Selfies are all the rage these days. Using this popular technique of taking photos, Mastercard is trialing a new method of payment that may be helpful to people with disabilities. The company’s new mobile app, called “Identity Check Mobile” (and popularly known as Selfie Pay) allow…

It's the first research of its kind to correlate dog ownership with easing the difficulties of having a child who thinks differently from others.Source: The Autism Site

Special needs parents sometimes feel lonely and isolated. Though there are no hard and fast rules for conquering it, there are some things you can do that may help.Source: The Autism Site

A new method uses flashes of light to stimulate specific sets of neurons in monkey brains. Researchers used the technique to control brain circuits involved in reward1. The method involves optogenetics, in which scientists engineer select neurons to carry a light-sensitive protein called opsin. Shin…

The post Athletic advantage; fair share; mosaic mind appeared first on Spectrum. Source: Spectrum News

A massive collection of brain tissue reveals the common genetic variants that influence gene expression in the brain1. Applying the findings to schizophrenia suggests that the condition stems from a pile-up of mild variants that affect many genes. The new work builds on studies of DNA variants that …

School learning communities are dynamic and complex, and meeting the challenge requires a detailed understanding of how such communities work, a task that is ideally suited to Ecological Assessment. Ecological Assessment for successful school inclusion settings can be a vital part of the structure o…

Parents often ask with concern why when their child has made a gain of some kind in development do they seem to reverse in others? As an Autistic I can tell you that many times when reaching a new milestone, we may revert to a previous special interest or sensory seeking behaviour for comfort and re…

Acknowledging that “there is more work to be done” to ensure that patients with mental health issues and addiction do not face discrimination in their health care, a presidential task force made a series of recommendations 28 October, including $9.3 million in funding to improve enforcement of the f…

Social difficulties are a core feature of autism — but under the right circumstances, some children on the spectrum can be socially successful at school1. In 2011, researchers reported that children with autism tend to linger on the edges of social groups at school and have fewer friendships than th…

The Art of Autism encourages those on the autism spectrum to vote. For many on the autism spectrum, disability funding is in essence decided through the voting process. Many candidates have disability platforms. Below is an excerpt from an article about disabilities and voting called Election Day Eq…

Ever thought of getting into the Internet of Things to create your own assistive technology solutions? Here’s a prototype that you can build on your own to create “smart buttons” that can be used by elderly people, people who are bed ridden because of injuries or ailments, or basic…

"We've got IEP paperwork to do? This calls for some wine."Source: The Autism Site

Professionals say that kids with autism in bilingual households should only learn one language. But emerging research indicates they might be wrong.Source: The Autism Site