Personal Space v PPS

[Concepts in Sensorimotor Research]

Personal space refers is a social construct - refers to the physical or psychological distance individuals prefer to maintain between themselves and others. It is the immediate area surrounding a person that they consider as their own.

Peri-personal space is a neuroscience construct to describe the area immediately surrounding the body that is within reach of the individual. It encompasses the space where individuals feel they can manipulate/reach using their limbs / body parts. 

Past research has indicated autistics as  having a very constrained PPS. 

Related Posts on [PPS] [Peripersonal Space]

Compassion is the source of all true strength and courage

 

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplation one line a day. 

Our divided and conflicted world needs compassion more than ever.  #MentalHealth. 

Principle of inverse effectiveness

[Concepts in Sensorimotor Research]

The principle of inverse effectiveness is a phenomenon observed in multisensory integration, which refers to how our brain combines information from multiple sensory modalities, such as vision, hearing, and touch. According to this principle, the strength or effectiveness of multisensory integration is greatest when the individual unisensory cues are weak or ineffective on their own.

Ergo, when the individual sensory cues are relatively weak or have low impact, the brain tends to rely more on multisensory integration to enhance the perception and processing of the stimuli. eg: people with hearing loss exhibit increased visual abilities, and increased crossmodal activation within the auditory cortex. 

This principle suggests that the brain optimally integrates sensory information from multiple modalities to improve perception and increase sensitivity, particularly in situations where the sensory cues are less informative or ambiguous.

The principle of inverse effectiveness highlights the advantage of combining multiple sensory inputs in situations where the individual senses may provide limited or unreliable information. By integrating sensory cues from different modalities, the brain can enhance the overall perception and make more accurate judgments about the external environment. This principle has been observed across various species and sensory domains and is believed to reflect a fundamental property of multisensory processing.

Me or We?

A poem written many years ago that captures the mind-body and depersonalization

Me or We?

 If I were a math expression I’d be

Irrational Number Body

 Perfect Square Mind

A body that acts quite on its own

A mind that can only watch and mourn

Body, the numerator, mere flesh and bone

Irrational number like, a math anomaly

Visible to all, pure absurdity

Mind, the denominator, profound and wise

Perfect square like, just ecstasy

Hidden from sight, pure tragedy

Body just limited by space, movement and time

Mind without boundaries, infinite times

Two seeming identities in one unreasonable body

Perchance, I should be a 'We' and not 'Me.'

I crave the 'Me' and not the 'We'

How do I go from 'We' to 'Me'?

Compassion is the mirror that reflects the beauty of the human spirit

 

Private equity and ABA

Another example of private equity (valuation) driving ABA therapy. This does not bode well for the marginalized groups within autism and furthers the exploitative and profit hungry nature of autism therapy. 

When the focus is on $$$$, companies will turn away the "non-easy" cases (aka, autistic kids with behaviors) and take up cases they perceive are easy, so that they can show quick results to the investors. Given the heterogeneity of autism with the dx ratio now at 1:36, there are enough non-behavior kids to fill any amount of supply.   There is irony in behavior agencies turning away kids with behaviors who need help.

There is focus on valuation but not on quality control in ABA, because in autism if a kid does not improve, the fault is all on the kid, never the therapy. The one industry where there can be profits with no accountability. 

https://bhbusiness.com/2023/05/12/autism-therapy-providers-tie-upskilling-to-beating-turnover-serving-more-families/

Compassion is the superpower that can change the world.

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating an emotion, 1 line a day. 

Our divided and conflicted world needs compassion more than ever.  #MentalHealth. 

 

Cognitively Engaging Exercise

 The findings of this study suggest that cognitively engaging exercise may be more beneficial than non-cognitively engaging exercise in enhancing cognition in autistic children.

This study investigated the impact of two types of physical exercise - cognitively engaging versus non-cognitively engaging,  on self regulation in autistic children. The study found that both types of exercise significantly enhanced self-regulation, with the learning to ride a bicycle group showing significant improvements in executive functioning as well. The study also showed that the social, emotional, and physical needs of an individual mediated the exercise-executive function and exercise-self-regulation relationships. 

Tse et al 2023 - Executive functioning, self-regulation, and physical exercise

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613231168944

MBNCA Connectome Dataset

 

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have created a dataset that maps connectivity in 40,000 brains. The dataset, called the Melbourne Brain Network Connectivity Atlas (MBNCA) includes data on the structure and function of the brain, as well as information on the participants' demographics and health. The data in the MBNCA dataset comes from a variety of sources, including brain scans, genetic data, and behavioral data.

The MBNCA includes data from over 1,000 autistic individuals; making it one of the largest datasets of its kind. The MBNCA is freely available to researchers and may be a good resource to to study autistic brains to identify potential biomarkers and gain other insights.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.10.532036v1

Compassion is the voice of the heart that speaks the language of love.

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating an emotion, 1 line a day. 

Our divided and conflicted world needs compassion more than ever.  #MentalHealth. 

 

Happy Mother's Day

 Dedicated to the EXTRAORDINARY MOMS and DADS and PARENTS out there, 

on behalf of your extraordinary child.  

You Never Gave Up on Me

You held me in your arms, oh mother mine
When I was a mere wrinkled newborn babe
You gazed at me with love and joy
Just as all young mothers do.

I walked my first step and said my first word
With pride, you watched my every move
You expected me to walk the predictable path
Just as all young mothers do.

You watched me slip and slide away
Wondering why I didn't do what other kids do
I stopped making eye contact with you
And stopped the spoken words too

A well of sadness entered your eyes
The smile not always in place
Perplexed and puzzled
Do I know this child of mine at all?

But, you rolled up your sleeves
You never gave up on me

You took the other fork on the road
The one without the map
You struggled and searched for solutions
You fought endless battles for me

You put your fists up and took a stance
And you never gave up on me

Lost in the desert of sadness
You changed your perception of things
You summoned new strength and courage
From the unfathomable deep

You changed your whole life for me
And, you never gave up on me

You coaxed every small victory out of me
Pride overflowed from your eyes
Steps of this extraordinary child
Of quite the extraordinary mom

You do the job of a dozen people
And you never gave up on me

Exhausting is the journey you're on
Exhilarating only some of the time
I am not the typical child you thought you'd raise
New challenges lie in the path every day

To the extraordinary mom who holds my hand
And who never gave up on me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this poem sometime during high school. But I feel it is still so relevant even today. This poem is dedicated to all those wonderful and amazing moms and dads and parents out there who did not give up on their disabled child. Thank you for your dedication and fortitude, in rolling up your sleeves and taking on the world for us, without even knowing how to go about it.


I think back to the story of the frog who climbed to the top of the well amidst discouragement from the crowd that the task was impossible; turns out the frog was deaf so had not heard the discouragement, so made it all the way to the top.


This is what parents of the children seen as having more challenging disabilities face every day. From the get go, they are nudged to tone down expectations of their children, not to expect much. Lady Liberty did not hold up her torch of the American Dream for that child.

Over the years, I have seen many of my peers disappear one by one into the void of the system (out of sight and out of mind of society), as the once eager and enthusiastic parents reach a state of burnout and exhaustion, with this constant barragement of discouragement and lack of support. Other adult peers who have aged out of the special education system are sitting at home with their aging parents as adult day programs want “easy to manage” adults (sheep!!), even as there is a dearth of support systems for the ones with “behaviors.” It is like a battle for the classroom placements and supports during the school district years, starting all over again in adulthood for many.

Thank you to all the extra-ordinary parents out there, for your support and embrace, when the world seems to abandon us at every new stage, not just when we were children but as adults and possibly even when we are middle aged. For many with more significant disabilities, our parents and siblings are likely the only family we will ever have. I wonder who will be there as this lifelong pillar, when we are senior citizens ourselves, where we are not just battling aging issues but also the nature of our disability may mean that not all of us reach a level where we are able to take care of ourselves and have to depend on the largesse of paid staff for a decent quality of life.

Parents, Yours is truly a dedication of a lifetime. Thank you.

Microaggressions

Microaggressions are brief and commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental actions that communicate hostility, bias, or prejudice towards a particular group of people. These actions can be intentional or unintentional and are often committed by individuals who are not aware of the impact of their words or actions on marginalized groups.

In the context of autism and disability, microaggressions can take many forms, including making assumptions about a person's capabilities based on their diagnosis, using language that reinforces negative stereotypes about disability, treating someone with condescension or pity rather than as an equal and capable individual, or failing to make reasonable accommodations to support their needs.

These kinds of actions, while seemingly minor, can have a significant impact on the well-being and self-esteem of individuals with autism or disabilities, and can contribute to systemic inequality and discrimination. It is important to be aware of these kinds of microaggressions and strive to create an environment that is inclusive and respectful of all individuals, regardless of their abilities or diagnoses.

Compassion is the light that guides us through the darkest of times

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating  1 line a day. 

Our divided and conflicted world needs compassion more than ever.  #MentalHealth.