What is love? Chemically speaking, it’s a hormone called oxytocin, which is at the center of a new findings that suggests the hormone that’s present when breastfeeding mothers bond with their babies can also help autistic people with social interactions. The study, which is set to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy [...]
Are you clearing-impaired? Yes, you heard me right. A new advertising campaign is using humor to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities. In Think Beyond The Label, workers are shown as having quirky impairments ranging from being a fashion disaster (“pattern-deficient”) to having two left feet on the dance floor (“rhythm-impaired”). The point is [...]
By Melissa Feldsher Princeton University consistently ranks at the top of all the college charts, but in the eyes of one student, the school is short one accolade — “best university for students with a learning disability.” On Jan. 11 — just before finals — a District Court in New Jersey will hear the case of [...]
By Melissa Feldsher Asperger’s syndrome looks a lot like autism, but it isn’t. That isn’t stopping medical experts from considering a change to a national mental illness classification guide to roll Asperger’s under autism — a move that has many people connected to Asperger’s in an uproar. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the [...]
By Melissa Feldsher One in every 100 U.S. children has an autism disorder, according to new data released on December 18, 2009 from the Autism Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. That’s approximately 1 percent of all 8-year-olds in this country. The CDC defines autism to be a [...]
The U.S. Olympic Committee chose Scott Blackmun as the new Chief Executive Officer of the USOC. Blackmun, a former interim CEO at the USOC and chief operating officer for sports-and-entertainment behemoth AEG Worldwide, was tabbed Tuesday to take control of the organization at the end of the month. USOC Chairman Larry Probst had this to say [...]
A new study published today in The Journal of Applied Physiology concludes that prosthetic legs worn by double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius give him an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. In the study, “The fastest runner on artificial legs: different limbs, similar function?,” researchers said Pistorius’s blades allow him to turn over his strides more [...]
The U.S. Paralympics will be hosting 12 student-athletes (ages 14-19) with physical disabilities and six adults, made up of coaches, teachers and program leaders at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, March 12-21. In the Paralympic Experience program, participants will have the opportunity to meet U.S. Paralympic Team members, attend Opening Ceremonies and athletic [...]
If you wear ankle or foot braces, chances are you have a nice collection of black or white orthotic socks that fit over each brace. Give these up: Susan Kleiman wants to change your wardrobe. Kleiman, president of Ross Daniel Adaptive Apparel, today launched “Cool Clothes for Toes,” a line of fashion socks for those [...]
Today England will pass a the first ever disability-specific bill, The Autism Act. The bill will require health organizations to provide support for people with autism, which affects over half a million people in the U.K. The U.K.’s National Autistic Society (NAS) heralded the new law. The Act “will add serious weight to the forthcoming adult [...]
