A moment of peace

Two deer in my yard

Wandering from woods at the back 

Gentle, graceful steps 

Moment of peace, nature's gift

The gentle creatures graze

Unfazed by noise and haste

Their presence brings me ease

In this tranquil, natural space.

And Thank You to everyone who sent me wishes today (Feb 22) - for taking that one breath and one moment to send "happy" positive vibes my way, on my birthday.

Equanimity is the inner peace that radiates outwards

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

 

Hints of green

On brown trees, hints of green 

A herald of spring
Softly appears, shy and demure,
A promise of new life, fresh and pure

The brain is a Giant Prediction Machine

Poem follows Prof Mark Wallace's comment in class "The Brain is a giant prediction machine" after a discussion on the growing popularity of Bayesian Statistical Models in research. 

The brain is a giant prediction machine

Bayesian model-like, it constantly schemes

Past experiences and memories in its grasp

Current sensory input, processed in a flash.

 

A bundle of irrational worry

I am a bundle of irrational worry
Each day i wake up with dread and hurry
Fears and doubts consume, a constant flurry
Hope still flickers in internal jury

STAT: Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children

The Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) is a play-based screening measure designed to identify early signs of autism  in toddlers and young children. It t assesses social communication and play behaviors associated with ASD in children between 24 and 36 months of age.

Limitations

The STAT is a screening tool and not a diagnostic instrument. A comprehensive evaluation by a qualified professional is necessary for a definitive autism diagnosis.

Scoring and Interpretation
The STAT includes a series of play-based activities and social interactions between the child and the examiner. The examiner observes and scores the child's behaviors in different domains, such as joint attention, pretend play, and social responsiveness.

The STAT scoring involves rating specific behaviors observed during the play-based interactions. The scoring criteria may vary depending on the specific version or adaptation of the STAT being used. There are established cutoff scores that help identify children who may be at risk for ASD and require further evaluation by a qualified professional.

History and Revisions:
The STAT was developed by Wendy Stone, Barry L. Prizant, and Samuel P. Openden in 2008. 

Citation:
Stone, W. L., Prizant, B. M., & Openden, S. (2008). The Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228625486_STAT_Screening_Tool_for_Autism_in_Toddlers_and_Young_Children

See posts on Screening/Diagnostic Measures

SCQ - Social Communication Questionnaire

The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is a caregiver-reported questionnaire that evaluates social communication and interaction patterns in individuals suspected of being autistic. It was derived from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). It is designed for use with children and adults who have a mental age [see post on why "mental age" is problematic] of at least 2 years and 6 months. It is often used as a screening tool in clinical and research settings. [See posts on other Screening/Diagnostic Measures].

Limitations:

• The SCQ is a screening tool and should not be used as a standalone diagnostic instrument. A comprehensive evaluation by a trained clinician using multiple assessment methods is necessary for a formal autism diagnosis.
• Co-occurring Conditions: Many individuals with ASD may have co-occurring conditions such as intellectual disabilities, language impairments, ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing difficulties. The SCQ focuses specifically on social communication and interaction and may not fully capture the range of challenges associated with co-occurring conditions such as language challenges, ADHD, anxiety or sensory processing.
• Caregiver reports are subject to biases and inaccuracies, as they rely on the caregiver's observations and interpretations of the individual's behaviors.
• Caregivers' ability to accurately report on specific social communication behaviors and experiences of nonspeaking autistics may be limited.
• The SCQ is not designed to assess other developmental disabilities apart from ASD.

Feb 17 is Random Act of Kindness Day

 Saw this on Canva. Did not know that there was a day. But a good thought nonetheless. 

Loneliness

The room is empty

Loneliness creeps in slowly
Empty walls surround

Silence echoes all around

Pollina et al. 2023 DNA Repair

The paper describes a new method called sBLISS-seq for identifying DNA damage sites in cells. The authors used this method to study the role of a protein called Ep400 in repairing DNA damage.

The paper suggests that the link between neuronal activity and DNA repair mediated by NPAS4-NuA4 may be relevant to NDD like autism. This is because damage at activity-dependent regulatory elements may be a source of neuronal dysfunction in these disabilities.

Key Takeaways & Contributions.

- Discovery of a specialized chromatin regulatory mechanism in the brain that couples synaptic activity to genome preservation. 

- Identification of a link between neuronal activity and DNA repair mediated by NPAS4-NuA4, which suggests that damage at activity-dependent regulatory elements may be a source of neuronal dysfunction in NDD and autism . 

- Potential role of NPAS4-NuA4 in sustaining neuronal vitality over time and contributing to cellular and organismal longevity. 

- Development of a new method called sBLISS-seq for identifying DNA damage sites in cells

Methods

• The development of a new method called sBLISS-seq for identifying DNA damage sites in cells. 
• The use of 
• chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to study the binding of proteins to DNA. 
• CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to create knockout cell lines. 
• RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study gene expression. 
• immunofluorescence to study protein localization in cells. 
• comet assays to measure DNA damage.

Questions raised

• What is the full extent of the role of NPAS4-NuA4 in sustaining neuronal vitality over time and contributing to cellular and organismal longevity? 
• How does the link between neuronal activity and DNA repair mediated by NPAS4
• NuA4 contribute to NDD & autism, and can this mechanism be targeted for therapeutic purposes?  
• What other proteins and pathways are involved in the regulation of DNA repair in response to neuronal activity, and how do they interact with NPAS4-NuA4? 
• How can the sBLISS-seq method be further optimized and applied to other cell types and experimental conditions? 
• Findings implications in understanding relationship between neuronal activity and genome preservation in the brain?

Haikus for the love of spring

  Its feb 14 and spring is upon us. I see flowers bloom on my neighbor's tree. 

In the midst of bloom, 

Petals entwine, a sweet embrace, 

Love's essence inhaled.

TBI Regressive Autism

Ameliorating Hemianopia with Multisensory Training (Rowland et al., 2023)

Quick Summary of paper . An  visual-auditory stimulation therapy was used on two older males  who has loss of vision in the left hemifield (hemianopia). The cause was brain trauma (TBI) rather than lesion.  Prior to joining the study both had been referred to PT and OT as rehabilitation measures. 

• 64 year old JM joined the study 14 months after stroke  (2 infracts)
• 74 year old CW joined the study ~18 months after 1 infract (better sighted field compared to JM). 
• Therapy took place over 8 months /10 sessions 

The results were dramatic. Both patients recovered the ability to detect and describe visual stimuli throughout their formerly blind field within a few weeks. They could also localize these stimuli, identify some features, and perceive multiple visuals simultaneously in both fields. (more detail on paper here link)

Relating all this back to Autism

So impressive about being able to restore sight in a matter of 8 months, given therapy was started 14-18 months after infract and not immediately and it was in older adults. 

Why is regressive autism not thought to be TBI at 18 mo, where there is a sudden loss of learned skills. 

• If TBI --> can those lost skills not be regained through targeted therapy. If you can restore skills in 60-70 yr old, should be able to, in a younger more plastic brain. 
• If TBI -->  is this related to CW & JM having practice with vision for 60-70+ years vs toddlers who only have practice with the skills for 18 mo.

Rethink Traditional Therapies

• CW & JM  had PT/OT for 14-18 mo before joining study; implication these therapies not that useful for regaining lost skills. 
• Autistics kids are in insane amounts of therapy (childhood stuffed with ABA/speech/OT every waking hr with little advances to show for it other than the $$$ spent and lots of career advancement for therapists). 
•  Maybe we need rethink early childhood therapy to be more targeted to restore lost skills. Even regaining that level of lost skills improves quality of life, let alone moving beyond.

One big vagary

Vagaries ubiquitous in autism.
Nothing standard, fractured light in a prism.
Can we conclude then, so far…..
… no evidence in any evidence really
….no clues. What’s going on in this gallery.
inexplicable me. I continue to be one big vagary.