Adulting at Work can be used as a textbook for a college class or in an informal learning setting. It provides a foundation for helping emerging adults learn about their abilities and the supports and environments that will help them be successful and make a contribution. 

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffer from a profound social disability. Social neuroscience is the study of the parts of the brain that support social interactions or the “social brain.” This module provides an overview of ASD and focuses on understanding how social brain dysfunction leads to ASD. Our increasing understanding of the social brain and its dysfunction in ASD will allow us to better identify the genes that cause ASD and will help us to create and pick out treatments to better match individuals. Because social brain systems emerge in infancy, social neuroscience can help us to figure out how to diagnose ASD even before the symptoms of ASD are clearly present. This is a hopeful time because social brain systems remain malleable well into adulthood and thus open to creative new interventions that are informed by state-of-the-art science.

This course illuminates current theories about autism together with challenges faced by people on the autism spectrum. Theories in communicating, interacting socially, managing cognitive and affective overload, and achieving independent lifestyles are covered. In parallel, the course presents state-of-the-art technologies being developed for helping improve both theoretical understanding and practical outcomes. Participants are expected to meet and interact with people on the autism spectrum. Weekly reading, discussion, and a term project are required.

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the symptoms, potential causes, and treatment of several examples of nervous system disorders

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A new combination therapy may help children on the autism spectrum not only develop better social skills but also maintain them over the long term. Researchers working in the US have discovered that giving young people with autism the drug D-cycloserine before teaching them social skills improves their social functioning for months. Training in social skills is widely used to help people with autism overcome social impairment, the defining diagnostic characteristic. Although such training is very effective when delivered, the benefits are often lost once it’s stopped. To help prolong the training effects, the researchers looked at whether D-cycloserine could help children with autism remember lessons about social skills. D-cycloserine has been shown to boost long-term responses to behavioral therapy, but its impact on autism had not been explored. The team held weekly group training sessions for 68 children with autism..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the major theories of emotionDescribe the role that limbic structures play in emotional processingUnderstand the ubiquitous nature of producing and recognizing emotional expression

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder for which effective pharmacological treatments are currently limited. One promising candidate for treatment, however, is the gene EphB6. which, among other things, helps regulate the gut microbiome. To explore EphB6’s link to both the gut microbiome and autism, researchers deleted the gene from the genome of mice. That deletion induced autism-like behavior relative to mice retaining the EphB6 gene, including spending more time on self-grooming and showing a lower preference for mouse “strangers.” Deleting EphB6 also altered the composition of the mice’s gut microbiome, decreasing the abundance of certain bacteria. Interestingly, transplanting the fecal microbiota of EphB6-deficient mice into certain wild-type mice induced autism-like behavior. Meanwhile, transplanting the fecal microbiota from wild-type mice to EphB6-deficient mice seemed to reduce autism-like behavior. Further experiments linked EphB6 deletion to vitamin B6 and dopamine defects..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.