Brain Stimulation, Accepting Asperger’s, and More

ACCEPTING ASD. A 50yo writer at Think, a feature of NBC News, writes about several of the implications of receiving a diagnosis of Asperger’s as an adult. He writes about how his Asperger’s profile is a blessing in terms of coming to grips with his own traits and personality; about neurodiversity; and about how having ASD attributed to vaccines diminishes it to a medical condition, a side effect, rather than a profile to be embraced. Find the essay.

MORE VIEWPOINT ON ASD. John Elder Robison is an advocate for those with Asperger’s. His book Look Me In the Eye was an insightful description of his life with Asperger’s. (Find a 2e Newsletter review of that book.) He has spoken at conferences such as Diamonds in the Rough. Now you can hear him on The Moth Radio Hour as one of the stories in a segment featuring “stories of outsiders, being at odds, and discomfort.” Go to The Moth.

CEREBRUM, from the Dana Foundation, recently posted an article titled “Rewiring the Brain: Zapping with Precision” about neuromodulation strategies, also called brain stimulation — ways to treat certain conditions including treatment-resistant depression, pain, or post-traumatic stress disorder. The article covers invasive and non-invasive neurmodulations of various types, such as electric current, magnetic fields, and ultrasound; and takes a look at the future of the field. Find the article.

TILT PARENTING’S newest podcast is with a guest who provides “a step-by-step guide for how families raising differently wired children can more successfully navigate health, insurance, and education systems.” Find the podcast.

ADDITUDE says its most popular recent article was on hyperfocus, calling it “the ability to zero in intensely on an interesting project or activity for hours at a time.” If you’ve got a kid with ADHD, chances are you see hyperfocus in action. Find the article.

ON OCD AND CBT, from Science Daily: “Cognitive behavioural therapy helps hundreds of children and adolescents to enjoy a better life with OCD, but the standard treatment programme is insufficient for a particular group of young people: They initially get better, but after three years some of them have actually gotten worse.” Find the study write-up.

13 Concise, Affordable Booklets for Parents and Educators

Get information on raising and educating twice-exceptional children from the Spotlight on 2e Series. Topics include ADHD, Asperger’s, dyslexia, teaching strategies, and collections of reviews of books valuable for both children and adults. Available in PDF or print formats. Find out more.