40% of a typical 2 to 18-year old’s diet consists of “empty calories” (commonly known as “junk food”), and even in the remaining 60 percent of their diet, there are often roadblocks to gaining essential nutrients. Elimination and fad diets often prevent children from meeting daily requirements. Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added…
Research
AI Brings Voice To Vulnerable Children
For children on the neurological spectrum, there is a 28 time higher risk than that of typical children for suicidal thoughts or attempts. Depression was the strongest single predictor of suicide contemplation or attempts in children with autism. Penn State College of Medicine researchers New Study Finds AI Can Detect Hidden Depression in a Child’s…
Scientists Create Natural Sounding Speech From Brain Activity
“For the first time, this study demonstrates that we can generate entire spoken sentences based on an individual’s brain activity, This is an exhilarating proof of principle that with technology that is already within reach, we should be able to build a device that is clinically viable in patients with speech loss.” Edward Chang MD…
New Breakthrough In Understanding Apraxia
“People struggle to understand what they say, which has major negative long-term effects on their ability to form social relationships, self-esteem, academic achievements and quality of life.” MCRI speech pathologist Prof Angela Morgan Murdoch Children’s Research Institute The breakthrough isn’t just regarding the FoxP2 gene but prior to sharing the study as it includes information…
Gut Bugs Talk To Your Brain
Is diet the answer to future treatments and even cures for some special needs conditions including apraxia? Research continues to turn up remarkable links between our gut bugs, also known as our microbiome, and the brain. Scientists are finding evidence that microbiome may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, autism, and…
Brain Signals Translated Into Speech
“In this scenario, if the wearer thinks ‘I need a glass of water,’ (or ‘can you help me with this?’) our system could take the brain signals generated by that thought, and turn them into synthesized, verbal speech,” Nima Mesgarani, PhD, senior author for this new study and principal investigator at Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman…
Artificial intelligence turns brain activity into speech
The implications for AI thought to speech technology if developed fully is so exciting not just for adults who experienced an accident or head injury that affect speech, but for all of us who have children with a communication impairment. When my son Tanner was younger, he would try to talk, and everyone would look…
Nutrients in blood, in particular, Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, linked to better brain connectivity, cognition
A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood, in particular, a pattern of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests. There has been misinformation on the internet and in particular by new parents who do not have any background in medicine or…
Microplastics In The Water, Food, And Us Affect Speech Development
Researchers have identified early childhood health impacts including speech and language developmental delays from prenatal exposures to phthalates found in plastic Association of Prenatal Phthalate Exposure With Language Development in Early Childhood Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, PhD et.al, JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Great Pacific Garbage Patch Most of us by now know the ongoing problem of plastics building in our environment and…
Organic Food And Heavy Metals
“Some of the worst offenders in the Clean Label Project’s tests were organic, plant-based protein powders. More than 75 percent had measurable levels of lead. And certified organic products averaged twice the heavy metals of their uncertified counterparts.” Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage…
