Amy Lastuka

Managing Research Scientist at @IHME_UW: studying direct and indirect costs of dementia. Mom of two autistic boys.

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

@_alice_evans @kearney_melissa This is extreme and written for attention, but I definitely used to get some dirty looks at the grocery store. I was always frustrated because I didn’t realize that the grocery store was some kind of wellness destination where people needed silence.

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

@kearney_melissa Oh goodness that’s triggering. Also kind of ironic coming from someone who apparently values inclusion.

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

Very important stuff. Would love to see where the #exemplars are with regards to school districts handling special education. Obviously a tough data problem with over 13k school districts in the US (but someone should tackle it!)

[Child Mind Institute @childmindinst]

The Child Mind Institute’s Dr. Dave Anderson talked to the The Cut about parenting a child who struggles with behavior.

What the data shows is that behavioral and mental-health incidents have only been increasing,” since the return to in-person learning, says the Child Mind Institute’s Dr. Dave Anderson.

This is likely because kids of all ages missed out on key socialization years and children with special needs, in particular, benefited very little, if at all, from remote learning. The effects of the pandemic include increased anxiety, stress, depression, and trauma that have not gone away. There’s been no return to normal.

By law, every single child has a federal right to a free public education in the “least restrictive environment” possible. This includes children who are struggling to control their emotions and, yes, even those who hit. Experts like Anderson insist that these behaviors can be resolved, “if we can get there early.” That means a whole-school approach some call “positive behavioral intervention and support.” It entails surrounding kids from pre-K onward with caring adults who coordinate their efforts and provide consistent reinforcement.

Elementary school is a critical time to intervene with children who are struggling to control their emotions. “With elementary-schoolers, we can create this kind of supportive space for them.”

In middle school and beyond, classes are bigger; students have more teachers who don’t know each kid as well. Kids escape from their negative experiences with school into problematic peer groups, drugs, and worse. By this point, if kids don’t have the right support in school, Anderson says, “this is where the school-to-prison pipeline really comes in.”

At some point, adults stop thinking of kids like these as children who struggle with diagnoses or histories of trauma, or students with a right to an education, and start using terms like juvenile and perpetrator.” If a kid has anxiety or depression, our hearts go out to them. If a kid is screaming expletives at you, that does not inspire empathy, but the kid’s hurting just as much.”

https://t.co/KVdzoYxEl7

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

@causalinf Not the point of your tweet but I just recently found out that his dad is Mas-Colell. 🤯

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

So cool to hear my colleague @AngelaEMicah1 talking with Dr. Fauci!

[Katherine Leach-Kemon @kleachkemon]

Why PEPFAR matters: don't miss this @IHME_UW podcast featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci and
@AngelaEMicah1. https://t.co/s4tiAFB795

[National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) @NHATS_NSOC]

New work using #NHATS Amy Lastuka et al in Alzheimer's & Dementia (@alzassociation)

U.S. dementia care spending by state: 2010–2019

"Replacing informal dementia care with health aides would have cost $230 billion."

https://t.co/OGCyVX1wF3

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

@WHO @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @WHO_Europe @WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @pahowho True! Many team sports require a huge amount of exec function. Things change quickly and there are complex social elements, who will pass the ball to whom, etc. My sons have thrived with individual sports (gymnastics and kung fu) but there’s more to be done to adapt team sports

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

How many caregivers to people living with dementia need to cut back on work hours or quit altogether due to caregiving responsibilities? Surprisingly little is known about this, as I outline in a recent @IHME_UW blog post

https://t.co/FXQejYBHxB

[Amy Lastuka @amylastuka]

@NHATS_NSOC @alzassociation Thank you so much for sharing our work!