Week in Review - November 23, 2012

WEEK IN REVIEW

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

November 23, 2012 - Vol 8, Issue 45

 

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

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Dear NASET News,

Welcome toNASET'sWEEK in REVIEWHere, we provide you with the latest publications fromNASETto read and or download, as well as some of the most interesting articles that have happened this week in the field of special education. We 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.

Sincerely,


NASETNews Team

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New This Week on NASET

NASET's Assessment in Special Education Series
Assessment and Accommodations
By: Stephen D. Luke, Ed. D. & Amanda Schwartz, Ph.D

The world is full of examples of accommodations that permit people with disabilities to perform specific tasks they might not otherwise be able to. Drivers with poor vision wear glasses or contacts, elevators mark the buttons in Braille, and voters with disabilities may be given assistance by the person of their choice. Accommodations play an important role in educational settings, too, particularly for students whose disabilities interfere with performing learning tasks (such as reading a book, taking notes in class, or writing an essay) or testing tasks (such as getting through the items within the time limit or filling in the circles on a multiple-choice test). A critical part of teaching and assessing students with disabilities, then, is providing them with accommodations that support learning and that support their ability to show what they know and can do. But what accommodations are appropriate for which students? How do accommodations affect students' learning and their performance on tests? This issue of NASET's Assessment in Special Education series is written by Stephen D. Luke, Ed.D. & Amanda Schwartz, Ph.D. (and reprinted with permission of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities). It addresses these and other questions and explores the research base in this area. Commentary from education professionals and examples from the field are included to highlight practical tools and resources designed to help educators and families determine appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities.

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NASET Parent Teacher Conference Handout

RTI 101: Frequently Asked Questions

The purpose of RTI is to provide all students with the best opportunities to succeed in school, identify students with learning or behavioral problems, and ensure that they receive appropriate instruction and related supports. The goals of RTI are to integrate all the resources to minimize risk for the long-term negative consequences associated with poor learning or behavioral outcomes and strengthen the process of appropriate disability identification.  This issues of NASET's Parent Teacher Conference Handouts from the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) addresses frequently asked questions about Response to Intervention.



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Principal Plays Surprising Role in Why New Teachers Quit

Why do so many beginning teachers quit the profession or change schools? Surprising new research finds it's not a heavy workload or lack of resources that has the most significant effect, but instead the relationship between teachers and their principal. Peter Youngs, associate professor of educational policy at Michigan State University and lead investigator on the study, said the findings reinforce the need for principals to serve as strong, supportive leaders in their schools. "The principal isn't there just to help the novice teacher handle discipline and classroom management," Youngs said. "What really makes a strong administrative climate is when the principal also knows the academic content well and can work with the beginning teacher on curriculum and instruction." To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

Charter schools are public elementary and secondary schools, just as traditional neighborhood schools are.

ADHD Medicine Affects the Brain's Reward System

A group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen has created a model that shows how some types of ADHD medicine influence the brain's reward system. The model makes it possible to understand the effect of the medicine and perhaps in the longer term to improve the development of medicine and dose determination. The new research results have been published in the Journal of Neurophysiology. In Denmark approximately 2-3 per cent of school-age children satisfy diagnostic criteria for ADHD, and therefore it is crucial to know how the medicine works. With a new mathematical reconstruction of a tiny part of the brain region that registers reward and punishment, scientists from the University of Copenhagen are acquiring new knowledge about the effect of ADHD medicine. When reward and punishment signals run through the brain, the chemical dopamine is always involved. To read more,click here

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NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT -

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

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.

 

For more information on Board Certification in Special Education,click here

Parenting Style Has Big Impact On Kids With Disabilities

The approach that parents take with their children who have developmental disabilities is directly tied to how cooperative and independent they become, new research suggests. In ananalysisof existing studies looking at the influence of parenting on children with special needs, researchers found that when moms and dads employed so-called positive parenting, their kids exhibited greater independence, better language skills, stronger emotional expression and social interaction as well as improved temperament. "In households where positive parenting is applied, the symptoms and severity of the child's disability are more likely to decrease over time," said Tim Smith of Brigham Young University who worked on the study, which was published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities this month. To read more,click here

Extra Chromosome 21 Removed from Down Syndrome Cell Line

University of Washington scientists have succeeded in removing the extra copy of chromosome 21 in cell cultures derived from a person with Down syndrome, a condition in which the body's cells contain three copies of chromosome 21 rather than the usual pair. A triplicate of any chromosome is a serious genetic abnormality called a trisomy. Trisomies account for almost one-quarter of pregnancy loss from spontaneous miscarriages, according to the research team. Besides Down syndrome (trisomy 21), some other human trisomies are extra Y or X chromosomes, and Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13), both of which have extremely high newborn fatality rates. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

Families and teachers choose charter schools for a variety of reasons. Charter schools are considered 'schools of choice' that give families more options for their children's public education. Charters claim high academic standards, small class size, and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

5 Steps Would Lower Preemie Rates in Richest Countries

About 58,000 premature births could be prevented each year if the world's 39 richest nations implemented five recommended measures to prevent preterm birth, a new study suggests. The study also said that the reduction in premature births would save those countries about $3 billion a year in related medical and economic costs. Nearly half of those savings would be in the United States, where there are more than half a million preterm babies delivered every year. The researchers assessed the impact of five evidence-based interventions to reduce premature birth: reducing the use of elective cesarean sections and induced labor; getting pregnant women to stop smoking; limiting multiple embryo transfers in assisted reproductive technology; progesterone supplementation; and cervical cerclage, which is a surgical procedure that can prevent preterm birth in some women. To read more,click here

NASET Sponsor - Cal Poly Pomona

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NASET Sponsor - Arkansas State University

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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: Sue Brooks, Lisa Bohannan, Bernadette Komenda, Olumide Akerele, Pamela R. Downing-Hosten, Craig Pate, Cynthia Calanog, Jessica L. Ulmer, Prahbhjot Malhi, Francis Cruz, and Marilyn Haile who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:  The 1988 U.S. Supreme Court case which deemed that a state or local school district may not unilaterally exclude handicapped children from school for dangerous or disruptive conduct related to their disabilities while an expulsion hearing is pending was Honig v. Doe

THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
Charter schools have existed in the United States for about 20 years, beginning with legislation in what state in 1991?
If you know the answer, send an email tocontactus@naset.org
All answers must be submitted no later than Monday, November 26, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.

Schizophrenia Genetic Networks Identified; Connection to Autism Found

Although schizophrenia is highly genetic in origin, the genes involved in the disorder have been difficult to identify. In the past few years, researchers have implicated several genes, but it is unclear how they act to produce the disorder. A new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center identifies affected gene networks and provides insight into the molecular causes of the disease. The paper was published November 11 in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience. Using an unbiased collection of hundreds of mutations associated with schizophrenia, the Columbia researchers applied a sophisticated computational approach to uncover hidden relationships among seemingly unrelated genes. The analysis revealed that many of the genes mutated in schizophrenia are organized into two main networks, which take part in a few key processes, including axon guidance, synapse function, neuron mobility, and chromosomal modification. To read more,click here

AASEP Logo

NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT -

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

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.

 

For more information on Board Certification in Special Education,click here

Tampa Student with Autism Will Attend His Neighborhood Middle School

After waiting 57 days since the school year began, Henry Frost will be able to cross the street and walk less than the length of two football fields to attend his neighborhood middle school. Frost has been taking courses at home while engaged in a dispute with Hillsborough County schools over where he should attend. Frost took his cause to Facebook and other social media and has drawn world-wide attention. Frost has autism and has several physical impairments, including hearing loss. After more than 14 hours of meetings to negotiate an education plan and services for Frost, Hillsborough school officials agreed Tuesday to let Frost attend the school of his choice. "I will go to Wilson. Yes! Thank you and I will write more tomorrow," Frost wrote on his Facebook pageI Stand WITH Henry. To read more,click here

Early Stress May Sensitize Girls' Brains for Later Anxiety

High levels of family stress in infancy are linked to differences in everyday brain function and anxiety in teenage girls, according to new results of a long-running population study by University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists. The study highlights evidence for a developmental pathway through which early life stress may drive these changes. Here, babies who lived in homes with stressed mothers were more likely to grow into preschoolers with higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. In addition, these girls with higher cortisol also showed less communication between brain areas associated with emotion regulation 14 years later. Last, both high cortisol and differences in brain activity predicted higher levels of adolescent anxiety at age 18. To read more,click here

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Children With Autism and Child Prodigies May Share Certain Traits

The child Mozarts of the world may have some traits in common with children with autism, a new study suggests, in findings researchers say could eventually offer clues into the developmental disorder. It's estimated that about one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder, an umbrella term for a group of developmental brain disorders that hinder a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. These range from the severe cases of "classic" autism to a relatively mild form called Asperger's syndrome. Child prodigies -- those kids with exceptional, beyond-their-years talent in areas like music, art or math -- are much more rare. To read more, click here

Housing Quality Associated With Children's Burn Injury Risk

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy finds many children may be at heightened risk for fire and scald burns by virtue of living in substandard housing. Researchers surveyed the homes of 246 low-income families in Baltimore with at least one young child, and found homes with more housing quality code violations were less likely to have a working smoke alarm and safe hot water temperatures. The report is published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics. "The effect of substandard housing on children's risk of diseases such as asthma is well-known, however little was known about how it affects injury risk," said lead study author Andrea Gielen, ScD, ScM, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "The results of this study clearly demonstrate that substandard housing is also related to home injury risks. Even more disturbing is the finding that virtually all of the children in our urban sample were living in substandard housing." To read more,click here

Month of Birth Might Help Determine MS Risk, Study Suggests

Lower prenatal levels of vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin," may mean that babies born in April have the highest risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life while those born in October have the lowest risk, a new study suggests. The findings show that pregnant women who live in countries with low levels of sunlight between October and March should take vitamin D supplements in order to protect their children from MS, according to the researchers. Vitamin D is synthesized naturally by the skin as it makes contact with sunlight. During fall and winter months, however, people in northern countries may not receive sufficient amounts of sunlight on their skin to enable the body to make enough vitamin D, the study authors explained. To read more,click here

Children's Headaches Rarely Indicate a Need for Eyeglasses, Study Finds

A new study provides the first clear evidence that vision or eye problems are rarely the cause of recurring headaches in children, even if the headaches usually strike while the child is doing schoolwork or other visual tasks. Many parents assume that frequent headaches mean their child needs glasses, so they ask their doctor to refer their child for an eye exam. This study was conducted by pediatric ophthalmologists who wanted to find reliable answers for parents, family doctors and pediatricians facing this common health question. The research is being presented today at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, conducted jointly this year with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

Each state has the authority to include charter schools in its state law as a way of offering students a public education. Most states have done just that and have written state charter laws that guide how charter schools operate.

Judge Won't Order Abortion for Woman with Cognitive Impairments

A woman with intellectual disabilities will go ahead with her pregnancy. That's the decision coming out of Washoe DistrictFamilyCourt Wednesday morning. Judge Egan Walker made the decision after all parties involved in thecaseagreed to help the woman with her high-risk pregnancy. The 32-year-old woman has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old. An attorney for the woman's guardians says she became pregnant after repeatedly leaving her group home and hanging around atruckstop for days at a time. To read more,click here

Childhood Abuse Leads to Poor Adult Health

The psychological scars of childhood abuse can last well into adulthood. New research from Concordia University shows the harm can have long-term negative physical effects, as well as emotional ones. Scientists hypothesize that stress in early childhood causes physiological changes that affect a victim's response to stress, which puts the individual at an increased risk of disease later in life. Jean-Philippe Gouin, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Chronic Stress and Health in Concordia's Department of Psychology, tested this link and found that early-life abuse results in physiological changes that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease later on. To read more,click here

Moderate Drinking in Pregnancy Tied to Lower IQ in Child

Even moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can harm a child's IQ, a new study warns. Some guidelines recommend against any alcohol consumption during pregnancy, while others suggest that moderate drinking might be safe. And previous studies have yielded conflicting findings about the effects that moderate maternal drinking can have on a child's IQ. This new study included more than 4,000 women in the United Kingdom who provided information about their alcohol intake during pregnancy. Their children's IQ was tested when they were 8 years old. To read more,click here

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

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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