Word: merzenich
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Perhaps the worst fate for a person with ASD is to have a lively intelligence trapped in a body that makes it difficult for others to see that the lights are on. Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich at the University of California, San Francisco, studied an autistic boy who is unable to speak or even sustain his attention to a task for more than a few moments, and yet is aware of his condition and writes remarkable poetry. How many other autistic kids, Merzenich wonders, "are living in a well where no one can hear them...
...biomarkers for autism has intrigued many researchers, and the reason is simple. If one could identify infants at high risk, then it might become possible to monitor the neurological changes that presage the onset of behavioral symptoms, and someday perhaps even intervene in the process. "Right now," notes Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, "we study autism after the catastrophe occurs, and then we see this bewildering array of things that these kids can't do. What we need to know is how it all happened...
...remarkable plasticity of the brain has put scientists in hot pursuit of novel ways to treat a host of ailments. "What we are is a product of learning progressions in the brain," says Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, and a co-founder of Scientific Learning. "A lot of people are thinking about how to use intensive training to remediate the impairments of mankind...
Perhaps. But, until Tallal and Merzenich know for certain, they may be giving more hope than is justified. Ever since the Science articles appeared in early January, thousands of desperate parents have flooded the Rutgers and University of California switchboards with calls, asking when the new therapy will be offered by local schools. To handle the overload, the researchers have set up an 800 number...
...very small research project. Whether the same approach will prove valuable, or even marginally useful, for the estimated 10 million dyslexic children in the U.S. remains an open question, and parents would be unwise to harbor unrealistic hopes. About one thing, however, there is no doubt. Tallal and Merzenich have made a difference in the lives of at least a few children. Keillan, the girl who hated kindergarten, is now 6 years old. She adores first grade. She runs to school smiling. And, with just a little difficulty, she is learning to read...