Teco, a young bonobo chimpanzee, is exhibiting signs of autistic behavior, according to BoingBoing. His famous father, Kanzi, uses symbols to communicate with humans. Both chimps can be found at The Great Ape Trust, a nonprofit foundation whose tag line is “Insights through Collaborations with Apes.” Researchers immediately noticed that Teco was not acting like… Read More »
Monthly Archives: May 2011
I Hereby Leave my Life Insurance to….the State of New York?
Here’s an astounding statistic: According to the New York Times, New York has received $400,287,736 in unclaimed life insurance property since 2000 and paid out $64,772,228. Why does so much money go unclaimed? The first problem is that someone needs to notify the insurance company that the policy holder has died. If the beneficiaries… Read More »
Play Ball! Special Needs Kids on Long Island
A brand new baseball little league has been form on Long Island, welcoming disabled children. The Little League of the Islips’ Challengers team is comprised of two teams, the Hurricanes and the Cyclones. As CBS News commented, “the Field of Dreams belongs to everyone.” The Challengers are the brainchild of Kelly Pipitone and Frank Fritz. … Read More »
A Physician’s Guide to End-of-Life Decisions (MOLST)
The denial of death is one of the strongest of human defense mechanisms. In fact, there’s an entire book about it. We don’t want to think about our end-of-life care wishes. (Although some have instructed, “Wave a martini in front of me — if I don’t respond, pull the plug.”) I don’t like to think… Read More »
Is the Doctor In? Not if You're on Medicaid
A major difficulty for people on Medicaid is the inability to find doctors and dentists willing to accept the plan. For those people who need primary care, the result is often hours and hours in clinics waiting to see a general practitioner and month-long waits for specialists. According to the New York Times, having… Read More »
Four Corners of a Contract, Demystified
What is the Four Corners Rule? The “Four Corners Rule” states that if the language is not found within the written words of the contract, then outside evidence will not be considered. This includes any oral agreement you’ve made. How Does this Work? So, for example, you’ve agreed to buy widgets from a manufacturer. Your… Read More »
Early Screening Tool Could Detect Autism by Age 1
A new approach to screening for some autism spectrum disorders may be able to detect autism by the age of 1, a great advance. Earlier detection and treatment can lead to better outcomes, as parents and teachers of children with autism know. The Journal of Pediatrics has prepared a checklist to be used at baby’s… Read More »