly News: (6:30pm-8pm)
>* Robert Bazell reports on research at Yale University that reveals
>the inner workings of the minds of people with autism by watching where
>their eyes focus while watching human interactions in movies and videos
>
>Thursday, February 24
>
>Today: (7am-10am)
>* How to be an Advocate for Your Child if they have Autism
>* Knowing the Law in your Community, and Getting it to Work for You
>MSNBC: (10:30am-11am)
>* Actor Anthony Edwards, honorary board member of Cure Autism Now
>CNBC: Power Lunch (12:30pm)
>* Serving the Growing Population of Autistic Children
>CNBC: Closing Bell (4:45pm)
>* Vernon Smith, 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics, discusses his
>personal challenges with Aspergers syndrome
>
>Friday, February 25
>
>Today: (7am-10am)
>* Bob and Suzanne Wright Announce their Public Awareness Campaign
>* Adults with Autism
>MSNBC: (10:30am -11am)
>* NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright
>CNBC: Power Lunch (12:30) and Closing Bell (4:45)
>* Vocational Training for Autistic Teenagers
>CNBC: Power Lunch
>* NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright Announces New Public Awareness Campaign
>
>
>Saturday, February 26
>
>Telemundo: (7pm-8pm)
>* "Autismo: Epidemia Silenciosa?": The show will provide viewers with
>important information on the disorder and explain how families can seek
>treatment for their autistic children. KVEA anchor Lucia Navarro will serve
>as host of the program, which will also explore how the Hispanic community
>eals with autism and the social stigma that is often associated with mental
>illness.

[Linda]

It is never too late..thank you

[Mayleng]

Found this on another site, thought I would pass it along.

Eye contact is (IMNSHO) highly over-rated, and more important to the typicals speaking than it is for the communication itself.

www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=000A84C7-F984-1228-B98483414B7F0000&chanID=sa003

Eye Contact Triggers Threat Response in Autistic Children

Children suffering from autism pay very little attention to faces, even those of people close to them. Indeed, this characteristic can become apparent as early as the age of one, and is often used as a developmental sign of the disease. The results of a new study provide additional insight into why autistic children avoid eye contact: they perceive faces as an uncomfortable threat, even if they are familiar.

Kim M. Dalton of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her colleagues studied 27 autistic teenagers who looked at pictures of faces (see image) while a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine scanned their brains. The researchers also tracked the subjects' eye movements as they studied the images. "This is the very first published study that assesses how individuals with autism look at faces while simultaneously monitoring which of their brain areas are active," Dalton says. When the image included a direct gaze from a nonthreatening face, brain activity in the amygdala-- brain region associated with negative feelings--was much higher for autistic children than it was in members of the control group. "Imagine walking through the world and interpreting every face that looks at you as a threat, even the face of your own mother," remarks study co-author Richard Davidson, also at UW-Madison.

The results also indicate that a brain area associated with face perception, known as the fusiform region, is fundamentally normal in autistic children; it does exhibit decreased activity, however. Davidson notes that this could result because the over-aroused amygdala makes an autistic child want to look away from faces. In addition, he comments that it was surprising that "when subjects with autism averted their gaze away from the eye region of a face, they showed reduced activity in the amygdala, suggesting that the gaze aversion is serving a functional purpose." The findings are published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience. --Sarah Graham

[sportsmom]

[glow=blue,2,300]Thanks Mayleng[/glow]