Week In Neurodiversity - Week Of 2/20/2016

Week in Neurodiversity (2/20/16)


 

The Week in Neurodiversity

Millennial Neurodiversity News

Hosted by Matthew Ryan.

In this episode-
[00:08-00:44] A small robot helps people with autism-related communication difficulties,
[00:45-01:12] Microsoft adds features to assist people with dyslexia,

[01:13-01:30] Bikers raise awareness for PTSD,
[01:32-01:54] A school for the neurodiverse opens in South Africa,
[01:56-02:14] Hayden Panettiere discusses struggles with depression,
[02:15-02:36] Charlie Sheen suggests he may be bi-polar,
[02:38-03:04] A young hockey goalie credits her ability to asperger’s syndrome,
[03:05-03:42] and a new football helmet may reduce concussions.

 

Original videos of these stories can be found here:
Leka’s autism robot: http://goo.gl/FwWmak
Microsoft OneTouch program: http://goo.gl/KOGphQ
Bikers ride for PTSD: http://goo.gl/1H8Yt1
Neurodiversity school in South Africa: http://goo.gl/w4hwM8
Hayden Panettiere on post-partum depression: http://goo.gl/yCvyyK
Charlie Sheen interview on bi-polar: http://goo.gl/HGTfwK
Hockey Goalie with Asperger’s: http://goo.gl/jN2OSz
Helmet that could stop concussions: http://goo.gl/sNfZPu

 

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Hi, my name is Matthew Ryan, and welcome to the Week in Neurodiversity.

 

Let’s start off with what happened to technology this week. A company designed a robot named Leka, specifically for people with autism. It allows children to learn through games by providing sensory stimulation.

 

“I could totally see a kid at the end of the day handing the ball to his parents to just try to transmit something and make them understand what happened today, even though he’s unable to do that any other way.”

 

“Our goal is to put together all the data of all the Motis in the world and make them available for parents, researchers and doctors. We want to understand and discover patterns.”

 

Microsoft’s one-note program just installed a new feature called “Learning Tools,” and Microsoft believes that this new feature should be helpful for readers with dyslexia.

 

“We use high contrast and large fonts to make it easy to read. We also include features like simultaneously highlighting and voicing text. This is a proven technique to help students sustain focus.”

 

Here’s what’s going on in community news: this past Sunday, bikers in South Florida gathered for the third annual PTSD awareness ride in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Several hundred people attended the event, with the goal of raising $10,000.

 

“It’s a way to support our veterans, those that protect, serve and save us, we try to give back to them.”

 

A new school just opened in the city of Soweto, South Africa. The school not only provides benefits for children on the autism spectrum, but also provides relief for the childrens’ parents.

 

“So if you look at the school, you will find that it seems a bit dull for us, but for them, that is what they need.”

 

“All of our children are equal. And there’s no child, purely because of their disabilities, must be deterred ‘different kid.’

 

Celebs have different brains too. Hayden Panettiere’s speaking out for the first time since seeking treatment for postpartum depression. She says that stepping out publicly is empowering, and she is back better than ever.

 

“Postpartum depression was not something that I ever understood. You can never understand it unless you have a personal involvement in it.”

 

Tiger blood’s at it again. In an interview this week with Dr. Oz, Charlie Sheen opened up to the possibility that he might be bipolar, making him not only #winning, now he’s bi-winning.

 

“I’ve been described, or–or diagnosed, by enough people that–I guess at some point you have to take a look at it if it keeps walking like a duck, you know?”

 

And in sports: 17 year old Maya Galvan, nicknamed “The Glovin” by her teammates, lives for the game of ice hockey. She said it is because of having Asperger Syndrome that she is able to stay so focused as goalie during the game.

 

“Playing hockey, for me, has been a great experience and without my Asperger’s I wouldn’t be who I was today, because of the ability I have that just drives me insane to play hockey.”

 

A Seattle-based helmet company, VICIS, has just released a brand-new football helmet that they believe is the safest in the world. Instead of the typical hard outside layer, like a normal football helmet, the Zero-One has a revolutionized helmet design by making the outside its softest layer.

 

“This is a multi-layered, highly-engineered solution, and it will make a difference. We don’t have the typical helmet, with a hard shell and some padding on the inside. We can reduce acceleration, we can make a difference. It is because we’ve come about this in such a profoundly different way.”

 

That’s it for the Week in Neurodiversity. Thanks for watching, don’t forget to subscribe and leave your comments. You keep advocating, we’ll keep bringing the news.

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This video is owned by Different Brains Inc, kindly donated by it’s original producer PCE Media LLC.

 

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Matthew Ryan hosts the online news show the Week in Neurodiversity, thinks he knows something about social media marketing, and fits-out whenever the opportunity presents itself; A different brains philosopher.