Provided by Kim Ashby

Answer the following questions:     YES     NO

Do you skip words or lines when reading?        
Do you reread lines?        
Do you lose your place?        
Are you easily distracted when reading?        
Do you need to take breaks often?        
Do you find it harder to read the longer you read?        
Do you get headaches when you read?        
Do your eyes get red and watery?        
Does reading make you tired?        
Do you blink or squint?        
Do you prefer to read in dim light?        
Do you read close to the page?        
Do you use your finger or other markers?        
Do you get restless, active, or fidgety when reading?        

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, then you might be experiencing the effects of a perception problem called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, which can interfere with your reading efficiency. Now, for the first time, there is a simple method Irlen Colored Filters worn as glasses or contact lenses, that can help people overcome this problem quickly and easily.

Copyright © 1991 by Perceptual Development Corp/Helen Irlen.  All rights reserved.
For other self tests including the long test, headache test, light sensitivity test, autism test <a href="http://irlen.com/index.php?s=selftests">click here</a>.

Your step by step guide to Hope and Healing.....your simple step-by-step guide to the breakthrough Diet that produces extraordinary results..... Read More...http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreecookbooks/gr/reviewautismdiet.htm

A wonderful story that will open your eyes about Autism and the journey one family made through it. I will not spoil the book for you. All I will say is that my hope is that every child will make their way out of Autism.

Visit the website: http://www.leeannwhiffen.com/book.htm

Portion of the proceeds from this book are donated to the National Autism Association to help support families affected by Autism.

A special thank you to Leeann Whiffen for sharing your story and letting the public hear Clay's voice and the powerful message about family, love, faith and hope!

Diagnostic Learning Services offers psychoeducational evaluations for children pre-k through college. Services include evaluations for ADHD, depression, anxiety, oppositional behavior, and other behavioral disorders.

All psychoeducational assessments are conducted by a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. The purpose of these psychoeducational assessments is to determine whether a student's behavior is affected by emotional and/or behavioral factors, as symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, and oppositionality can all negatively impact a student's behavior and educational progress.

Read more »

Experts Express Concern About Applying Online Actions to Real Life
By ASHLEY PHILLIPS
Jan. 15, 2008

Texas researchers believe that people suffering from Asperger's syndrome -- a cognitive disorder often referred to as high-functioning autism -- may have found a new therapy in an unlikely place: the online virtual world Second Life.
Asperger's
Patients at the University of Texas at Dallas Center for Brain Health use Second Life in therapy for Asperger's Syndrome.
(Courtesy Center for Brain Health)

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas Center for Brain Health started using the online therapy, which pairs clinicians' avatars with those of Asperger's patients, in a conversation, according to Sandra Chapman, the center's chief director.

"Asperger's usually affects people who have high-functioning learning skills but have a deficit interacting with people," Chapman said. "[They say], 'How do you ask people for a date? How do you inject yourself into a conversation when you want to talk?' This provides a forum for that."
Related
Asperger's: 'Couldn't Let Out My Anger'
Asperger's Syndrome Resources

Asperger's syndrome is just one disorder in the autism family, resulting in extreme social awkwardness. But unlike many autistic people, those with the disorder can maintain relationships with people, including marriage, and hold down jobs, according to Chapman. Despite this, patients often have a hard time detecting emotional subtleties and social cues that the average person takes for granted.

As a treatment, professionals that include occupational therapists and psychiatrists take patients through a series of exercises, in groups and individually, designed to help them learn social skills. In the center's new therapy, patients may have a job interview with a "boss" character or learn to ask another avatar out on a date.

Chapman believes that the Second Life therapy could be superior in that it makes situations seem more real because they're connected to a character, not a therapist you see every week.

"You're going to have to introduce someone to your boss and you're going to have to ask for a raise," Chapman said. "Within the virtual world, they say they feel the emotion as they would in the real world, which role-play doesn't do. It's too artificial. ... Once they begin to gain confidence in the virtual world, they can interact in the real world."

For a brief period on Feb. 12, billionaire and philanthropist T. Boone Pickens entered the world of Asperger syndrome.

He did so through a computer program that created a simulation of himself in a virtual world, where others who suffer from Asperger syndrome -- a sort of autism -- learn to interact with others more effectively thanks to a structured simulated environment.

"This program has helped me a lot on my job," said one of the patients, who was manning a computer-simulated person -- called an "avatar" -- from a remote location. "I get to practice (through the computer program) working with customers. I do feel more comfortable at my job."

Pickens, who recently donated $6 million to fund the University of Texas at Dallas initiative that developed the program, sat at the computer screen while one of the other patients took his avatar on a tour of the simulated world. In it, Asperger patients learn to negotiate with difficult cashiers in a 3D coffee shop, haggle with stodgy landlords and interact with people in general.

Asperger syndrome's doesn't completely isolate people from the real world -- but it makes it hard for those with the syndrome to comprehend nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, gestures and stances. The avatars help those with Asperger syndrome deal with frustration in a computer-simulated environment, so they can cope with it in the real world more effectively, according to researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas Center for BrainHealth.

Pickens said his gifts to the university's Center for BrainHealth, which total $11 million, are partly motivated by the fact that his mother died from a brain tumor in 1977.

"It was diagnosed as a benign tumor, but it continued to grow," Pickens said.

One of the region's most prolific philanthropists, Pickens said his gift to the center is consistent with all his awards: When a request for a donation interests him, and the money can make a big impact, he gives.

In this case, Pickens' $6 million has helped convince Dr. Denise Park and her team of neuroscientists to move from their current lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to the Center for BrainHealth.

Half of the second floor of the center at 2200 W. Mockingbird Lane in Dallas has been renovated and new labs have been built inside.

Park's research deals primarily with exploring the impacts of aging upon the mind. She and her team aim to examine how the brain learns, retains and recalls knowledge as people age.

"I'm dealing with aging issues," researcher Josh Goh told Pickens when he introduced himself at a meeting at the center.

"So am I," said Pickens, 79.

The research in keeping seniors productive was one of the reasons Pickens was interested in funding the work at the center.

Pickens is the poster boy for an active senior, waking up to work out at 6 a.m. most days and keeping busy until 10 p.m.

"I believe that if you're productive, you'll be happy," he says.
Giving strong

Sources in the world of philanthropy don't see a dip in Pickens' giving, or the giving of other wealthy North Texans, despite the downturn in the national economy.

"I haven't seen any evidence in decline in giving or languishing in giving," said Bill Lively, founding president and CEO of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. "I've seen no change whatsoever."

The group recently raised its fundraising goal from $275 million to $338 million. Pickens has chipped in $3 million.

Lively said North Texas' economy is fairly insulated from fluctuations in the national economy, and that helps philanthropists to continue their commitments. Organizations such as the American Red Cross are more vulnerable to day-to-day economic conditions because they rely on annual gifts to continue operating, sources in philanthropic circles say.

"Philanthropists aren't making minor gifts based on the health of the economy at any given moment," said Brent Christopher, president and CEO of the Dallas-based Communities Foundation of Texas, which oversees total donor advisory funds worth about $300 million.

"Their gifts are based on the outcomes they hope to accomplish; philanthropists are constantly asssessing how their assets can be used at the right moments."

dmoore@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7112

History

Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.
Characteristics

What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.

Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.

READ MORE http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=life_aspergers