Thursday 22 October 2015

Google glass to help kids with autism ‘see’ emotions

          Researchers are developing a special technology based on the Google glass device that could help children born with autism recognize, classify, and basically “see” the emotions of other people.
Google glass, a wearable device thought to be so useless by even its manufacturer that it was taken off the market just a couple of months after it was officially launched, may soon find a new lease on life.


The Autism Glass Project is developing software compatible with Google’s gadget that could make it possible for autistic children to interact with other people and literally read their faces without a hitch.
According to the Project, over 1 million children under the age of 10 in the US alone have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is often tough for such children to recognize basic facial emotions. With the new device, socializing and recognizing emotional cues will be less of a problem.

Wall Lab, which is promoting the project, has recently kicked off a 100-person trial for children and their families to try out the glasses at home.
The device is equipped with a video camera that captures facial expressions and then compares them with vast databases of photos of faces. The program then sends a text message that pops up right in front of the child’s eye, notifying them whether the person they are talking to is feeling happy, sad, angry, and so on. The glasses will be able to memorize recurring facial expressions and adjust to differences in space and lighting.
Among other features, the research team also notes that the device “also records the amount and type of eye contact, which adds an additional layer for behavioral intervention.” In other words, mothers will be able to track how much time her kid spends looking directly at her.
The data stored in the glasses can be transferred to an Android app where it can then be collected and analyzed by parents or caregivers.

The developers are really optimistic about the new technology and already looking forward to moving to “a scalable ‘commercial’ phase,” said Dennis Wall, an associate professor in pediatrics at Stanford who leads the Wall Lab, as reported by Quartz.
Children with autism spectrum disorder are not capable of reading human expression – even the most basic ones such as smiling or frowning. Most of them have a substantial lack of skills essential for communicating and bonding with other people.
“Gaining these skills requires intensive behavioral interventions that are often expensive, difficult to access, and inconsistently administered,” the Autism Glass Project says on their website.
The project is aimed at bringing a change to those kids’ lives by making the new technologies accessible for everyone.

Via : rt.com
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Wednesday 21 October 2015

'Sesame Street' introduces first character with autism: Meet Julia

The gang from "Sesame Street" is welcoming a new member to the neighborhood — Julia, a girl who has bright orange hair and big green eyes.
She also has autism.
Julia, new Sesame Street character with autism.Marybeth Nelson / Sesame Workshop
Julia is the latest creation from the Sesame Workshop, and she offers children a relatable character they can understand, whether they're living with autism or know someone who is.
On Wednesday, "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children" was launched online, and Julia is just part of that educational and awareness initiative.
"Children with autism are five times more likely to get bullied," Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, the senior vice president of community and family engagement at Sesame Workshop, told People magazine. "And with one in 68 children having autism, that's a lot of bullying. Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences. Children with autism share in the joy of playing and loving and being friends and being part of a group."
New Sesame Street initiativeSesame Workshop
Kids can already get to know Julia through a new online storybook called "We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3!"
In the story, fan favorite Muppet Elmo goes on a playdate with his pal Julia and helps another friend, Abby, understand Julia.
Marybeth Nelson / Sesame Workshop
"Elmo's daddy told Elmo that Julia has autism," he says. "So she does things a little differently. Sometimes Elmo talks to Julia using fewer words and says the same thing a few times. ... Oh, and sometimes Elmo waits a long time for Julia to answer."
Knowing that, Abby finds it easy to make friends with Julia, too.
But Julia's storybook isn't the only story available:
"Sesame Workshop is uniquely positioned to play a meaningful role in increasing peoples' understanding about autism," Sherrie Westin, executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, said in a statement. "This project is an extension of the belief we've always promoted: 'We are all different, but all the same.' I am passionate about this initiative, and am so proud of the partnerships with the autism community that have led to this."


Via : today.com
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Friday 16 October 2015

Should We Say 'with Autism' or 'Autistic?' Here's Why It Matters

One mom wrestles to understand which term better serves individuals on the spectrum, including her son.

Should we say "with autism" or "autistic" when talking about kids or adults on the spectrum?
I get this question often. I also have readers ask me to change the way I use the terms in this blog, and hear a lot of confusion from my friends, family, and the professionals who work with my son, a non-speaking 7-year-old on the spectrum.
With autism, as with all things, how we speak about it reflects how we think about it, our priorities in relation to it, and what we believe to be the truth of it. For these reasons, many advocates are challenging the use of "person-first" language and reclaiming the term autistic.
At face value, person-first language, which is what Parents uses when writing about ASD, makes sense. It puts the person before the disease. We don't say things like "my diabetic brother" or "my cancerous mother." Those are cringe-worthy constructions, indeed, and many people argue that saying "my autistic son" is in the same league.
The problem here, however, is both simple and complex. By using person-first language and saying "my son with autism" in conversation, I'm calling his autism a disease, like cancer or diabetes. Wrapped up in that is the notion that a disease needs a cure, that my child needs "fixing."
While my son needs help to overcome his communication and sensory challenges, he doesn't need fixing. Autism is his neurology. It's how his brain is wired and an integral part of how he experiences the world. You can't cure neurology, and I think the implications of trying to are unsettling.
It's for these reasons that many people on the spectrum refer to themselves as autistic. There's a wonderful, detailed explanation of this on the Autism Self-Advocacy Network's website, but some key points of their stance on language are worth quoting here:
"When we say 'person with autism,' we say that it is unfortunate and an accident that a person is Autistic. We affirm that the person has value and worth, and that autism is entirely separate from what gives him or her value and worth. In fact, we are saying that autism is detrimental to value and worth as a person, which is why we separate the condition with the word 'with' or 'has.' Ultimately, what we are saying when we say 'person with autism' is that the person would be better off if not Autistic, and that it would have identity as an Autistic person because we are saying that autism is something inherently bad like a disease.
Yet, when we say 'Autistic person,' we recognize, affirm, and validate an individual's identity as an Autistic person. We recognize the value and worth of that individual as an Autistic person—that being Autistic is not a condition absolutely irreconcilable with regarding people as inherently valuable and worth something. We affirm the individual's potential to grow and mature, to overcome challenges and disability, and to live a meaningful life as an Autistic. Ultimately, we are accepting that the individual is different from non-Autistic people–and that that's not a tragedy, and we are showing that we are not afraid or ashamed to recognize that difference."
So, what do I do when faced with this debate? For now, I say "Liam" when talking to my son and about him. I tend to say "my autistic son" when telling people about him in more detail in my non-blogging life. Since I'm writing within a particular context here, I stick to person-first language because that reflects the magazine's official stance.
In time, I hope I can ask my son what he prefers and I'll use that. For now, no matter which terms I use, I'll keep trying to spread a message of hope,acceptance, and inclusion whenever and however I speak about autism.

Via : parents
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What I’m Asking the Divided Autism Community to Consider

Autism has been a part of my life ever since my son was diagnosed six years ago. It was a word I knew nothing about, and I had no idea how much that word would change my life. Three years later, my second son was diagnosed too, both of them at only 18 months of age.

As a parent, you go through a whole range of emotions immediately after a diagnosis. Anger, sadness, jealousy, grief, confusion and fear, to name but a few, as you desperately search for information to try and make sense of what your life and your child’s life will become.
I tried to learn as much as I could about autism. I read books, attended courses, tried different therapies, diets, anything to find the best way to help them.
I spent hundreds of hours online, reading blogs of other parents, blogs of those on the spectrum, differing expert advice and participated in various online communities. You look for answers, you look for support, you look for people who understand what you’re going through. When you find the courage to reach out, you can find and meet others who are in your situation and just get what’s going on in your life.
In general, I’ve found the online community to be full of support, advice and real compassion for each other. What I’ve learned, and the people I’ve met, has even inspired me to make my own contribution to the quest for greater awareness and understanding as I now write my own blog, sharing stories about our lives.
During the last few months, I’ve also come to realize what a minefield the autism community can be. It’s full of different opinions, which is great, and one of the reasons it can be so interesting. A good, well-argued debate never hurt anyone.
But I never expected to find so much anger, judgment and vitriol these differing opinions can inspire. There seem to be so many people firmly rooted in certain camps, unable to accept anyone’s right to an opinion different to their own, full of anger, hate and abuse.
I know we live in a time of the “internet troll,” with keyboard warriors determined to upset others. I just never realised this would apply within a community discussing a disability that they all have a common link to.
The recent publication of Steve Silberman’s book “NeuroTribes” is one such event that has divided opinion and led to people clamoring to support or denounce his work. Again, by itself this is fine, but watching how these debates escalate into personal attacks is sad.
There are many topics just like this that provoke the same reaction:
  • Whether you should say someone is autistic or “has autism”
  • The pros and cons of different therapies: ABA, gluten-free diets, biomeds, supplements, medication, etc.
  • What causes autism: vaccines, mercury and lead poisoning, problems with the gut, etc.
  • The spectrum itself – the labelling of someone as high-functioning or severely autistic
  • Parents who wish their child didn’t have autism, and those offended by them saying it
  • Parents of those who have severe autism fighting with those who are on the less severe end of the spectrum
I could go on and on. These are just a few I see that regularly lead to in-fighting, anger and abuse.
I’m not here to pretend I don’t read things online and disagree with them, or even get angry about them. I’m not here to take sides and say who’s right or wrong. I’m not here to suggest that some of these arguments aren’t hugely important and that they shouldn’t take place at all.
I’m here to ask everyone to take a step back for a second, pause and really think about what you’re arguing about.
What if we invested all of that time, passion and energy into something worthwhile? What if we focused it all into what brought us into the online autism community in the first place? What if we could accept everyone’s right to their own opinions and beliefs?
We’re all on this online space because we’re on the spectrum or have a loved one who is.
We’re all active in this online space because we want to educate ourselves and others about autism.
We’re all here because we want to make the world a better place for our loved ones, and help create a more aware and accepting world that the autism community can flourish in.
Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
If we want the world to be more aware and accepting toward autism, surely we need to start by looking at ourselves, and be more aware and accepting of each other?

Via : themighty

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Wednesday 14 October 2015

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