Presenters include

• Pauline A. Filipek MD, Director of Autism Research, For OC Kids Neurodevelopmental Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics & Neurology, UC Irvine School of Medicine
• Mel Rutherford, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior and Canada Research Chair in Social Perception, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Jennifer Pinto Martin, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania - Director, Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE), Philadelphia, PA
• Karen Pierce, Director of Clinical Research, Autism Center of Excellence, University of California, San Diego
• Mary Beth Steinfeld, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor, UC Davis Medical Center Department of Pediatrics Child Development Section M.I.N.D. Institute, Sacramento, CA
• Barbara Kalmanson, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and Special Educator, Director, Oak Hill School, Sausalito, California
• Laurie Vismara, Ph.D., BCBA, Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute UCD
• Tracey Stackhouse, M.A., O.T.R. President, Developmental & Fragile X Resource Centre (Developmental FX), Denver, Colorado
• Hanna Alonim, Director, The Mifne Centre, Rosh Pina, Israel
• Hedy Hansen, Parent and Family Support and Program Manager, For OC Kids

Identifying the signs of autism in the critical period before the age of one is a priority at the forefront of the scientific, health, and education communities. Thanks to a worldwide effort, encouraging progress is being made in all disciplines that address Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This conference provides an opportunity for experts across key disciplines to share their knowledge and skills with clinicians and parents who are faced with the overwhelming challenge of early identification and timely and effective intervention. With this coordinated effort, a methodology and plan of action will emerge.

It is the opinion of Margie Wagner, President of Child Development Media, Inc., and chief organizer of the Conference, that, “based on what we know from research and from experience, it is imperative that we develop intervention techniques for use as close to birth as possible. It is my belief that this conference will give us the tools we need to move us closer to that goal for the betterment of the lives of babies and their concerned parents.”

To view the digital Conference brochure or to request the printed brochure, please click on this link to our website childdevelopmentmedia.com. You may also call 800-405-8942 for further information.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

New research suggests that old-fashioned games such as Simon Says can help children exert self-control and restrain their impulses, giving them a mental workout that exercises what psychologists call “executive control.” A recent review of the study found that preschoolers who spent most of their hours in school playing games designed to improve self-control “scored better than other kids on a range of tests that measure executive function.”

While IQ tests measure only a limited range of mental abilities, measures of executive control, according to other studies, can predict future school success at least as well as IQ tests do. Adele Diamond, a co-author of the study that appeared last November in the journal Science, says that improving executive function could help kids prepare for the real world.

"You need these kinds of skills in all facets of your life," said Diamond, a professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.

Scientists believe that the pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain that underlies our ability to make conscious, deliberate choices, is where executive control originates, and it is one of the last brain areas to mature in children. That lack of maturity manifests itself in the impulsive behavior of young children, while executive control includes the power to think twice and to avoid such impulsive behaviors as grabbing a toy from someone.

Working memory is another aspect of executive function – working memory is the small store of memory kept in mind during activities like spelling a word or solving a math problem. According to Philip David Zelazo, a professor at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, improving that working memory could also aid in self-control. "Working memory is important for executive function because you have to keep something in mind while ignoring various distractions in the environment," Zelazo said.

Diamond's team teaches low-income children, using a curriculum called “Tools of the Mind,” better executive control, and her work suggests that schools can teach young children better executive control. Part of the curriculum is having children do planned imaginative play, acting out specific roles for an extended period of time. The underlying theory is that such play forces the children to inhibit actions inconsistent with their roles and to take turns instead of having someone else tell them what to do.

To test whether this approach improved self-control, researchers administered several formal executive function tests. For instance, children were given a piece of paper with a heart or flower on one side, and told to press on the side that does not have the image. Children had to go against their natural instinct to point at the image, thus testing their ability to avert that impulse. Researchers found that the children who had received special play curriculum performed “significantly better” on such tests than children in an ordinary preschool curriculum.

Diamond says that parents can help children develop these skills at home. Her suggestions include reading to children without showing them pictures, which can make them use their working memory to follow along with the story. Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light can also help children learn to be guided by choices instead of instinct, says Diamond. "Those are great games that kids used to play a lot more than they do now," Diamond said. "And they played them for a very good reason.”

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

School testing and video games are both controversial topics, and it isn’t often that they are linked in a positive way. However, educators at Williford Elementary School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, believe that playing video games has increased fourth grade writing scores.

For 2 days a week over the past 3 years, for 45 minutes a day, fourth graders at Williford have logged onto Quest Atlantis, a video game in which players move through virtual worlds. Educator Nathanial Moses says that the games are beneficial since they "keep kids' interest while they are in school.” The games utilize science, math, reading, and writing skills.

Moses goes on to say that Quest Atlantis has made a big difference: recently, more than 60% of fourth grade students tested proficient in writing; two years ago, that figure was less than 30%. "They are more interested in writing” since the introduction of the video games, Moses said.

However, other Rocky Mount schools have made similar gains in the same time period without the use of Quest Atlantis, which is being tested in 26 North Carolina counties and paid for by corporate sponsors.

“We haven't done a full-blown study on what is happening in the state, but every story we are getting back is children are jumping three grade levels in two months,” George Newman, Quest Atlantis promoter, said.

Developers hope to expand the program to schools statewide; after that, schools’ start up costs would be about $1,500 per classroom.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The reality that parents need to prepare school teachers and other adults who care for their children with asthma is illustrated in video Young Children Learning to Manage Asthma: A Family Affair. This video is complimented by list of tips for parents assembled by the American Lung Association to help ready kids with asthma for their return to school this fall. With nearly 11% of children returning to school affected by asthma, asthma is one of the most common reasons children are absent from school.

First, parents should know that, per government regulation, manufacturers are phasing out the production of a common albuterol inhaler (often called a CFC inhaler), which will no longer be available to consumers by December 31, 2008. Instead, the CFC inhaler will be replaced by an HFA inhaler, which does not contain ozone-depleting chemicals.

“Some kids might find their new inhaler has a slightly different taste or feel,” said Norman Edelman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association. “Also be aware that your pharmacy won’t be able to simply substitute the new HFA inhaler for your existing CFC inhaler prescription. Your child’s doctor will need to write a new prescription.”

To prepare for the year ahead, the ALA has provided a checklist for parents of children with asthma:

Schedule Asthma Check-up Doctor’s Appointment

Keep your child’s asthma under control by visiting your pediatrician to be sure it stays under control.

Confirm Medicines Are Up-to-Date and Fill Prescriptions

Make sure you have a current HFA inhaler prescription if your child uses an inhaler. Check your medicines to be sure you have enough and they are not expired.

Know About Prescription Assistance Services

Two organizations are available to help patients who need financial assistance with their medications. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance can be reached by calling 1-888-4PPA-NOW. Rx Outreach also provides information on their website: www.rxoutreach.com.

Asthma Action Plan

All students who have asthma should have in place a written Asthma Action Plan that includes personal information about his or her asthma symptoms, medications, and any physical activity limitations. The plan should also provide specific instructions about what to do if, after being given prescribed medication, the child’s asthma attack does not improve.

Visit Your Child’s School Nurse and Teachers

Make sure your child’s teachers and coaches and the school nurse have a current copy of the Asthma Action Plan. Discuss specific triggers and symptoms with your child’s teachers so they can be prepared if your child has an asthma attack at school.

Advocate for Your Child

Learn whether your child’s school allows students to carry and independently administer their asthma medication. Find out what steps you need to take to have your child carry and use his or her inhaler if your doctor recommends that.

Know Your School’s Asthma Emergency Plan

Be sure that your child’s school knows how to contact you in case of an emergency, and find out the school’s past history of dealing with asthma episodes. Make sure that school staff (including after-school coaches and bus drivers) has been trained to respond to asthma emergencies.

Having these steps in place before your child returns to school will help make his or her return a safer one and will offer peace of mind to parents.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Simple febrile seizures last less than 15 minutes and do not recur within 24 hours; complex seizures last more than 15 minutes and / or recur within 24 hours. Children who had more complex seizures had a mortality rate twice as high as the general population in the 2 years following the seizures, but children with simple seizures had mortality rates similar to those of the general population.

Because little is known about the effect of febrile seizures on mortality in children, the Danish researchers studied 675,643 children born in Denmark between 1977 and 2004, analyzing mortality after febrile seizures and following them up to 28 years post-seizure: from 3 months old until they died, emigrated, or until August 31, 2005.

Of the original sample, 8,172 eventually died, which included 232 of the 55,215 children with a history of febrile seizure. Researchers found that 132 per 100,000 children died within the 2 year period following a febrile seizure. Sixty-seven per 100,000 died without having a history of the condition.

The authors note that, in spite of the increased risk associated with complex seizures, the absolute risk remains small.

The authors conclude that "Children with simple febrile seizures had a risk of death similar to the background population, whereas those with complex febrile seizures, febrile seizures triggered by temperature below 39°C, and febrile seizures occurring before 12 months of age had a two-fold higher mortality lasting for about two years. The excess mortality was at least partly due to pre-existing neurological abnormalities and subsequent epilepsy…Parents should be reassured that death after febrile seizures is very rare, even in high-risk children."

Further, Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar of the Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Boston, states that "Vestergaard and colleagues' study again seems to refute, for infants and children who have simple febrile seizures, the idea of a shared cause between febrile seizures and sudden death.”

Mazumdar adds that the study “suggests that there is a subset of children with febrile seizures - notably those with complex features and underlying neurological abnormalities - that may warrant closer attention and follow-up."

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The significance of play in the lives of children is widely recognized. Child's Play is a valuable tool that offers strategies that support the play of children.  However, rarely do we talk about the importance of unsupervised play.  Is this because we are constantly fearful for our children? And, are they consequently being overprotected? Are they missing out on adventure because parents fear for their safety? A major study by Play England, part of the National Children’s Bureau, has found that half of all children have been stopped from climbing trees, while 21 percent have been banned from playing “conkers” (a game in which a child swings a horse chestnut on a string to try to break that of another player), and 17 percent banned from playing chase or tag. A recent article describes the extreme lengths some parents go to, to protect their children.

“Children are not being allowed many of the freedoms that were taken for granted when we were children,” said Adrian Voce, director of Play England. “They are not enjoying the opportunities to play outside that most people would have thought of as normal when they were growing up.”

Voce argues that allowing younger children to be out only when accompanied by an adult is a “social norm” and that “Logistically that is very difficult for parents to manage because of the time pressures on normal family life. If you don't want your children to play out alone and you have not got the time to take them out then they will spend more time on the computer.”

Voce says that some decisions to keep children safe are illogical: last year, nearly three times as many children were admitted to a hospital after falling out of bed than falling out of a tree.

According to research, 70 % of adults say they had their biggest childhood adventures in outdoor spaces of rivers, woods, and trees; only 29 % of children today take part in those activities. The majority of young people surveyed say their biggest adventures were on playgrounds.

Voce said Play England is determined to spread the message that children ought to be taking risks. He states that it is “'not the end of the world if a child has an accident.” The latest study shows that play providers feel that opportunities for children to “test and challenge themselves in play involving a level of risk” have reduced over the past decade. They blame the decrease on fear of litigation and overly cautious health and safety officers.

Andrea Quaintmere, manager of Toffee Park Adventure Playground in London, admits that there are fears that parents will sue if their children are injured, but that “We need to educate parents who are worried about their kids having accidents and hurting themselves. Children can learn from small accidents. Parents do get nervous and tell us ‘don't let them do that.’ I try to remind them of their own childhood,”

The Play England study quotes one play provider who says that “Risk-taking increases the resilience of children;” another who said that “It helps them make judgments.”

The research gives examples of risky play that should be encouraged: fire-building, den-making, paintballing, climbing trees, and other behaviors.

Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet.com, an online forum for mothers, says that parents only want to protect their children. “It is the mums and dads that have to deal with the bruises and cuts. But broadly speaking I think that we will have to be brave and allow our children to take physical risk because, within reason, that is the way that they learn.”

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

If risks, even in the absence of a diagnosis, can be identified earlier, children are at a greater advantage of receiving treatment.  Studies indicate that preschoolers who receive intensive treatment have greater IQ scores and language gains than those whose treatment begins later.  Scientists are now using new techniques to study children as young as a few months old to screen them for possible autism, as reported in this Wall Street Journal article.

One screening tool is an eye-tracking test.  Canada’s McMaster University and Yale University’s Toddler Developmental Disabilities Clinic are using this technology to study children as young as 3 months.  The systems administer eye-tracking tests and use eye-movement sensors to predict the risk of autism in young children.
"Children with autism in general have difficulty extracting affective information from faces, and also difficulty in recognizing faces," says Katarzyna Chawarska, director of the Yale clinic. Chawarska says that through tracking eye movements, "we can begin to understand what interests them, how they examine objects they select for processing, and what motivates them intrinsically.”
Eye-tracking won’t detect all children with autism, however, since not all children will cooperate with the testing equipment and autism manifests itself in different ways at different times.
One example of using this technology successfully comes from the Yale clinic, where Caleb Scott, 17 months, has been monitored from birth. Caleb's older brother is autistic, which raises his odds of developing autism.  Dr. Chawarska and her team performed standard autism evaluations and then tracked Caleb's eyes while he watched clips from "Sesame Street" and images of faces. Caleb’s mother, Katie Scott, is encouraged by the patterns.  “I see him watching the eyes and the mouth, I see him looking at the right-side-up face instead of the upside-down one. All of that gave me hope right away."
Autism specialists don’t intend for this new technology to replace traditional assessment, which includes human observation, but rather to complement existing assessment tools.  "There is something about a clinician that adds to the predictive value," says Catherine E. Lord, director of the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center. Dr. Lord headed up the team that, in the 1980s, developed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule that became the standard assessment for autism.

There is no available genetic or blood test to prove autism, although most experts agree there is a biological basis to autism, and that autism may be inherited.

Early intervention is helpful, however.  "By providing very intensive early intervention, we can significantly reduce the symptoms of autism," says Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of advocacy group Autism Speaks. But, she says, "there is huge variation in how children respond to early intervention."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 560,000 Americans under age 21 are affected by autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's syndrome and the disorder is found in 1 in every 150 children by age 8.  This number is more than 10 times that reported in the 1980s.

Greater screening, a wider range of diagnostic standards, or an actual increase in the number of cases may be at work here, but regardless, some advocacy groups like the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, are against the search for a cure.  "We are very supportive of early diagnosis and early education," says Ari Ne'eman, the group's president. "We shouldn't be trying to force normalcy on autistic children, but rather help children acquire skills, communication, and quality of life," he says.  However, the group wishes for autistic children to be accepted for who they are.
The McMaster University study, according to researchers, is the first to find statistical differences in young children.  Of the 43 children studied, 13 had siblings with autism, which increases their risk for autism by a factor of 8.  The group with an increased risk did show lower scores than those with no known risk.  The lead researcher, Mel D. Rutherford, says that the study only compares the two groups, but she expect that, after refining the study, her lab "will be able to construct a predictor score for each individual infant."  A report of the study is available at www.earlyautismstudy.org.

Early intervention does help some children.  Debbie Page says early action helped her son Gabe, diagnosed with autism at 30 months, who spent 6 months, 250 hours of therapy, in an early-intervention study at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Autism and Related Disorders in the Page's home town of Baltimore.  Page reports that her son became more socially engaged and stopped his nervous humming.  "He came out like a songbird," she says.
MIT's Media Lab researchers are developing software to analyze videos of autistic children and are collaborating with the Groden Center, a school and treatment center for autistic kids in Providence, R.I.  Video analysis, according to Deb Roy, director of the Cognitive Machines Group at the Media Lab, can help families track their child’s progress.  Early intervention is expensive, but may ultimately reduce costs for parents by allowing them to avoid sending their children to specialized, private schools.
Only 8 states have passed bills that mandate private insurers cover autism and related disorders; a Pennsylvania bill is waiting to be signed by the governor. (To find out what states require coverage, go to autismvotes.org and click the State Initiatives tab.) According to Elizabeth Emken, vice president of government relations for Autism Speaks, 27 more states have autism initiatives in the works.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Lisa Plank, West Grove Elementary principal, explains: "We really believe literacy is the touchstone for everything that follows in [students’] lives." Plank hopes that students will learn more than just reading comprehension and fluency, but will also learn that "reading is an enjoyable pastime."

Based on research that shows that personalizing literacy education can boost understanding of literature, the program will expose elementary students to a variety of books at their reading level, and will recruit parent volunteers to work with students. Plank says that the school will “dedicate at least 90 minutes of the instruction day to literacy.”

In middle school, the focus will be on vocabulary, writing, and reading strategies, and staff members will emphasize subject-specific vocabulary words. Matt Kaiser, Center Grove Middle School North principal, says students will learn these skill-based words, such as “analyze,” so that when asked to make an analysis of a situation, they will know what is being asked of them.

SAT vocabulary words will also be worked into weekly student announcements. Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes will also be emphasized so that students can figure out what words mean.

Kaiser says success comes when students incorporate these strategies into everyday practice. "You teach these reading strategies, you know these reading strategies, but to see the kids use them [is rewarding]" he said.

Students at the high school level will also participate in the initiative. Center Grove Superintendent Steven Stephanoff said that an adult literacy audit done last year “gave us some very pointed suggestions" and that the high schools were doing a good job, but could improve.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

There are conflicting perspectives on understanding and managing the behavior of children with
ADHD.  One important view is offered in ADHD and the Nature of Self Control.  Another view is reveled in an interview by Nancy Shute with Walnut Creek, California, pediatrician Lawrence Diller.  In this interview Dr Diller reveals his controversial ideas on ADHD, Ritalin, and spanking. Sparked by an article by Diller in which he asked, “Could it be that America would rather give unruly kids a pill than a swat?”  Shute had to know more. The following excerpts are from her recent interview.

Shute asked: Spanking is probably the most controversial issue in child rearing. You treat children with ADHD. What on earth compelled you to write that spanking may not be so bad?

Diller responded that he thought “please, please!” when a California assembly woman proposed making spanking a child under age 3 a crime. Diller’s reaction was due to his seeing issues of discipline cause 80 percent of the problems he sees. Diller says that families who struggle with a child’s behavior struggle with spanking, and “They figure if spanking is bad, then all forms of conflict are bad, and they hesitate to discipline their children. They wait too long before taking effective action. This doesn't have to be spanking; it could be removal of a toy or imposition of a timeout. I am talking about middle-class, upper-middle-class families that love their kids, that have the resources for their kids.”

These children, according to Diller, have “determination, stubbornness [and] a simple ‘no’ doesn’t work.” These children are also intensely happy when they’re happy, and intensely angry when angry.

Shulte asked: What form of discipline do you recommend to parents?

Diller responded that he keeps copies of the book 1-2-3 Magic, by clinical psychologist Thomas Phelan, in his office, and that he likes it a lot. The book contains a simple discipline system that involves counting to 3 and then putting the child in timeout. Diller gives “parents of 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds a guarantee that in 72 hours their child will be better if they follow these methods.”

Diller says that the component he added to this system is spanking or other physical intervention. He says this makes the system 80 to 90 percent successful for 6-and-under children. Diller states that “There's good solid evidence that when you give parents permission to give one or two smacks on the child's bottom if the child defies the rules of the timeout procedure, the family is more often successful with the approach. For parents still uneasy about a spank, they can use a specific restraint technique I call ‘the hold’ [holding a child against the parent's chest]. But kids actually prefer a spank because it's over with right away.”

Shulte stated: But spanking's not recommended in 1-2-3 Magic.

Diller responded that no, Phelan does not recommend spanking, but rather recommends that if the child won’t go into timeout, the parents restart the timer and add another consequence. Diller thinks “that [method is] extremely hard for small children to use to make the right decision.”

Diller says he prepares parents “for the likely initial very intense negative reaction from the child,” and that “with their understanding that they are not hurting their child long term and this is what's called for to demonstrate their consistent strength and steadiness, they are ready to persevere. When children are out of control, you may be sparing this kid and family months of treatment and the risk of being labeled mentally ill. If you don't deal with the bad behavior, it takes you to ADHD-land; it takes you oppositional-defiant-disorder-land, to generalized anxiety-land, and obsessive-compulsive-disorder-land.”

Shulte asked: One of the big concerns is that spanking will increase the physical abuse of children. Are there parents who shouldn't spank?

Diller responded that parents with major marital problems, substance abuse problems, or major depression should not spank, and that spanking in desperation or anger leads to “negative outcomes, like increased violence, associated with corporal punishment.”

Shulte asked: Aren't you worried that parents will say: Larry Diller says if I spank my kid, he won't get ADHD?

Diller responded, “That is my big worry. And that's why my friends tell me to keep my mouth shut.” He further clarified that “to say that all ADHD kids should be spanked is a misreading of my position. But I expect parents and schools to do something before we give out pills. And I give out pills.”

Diller goes on to say that, in mild ADHD, “a more organized and coherent system of discipline can make the difference in whether your kid will be on Ritalin or not. You don't have to spank. But if you're using spanking as one of an array of tools to get control of your kid, you're not hurting them in the long term.  Lively, impulsive, spontaneous kids who know when to shut up don't get medicine.”

Diller says that “nobody wants to be pro-spanking,” and that he is not pro-spanking, but thinks “a well-thought-out spank ain't so bad and shouldn't be banned.”

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Researchers at the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education (CRCDE) in New York University published a study in the July/August 2008 issue of the journal Child Development, that found that mothers who had greater social and economic resources were more supportive parents than those with fewer resources, as reported in a review of the study. This increased support influences a child’s cognitive performance.

The researchers studied 2,089 low-income mothers and their children who were participants in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Study. Researchers visited homes when the children were 14, 24, and 36 months old and measured, by observing mother-child interaction and the home environment, the quality of parenting as well as the families’ economic resources. In addition, they studied the mother’s education, the children’s birth weight, where the children’s’ fathers lived, and how often the mother read on her own.

The study found that the families’ economic resources and quality of parenting contributed to the children’s cognitive development. Mothers with greater economic resources were more supportive in parenting, which influenced the children’s cognitive performance. Cognitive performance in turn influenced parenting: mothers displayed more encouragement of cognitive stimulation, warmth, and sensitivity and were more supportive in response to developmental achievements of the child.

Julieta Lugo-Gil, who conducted the research, says that “These findings point to the importance of examining parenting resources and parenting quality as joint contributors to children's development. Programs that aim solely at supplementing family earnings may not have a strong impact on children's cognitive development; programs that offer a combination of cash assistance and services designed to improve the quality of parenting may be more effective."

Family support programs need to focus on addressing literacy and education, reducing parental stress and providing high-quality child care as well as financial circumstances.

©2009 Child Development Media Blog. All Rights Reserved.