a possible explanation for 'spacing out' ?

January 5, 2007

Thanks to Aubrie's neuro-psych eval. we gained some termonology for

non-seizure related

" spacing out " . That doctor expressed it as the " absence of internal

dialogue " . (is my memory

right, Michele?) also 'spaced', for the record.

I came across this filed away. Fox News reporting on a pub.: " Proceedings of

the National

Academy of Sciences " May, 2006.

(And to think, it can now cost as much as $2500.00 to take the

Transcendental Meditation

course to learn how to do this very thing.-ain't life funny ;-) )

Daydream Brain Activity: Autism Clue?

Some Brain Regions in People With Autism Are Inactive During Rest or

Daydreaming

By _ Warner_

(http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/Biography/7/1756_54621.htm) , WebMD Medical

News

Reviewed By _Louise Chang, MD_

(http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/Biography/8/109805.htm) , Tuesday, May 09,

2006

May 8, 2006 -- People with _autism_

(http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/pages/22/108110.htm) autism may not daydream

like most people do.

A new study suggests that the brain activity found in most people while at

rest or " daydreaming " is absent in people with autism.

Researchers say the brain regions normally active while at rest or

daydreaming are important for processing emotional and social issues. The lack

of this

activity in the brains of people with autism may help explain some of the

antisocial behavior and emotional problems found in people with the disorder.

Measuring Brain Activity

In the study, which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans

to compare brain activity while at rest in a group of 15 people with autism

spectrum disorders (including autism and related conditions such as Asperger's

syndrome) and 14 people without autism or related disorders.

Researchers say activity in certain areas of the brain is suppressed while

performing mentally demanding tasks, like solving a puzzle. But when a person

is at rest or performing nonstimulating tasks, these areas become very active,

triggering daydreams and other introspective thoughts.P>

The scans showed that this type of daydreaming brain activity found in

nonaustistic participants was missing in those with autism.

Researchers say these self-directed thoughts are important for processing

emotional and social issues. In fact, they found that the more socially impaired

the autistic individuals were, the less of this brain activity they had.

The researchers say the results of the study suggest that although some of

the emotional and social symptoms found in people with autism seem to be

associated with inability of this network to function properly, they cannot say

that autism is caused by a neurological abnormality or vice versa.

_Daydream Brain Activity: Autism Clue?_

(http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/article/121/114488?action=related_link)

January 5, 2007

-

Your memory is sort of right. We did learn about the absence of self-talk

and what that can mean. But I don't recall it being related to spacing out.

Rather I think of it as related to the inability to carry on self-directed

tasks because there's no self giving the direction. I think it impacts

learning and functioning more than being a part of the space out thing. As

I write this though, I do think there are times when the " light bulb is off "

because of the lack of self-talk/self-direction and that can seem really

spacey - but it's not like a zone-out/seizure-type thing. Does that make

sense?

The article is intriguing though. It does make sense that the lack of

self-talk would inhibit social and emotional learning because we do so much

of that in our own minds.

Now I'm confused because Aubrie does lots of thinking. She's constantly

thinking about whatever is on her mind and popping up out of the blue with

all kinds of comments and thoughts. So I'm not sure she is totally lacking

self-talk. It seems more like the pathways of her inner thoughts are kind

of wacky - just as the pathways of her thoughts appear to be when she is

thinking aloud. Does that make sense?? It's all the same thoughts whether

they are happening internally or with external expression. She's talking to

herself about all kinds of things that often are not relevant to the task at

hand.

Michele W

.._,___

January 5, 2007

You're correct. It happens to me all the time. As I got older, I taught myself

to keep it in, so that I don't get those " what the heck is she talking about? "

looks. To me it's normal.

Sincerely yours; Krista.

Michele Westmaas wrote: