Week in Review - February 28, 2014

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WEEK IN REVIEW

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

February 28, 2014 - Vol 10, Issue 9

 

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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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NASET Resources Review
February 2014

In this Issue You will Find Topics On:
* Career Awareness
* Educator Collaboration
* Financial Aid for College
* Delinquent Youth
* Learning Competencies for College
* Participation Requests
* Peer Advocacy
* Transition
* Universal Design

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NASET Special Educator e-Journal
March 2014
Table of Contents
* Update from the U.S. Department of Education
* Calls to Participate and New Projects
* Special Education Resources
* Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET
* Upcoming Conferences and Events
* Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities
* Acknowledgements

 

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Kids With ADHD May Benefit From 'Brain Wave' Training in School

New research suggests that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may benefit from getting a type of training during school hours that monitors their brain waves to help improve attention. The study involved 104 elementary school children with ADHD who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a brain-wave monitoring ("neurofeedback") group; a cognitive attention training group; and a "control" group. The students attended one of 19 public elementary schools in the greater Boston area. They received three 45-minute sessions per week of either neurofeedback training or cognitive attention training, while the control group received no treatment. Six months later, the researchers followed up on the kids with parent questionnaires and classroom observations made by researchers who did not know which child had received which treatment. To read more,click here

Mother's Voice on Special Pacifier Helps Preemies Learn to Eat

Premature babies often struggle to learn to eat. Now, a special pacifier that plays prerecorded songs seems to help speed the process along, researchers say. When babies suck on this pacifier properly, they are rewarded with a song sung by their mother. "Premature babies have to figure out how to coordinate sucking, swallowing their own saliva and breathing. It's an incredibly difficult task for babies, and it's tiring," said the study's senior author, Dr. Nathalie Maitre, director of the neonatal intensive-care unit follow-up clinics at Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital. To read more,click here

Potential Solution for Feeding, Swallowing Difficulties in Children with Digeorge Syndrome, Autism

Collaborative research out of the George Washington University (GW) reveals new information on the pathogenesis of feeding and swallowing difficulties often found in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and intellectual disability. Using an animal model of DiGeorge/22q11 Deletion Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes autism and intellectual disability, the GW group found clear signs of early feeding and swallowing disruption, and underlying changes in brain development. The research, featured on the cover of Disease Models & Mechanisms, may even lead to a cure for these difficulties -- known as pediatric dysphagia.To read more,click here

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The Nose Knows in Asthma: Nasal Tissue Samples May Advance Personalized Medicine for Asthma

It has become increasingly clear in recent years that asthma comes in several variations, with different causes, different pathologies and different responses to therapy. These subtypes of asthma can be identified by knowing which genes are expressed at higher and lower levels in patients' airways. That information can, in turn, help guide personalized treatment to more effectively manage asthma and inspire research to better understand, manage and possibly prevent asthma.The difficulty is that tissue samples necessary for this kind of genetic profiling are currently obtained from the airways, which requires bronchoscopy, an invasive procedure involving sedation. Concerns about safety, sedation, and expense limits the use of bronchoscopy, especially among children, and thus the asthmatic tissue samples needed for genetic profiling. To read more,click here

Baby Hearts Need Rhythm to Develop Correctly

To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm...even before they have blood to pump. "We have discovered that mechanical forces are important when making baby hearts," said Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin, a Vanderbilt graduate student working with a team of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists and clinicians attempting to grow replacement heart valves from a patient's own cells.In an article published last month in the journalBiomaterials the team reported that they have taken an important step toward this goal by determining that the mechanical forces generated by the rhythmic expansion and contraction of cardiac muscle cells play an active role in the initial stage of heart valve formation. To read more,click here

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Frequent School Moves Can Increase the Risk of Psychotic Symptoms in Early Adolescence

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have shown that frequently changing schools during childhood can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in later years.Suffering from psychotic-like symptoms at young age is strongly associated with mental health problems in adulthood, including psychotic disorders and suicide. Professor Swaran Singh, who led the study, explained, "Changing schools can be very stressful for students. Our study found that the process of moving schools may itself increase the risk of psychotic symptoms -- independent of other factors. But additionally, being involved in bullying, sometimes as a consequence of repeated school moves, may exacerbate risk for the individual." 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: Mike Namian, Ope-Oluwa Olubela, Lois Nembhard, Pamela Downing-Hosten,  Olumide Akerele and Andrew Bailey who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question: According to the latest research in the field, the more common colds and viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the higher the risk her baby will have what health impairment?
ANSWER:  Asthma

THE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK WILL RETURN ON MARCH 7, 2014

Prescription Eardrops Seem Best for Kids With Recurrent Ear Infection: Study

An eardrop that combines antibiotics and steroids might be the best ear infection treatment for children who already have ear tubes because of recurrent infections, a new study finds. New research compared the eardrop treatment to oral antibiotics and to a wait-and-see approach. After two weeks, just 5 percent of children receiving the eardrops had continuing discharge from their ears. But 44 percent of those given oral antibiotics still had signs of infection, as did 55 percent of those managed with observation, according to the study. To read more,click here

Gene Variations Leave Infants at Risk of Leukemia, Study Suggests

Infants who develop leukemia before they're 1 year old have inherited gene mutations that put them at high risk for the disease, a small study suggests. The findings might one day lead to new treatments for leukemia in infants, the study authors said. The causes of cancer in babies have been difficult to pinpoint. For one thing, they haven't been alive long enough to amass the number of gene mutations that can trigger cancer. "Parents always ask why their child has developed leukemia, and unfortunately we have had few answers," study senior author Dr. Todd Druley, a pediatric oncologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a university news release. To read more,click here

Drinking Early in Pregnancy May Harm Placenta, Study Finds

Drinking moderate to large amounts of alcohol early in your pregnancy may damage your placenta, the organ that sustains your developing baby until it is born, researchers say. In laboratory tests, investigators found that amounts of alcohol equal to moderate or heavy drinking reduced cell growth in the placenta. Low levels of alcohol had no effect, they added. For the study, moderate drinking was roughly defined as two to three drinks a day, while four to six drinks a day was considered heavy drinking. The scientists also found that moderate to heavy drinking reduced how much of an important amino acid called taurine is delivered from the mother to the baby through the placenta, according to the study published online Feb. 14 in the journal PLoS One. To read more,click here

Football Helmets Not Much Protection Against Hits to Side of the Head: Study

Football helmets do little to protect against hits to the side of the head that can cause brain injury and concussion, a new study finds. Researchers placed sensors in a crash test dummy and conducted 330 tests to determine how well 10 leading football helmets protected against brain injury during 12 mile-per-hour impacts. The helmets were: Adams a2000, Rawlings Quantum, Riddell 360, Riddell Revolution, Riddell Revolution Speed, Riddell VSR4, Schutt Air Advantage, Schutt DNA Pro+, Xenith X1 and Xenith X2. On average, the helmets reduced the risk of brain injury from a hit to the side of the head (rotational force) by only 20 percent compared to not wearing a helmet. The Adams a2000 offered the best protection against concussion and the Schutt Air Advantage the least, the investigators found. To read more,click here

Bullying May Have Lasting Health Effects on Kids

Kids who are picked on by their peers may see lasting effects on their physical and mental well-being -- especially if the bullying is allowed to persist for years, a new study suggests. The study found that kids who are chronically bullied seem to fare the worst: Those continually picked on from fifth grade to 10th grade had the lowest scores on measures of physical and emotional health. Kids who were bullied at a younger age but saw the problem fade tended to do better. But they were still worse off than their peers who'd never been victimized. "I think the message is straightforward," said study lead author Laura Bogart, a scientific researcher at Boston Children's Hospital. "The effects of bullying compound over time, and it's important to catch it early." To read more,click here

Growing Number of Chemicals Linked with Brain Disorders in Children

Toxic chemicals may be triggering the recent increases in neurodevelopmental disabilities among children -- such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexia -- according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The researchers say a new global prevention strategy to control the use of these substances is urgently needed.The report will be published online February 15, 2014 inLancet Neurology"The greatest concern is the large numbers of children who are affected by toxic damage to brain development in the absence of a formal diagnosis. They suffer reduced attention span, delayed development, and poor school performance. Industrial chemicals are now emerging as likely causes," said Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at HSPH. To read more,click here

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Sleep Apnea May Contribute to Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

A new study provides evidence that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and it suggests that OSA may be a contributor to the fatigue that is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of MS.Results show that one-fifth of MS patients surveyed in a large tertiary MS practice carried a diagnosis of OSA, and more than half were found to have an elevated risk for OSA based on a validated screening tool. Further analysis showed that OSA risk was a significant predictor of fatigue severity, even after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), sleep duration and depression. To read more,click here

New Depression Treatments Reported

New insights into the physiological causes of depression are leading to treatments beyond common antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, according to an evidence-based report in the journal Current Psychiatry.Depression treatments on the horizon include new medications, electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain and long-term cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management. Authors are Murali Rao, MD, and Julie M. Alderson, DO. Rao is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and Alderson is a resident at East Liverpool City Hospital in East Liverpool, Ohio. To read more,click here

Fathers Drinking: Also Responsible for Fetal Disorders?

Maternal exposure to alcohol in-utero is a known risk and cause of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. FAS children suffer significant problems such as retarded intellect, stunted growth and nervous system abnormalities, social problems and isolation. Until now Fathers have not had a causal link to such disabilities. Ground breaking new research has been revealed which shows Dads may have more accountability.Published in Animal Cells and Systems, researchers studied male mice exposed to varying concentrations of alcohol and one control group exposed only to saline. After exposure the mice were mated and resulting fetuses examined. The findings revealed previously unknown and riveting evidence that paternal alcohol consumption can directly affect fetal development. To read more,click here

Deaf Man Tasered And Beaten After California Cops Mistake Sign Language For Aggressive Hand Gestures

A deaf man, Jonathan Meister, was tasered and beaten by California policemen after they mistook his attempt at communicating in sign language as a sign of aggression. The recently-filed lawsuit claims that the cops beat Meister to the ground, rendering him unconscious. Meister, who uses sign language as his primary form of communication, is now suing the policemen for their inability to recognize that, and for violating his rights as an individual with a disability. Neighbors had assumed that Meister was a burglar busting into a house, when in reality he was just picking up some boxes from his friend's house. He was "removing his own property from the backyard of a friend's home, with the friend's consent," Meister's lawyer John Burton told the NY Daily News. To read more,click here

Royal Caribbean is First 'Autism-Friendly' Cruise Line

For a child with autism, a cruise can be a minefield. Everything about the experience, from waiting to board to crowded spaces to loud noises, can be frightening. Royal Caribbean moved to address those issues today when it became the first line to be certified as "autism-friendly," USA TODAY learned in an exclusive story. The new designation, awarded by the travel organization Autism on the Seas, indicates the line will take specific measures to help its guests with autistic family members enjoy their cruise. To read more,click here

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Vision Therapy Helping Children with Learning Disabilities and ADHD

There's new hope for parents whose child may have been diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD. Fort Myers Eye Association is one of only few in Southwest Florida that offers vision therapy. According to optometrist Dave Dalesio, it's an alternative method that was developed before the 1940s. It can treat an array of learning-related vision problems. "Their eyes don't work together. They don't focus well. They're not perceiving things, something is going on." Dalesio said. Chloe Dold, a third-grader, is one of only 16 children Dalesio is treating right now.

For years she struggled with migraines, watery eyes and fell behind in school. Chloe was falling fast in school and her grades showed it. To read more,click here

Congress Eyeing Tax-Free Disability Savings Accounts

With significant public backing and support in Congress, advocates say federal lawmakers are poised to consider a major change to the money-saving abilities of those with disabilities. Just one hurdle remains before Congress is expected to take up the Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act. The bill - which has lingered since at least 2009 - would establish special accounts to allow people with disabilities to save up to $100,000 without risking their eligibility for benefits like Social Security. What's more, under the plan, individuals could retain Medicaid no matter how much is deposited. To read more,click here

Does Autism Make Moms Parent Differently?

A new study suggests that moms of kids with autism address their children's behavior differently than parents of kids without the developmental disorder. Researchers found that mothers with children on the spectrum were less likely to set rules or use discipline, but more frequently imposed so-called positive parenting, encouraging good behavior rather than focusing on the bad. The findings come from a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders which is believed to be among the first to look at parenting behavior among moms of individuals with autism. To read more,click here

White House Urged To Fully Fund IDEA

A federal agency and more than 130 members of Congress are calling on President Barack Obama to allocate more funding for special education in his upcoming budget proposal. In separate letters to Obama, the National Council on Disability and a group including both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are asking the federal government to increase special education spending for the coming year and to establish a 10-year plan to fully fund the program. "We owe it to all students to provide a quality education that will help them graduate and enter successful careers," reads a letter from more than 130 members of Congress that's expected to be released Tuesday. "The federal government needs a plan to move us toward full funding for IDEA." To read more,click here

jobsNASET's Latest Job Listings

* Special Education Teacher (K-8) - Victory Education Partners is a school management organization that supports public charter schools in Chicago.  Our mission is to create high performing schools that will close the student achievement gap for low-income students. We are seeking an experienced full-time Special Education teacher to join our campus team. To learn more -Click here

 

* Special Education Teacher - The primary responsibility of the Special Education Teacher (RSP) is to provide instruction and other related services to Special Education students. The RSP Teacher will also facilitate diagnostic assessment including administration, scoring and interpretation. To learn more -Click here

 

* SEN Specialist - Teachers required for American, British and Indian curriculum Private schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. Ability to teach any of the above curriculums and excellent English a must. To learn more-Click here

 

* Principal Executive/Manager H- The Oregon Department of Human Services is recruiting for a Principal Executive/Manager H (Developmental Disabilities Program Director) position located in Salem, OR.  position provides an exciting and challenging opportunity. To learn more - Click here

 

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

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

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