Strollerderby : discovery channel

Brain Wave Study Sheds Light On Autism

Brett Singer — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Interesting news item from The Discovery Channel (via AP) -- "unique brain wave patterns" have been found in children with autism.

Using an imaging helmet that resembles a big salon hair dryer, researchers discovered what they believe are "signatures of autism" that show a delay in processing individual sounds.
That delay is only a fraction of a second...[but] Imagine if it took a tiny bit longer than normal to understand each syllable. By the end of a whole sentence, you'd be pretty confused.

I find this fascinating. More importantly (yes, I acknowledge that there are things in this world more important than what I personally find intriguing), these findings could help parents of autistic immensely. Doctors could potentially discover and diagnose the disorder "in children as young as age 1", according to the article. That would enable parents to begin a treatment program much earlier than usual.

It's all very sci-fi looking – check out the photo. The article says that the device looks like a "salon hair dryer", but I think it looks more like something out of the X-Men. Anyway, I love trumpeting technological advances that are used to help parents and children. It's a reminder that tech isn't all about video games and cellphones that make pancakes. (Apologies to the late George Carlin, from whom I borrowed that line about pancakes. Mmmm... pancakes...)

I'd be curious to hear from anyone with more knowledge of autism than I (doctors, parents) if this treatment sounds promising, and/or if this is something that you have heard about, and whether or not you feel it will be helpful. It certainly sounds to me like it could.

Source: AP via Discovery.com

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"Pregnant Man" Beattie Loves the Limelight

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:50:00 GMT

I am becoming increasingly convinced that Thomas Beattie (better known as the “pregnant man”) is a bit of a publicity whore. This isn’t necessarily a problem, so long as the publicity he seeks does more good than harm for the transgender community—and for his daughter, born on June 29.

In the latest Beattie media frenzy, September Films, a London firm, has beat out four other production companies in winning the rights to make a documentary telling Beattie’s story. The hourlong film will air on Channel 4, with rights to the film licensed globally. The Discovery Channel is currently seeking exclusive U.S. rights.

With his Oprah appearance, his memoir-in-progress (including tales of participating in beauty pageants in his youth), and now this film, Beattie seems keen on maintaining a large spot in the limelight. This is certainly not unusual in these days of reality TV and "It Happened to Me" bestsellers, but it becomes a bit more complicated when there is a child involved. I just hope the widespread publicity of Beattie’s unusual situation helps establish more tolerance for transgender folks and their children, not more hatred.

Photo: livenews.com

Planet Earth: If You're Not Watching, Start

Patti — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 21:55:00 GMT

The BBC's 2006 documentary series Planet Earth is currently being rebroadcast on the US Discovery Channel cable network, and it is worth every bit of Tivo memory, if not actually reorganizing your life to watch it with your family.

We watched "Ocean Deep" together last night for a little while before bedtime, and it was absolutely breathtaking. Our three-year-old didn't utter a sound as she watched dolphins leap and sharks lurk, and our four-year-old issued a running commentary the likes of which I've never heard: "Is that a shark? What kind of shark? What's it doing? Where's it going? Oh wow, is it eating that fish? Are those DOLPHINS! There are so many of them! And they jump so high! And LOOK AT THE BABY TURTLES MAMA OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE SO CUTE I WANT ONE LOOK AT THEM SWIMMING OH MY GOODNESS TURTLES". And you know, it wasn't even annoying, because as she asked questions, narrator Sigourney Weaver answered them and we just carried right on. Although at one point, the kid turned to me and said "This lady talks a lot. Like Rachael Ray".

There are certainly parts that are difficult to watch, but we're watching it together and answering questions as they arise, and because it's on Tivo we can skip or pause if we need to. Parents of older children might not even have to do that, but if you've got younger or more sensitive kids and no way to pre-record the show just in case you want to control the content a bit, or if you don't have cable, you won't have to wait long for DVDs. The BBC aired a version with narration by David Attenbrough, and that version will be released in the US on DVD later this month. Meanwhile, the Discovery Channel will market its own Weaver-narrated DVD set in the same timeframe.