Done by: Sabina Gómez and Alejandra Guerrero, IFD Paysandú, 4th form (night shift)

5. Autism: Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. With autism, the different areas of the brain fail to work together. Most people with autism will always have some trouble relating to others. But early diagnosis and treatment have helped more and more people who have autism to reach their full potential.

8. Asperger's Syndrome: It is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD) . PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination. Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism but, there are some important differences. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function better than do those with autism. In addition, children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal intelligence and near-normal language development, although they may develop problems communicating as they get older.

9. Social contact influences • Stress levels • Heart rate • Chemical levels • Blood pressure These in turn can influence • Hormones • Immune system • Behaviours • Gene expression

12. Corpus callosum (integrates left and right hemispheres) Hypothalamus and pituitary gland (responds to stress) Occipital cortex (responds to social cues) Raphe nuclei (produces a key social chemical, serotonin) Amygdala (responds to fear and uncertainty) Orbitofrontal area of the frontal lobe (integrates emotion and cognition) SOCIAL BRAIN REGULATORS

15. SOCIAL STRESS Adolescents form groups for social comfort, camaraderie or protection. At school we can see examples of the social brain acting under stress depending on the gender: females report more sources of social support than males. The lack of social support can put males at greater risk for suicide. SOCIAL BONDING Sts spend time grooming, posing, applying make-up, all in preparation for social contact and bonding. The absence of a valued social companion is a risk factor for depression.

16. SOCIAL BIAS Racial differences can be a serious social issue. Racism is learned but wariness about ‘different’ others is built in. The amygdala is the brain’s ‘uncertainty activator’. It activates as a fear or a stress response.

17. PEER PRESSURE Adolescents and teen sts are more interested in peer approval, autonomy and discovery. Social influence is a significant factor in an adolescent decision.

18. SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES Sometimes is a result of an emotionally poor upbringing, characterized by neglect, abuse or a lack of proper emotional modeling. Sometimes it has genetic causes: fetal alcohol syndrome. They show compromised function in the orbitofrontal lobes, the area linked to self-expression, problem solving, willpower and planning. In the case of autism and Asperger’s syndrome there is no clear biological origin.

19. Phineas Gage was renown among his colleagues to be a warm and friendly guy, after the accident he became a rude and irresponsible man who hardly displayed emotional affection. THE CASE OF PHINEAS GAGE

20. ENHANCING THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE OF SCHOOL. Students spend so many hours of their lives in school. We must consider what we are doing to their brains during that time.

22. Thank you !!! Alejandra and Sabina