When in doubt choose kindness

Oromotor skills in Autism

Based on review of research published between 1994 and 2022 on oromotor functioning in autistic individuals, 

key takeaways: 

• Oromotor functioning plays a foundational role in spoken communication and feeding.
• 81% of included 107 studies report a significant oromotor challenges related to speech production, nonspeech oromotor skills, or feeding 
• Studies used various methods to investigate oromotor functioning in autistics
• Behavioral measures -  tasks such as tongue protrusion, lip closure, and oral diadochokinesis. 
• Parent report measures - questionnaires and interviews. 
• Medical record review - examining medical records for information on feeding / swallowing difficulties. 
• Neuroimaging techniques -  fMRI & MEG.

• The findings suggest that oromotor challenges are common in autistics, but more research is needed to better understand the nature / extent and their impact on communication and feeding.

Some limitations of this paper include

• numerous inclusion and exclusion criteria, which may have excluded relevant studies eg: non-English publications, pre 1994 studies etc
• wide variation in studies re sample characteristics, behaviors analyzed, and research methodology, which makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. 
• did not include a meta-analysis, which would have allowed for a quantitative synthesis of the findings across studies. 

Maffei MF, Chenausky KV, Gill SV, Tager-Flusberg H, Green JR. Oromotor skills in autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review. Autism Res. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1002/aur.2923. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37010327.

Anxiety in ASD

Went for a guest lecture by Dr. Trenesha Hill, Asst Prof at U Nebraska Medical Center. 

What caught my attention was atypical/autistic anxiety (vs non-autistic-anxiety) as being related to core characters of Autism. Especially the suggestion that hypersensitivity (ie: sensory differences) was a main factor distinguishing autistic-anxiety from non-autistic anxiety. Totally worth investigating the sensory aspect which I wish this study had done. 

A kind word can change someones entire day

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating a different emotion and writing one line each day on it. #MentalHealth. This month on KINDNESS

 

Two Days and A Month

46th anniversary of 504 sit-in

46 years ago, Apr 5, 1977 was the start of the longest sit-in in US history. 

On April 28, 1977, Secretary Joseph Califano signed the regulations.

"Without 504 — there might well be no Americans with Disabilities Act, that finally brought us up to parity with federal civil rights laws covering gender and race."

https://dredf.org/504-sit-in-20th-anniversary/short-history-of-the-504-sit-in/
 

Hold opposed ideas in the mind at the same time

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise - F. Scott Fitzgerald.