Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Amygdala neurons increase as children become adults -- except in autism

In a striking new finding, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute found that typically-developing children gain more neurons in a region of the brain that governs social and emotional behavior, the amygdala, as they become adults. This phenomenon does not happen in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Instead, children with ASD have too many neurons early on and then appear to lose those neurons as they become adults. The findings were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The amygdala is a small almond-shaped group of 13 regions (nuclei) that work as a danger detector in the brain to regulate anxiety and social interactions. Amygdala dysfunction has been linked to many psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ASD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
"The amygdala is a unique brain structure in that it grows dramatically during adolescence, longer than other brain regions, as we become more socially and emotionally mature," said Cynthia Schumann, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC Davis MIND Institute and senior author of the paper. "Any deviation from this normal path of development can profoundly influence human behavior." To understand what cellular factors underlie amygdala development, the team studied 52 postmortem human brains, both neurotypical and ASD, ranging from 2 to 48 years of age.
"We were surprised to find that the number of neurons in one of the amygdala regions increased by more than 30% from childhood to adulthood in typically-developing individuals," said Schumann.
The picture was quite different in people with ASD. There were more neurons in young children with ASD, but as they got older, those numbers went down.
"We don't know if having too many amygdala neurons early in development in ASD is related to the apparent loss later on," said Schumann. "It's possible that having too many neurons early on could contribute to anxiety and challenges with social interactions. However, with time, that constant activity could wear on the system and lead to neuron loss." read more

Monday, March 12, 2018

Privacy policy HablaFacil Autism DiegoDicePro

Privacy Policy

Greeb Bubble Labs built the HablaFácil Autism DiegoDicePro app as a Commercial app. This SERVICE is provided by Greeb Bubble Labs and is intended for use as is.
This page is used to inform website visitors regarding my policies with the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decided to use my Service.
If you choose to use my Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation to this policy. The Personal Information that I collect is used for providing and improving the Service. I will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.
The terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions, which is accessible at HablaFácil Autism DiegoDicePro unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy.
Information Collection and Use
For a better experience, while using our Service, I may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to CAMERA, AUDIO RECORD. The information that I request is retained on your device and is not collected by me in any way
The app does use third party services that may collect information used to identify you.
Link to privacy policy of third party service providers used by the app
Log Data
I want to inform you that whenever you use my Service, in a case of an error in the app I collect data and information (through third party products) on your phone called Log Data. This Log Data may include information such as your device Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, device name, operating system version, the configuration of the app when utilizing my Service, the time and date of your use of the Service, and other statistics.
Cookies
Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your device internal memory.
This Service does not use these “cookies” explicitly. However, the app may use third party code and libraries that use “cookies” to collection information and to improve their services. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your device. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of this Service.
Service Providers
I may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:
  • To facilitate our Service;
  • To provide the Service on our behalf;
  • To perform Service-related services; or
  • To assist us in analyzing how our Service is used.
I want to inform users of this Service that these third parties have access to your Personal Information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.
Security
I value your trust in providing us your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and I cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Links to Other Sites
This Service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by me. Therefore, I strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these websites. I have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
Children’s Privacy
These Services do not address anyone under the age of 13. I do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. In the case I discover that a child under 13 has provided me with personal information, I immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact me so that I will be able to do necessary actions.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
I may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. I will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately after they are posted on this page.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions about my Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact me.
This privacy policy page was created at privacypolicytemplate.net and modified/generated by App Privacy Policy Generator

Friday, March 2, 2018

What is stimming?

What is stimming?

Man in business suit wrapping elastic band around finger.
Stimming encompasses repetitive, stimulating behavior, such as drumming fingers, rocking back and forth, and repetitive playing or fiddling with objects.
Repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects is referred to as self-stimulatory behavior or stimming. It may also be called stereotypy.
This type of behavior is common in those with autism and those with developmental disabilities or challenges.
Stimming can include the use of all the senses, including visual, sound, smell, touch, taste, and balance and movement... read more