Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, there has been more attention given to problems of mental ill-health including depression than ever before. A new therapeutic option, especially for depression, transcranial magnetic stimulation, is slowly helping to address some of these considerable unmet needs in our community. Research is also exploring the use of transcranial…

With a new school year around the corner, many parents have questions about whether their child is neurodivergent – which can include ADHD, autism, anxiety and other social and learning difficulties. Dr. Emily King, a child psychologist and former school psychologist, said the term neurodivergent — an umbrella term for people identified with a learning…

FINDING PARENTS WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCES Support for parents of children with autism is “absolutely important and indispensible”, said Dr Lim of CaringSG. “Without loving extended family members, supportive friends, and an understanding and inclusive community, the autistic person and caregivers will suffer tremendously.” Autism affects all aspects of a person’s life and the caregiver’s daily…

Have you had experience with or can you recommend reputable resources to learn more about autism and OCD? When can a child be described instead as spirited? How can parents best advocate for their child when navigating evaluation and diagnosis for the first time? Especially when this is the eldest (i.e. parents do not have…

By Sally Burke, M.S.Ed, BCBA, LABASenior Clinical Director, Early Intervention ABA Discovering that your child has been diagnosed with autism can be an incredibly challenging and emotional experience for parents and caregivers. It can make you feel uncertain, overwhelmed, and worried about what to do next. It’s important to know that early detection and intervention…

“Autism is about having a pure heart and being very sensitive… It is about finding a way to survive in an overwhelming, confusing world… It is about developing differently, in a different pace and with different leaps,” Trisha Van Berkel. How do genes—DNA, these physical atoms: carbons, hydrogens, and nitrogens—influence our subjective experience of consciousness? And…

Developmental disparities: Children born to Hispanic, Black, Asian or foreign-born mothers show reduced growth in speech and social skills compared with children born to white mothers. Drazen / Adobe Stock The heterogeneity that characterizes autism also marks its developmental trajectories: The social and communication skills of most autistic children improve over time, but a small…

Having a child with autism comes with many different and unique challenges, but there are various ways to ensure children on the spectrum are happy and fulfilled. One strategy that stands out and is widely recommended to support children with autism is Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, also known as ABA. ABA stands as a therapeutic…

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air Rotorua’s only Pacific Islands early learning centre is pleading for help from the Ministry of Education as it struggles with funding, resources and a lack of qualified staff. Of the 20 enrolled children, four have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and another four are…