The temporal binding deficit hypothesis of autism

Frith has argued that people with autism show “weak central coherence,” an unusual bias toward piecemeal rather than configurational processing and a reduction in the normal tendency to process information in context. However, the precise cognitive and neurological mechanisms underlying weak central coherence are still unknown. We propose the hypothesis that the features of autism associated with weak central coherence result from a reduction in the integration of specialized local neural networks in the brain caused by a deficit in temporal binding. The visuoperceptual anomalies associated with weak central coherence may be attributed to a reduction in synchronization of high-frequency gamma activity between local networks processing local features. The failure to utilize context in language processing in autism can be explained in similar terms. Temporal binding deficits could also contribute to executive dysfunction in autism and to some of the deficits in socialization and communication

Dismantling the Poverty Trap: Disability Policy for the 21st Century. Policy Brief

Working-age Americans with disabilities are much more likely to live in poverty than other Americans and generally did not share in the economic prosperity of the late 1990s. At the same time, public expenditures to support them are growing at a rate that will be difficult to sustain when the baby boom generation retires and begins to draw Social Security Retirement and Medicare benefits. We argue that this discouraging situation will continue unless we can bring disability programs into line with more contemporary understanding of the capabilities of people with disabilities and successfully implement broad, systemic reforms to promote their economic self-sufficiency. This policy brief summarizes a larger paper (Stapleton, O’Day, Livermore & Imparato, 2005). It suggests principles to guide reforms and encourage debate. Future policy briefs will elaborate on some of these principles

Defining and Measuring Excellence in the Changing World of Higher Education: Case Stories from Five Colleges of Education

This paper presents a collection of case stories from five Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) within colleges of education, four from institutions in Texas and one from California, to present a micro cross-sectional narrative interpretation of what constitutes excellence in educator preparation. The broad framework utilized in this interpretation focuses on the individual approaches used by each institution for creating and sustaining positive cultures of data-informed decision-making, with the ultimate objective of continuous program improvement, while also meeting the accreditation expectations of each institution

Exploring Teachers' Knowledge and Beliefs About the Value of Psychological Knowledge for Teaching.

To address the need for empirical research examining the role of educational psychology in teacher education, this dissertation explores educators’ psychological knowledge and their beliefs about its value for teaching. Participants consisted of three educator groups affiliated with one teacher education program. Pre-service teachers (n = 30) completed a survey measuring psychological knowledge and beliefs about how teaching can be informed by psychological knowledge in four domains: 1) learning/cognition, 2) individual/group differences, 3) human development and 4) motivation. They completed the survey at the beginning and end of the term, to measure the effects of taking an educational psychology course. To provide context for interpreting these results, two comparison groups took the same survey: 1) in-service teachers (n = 29), and 2) teacher educators who have taught educational psychology courses (n = 10). The first study examined changes in pre-service teachers’ psychological knowledge and compared them to in-service teachers’ psychological knowledge. Quantitative analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between the status (i.e., pre-service, in-service) and school level on the mean knowledge score. The second study employed Q methodology to examine changes in pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the value of psychological knowledge and compare them to in-service teachers and teacher educators. Across the four domains, important similarities were found among the three educator groups in their identification of teaching practices where psychological knowledge would be particularly helpful: (1) determining and modifying appropriate means to present content and assess students’ understanding of the content for learning; (2) fostering classroom discourse and developing appropriate assessments for individual/group differences; (3) assessing student thinking, using instructional strategies to promote student learning, organizing classrooms to maximize learning, and building relationships with students for human development; and (4) attending and responding to student learning through feedback, promoting group work, building relationships with students and parents, and preparing instruction for motivation. Despite these similarities, there were variations in educator group’s emphasis on the teaching practices they believed would be informed by their psychological knowledge. These findings have implications for understanding the role of educational psychology courses, and for how they can be taught more meaningfully for prospective teachers.PHDEducation and PsychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120682/1/ginapark_1.pd

Dismantling the Poverty Trap: Disability Policy for the Twenty-First Century

Working-age people with disabilities are much more likely than people without disabilities to live in poverty and not be employed or have shared in the economic prosperity of the late 1990s. Today’s disability policies, which remain rooted in paternalism, create a “poverty trap” that recent reforms have not resolved. This discouraging situation will continue unless broad, systemic reforms promoting economic self-sufficiency are implemented, in line with more modern thinking about disability. Indeed, the implementation of such reforms may be the only way to protect people with disabilities from the probable loss of benefits if the federal government cuts funding for entitlement programs. This article suggests some principles to guide reforms and encourage debate and asks whether such comprehensive reforms can be successfully designed and implemented

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses.

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students' levels of academic engagement are discussed

Effects of stage of lactation and time of year on plasmin-derived proteolytic activity in bovine milk in New Zealand

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of stage of lactation (SOL) and time of year on plasmin-derived proteolytic activity in the milk of pasture-fed dairy cows in New Zealand. Four herds of 20 Friesian cows were used, one herd calving in each of January, April, July and October. Cows grazed ryegrass/white clover pasture only, except during June (winter) when all cows received supplementary pasture silage. Milk samples were collected on four occasions during the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter) from each cow in milk, to give a total of three samples per cow (early, mid and late lactation; c. 30, 120 and 220 days after calving, respectively). Milk samples were analysed for plasmin-derived proteolytic activity. There was no effect of either SOL or time of year on plasmin activity and therefore yields of plasmin followed patterns in milk yield (highest in early lactation and in summer). There were effects of both SOL and time of year on plasminogen-derived and total plasmin plus plasminogen-derived activity, both of which were highest in late lactation and in spring. Changes in plasminogen-derived activity and total plasmin plus plasminogen-derived activity due to SOL were not only due to the decrease in milk yield associated with advancing lactation, because enzyme yields were also increased with advancing lactation. Similarly, effects of time of year on plasminogen-derived activity and total plasmin plus plasminogen-derived activity could not be attributed solely to concomitant changes in milk yield, and may be influenced by the variation in the quality and quantity of feed during the year inherent in a pasture-based dairy system. Effects of SOL on proteolytic activity were greater than, and independent of, effects of time of year