Black Ice

Thin and clear, hard to see,
Black ice makes roads slippery.
Silent and unseen, it lies ahead,
A slippery trap, ready to paralyze one dead


Zoom classes on schedule today

Postsynaptic receptors will rule the day. 
But no commute is relief!

Moments like Fleet

 Its already month 2 of 2023. Time does rush past. 

Months speed by, moments like fleet

Leaving memories, both sweet and beat. 

Where have the days gone, oh so fast

Never to return, from the past.

Hold tight, each moment's just right

Be supported to joy, day and night. 

Time waits for no one, it's true

Our lives are worth living, cherish it anew

Multilingual and Autism

Multilingual and Autism

Therapists often tell families to only speak English so as to not confuse the autistic child. I think that's not a good idea as it results in a loss of cultural identity. During my elementary years there was so much time spent on teaching me St Patrick's day (what relevance do green men and rainbows have for me) instead of say teaching me about Diwali (more relevant to me). Many of us have extended family who only speak their native tongue. Life exists outside of the special education classroom and therapy. 

Autism loves to get stuck on sameness, so you may be inadvertently encouraging that very thing. For instance, in my early years - I used to watch Thomas the Tank engine pretty obsessively. I would avoid the Ringo Starr narrated version but loved the George Carlin version - the Brit accent felt like an alien foreign language. 

It's good to also be exposed to different accents associated with the different languages for another important reason. We will be be surrounded by caregivers/educators with diff accents. No one thinks about this aspect. 

I had a class aide in elementary who's accent I never understood. She was a new immigrant who was barely learning to speak English herself and I just could not make out her high pitched accent. It was not due to cognition on my part, how could I respond if I have not understood the question/instruction which as far as I was concerned was in an alien language.  Sometimes I would try to watch her lips, trying to synchronize the visual of her lip movements with the audio I was hearing - it was a lot to process and it was often easiest to give up and engage in stimming behaviors (comforting) instead. Rather ironical as she was supposed to be teaching me. No one thinks about this aspect. 

Anyway, I did get over the Ringo Starr thing eventually. Interestingly, the accent thing is not so striking in singing. I love Beatles music (simple lyrics that you can actually get your mouth around) and i did not realize Adele was Brit till i saw her talk at an awards ceremony.

Equanimity is the calm at the center of the storm

Towards a more humane society. #MentalHealth. Contemplation, one line a day.

 

Capturing Joy

 This time in Jan 2022

With my Haas Scholars Cohort on the UC Berkeley Campus. 

We were back to in-person meetings though fully masked indoors. 

Kevin, 2nd from Left, just got into Columbia Law. 

Huge Congrats Kevin! You will surely change the world with your work on prison reform. 

Freezing Rain

Ground temperature, below-freezing

Air temperature, above-freezing
liquid raindrops fall, temperature bends.
Drops hit the ground, instant freeze
Freezing rain, slick roads of unease.

Local vs Distributed Information

[Concepts in Sensorimotor Research]

Class Discussion  in my Multisensory Processing seminar class, see details of paper here. 

Implications for autism. Application and interventions is my big thought always.

I think by now it is pretty established that there are glitches in multisensory processing in autistics.

Past studies indicate TBW (Temporal Binding Window) larger in autistics - individual cortical columns were strong, but not talking to columns in other domains.

I want to highlight that this paper says that this balance between distributed vs local information can be a tool to explore differences in multisensory processing. The paper also goes on to say that this can be used to develop effective interventions aimed at improving performance on tasks requiring coordination between different sensory modalities.

So how exactly can we start to do this. What kind of experiment design can we set up so that we get to big goal of interventions. Do we first check for what regions of the brain are involved in autistics, while we do a task.

Melancholy

Melancholy creeps upon my heart

A feeling, deep and dark, it starts

A longing for something lost

A sorrow that comes at any cost.

Joy is the hope that comes with the belief that anything is possible

Contemplation, one line a day. #MentalHealth

 

A tempest tossed

 

A tempest tossed

In a world of noise and chaos,

My mind is a storm, a tempest tossed.

The overwhelming sensation,

Meltdown, a state of frustration.

My senses heightened,

Sounds and lights, so brightened.

A cacophony of noise,

A confusion that destroys.

A feeling of impending doom.

As I try to find an escape room.

But there is no escape,

From this overwhelming state.

I am trapped in my mind,

A prisoner of my own fate.

Is there a glimmer of hope,

A lifeline to help me cope.

To regain control, and continue on

But in the middle of the meltdown, all that is long gone. 

Apraxia, dyspraxia, oral-motor apraxia, Aphasia

[Concepts in Sensorimotor Research]

Pretty much every SLP I've been to over the years, has mentioned these terms. So what exactly are they. 

Apraxia, dyspraxia, and oral-motor apraxia are all related to deficits in motor planning and execution, but they differ in their specific manifestations and underlying neural mechanisms.

ADI - Autism Diagnostic Interview

Lexicon [Measures]- ADI

 The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is a semi-structured, and standardized interview designed for caregivers of autistics to gather information about the individual's behavior and development in key areas related to autism. The ADI-R is typically used for diagnostic purposes and for aiding in the assessment and treatment planning for autistics. [See posts on other Screening/Diagnostic Measures]

Limitations

• Limited applicability for nonspeaking individuals: The ADI-R is primarily designed for individuals with some level of spoken language skills.. Alternative assessment tools, may be necessary to complement the ADI-R in evaluating these individuals.
• The test is designed for a mental age of 18 months. [See post why Mental Age is problematic]
• Lack of emphasis on strengths and abilities: The ADI-R primarily focuses on identifying deficits and autism symptoms. A comprehensive assessment should also consider strengths and positive attributes that can contribute to a more holistic understanding of the individual.
• Does not factor in co-occuring condition and other complex health issues. 
• Limited assessment of current functioning: The ADI-R primarily focuses on gathering retrospective information about the individual's behavior and development. While it provides valuable insights into early childhood behaviors, it may not capture the individual's current functioning or changes in behavior over time. Assessing current symptoms and adaptive functioning requires additional measures or observations.
• Reliance on informant report: The accuracy and reliability of the information collected depend on the informant's memory, observations, and interpretation. There may be instances where informants may not have complete or accurate knowledge of the individual's behavior, especially in cases where the informant is not the primary caregiver or when there are multiple caregivers with different levels of involvement.
• Subjectivity and biases: The ADI-R is susceptible to subjective biases, both from the interviewer and the informant which can influence reliability of results.
• Language and cultural factors: The ADI-R was developed primarily in English-speaking populations and may not fully capture cultural and linguistic variations. Cultural and language factors can influence the interpretation and reporting of behaviors, potentially leading to variations in the assessment outcomes for individuals from different cultural backgrounds or those with limited language abilities.
  

Joy is the courage that comes with facing our fears and overcoming them

Contemplation, one line a day. #MentalHealth