Maybe it's our post-Olympic fever. Or, maybe its because we want to truly exemplify Therapy Times' mission to provide a multidisciplinary, online resource for therapeutic professionals. Either way, we think our new "Best Interdisciplinary Teams" feature will really benefit our readers.

Early this month, we featured PinnacleHealth System in Harrisburg, Pa. in our first installment of "Best Teams". Utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach to improve their quality of stroke care, the Magnet-accredited PinnacleHealth is certainly bringing their field into the 21st century. For instance, every month, PinnacleHealth holds a Stroke Committee meeting. This meeting is designed to manage areas involved in overseeing the stroke program, identify problems, and discover ways to meet the harmonized measures for stroke.

The areas represented at this meeting include: the stroke units, intensive care units, emergency departments, lab, radiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, inpatient rehabilitation, pharmacy, emergency medical services, neurology, administration, cooperative and community wellness, and neurosurgery.

And, next Thursday, Therapy Times will feature another facility worthy of the designation: "Best Teams". Be sure to check out this prestigious Cancer Center, which is utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to treat its oncology patients.

So, does your facility promote a team-centered atmosphere? Does your department frequently collaborate with other therapeutic departments to achieve holistic patient care? If so, tell us! If you're facility is gold-medal worthy when it comes to teamwork, e-mail me and your workplace may be featured in an upcoming "Best Teams" article.

Posted by: Keri Forsythe

It seems like every time I listen to the news – or, in my case, walk into my living room – the subject of autism is being discussed. One of my roommates works as a case manager for autistic kids, and she's constantly regaling me with tales about her children – don't worry, she never uses names. (My personal favorite: The kid last summer who was obsessed with the "Lion King" and would only respond to people who called him Simba – or roared at him!)

But the thing my roommate and I always discuss is whether or not autism is inherited or the result of vaccines, food, or sheer misfortune. She personally believes that it's genetic, citing similar personality traits of all the autistic children's parents. Me? I'm still on the fence about this one.

But, it looks like new research is casting credibility on my roommate's theory. According to a new study from the North Carolina at Chapel Hill, some parents of autistic children evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us – and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves.

"This manifests as a tendency not to prefer interactions with others, not to enjoy 'small talk' for the sake of the social experience, and to have few close friendships involving sharing and mutual support," according to UNC psychiatrist Dr. Joe Piven. "This characteristic is really a variation of normal and not associated with any functional impairment."

So, what do you all think? You likely come into contact with autistic children as therapists, and I would love to hear your opinions. Discuss :)

Posted by: Keri Forsythe

I just wanted to take some time to congratulate our complementary/alternative therapy blogger Michael Ellner, DD, CHT, MSH, for his great achievements in the hypnotherapy field.

Last week, Michael – along with Daniel F. Cleary of West Palm Beach, Fla. – was honored for his role as a course director and faculty member at PAINWeek 2007, a continuing medical education conference for licensed pain specialists.

According to the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association, Michael and Cleary "were also recognized for their guided self-help programs for helping people take the suffering out of painful chronic conditions."

In addition, at the PAINWeek 2008 conference in Las Vegas (Sept. 3-7), Michael and Cleary be teaching teaching MDs, DOs, PAs, RNs, and the Allied Health Care professionals attending PAINWEEK a CME course in the basics of conversational hypnosis and how they can teach self-hypnosis to their patients for pain relief.

Congratulations again, Michael! We're very honored to have you as a blogger on Therapy Times.