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Memories from the 1971 War

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Dad ! I was very young during the 1971 war—too small to fully understand the gravity of the times, but old enough for the memories to leave a lasting mark. My father was in the army, posted in Jalandhar, and we lived in a house close to the air force base. Nights were tense. The air raid siren would inevitably sound, and we’d quickly take shelter in trenches near our home. I remember how frequently my father was on emergency duty at the military hospital, sometimes gone the entire night. Through my child’s eyes, the rifle fire looked like bursts of colored light, almost surreal. Massive aircraft often flew low over our house, their presence both awe-inspiring and ominous. Oddly enough, we were never truly afraid. The strong, reassuring presence of my father—and many relatives who were also in the armed forces—gave us a sense of security amidst the chaos. Two incidents from that time remain etched in my memory. One night, a group of Pakistani paratroopers mistakenly landed behi...
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Teaching the iGeneration Larry D. Rosen

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Our children and youth are immersed in technologies that give them opportunities no previous generation has enjoyed. How will schools respond? Some weeks ago, I attended a family reunion where the children ranged from age 10 to 18. As we were all talking, someone asked a question about a specific movie. Immediately, every kid pulled out a smartphone, and within 30 seconds they all had answers. Some went straight to the Internet Movie Database (using a smartphone app, of course); two quickly searched Yahoo! for movie reviews; others went to their favorite sites to sample public opinion. I've seen adults do something similar and gloat about how Internet-savvy they are and how fast their smartphones navigate cyberspace. But each and every kid acted like this practice was commonplace. A few days later, I had another enlightening experience. A colleague's 7-year-old son, Mikey, has his own iPad courtesy of his grandpa. A week ago, he was visiting our lab and wanted to...
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Autism and Brain Development

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Abstract Genetic studies are refining our understanding of neurodevelopmental mechanisms in autism. Some autism-related mutations appear to disrupt genes regulated by neuronal activity, which are especially important in development of the postnatal nervous system. Gene replacement studies in mice indicate that the developmental window to ameliorate symptoms may be wider than previously anticipated. Autism is classified as a “pervasive developmental disorder”—pervasive because it affects many aspects of cognition and behavior and developmental because autistic symptoms emerge during development from infancy or perhaps from birth. Yet, a key question about autism is at what stage during brain development does the primary lesion occur? Several recent findings in genetic models of autism suggest that substantial improvement in some behavioral or neurobiological defects can result from gene replacement or pharmacological treatment after “development” is largely complete. Does th...
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