The Echo Keeping you informed!
September 2012 April 15, 2012. “Walk a Mile for Autism”
Volume 11, Issue 1
IN THIS ISSUE
What Genuis and Autism Have in Common NASET Week in Review, Volume 8, Issue 28
Child prodigies evoke awe, wonder and sometimes jealousy: how can such young children display the kinds of musical or mathematical talents that most adults will never master, even with years of dedicated practice? Lucky for these despairing types, the prevailing wisdom suggests that such comparisons are unfair - prodigies are born, not made (mostly). Practice alone isn't going to turn out the next 6 -year-old Mozart. So finds a recent study of eight young prodigies, which sought to shed some light on the roots of their talent. The prodigies included in the study are all famous (but remain unidentified in the paper), having achieved acclaim and professional status in their fields by the ripe age of 10. Most are musical prodigies; one is an artist and another a math whiz, who developed a new discipline in mathematics and, by age 13, had had a paper accepted for publication in a mathematics journal. Two of the youngsters showed extraordinary skill in two separate fields: one child in music and art (his work now hangs in prestigious galleries the world over), and the other in music and molecular gastronomy (the science behind food preparation — why mayonnaise
becomes firm or why a soufflé swells, for example). He became interested in food at age 10 and, by 11, had carried out his first catering event. All of the prodigies had stories of remarkable early abilities: one infant began speaking at 3 months old and was reading by age 1; two others were reading at age 2. The gastronomist was programming computers at 3. Several children could reproduce complex pieces of music after hearing them just once, at the age most kids are finishing preschool. Many had toured internationally or played Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall well before age 10. Six of the prodigies were still children at the time of the study, which is slated for publication in the journal Intelligence. The other two participants were grown, aged 19 and 32. The study found a few key characteristics these youngsters had in common. For one, they all had exceptional working memories — the system that holds information active in the mind, keeping it available for further processing. Read more: http:// healthland.time.com/2012/07/10/
ASCC Camp Sunshine 2012 Another successful summer developmental day program was held at a local elementary school. 39 campers enjoyed five weeks of fun activities. See Page 2
ASCC Programs & Events Find information on upcoming programs and events in the enclosed program and calendar pages. See Pages 2/3
Fundraising ASCC families, volunteers, community partners, and ASCC staff came together having a great time raising funds to sustain ASCC programs. See Pages 4/5
What’s New? The Parent Education Program is moving to the Partnership for Children Resource Center! See Page 2