Asperger's Conversations

Winter Depression as Co-Occuring Condition

The sun is out today here in Surry, New Hampshire and I managed to drag my self out for a snowshoe in the woods.  I soaked up the broad spectrum beams and felt much better upon my return home (see my video below).  Exercise is key to fighting dysphoria across diagnostic groups...meaning that people with all sorts of Axis One or Two disorders may also have co-occuring Seasonal Affective issues which are often neglected.

It's often difficult to get people with Autism and related problems out to exercise when it's cold due to their inability to endure even low levels of discomfort.  And we know that exercise (whether for individuals with ASD's or no disorders) is a matter of conflicting consequences:  Short term discomfort for long-term benefit.  But alas, neurotypicals and people with ASD's alike need to "get out" and get those endorphins moving and people with ASD's may need a bit more of a push.

"When we speak, we sing": Revisiting Autism, Asperger's, & language

I have written a bit about the issue of autism and the "non-content" aspects of language.  By this I mean the patterns of sounds and silences (not the content of what people are saying), such as vocal intensity, lengths of pauses, lengths of vocalizations, pitch, and so on.  An issue with individuals with Autism or Asperger's (ASD's) is their difficulty in 1. tuning in to theses patterns when listening to others (decoding speech) and 2. matching the patterns of others when in conversation (speech output).  The social effects of "not tuning in" to the importance of these "rhythmic" aspects of speech are dramatic:  Other people don't like you as much when you don't 1. understand the underlying meaning of their speech or 2. talk in a way that demonstrates you are speaking "with them" rather than "at them."  I developed a sound feedback program a few years ago designed to help them make this sound match and have, with a student of mine, collected preliminary data on its usefulness.  Here is a 20 second clip showing how it works:

I recently heard a rebroadcast ofa Radiolab program that raises additional issues related to processing of speech and may have implications for Autism/Asperger's.  Radiolab interviews a number of neuroscientists who discuss language as music.  Psychologist Diana Deutch, for example, points out how some languages (Mandarin) are "tone" based in that the tones of words create different meaning.  The word "Ma" she says has four distinct meanings depending on the tone in which it is said: 1. mother 2. hemp 3. house and the 4th is a type of reproach.  While English is not a "tone language" per se, tone is certainly relevant in understanding the "deep structure" or "underlying meaning" of words.  I'm wondering if "tone" may serve an important role in both decoding and expressing language in people with ASD.  Music may also be helpful, then, in helping people create more engaging rhythms of speech.

A second part of the Radiolab program addressed the neurobiology of why people may be very upset by certain music (they cite riots that occured after a new Stravinsky concert that contained long segments of atonal sounds).  The pathophysiology may include increased dopamine production (which is associated with psychotic disorders), raising the question: Was Stravinsky's music so upsetting because it set off a neurological response that approximated psychosis?  Did it literally make people crazy?

In terms of autism, do certain sounds (pitch of voice, other noises) set off a similar biochemical response that is equally aversive? 

New Media, New Education

While I am the advisor to our College radio station, WKNH, Keene, I feel compelled to praise our College Newspaper, the Equinox whose advisor, Julio Del Sesto, has rapidly brought the paper in to the 21st century by "getting" that new media literacy means vanishing distinctions between text, video, and audio.  His students are "doing it all" and in doing so, preparing themselves for the new world in which connection with the community and the globe is critical.

Hard to believe it was 4 years ago that I did a podcast with our local newspaper, The Keene Sentinel to talk about changes to come.   It was 4 years ago that blogger and now Microsoft idea guru Jon Udell clarified the issue:

Clearly there is no essential difference, yet somehow I hadn't thought about it in quite that way. Yes, the methods of content delivery are merging into a single stream. But more profoundly for people working in the various media professions, three formerly distinct skill sets are coming together. It's true that radio and TV people have always had to be competent writers, but print folk have not traditionally had to be competent editors of audio and video, or competent performers.

The Equinox sent a crew of student journalists each with particular expertise (audio, video, text writers, photography) to cover yours truly doing the Penguin Plunge for the NH Special Olympics.  Their coverage was comprehensive, including text, jpg images (photos), and video.

I met with Julio's student staff to let them know their stories, photos, and video coverage had been viewed around the world...Mumbai, Kauai, New Caledonia, to name a few.  Not only are these students getting the experience they need to build their resumes, they are learning to be citizens of the world.

I also noticed that in Hawaii medical docs are using the web to connect quickly with patients in more remote rural areas using video conferencing (link not available right now).  We've been using old fashion email, but why not have our students who are being trained in autism help consult with families in third world countries (e.g., North Vietnam) to help them make intervention decisions.  Supervising faculty and students can communicate with families this way (with the help of a translator) and students are empowered...sensing a valued social role which, in turn, ignites them to work harder to learn about autism. 

Faculty who are ignoring new media and new technology in learning (most still rely on "chalk talk" and overhead projectors that date back to the 60's and 70's) are missing out on so many opportunities.

Valued Social Role and Disabilities: Penguin Plunge as Equalizer

This past Sunday a busload of us crazy folks from Keene, New Hampshire jumped in to the icy waters of Hampton Beach to raise money for the NH Special Olympics.  Our "flock," The Frozen Sections were comprised of many staff and docs from Dartmouth Medical Center/Keene; some staff, faculty, and students from Keene State College, and other local folks.  It was barely 5 degrees when I woke up early Sunday morning, but the sun was shining on us when we plunged.

One observation:  Both the folks with disabilities and the folks without disabilites all felt an important social purpose in raising money and taking this adventure together.  It's a lot easier for folks without disabilities to develop professional and personal identity (through our work and our family life) but it's more of a challenge for those with physical or mental challenges.  But today I could see the great pride in every participant:  A "valued social role," my friend Dave Yeiter has reminded me, is key to happiness.  On this day, I "felt the love."

My 13 year old daughter, Annika, did the camera work for these clips at this year's Penguin Plunge:

Oh and just in case you didn't believe I went in: