Software analysts and programmers live to innovate—but hate to run tests. Yet top-notch testing saves many a company money when bugs are caught early. A new case coauthored by HBS professor Robert D. Austin describes the secret behind a Danish consultancy's success: The majority of its testers have Asperger syndrome or a form of autism spectrum disorder.
Software testing (QA - Quality Assurance) is important part of software development and requires knowledge and certain skills to perform it propelry. But who is best suited to control and manage the tests? The surprising answer may be found in a group of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
NEUROSCIENCE / PSYCHOLOGY A structural–functional basis for dyslexia in the cortex of Chinese readers
Wai Ting Siok, Zhendong Niu§, Zhen Jin, Charles A. Perfetti, and Li Hai Tan
Department of Linguistics and State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong; College of Computer Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Beijing 306 Hospital, Beijing 100101, China; and ||Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Communicated by Robert Desimone, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, February 25, 2008 (received for review January 1, 2008)
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a neurobiologically based disorder that affects {approx}5–17% of school children and is characterized by a severe impairment in reading skill acquisition. For readers of alphabetic (e.g., English) languages, recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that dyslexia is associated with weak reading-related activity in left temporoparietal and occipitotemporal regions, and this activity difference may reflect reductions in gray matter volume in these areas.
Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke Teppo Särkämö1, Mari Tervaniemi, Sari Laitinen, Anita Forsblom, Seppo Soinila, Mikko Mikkonen1, Taina Autti, Heli M. Silvennoinen, Jaakko Erkkilä, Matti Laine, Isabelle Peretz and Marja Hietanen
Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki Brain Research Centre, Helsinki, Department of Music, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Department of Neurology and Department of Radiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, 5Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland and 6Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Correspondence to: Teppo Särkämö, MA, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, PO Box 9 (Siltavuorenpenger 20 C), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail:
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We know from animal studies that a stimulating and enriched environment can enhance recovery after stroke, but little is known about the effects of an enriched sound environment on recovery from neural damage in humans. In humans, music listening activates a wide-spread bilateral network of brain regions related to attention, semantic processing, memory, motor functions, and emotional processing.
Medical experts in the North-East believe they could have found the key to turning back the brain’s biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia and memory loss. Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain. The results are a scientific breakthrough as to date medical treatments for dementia can only slow down brain deterioration and now human trials are to start to see if the treatment could provide a cure to illnesses like Alzheimers. Independent research carried out at Sunderland has demonstrated that low power infra-red (1072nm) can improve the learning performance.The low levels of infra-red light used are completely safe and occur naturally in sunlight. They are currently being used in innovative new machines for the treatment of cold sores, which have been approved for NHS prescription.
Q:Dr. Greene, my daughter is 2 years and 8 months young and she does not speak very well. Actually, she only knows how to say some easy words such as up, come, go, mama, and maybe a couple more. I am concerned because she does not even make an effort to say more. I make her repeat words after me and we learn the alphabet together. She will repeat some easy words, but will not use them until I make her. She explains everything in sign language, but she does understand almost everything you tell her. Should I be concerned? Is it time for her to start talking? Is she a late bloomer?
Q: We have an extremely verbal twenty-six-month-old son. We have noticed he is beginning to stutter. Is this a normal speech pattern? Will it pass? Is this something we should be concerned about?
Robin KarpHillsborough, California
A: When a child stutters, parents are often told to relax, that the stuttering is a phase which will soon be outgrown, and that nothing need be done. This advice can be unfortunate.
News
Software analysts and programmers live to innovate—but hate to run tests. Yet top-notch testing saves many a company money when bugs are caught early. A new case coauthored by HBS professor Robert D. Austin describes the secret behind a Danish consultancy's success: The majority of its testers have Asperger syndrome or a form of autism spectrum disorder.
NEUROSCIENCE / PSYCHOLOGY