Autism

Brains With ASD Create More Information at Rest
The brains of children with autism spectrum disorders generate more information at rest - on average, 42 % more - according to a paper published December 24 in Frontiers of Neuroinformatics (bit.ly/information-at-rest). The study offers a scientific explanation for ASD's most typical characteristic:withdrawal into one's own inner world. This excess information production my help explain a child's detachment from the environment.
 "Our results suggest that autistic children are not interested in social interactions because their brains generate more information at rest, which we interpret as more introspection in line with early descriptions of the disorder," said Roberto Fernandez Galan, senior author and associate professor on neurosciences at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
The authors quantified information an applied it to brain activity recorded with magnetoencephalography. They collected and analyzed MEG date from nine boys with ASD (ages 7-16) and 10 age-matched, typically developing children (six males and four females, ages 6-14). The brains of participants with ASD generated an average of 42% more information at rest than those  of the children in the control group. This finding may explain their lack of interest in external stimuli, including interactions with other people. (The ASHA Leader, April 2014, page 18, retrieved April 2, 2014)

Listen to Your Buds shared the following link: http://healthyliving.msn.com/pregnancy-parenting/kids-health/baby-sleep-machines-could-damage-hearing-study-suggests Some of the "sleep machines" marketed to soothe infants seem capable of generating enough noise to potentially damage a baby's hearing, a new study suggests.

Visit http://www.juniorsweb.com for free activities to help further develop articulation skills. Click on 'Speech Therapy Online' on the left side of the screen, choose your sound(s) and choose a game to play (crossword, picture puzzles). There are also games that focus on language development if you need practice. Click on Match Words with Memory Games (synonyms, antonyms, rhyming and associated words). Enjoy!

Retrieved 1/4/2014 -

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT FOR DYSLEXIA SCREENING BILL: Please take a moment and get your voice heard We have a 2-part action plan to turn this screening bill into a law! Part 1:  Please contact the NJ Senate President Stephen Sweeney and respectfully request that he post bill S2442/A3605 to the next Senate Voting Session on Jan. 9, 2014, without going through committee again. Politely remind him that this bill was just passed by the Assembly on Dec. 19th and earlier version previously approved by the Senate education committee and the full Senate back in June. Senate President Stephen Sweene EMAIL: SenSweeney@njleg.org PHONE NUMBER: 856-251-9801 Sample letter/email: Dear President Sweeney, NJ Assembly bill S2442/A3605 was just unanimously passed by the General Assembly on Dec. 19th and now needs a vote from the NJ Senate in hopes of turning this bill into a law before this legislative session ends. This bill is critical in breaking the cycle of not recognizing the well-defined dyslexia indicators early (or not at all) which usually then leads a child into years of waiting, failing and falling terribly behind. This is so unnecessary if a child is screened early when the brain still has the ability to change and rewire itself in the presence of good, evidenced-based instruction. Bill S2442/A3605 is also directly supported by the recommendations in the recently submitted NJ Reading Disabilities Task Force Report (Aug. 2012). Therefore, I respectfully request that you please promptly post S2442/A3605 to the Senate Voting Session on January 9, 2014. This bill is truly the first step in ensuring that NJ students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities have the opportunity to not only become successful readers but successful citizens. With sincerest thanks, (Your name) (Your town and district number)  Part 2:  Since we have very little time before this legislative session ends, we need to DO BOTH actions at the same time. We need to contact the Senate President (see part 1 action alert post) as well as contacting Gov. Christie. He HAS to sign this bill into law or it will die. Therefore, contact Governor Chris Christie and respectfully ask him to sign bill S2442/A3605 into law as soon as it is passed in the Senateand BEFORE the legislative session ends on January, 14 2014.  Email: use the contact form http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/ select: Education as topic and Special Education as subtopic Office Phone: (609) 292-6000 Address: Honorable Chris Christie Office of the Governor P.O. Box 001 Trenton, NJ 08625 sample letter/email: Dear Governor Christie, NJ bill S2442/A3605 was just unanimously passed by the General Assembly on Dec. 19th. The bill is also very likely to also be passed in the Senate at the next voting session in January 2014, since an earlier version was already passed in the Senate back in June 2013. This bill is critical in breaking the cycle of not recognizing the well-defined dyslexia indicators early (or not at all) which usually then leads a child into years of waiting, failing and falling terribly behind. This is so unnecessary if a child is screened early when the brain still has the ability to change and rewire itself in the presence of good, evidenced-based instruction. Bill S2442/A3605 is also directly supported by the recommendations in the recently submitted NJ Reading Disabilities Task Force Report (Aug. 2012). Therefore, I respectfully request that you please sign bill S2442/A3605 into law as soon as you receive it and before the legislative session ends on January 14, 2014. This bill is truly the first step in ensuring that NJ students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities have the opportunity to not only become successful readers but successful citizens. With sincerest thanks, (Your name) (Your town and district number)  On another note.......  Visit learningally.org. Learning Ally is a national nonprofit with a defined approach to help support students with learning disabilities and their families.

A step-by-step approach to dyslexia

As you are probably most aware, a large number of bright, intelligent, and talented men and women, through no fault of their own, experience difficulty learning to read and write. This is known as dyslexia. Given its complexity, dyslexia can feel overwhelming and frustrating.

At this website, our goal is to give you a step-by-step approach to help you understand what dyslexia is (and what it is not), develop an action plan, begin to get help, and become your own best advocate.

We understand that it can be challenging. Therefore, we provide you with guidance, guidelines, and such tools as an extensive glossary to help you understand all of the terms, assistive software programs, and study 'tips' that focus on organization and time management.

There are also many success stories on this site that are very motivating and inspirational. Let's 

begin your journey. Success starts here. http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/dyslexics (retrieved 12/3/2013). 

Visit http://www.sightandhearing.org to review the 2012 Noisy Toy List. 12 of 20 of the toys tested increased the risk of hearing loss in less than 15 minutes!!!

I really like this ESL website. It is very helpful for home practice because your child can listen to correct productions over and over again. If your child is working on the vocalic r encourage listening to the vowel productions as well. 
Visit http://www.rachelsenglish.com.
Click on Sounds (top of page). 
Scroll down to the desired sound(s).