A study by researchers in UK has found that people with autism may have better creative problem solving capabilities than those without and generate more original and creative ideas, breaking the myth that they lack creativity.
The results were confirmed by a survey that involved 312 people online who were given a questionnaire asking if they had autism. The questions also assessed if they might have some traits of the autism even if there was no formal declaration of the disorder.
Researchers were able to test the creativity of these participants by seeking interpretations of images that were supposed to be deeper than they seemed.
Secondly they gave participants one minute to list out maximum uses for simple objects like a brick or a paper clip.
The results of the research show that people who said that they have autistic traits and those who suffered from autism usually came up with lesser options but interesting responses than normal people.
An eight-year-old boy, with both autism and ADHD, has come up with a novel solution for stopping strangers from staring at him – and is simultaneously raising awareness for the conditions that affect so many children and adults.
Daniel Booth’s conditions mean that he struggles to cope with changes in his routine and his behavior often causes people to stop and stare at him when he’s out and about with his parents.
The schoolboy didn’t want that to be the case, so he decided to create cards explaining his diagnosis and why he acts the way he does. His mum Karen, 36, helped him design his cards, which he now hands out when he feels the need to.
Thousands flocked to the beach for a day dedicated to children and their families who experience the day-to-day challenges of autism.
“We registered our limit of 200 participants from several different states in record time,” said Don Ryan, president of Surfers for Autism, Inc. “We registered 300 volunteers online and had another seventy-five show up today. Sixteen restaurants are catering today for free.”
“It’s fun,” said 9-year-old Mackenzie Herrick, who wasted no time getting back on the board every time she fell off. Standing up on the surfboard, she raised her arms in the air to celebrate as she rode a wave toward shore.
Increasingly, research confirms the efficacy of explicit training in emotional intelligence starting at a very young age. According to multiple studies, preschoolers who participate in social-emotional skills programs exhibit less aggression and anxiety and become better social problem solvers. While these outcomes may make for a more peaceful classroom environment, the benefits outlive preschool: prosocial behavior in early childhood is strongly linked with future academic performance and mental health. In other words, when children learn how to calm themselves down, use language to express their feelings and treat others with kindness, they are laying the foundation for future success and wellness.
This is 7 year old Jacob Velazquez playing his Taylor Swift Piano Medley from her new album 1989. Jacob loves Taylor’s music & dreams of jammin with her one day! Jacob was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his gift of music.
Taylor Swift sent a sweet message to a 7-year-old fan on Wednesday after watching a video of him playing a piano medley of her songs.
Jacob Velazquez, who lives in Florida, was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old. A gifted pianist, he listens to Swifts albums daily and watches her videos constantly, his mother, Lisa Velazquez, wrote in a guest post on the Autism Speaks website.
“He dreams (literally has dreams) of meeting her every night,” Lisa wrote. “I have explained to him that she has millions of fans who would all love to meet her.”
Imagine hearing a tune and precisely name them — every single one of them! This Autistic youngster can turn every sound into a note!
According to a statement released by the metropolitan municipality, Hartavi shares a gift that has previously been associated with musical geniuses; “absolute pitch.” Pointed out as a pianist of the future, Hartavi has shocked his teachers with his talent as he can interpret any sound he hears, whether from a musical instrument or nature, into musical notes. Hartavi, whose talent was discovered by music teacher Emre Köstence of the Haşim İşcan Family Training Center, works continuously to win the conservatory exams of Antalya Chamber of Commerce Fine Arts High School. His biggest dream is to become a pianist. He sits down in front of a piano whenever he sees one and enchants his audience.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Dr. Roula N. Choueiri came up with The Rapid Intervention Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T)— a test designed to be used in assessing at-risk toddlers aged 12-36 months in early intervention and pediatric settings using interactive play-type activities.
According to Dr. Choueiri:
“We believe that the use of this tool will greatly expand effective autism spectrum disorder screening, which would lead to better and earlier identification of autism and, thus, earlier access to important treatment.”
Kristen and Joel Lundstrom started the Carroll Summer Fun Camp. It’s a six week camp held on the DMACC campus in Carroll. Twenty-five students signed up for the first year.
They practice sports, do science experiments, yoga, and dance, but the most important part of the Carroll Summer Fun Camp is what you might not notice. Kristen Lundstrom said, “It is an education based summer camp that half of the kids are on the autism spectrum and half of the kids are typical peers.”
“Genetic studies are showing that there will be about 1,000 genes linked to autism. This means you could mutate any one of them and get the disorder. We found how one of these mutations works,” said Zylka, senior author of the Cell paper and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center.
The work was done in human cell lines, as well as mouse models.
Because this one autism-linked UBE3A mutation was part of the Simons Simplex Collection – and Zylka previously had been funded through a Simons Foundation grant – he had access to the cells that were used to find this one mutation. When Jason Yi, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Zylka’s lab, sequenced the genes from the cell samples – including cells from the child’s parents – he found that the parents had no hyperactive UBE3A but the child did.
The child’s regulatory switch was broken, causing UBE3A to be perpetually switched on.
People with autism have less activity in the amygdala (shown in red), which helps process emotions
A self-assessment test for autism has been developed by psychologists at Cardiff University.
The research, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, focuses on how much people indulge in common habits and routines such as lining up objects, arranging them into patterns and fiddling obsessively with things to help clinicians diagnose them.
It found consistently higher scores for people with autism after it was trialled on 311 people.
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Autism or Autistic? A label is too small for a human being’s magnificence
