Research & Rescue

iHelp for Autism

Interesting research reported in the San Francisco Weekly about emerging research on the use of iPads in the therapy of autistic children...

Since the iPad's unveiling in April, autism experts and parents have brought it into countless homes and classrooms around the world. Developers have begun pumping out applications specifically designed for users with special needs, and initial studies are already measuring the effectiveness of the iPod Touch and the iPad as learning tools for children with autism. Through the devices, some of these children have been able to communicate their thoughts to adults for the first time. Others have learned life skills that had eluded them for years.

Though there are other computers designed for children with autism, a growing number of experts say that the iPad is better. It's cheaper, faster, more versatile, more user-friendly, more portable, more engaging, and infinitely cooler for young people. "I just couldn't imagine not introducing this to a parent of a child who has autism," says Tammy Mastropietro, a speech pathologist based outside Boston who uses the technology with numerous clients. She sees it as a game changer for those with autism, particularly those most severely affected.

Read the entire piece (6 pages) at www.sfweekly.com

Child Poverty in the US worse than other developed nations

David Frum posted a blog entry about an Urban Institute report that said that...

American children experience poverty than we might suppose – and... their odds of escape over time are much lower than we might hope.

• More than 1 out of 3 American children will be poor at some point in their childhood.
• You might imagine this experience as a brief or temporary one: the child on food stamps as his mother seeks work after a divorce for example. In fact, even children who experience poverty only temporarily tend to experience it recurringly: they cycle in and out of poverty, bad years following good.
• Children born into poverty are much more likely to remain poor in adulthood than children who are not born into poverty.
• Race predicts poverty: black children are 2.5x more likely to experience poverty than white, 7x more likely to be persistently poor.

Such sad statements about a nation as wealthy as ours...

via www.frumforum.com

Trevor Project to provide suicide prevention training in Santa Fe

The Trevor Project, a crisis group for teens, will be in Santa Fe on May 16th to provide a 2-day training in suicide prevention. Much more detail is available in the Santa Fe Reporter, but here's your "mark the calendar" info:

On the 17th “Life Guard” (guarding people lives) training for youth that focuses on anti-bullying, oppression issues and suicide prevention

May 17th 4:00pm-8:00pm

Warehouse 21

Community Panel

May 17th 7:00-8:00 pm

Warehouse 21

Training for Providers

May 18th 8:30 am-1:00 pm

Santa Fe Lodge

Santa Fe crises response lines

(505) 820-6333

1-888-920-6333

The Trevor Project

866-4-U-TREVOR

http://thetrevorproject.org

via www.sfreeper.com

You've got a friend in meat

via www.thinkgeek.com

ThinkGeek comes through with another completely useless toy that will probably sell: My First Bacon. If you squeeze it, it says "I'm bacon!". It should probably have a sizzling sound in the background, too. I still love ThinkGeek but he accompanying ad for My First Bacon is more disturbing (as in, a woman in bed with Bacon) than the toy itself:

HRW Action Alert - US: End Child Labor in the Fields

Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farmworkers in the United States, often working 10 or more hours a day. They are often exposed to dangerous pesticides, experience high rates of injury, and suffer fatalities at five times the rate of other working youth. Their long hours contribute to alarming drop-out rates. Government statistics show that barely half ever finish high school.

The Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE Act) would update US law to ensure that all working children are protected equally. Please contact your Congressional Representative to ask them to co-sponsor this important bill.

Take action at www.kintera.org