Have you ever known someone that had ADHD as a child, but then grew out of it as an adult? A new image analysis technique might give us the reason for this. A National Institutes of Health Study found that in a child with this disorder, their brain develops in a normal pattern, but it just might be delayed up to three years in some regions. This is compared to children without the disorder. These areas are the ones important for control, action, and attention. The good news for parents of a child with ADHD is that their son or daughter’s brain is developing the same way as other children; it just might take a little longer.  So this may explain why some kids seem to grow out of the disorder.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/dailydose/11/25/adhd.kids.brain/index.html

Bipolar disorder is a term that many people have heard of, but something that a lot of people don’t know much about. I found an article on CNN.com that talked about the fact that children that have a parent that is bipolar are at risk for the disease too. They are also more likely to develop an anxiety or mood disorder. But this doesn’t mean that these children are guaranteed to develop the condition. But if they do, catching bipolar disorder at an early age and diagnosing it can be helpful. The article stated that adults with bipolar disorders said that 60% of them had their first symptom before the age of twenty-one. Sometimes it takes years to be diagnosed, so identifying the condition at an earlier age will help younger children cope with the disorder. Bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million people over eighteen in the United States, so it is important to be informed about it.

www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/03/healthmag.bipolar.parents.kids/index.html

I recently found an article about including autism children in the general education classroom. I found this article interesting because I think there will always be an ongoing debate about including children with disabilities into the regular classroom. Everyone is concerned that these children will disrupt the other “normal” children’s learning abilities. I think the short video clip at the bottom of the article shows that this isn’t the case for the student with autism shown in his class at Ed Smith Elementary. You can see that his inclusion in the general education classroom is benefiting everyone. He is able to learn from the other kids in the class, while they are able to have greater understanding and compassion for people that are different than them. This is a great clip and I encourage everyone to watch it, especially if you aren’t too sure about inclusion in the classroom.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2195-Autism-Examiner~y2009m3d3-Autism-and-Classroom-inclusion

As I was reading Katie’s blog I learned a lot about her life, the people that are important to her, her struggles, and some insights into the life of a twenty-one-year-old woman with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsyrefers to a group of disorders that involveloss of movement or loss of other nerve function. Even though Katie’s life seems to be filled with a lot of pain and disappointment she is able to keep moving forward and touching peoples lives. For Katie, this blog seems to be a stress reliever. Even though she tries to go about her day making the people around her believe that everything is okay, sometimes the pressure of always wearing a mask takes its toll. Having the ability to write in her blog gives her a great sense of relief. I can relate to Katie because I enjoy journaling to relieve my stress. I might seem okay to the people around me, but my journal holds my true feelings, just as Katie’s blog holds hers.

The way Katie chooses to word some of the things she says in her blogs is very  poetic. She talks about the fact that people should live every day with the attitude that it might be their last day. I was also impressed that she said that she used to hate her disability until she saw she could change the world for people with cerebral palsy. That takes a big person to say something like this. I’m not sure I would be able to say the same thing if I were in her shoes.

I am glad I got the chance to read her blogs. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first saw the missing punctuation and misspellings that fill them. But with a little effort I was able to read Katie’s blog and see the remarkable things she chose to share with us.

Link to Katie’s blog: http://myheaven220.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-11-29T15%3A14%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

Autism is a disorder that effects the brain’s normal development of certain skills such as social and communication skills. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that autism and related disorders are more common in people than they previously thought, still many insurance companies don’t cover treatments that can help a child living with this disorder. Some companies claim that autism is “strictly an educational issue and that it is not a medical problem.” This is an issue that the Bilson’s family was faced with. I found an article on CNN.com that captures what a family dealing with autism has to deal with. Marissa Bilson, who is thirteen, has autism. Her disorder effected her in such a way that her family couldn’t even go out in public for fear of her making a scene or getting in trouble for an act such as shoplifting. Fortunately, a five-day intervention was provided for Melissa and she has seen a drastic improvement. Unfortunately, not all people with autism can benefit from this intervention because this type of treatment typically costs about $20,000 a week. Like I said earlier, many insurance companies won’t cover the cost. The only reason this family didn’t have to pay Autism Partnerships for their services was because CNN videotaped the entire process so they waved the fee. I feel that it is so sad that this kind of intervention can’t help more people. It isn’t like they are spending the money on medicine to help the person; they are just going to the home and implementing rules to help the person live a better life. It is horrible that insurance companies won’t cover the cost, because it benefits everyone in the family, not just the person with autism. The article says that the biggest benefit from the intervention was that the family is now able to go out together in public again. Every family should have the ability to enjoy this simple activity!

The link to the article from CNN.com:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/04/autism.resolution/index.html

                Over Christmas vacation a new Hallmark movie premiered called, “Front of the Class.” It is a true story based on the life of Brad Cohen, who has severe Tourette syndrome. During his childhood Brad was constantly being made fun of by his classmates and disciplined by his teachers because of the constant noises that he made. His tics included making noises like a dog barking. Today, he knows that they are caused by his Tourette syndrome, but he wasn’t even given this diagnosis until he was twelve years old. In school he was classified as a trouble-maker and one of his elementary teachers even made him go to the front of the classroom and apologize to his classmates for his loud interruptions. Many kids grow out of their tics, but this wasn’t the case for Brad. His tics stayed with him even after he had graduated from college with his teaching certificate. Unfortunately, so did the judgment of the people that came into contact with him. Brad was rejected by twenty-four elementary schools because people, educated people, couldn’t see past his Tourette syndrome.

                I think the best part of the movie is the fact that it shows how Brad overcame the prejudices around him and achieved his goals. After getting a teaching job in Georgia he was named Georgia’s First Class Teacher of the Year. He has also been named the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year.

                The movie gave me a new perspective on people who have Tourette syndrome. Before, I had always thought that people with Tourette syndrome only shouted curse words. Now I understand that cases like this are very rare. The movie also opened my eyes to see just how cruel both kids and adults can be to someone with a disability. I am looking forward to reading the book that was published by Cohen called, “Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had.” I recommend the Hallmark movie to anyone; it was great and very insightful!

Below you will find links to sites about the Hallmark movie, and some more information about Tourette syndrome:

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x2060888911/From-ostracized-to-front-of-class

http://corporate.hallmark.com/Current-News/Hallmark-Hall-of-Fame-Presents-Front-of-the-Class

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tourettesyndrome.html

http://members.tripod.com/~tourette13/

Welcome to blogs.bgsu.edu by COBL. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!