Monthly Archive

Behavioral Therapy for Children With Autism Can Impact Brain Function

18th February, 2013

[Source:  Science Daily]
sciencedaily
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for before-and-after analysis, a team of researchers including a UC Santa Barbara graduate student discovered positive changes in brain activity in children with autism who received a particular type of behavioral therapy.
Work completed at Yale University’s Child Study Center used fMRI as the tool for measuring the impact of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) — therapy pioneered at UCSB by Lynn Koegel, clinical director of the Koegel Autism Center — on both lower- and higher-functioning children with autism receiving PRT for the first time. fMRI allows researchers to see what areas of the brain are active while processing certain stimuli — in this case human motion. Comparing pre- and post-therapy data from the fMRI scans of their 5-year-old subjects, the researchers saw marked — and remarkable — changes in how the children were processing the stimuli. Findings from their study, “Neural Mechanisms of Improvements in Social Motivation After Pivotal Response Treatment,” are published in a recent issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Read the Rest of this Article on Science Daily

 

PediaStaff hires pediatric and school-based professionals nationwide for contract assignments of 2 to 12 months. We also help clinics, hospitals, schools, and home health agencies to find and hire these professionals directly. We work with Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, School Psychologists, and others in pediatric therapy and education.

BACK TO ALL ARTICLES

Latest Jobs