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A new study by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers suggests that executive control differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be the result of a unique approach, rather than an impairment.
Executive control difficulties are common in individuals with autism and are associated with challenges completing tasks and managing time. The study, published in
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, sought to tease out whether these difficulties represent a disruption in proactive executive control (engaged and maintained before a cognitively demanding event) or in reactive executive control (engaged as the event occurs).
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers took brain scans of 141 adolescents and young adults ages 12-22 (64 with autism, 77 neurotypical controls) enrolled in the Cognitive Control in Autism Study. During the scan, the participants completed a task that required them to adapt their behavior.
Photo by Sawyer D’Argonne / sdargonne@summitdaily.com
Bipartisan lawmakers are hoping to push a bill through the Colorado House of Representatives that would expand the Colorado Department of Local Affairs’ Peace Officer Mental Health Grant program, which helps to fund initiatives like Summit County’s SMART team.
After facing some opposition from community members, bill sponsors Rep. Julie McCluskie, of Dillon, and Rep. Hugh McKean were able to work with concerned stakeholders to add amendments that ultimately allowed the bill to pass through the House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee. McCluskie said getting over the first hurdle gave her confidence the bill would stand a good chance of eventually becoming law.
New Jersey plans to funnel $1.2 billion to mostly low-income school districts and for mental health programs, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday. His administration will also seek a federal waiver for statewide assessments this spring.
The use of federal coronavirus relief funds should help give school communities flexibility and support, Murphy said, to best meet the individual needs of their students during this challenging time.
He has noted many times in the past how virtual schooling has added a new layer of stress on students and their families. Educators and students have endured a great deal over the past 11 months,” acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan said in a statement. “These additional federal funds will support targeted initiatives to enhance academic enrichment and mental health interventions for all students and educators.”
Sarah Vevodaâs 7-year-old daughter Jaz used to say she had âup hair,â her natural Black curls growing upward instead of hanging down like nearly everyone elseâs around her, including her family. Sarah, who is white, says Jaz has commented on not seeing other people who look like her.
âItâs very hard for her to be in a sea of white people everywhere she goes,â says Vevoda, noting Jaz is darker skinned than her eldest child, whoâs also bi-racial, and her hair and skin are sometimes treated as curiosities by classmates. âAs innocent as they are, because theyâre children and arenât used to being around someone who looks like Jaz ⦠they can say things that make her feel like she doesnât fit in, that she stands out.â
YOUNG AND FREE: New Nonprofit Looks to Showcase Resilience with Harambee Liberation Month Events
An HC Black Music and Arts Association class on pan-African culture at the Arcata Marsh. Photo by Valetta Molofsky
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Sarah
Vevoda’s 7-year-old daughter Jaz used to say she had “up hair,”
her natural Black curls growing upward instead of hanging down like
nearly everyone else’s around her, including her family. Sarah, who
is white, says Jaz has commented on not seeing other people who look
like her. “It’s very hard for her to be in a sea of white people
everywhere she goes,” says Vevoda, noting Jaz is darker skinned