Week in Review - October 28, 2011

WEEK IN REVIEW

NewNASETPublications and Articles of Interest in Special Education and Disabilities That Were Reported This Week

October 28, 2011 - Vol 7, Issue 39


 

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In This Issue

New This Week on NASET

Genetic Variant and Autoantibodies Linked to Having a Child With Autism
Article Headline
Unemployment Rate for People With Disabilities Continues to Climb
Restraint, Seclusion Overlooked In Education Bill
Article Headline
In Brooklyn Charter School, a Focus on Co-Teaching and Inclusion
Concussions: When Does the Risk Exceed the Athletic Award?
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Some Kids Respond Better to ADHD Drug Than Others
IQ Scores Fluctuate Dramatically in Children, Study Says
Afraid to Do the Math?
Study Suggests That Children with Autism Have Distinct Facial Features
Teacher Allegedly Degrades Students with Special Needs on Facebook.
App May Allow Reports of Illegal Use of Disability Parking
Preeclampsia: New Blood Test to Assess Risk of Imminent Delivery Can Reduce Complications for Mother
Reading a Book Versus a Screen: Different Reading Devices, Different Modes of Reading?
U.S. Doctors Revise ADHD Guidelines
Common Link Suggested Between Autism and Diabetes
New Laws Take Aim at Bullying

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Welcome toNASET'sWEEK in REVIEWWe hope you enjoy this publication.  Feel free to send us articles for this publication or let us know your thoughts about theWEEK in REVIEWatnews@naset.org.Have a great weekend.

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NASETNews Team

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NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT

Through an agreement with The American Academy of Special Education Professionals(AASEP), NASET members now have the opportunity to achieve AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) at a reduced fee.  AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) is a voluntary choice on the part of the candidate. The candidate for Board Certification wishes to demonstrate a commitment to excellence to employers, peers, administrators, other professionals, and parents. From the standpoint of the Academy, board certification will demonstrate the highest professional competency in the area of special education. Board Certification in Special Educationestablishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children.

 

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New This Week on NASET

NASET Q & A Corner


Mediation

Mediation is a voluntary process that may be used to resolve disputes between school systems and the parents of a child with a disability. Mediation is a dispute-resolution and collaborative problem solving process in which a trained impartial party facilitates a negotiation process between parties who have reached an impasse. The role of the mediator is to facilitate discussion, encourage open exchange of information, assist the involved parties in understanding each other's viewpoints and help the parties reach mutually agreeable solutions.  The focus of this issue ofNASET'sQ & A Corneris to address the issue of mediation and its role in special education.

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NASET Resources Review


In this Issue You will Find Topics On:

Autism
Bullying
Cooperative Teaching
Common Core Standards
Early Intervention
Facilitating Communication
Families and Communities
Genetics
Grading
History of Disabilities
Lesson Plans
Life Skills
Low Performing Schools
Parent Advocacy
Professional Development
Self Advocacy
Student Learning Time
Transition Services.
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Genetic Variant and Autoantibodies Linked to Having a Child With Autism

A study by researchers at UC Davis has found that pregnant women with a particular gene variation are more likely to produce autoantibodies to the brains of their developing fetuses and that the children of these mothers are at greater risk of later being diagnosed with autism.

 

The finding is the first to demonstrate a genetic mechanism at play in the development of the neurodevelopmental disorder among some children -- offering the possibility of a genetic test for some women at risk for having a child with autism, said Judy Van de Water, an immunologist and the study's co-principal investigator. "Association of a MET genetic variant with autism-associated maternal autoantibodies to fetal brain proteins and cytokine expression," is published online October 20 in the journal Translational Psychiatry, a Nature publication. "Our study gives strong support for the idea that, in at least some cases, autism results from maternal immunity gone overboard," said Judy Van de Water, a professor of internal medicine and a researcher affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute. "This is the first time that a genetic factor known to be important in autism and its effects have been demonstrated." To read more,click here

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Kids' Daytime Wetting Accidents Linked to ADHD

Children who wet themselves are more than four times as likely as other kids to also have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to the results of a new German study. "I think a lot of us have known this for a long time," that children with ADHD also struggle with bladder control, said Dr. Peter Jensen, a professor of psychiatry and psychology and the vice chair for research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But there are few studies that have looked specifically at the link between the two disorders, said Jensen, who was not involved in the German research. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a devastating and complex disorder characterized by overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. People with CFS most often function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness.

Unemployment Rate for People With Disabilities Continues to Climb

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities has climbed for the fourth consecutive quarter, reaching its highest rate since tracking began in 2008, according to a study conducted by Allsup (a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance representation and Medicare plan selection services). TheAllsup Disability Study: Income at Riskrevealed that people with disabilities experienced an unemployment rate more than 85% higher than the unemployment rate for people with no disabilities during the third quarter of 2011. The unemployment rate averaged 16.3 % for people with disabilities compared with 8.8% for people with no disabilities during that time. To read more,click here

Restraint, Seclusion Overlooked In Education Bill

Despite efforts to address restraint and seclusion of students with disabilities within an overhaul of the nation's primary education law, the issue was left out when the U.S. Senate moved forward on a bill this week. Last year, when proposed legislation to curb the use of restraint and seclusion in schoolsfell apart, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the U.S. Senate's education committee signaled his intention to address the issue in a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, which is also known as No Child Left Behind. But on Thursday, Harkin's committee approved a bill to update ESEA that includes no mention of restraint and seclusion. The reason: Harkin said he was not able to get bipartisan support on the issue. To read more,click here

New Insights Into Insulin Resistance Could Lead to Better Drugs for Diabetics

Research published in the October Molecular and Cellular Biology moves us closer to developing drugs that could mitigate diabetes. Diabetes afflicts an estimated 26 million Americans, while 79 million have prediabetes. In other words, one in three Americans confronts this disease. Diabetes raises the risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as fourfold, and it is the leading cause of blindness among adults 20-74. It is also the leading cause of kidney failure.

 

In earlier research, four years ago another team of researchers showed that they could boost insulin sensitivity in experimental rodents by giving the animals a drug called myriocin. People with diabetes have a condition called insulin resistance, which renders them poorly able to process sugar. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

The cause or causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available. Moreover, since many illnesses have incapacitating fatigue as a symptom, care must be taken to exclude other known and often treatable conditions before a diagnosis of CFS is made.

In Brooklyn Charter School, a Focus on Co-Teaching and Inclusion

Allison Keil and Sara Stone, young and idealistic teachers, founded theCommunity Roots Charter Schoolin Fort Greene, Brooklyn, six years ago. Theschoolhas 300 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and, this year, a waiting list of 800. Last spring, the schooldelayedits plans to expand into a middle school, amid vigorous communityoppositionbecause Community Roots would have taken more space in the building it shares with two other schools. Ms. Stone, 34, and Ms. Keil, 38, each have a salary of $128,000. This interview was edited and condensed. To read more,click here

Concussions: When Does the Risk Exceed the Athletic Award?

Patti Mickelinc of Spencer had stepped away from her spot in the crowd for only a moment during a rainy spring afternoon in Owego. By the time she returned, she was greeted by the frightening sight of her son, John, lying on the ground. The sophomore at Elmira Notre Dame High School had been cross-checked in a lacrosse game and suffered a head injury. In a matter of seconds, her son's high school career had changed dramatically. Patti Mickelinc had seen this before. Four years earlier, John had lost his vision for 40 minutes after landing on his head while jumping on a pogo stick in the driveway. He was diagnosed with a concussion. Last fall, two more concussions brought John's football season to an early end. As much as John enjoyed sports, it was time to step back from the playing field after this fourth concussion. To read more,click here

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Guess the answer to this week's trivia question and we'll recognize you in next week's Week in Review.

Congratulations to: Shan Ring, Mary Jo Petersen, Jennifer Scott-Greenfield, Kristen Zimmerman, Jill M. Bennett, Alison Lowry, Christine Oliver, Joanie Dikeman, Lois Nembhard,  Cheri Mclean, Mike Namian, Deanna Krieg, Mike Rolen, Lorrie Weaver, Mary-Anne Smith, Jessica L. Ulmer, Dawn Cox, Patricia A. Williams, Tina Theuerkauf, and Catherine Cardenas who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question was: Manifest Determination Hearing

THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:

Under the federal law (IDEA), if a parent consents to have her child evaluated for a suspected disability and then changes her mind, when can she revoke the consent?

If you know the answer, send an email tocontactus@naset.org
All answers must be submitted no later than Monday, October 31, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

Some Kids Respond Better to ADHD Drug Than Others

Children with specific gene variants respond better to the drug methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta), which is widely used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study says. The finding could help improve treatment of ADHD, according to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center researchers. "Physicians don't have a good way of predicting who will experience great improvement in ADHD symptoms with a particular medication, so currently we use a trial-and-error approach. Unfortunately, as a result, finding an effective treatment can take a long time," lead investigator Dr. Tanya Froehlich, a physician in the division of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, said in a medical center news release.

 

"With more information about genes that may be involved in ADHD medication response, we may be able to predict treatment course, tailor our approach to each child, and improve symptom response while decreasing health care costs," she said. To read more,click here

IQ Scores Fluctuate Dramatically in Children, Study Says

If you think intelligence is set in stone, think again. A new study shows that IQ can fluctuate dramatically during adolescence, with some teens raising or lowering their scores by about 20 points. Psychologists have long believed that intelligence was fixed, and parents and educators often use IQ scores to determine whether children are "gifted" or need extra help at school. But the study suggests things are a bit more complicated. For the study - published in the Oct. 18 issue ofNature- British researchers gave IQ tests to 33 children between the ages of 12 and 16. Four years later, researchers re-tested the same adolescents and found that about one-fifth of the kids fluctuated from one IQ category to another - such as from average to above-average intelligence, or vice versa. Some students' IQ rose as high as 21 points, while others fell by up to 18 points. To read more,click here

Afraid to Do the Math?

The key to easing math anxiety may be less about improving calculation skills and more about controlling negative emotions that make it difficult to focus on doing the work, new research suggests. The study found that activation of brain areas involved in attention and emotion may help students with math anxiety conquer their fears and succeed in math. Researchers from University of Chicago used functional MRI to scan the brains of math-anxious university students and those without math anxiety while they performed difficult problems. The scans showed differences in the activation of the math-anxious students' frontal and parietal lobes, which are involved with regulating negative emotions and concentration. To read more,click here

Study Suggests That Children with Autism Have Distinct Facial Features

Scientists may not agree on what causes autism, but a new study that looked at kids' facial characteristics might help researchers understand the origins of the developmental disorder.

 

The study found that children with autism have distinct differences in facial characteristics than typically developing children. "There is no clear answer about whether autism is caused by genetics or by environmental influences," study author Dr. Kristina Aldridge, assistant professor of anatomy at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, said in awritten statement. "If we can identify when these facial changes occur, we could pinpoint when autism may begin to develop in a child." For the study - published in the Oct. 14 issue ofMolecular Autism- researchers compared facial features in 64 boys with autism with faces of 41 typically developing boys, all 8-12 years old, with a 3-D camera system. After mapping out 17 points on faces, the researchers found significant differences between the two groups. To read more,click here

Teacher Allegedly Degrades Students with Special Needs on Facebook

A Mobile County Public School teacher is accused of making a spectacle of special education students. A mother transferred her child from Eichold-Mertz Elementary School after she said he was made fun of by his second grade teacher. Teachers should be helpful, uplifting and positive toward their students, but a parent claims a picture is showing the exact opposite.

 

Celeste Dennis said, "It hurt. It genuinely hurt me." Dennis was outraged after seeing what her child's teacher, Jeremy Hollinger, posted on Facebook. She added, "My son wears a helmet for seizures during P.E. He had a picture of himself with my son's helmet on making fun on him like that was some type of a joke." To read more,click here

App May Allow Reports of Illegal Use of Disability Parking

Ever see someone parked illegally and wanted to do something about it? Your chance might be coming. A new smartphone app could allow people in Austin to report illegal parking in spots reserved for people with disabilities. The City Council on Thursday will consider a resolution to link such an app to city offices. People would simply snap a photo and send it to the city, which would dispatch authorities to ticket the violators. "I think it's important that we make every effort that we can to maintain fairness and protect civil rights," said Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who is supporting the measure, along with Council Members Mike Martinez and Chris Riley. To read more,click here

Preeclampsia: New Blood Test to Assess Risk of Imminent Delivery Can Reduce Complications for Mother and Child

A blood test can help to assess whether a pregnant woman who suffers from pregnancy-induced hypertension, so-called preeclampsia, is at risk for an imminent delivery. This knowledge can be used to determine the due date as well as avoid complications for mother and child. This was now reported by a team of scientists at Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The assay was put to the test in collaboration with Universitätsklinik Leipzig and five other European research centers. Preeclampsia is the most common of the dangerous pregnancy complications. It is characterized by elevated blood pressure, protein in the urine and accumulation of excess fluid beneath the skin. If not treated in time, preeclampsia may progress to eclampsia, characterized by tonic-clonic seizures which can possibly result in maternal and infant death. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

The cause or causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) remain unknown, despite a vigorous search. While a single cause for CFS may yet be identified, another possibility is that CFS represents a common endpoint of disease resulting from multiple sudden causes. Some of the possible causes of CFS might be due to infectious agents, immunological dysfunction, stress activating the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, neurally mediated hypotension, and/or nutritional deficiency.

Reading a Book Versus a Screen: Different Reading Devices, Different Modes of Reading?

A book or a screen - which of these two offers more reading comfort? There are no disadvantages to reading from electronic reading devices compared with reading printed texts. This is one of the results of the world's first reading study of its kind undertaken by the Research Unit Media Convergence of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in cooperation with MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH. "E-books and e-readers are playing an increasingly important role on the worldwide book market. However, readers in Germany are particularly skeptical when it comes to e-books and electronic reading devices. The objective of the study was to investigate whether there are reasons for this skepticism," says the initiator of the study, Professor Dr. Stephan Füssel, chair of the Gutenberg-Institute of Book Studies and spokesperson for the Media Convergence Research Unit at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. To read more,click here

U.S. Doctors Revise ADHD Guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics this weekend expanded its guidelines for diagnosing and treating kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), recommending that doctors evaluate all patients aged four to 18 who show signs of the condition. The new guidelines update decade-old recommendations that focused on diagnosing and managing ADHD in kids aged six to 12. But behavior problems, over-activity and trouble paying attention can show up earlier, researchers said, and ADHD often persists into adolescence or even adulthood. Pediatricians should also look out for learning disabilities, anxiety and other issues that can go hand-in-hand with ADHD. And, they should tailor treatment with behavior therapy and medication based on kids' age and severity of symptoms, says a statement published in Pediatrics. To read more,click here

Common Link Suggested Between Autism and Diabetes: Study Implicates Hyperinsulinemia in Increased Incidence of Autism

A review of the genetic and biochemical abnormalities associated with autism reveals a possible link between the widely diagnosed neurological disorder and Type 2 diabetes, another medical disorder on the rise in recent decades. "It appears that both Type 2 diabetes and autism have a common underlying mechanism -- impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia," said Rice University biochemist Michael Stern, author of the opinion paper, which appears online in this month's issue of Frontiers in Cellular Endocrinology. Hyperinsulinemia, often a precursor to insulin resistance, is a condition characterized by excess levels of insulin in the bloodstream. Insulin resistance is often associated with both obesity and Type 2 diabetes. To read more,click here

New Laws Take Aim at Bullying

The issue of bullying rose on state legislative agendas this year, with 21 states passing anti-bullying laws-some of which expanded schools' responsibilities to keep a check on any harassment that goes on among their students. States set out to write clear definitions of bullying and to regulate school policies and responsibilities in reaction to the U.S. Department of Education's stepped-up focus on the behavior, renewed public concerns following a series of high-profile student suicides, and an increase in cyberbullying. To read more,click here

Feds Offer Guidance on Making P.E. More Inclusive

While many classrooms have evolved over the years to better work with students with disabilities, the school gym and athletic fields may be the exception. A 2010 report from the federal Government Accountability Office concluded as much, finding that "education has provided little information or guidance on PE or extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities, and some states and districts GAO interviewed said more would be useful." Part of the reason? Federal rules about serving students with disabilities focus on all sorts of other things, and many school districts find the money they have to spend on these students doesn't go far enough as it is. Looking at various data, the GAO found some high notes, such as that 29 percent of students with physical disabilities or long-term health problems attend physical education classes five days a week compared to 34 percent of students without disabilities. To read more,click here

Food For Thought..........

In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.

Jacques Barzun

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