In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association is scheduled to make changes regarding the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, Autistic Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). The APA is hoping to put all three disorders under the broad diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), effectively eliminating the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS. The changes come as the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is scheduled to come out next year.Experts agree that the narrowed… Read more

Music is 27-year-old Arsi Nami’s passion, and he wants to share that passion with the world. Despite his growing  international success  as a singer and songwriter of world rhythms, eurodance and electronica music, Nami came to CSUN in 2009 to study music therapy. Three years ago, Nami witnessed patients being treated with music therapy while visiting his brother in the hospital who was receiving treatment for cancer.  Nami was attending Santa Monica College’s music program, and when he found out… Read more

It was that great philosopher of our time—Chef from South Park—who reminded us that “There’s a time and place for everything—and it’s called college.” Well, here’s the corollary to Professor Chef’s postulate—there’s a time and place for college as well. At least a time. And that time is from about 18 to 21 years old. Go ahead, give or take a year. But beyond that, things can get…difficult. What I’m trying to say is: Don’t be me. Back in ye… Read more

From the semi-reasonable to the ridiculous, fad diets make promises that are simply not sustainable for long-term health:  Melt away the pounds with the miraculous acai berry diet, devour spare ribs and cheese on Atkins, or live it up like a Neanderthal on the Paleo diet. “Fad diets are extremely restrictive, requiring a large reduction in calories, and they remove healthy foods from the diet,” said Ellen Bauersfeld, a registered dietician with the Klotz Health Center at CSUN. Losing weight… Read more

The California Legislature has implemented a one-time traffic ticket amnesty program in an effort to collect revenue from unpaid violations. The program, which allows defendants to make a one lump sum payment of 50 percent of their balance, began Jan. 1 and will end June 30. People who choose to take advantage of the program will fully satisfy the entire amount owed on their overdue tickets, according to Jessica Sanora, senior manager of Enhanced Collections for the Administrative Offices of… Read more

With the growing popularity of smartphones, some universities in the United States are incorporating cellphone use into class curricula, moving past online courses. A survey done by Ball State University found that 99.8 percent of college students own a cellphone and 27 percent of those are smartphones – compared to the national average of 19 percent. Ball State’s associate journalism professor Michael Hanley conducted 11 surveys between 2005 and 2010. “I actually think the whole movement around hybrid learning is… Read more