Week in Review - March 31, 2017

NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

March 31, 2017                                              Vol 13 Issue # 13



Dear NASET News,

Welcome to NASET'sWEEK in REVIEW.  Here, we provide you with the latest publications from NASET to 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 the WEEK in REVIEW at news@naset.org. Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

NASET News Team

NEW THIS WEEK ON NASET

Autism Spectrum Disorder Series

Issues and Trends in Post-School Outcomes for Students with ASD: A Review of the Literature. By Cathy Lang
Success in post-secondary environments for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder may entail additional planning and the need for ongoing support than students without ASD. The transition of students from high school to adulthood can also be a stressful time for families and present challenges for students with autism spectrum disorder. This issue of NASET's Autism Spectrum Disorder series was written by Cathy Lang.  It focuses on issues and trends in post-school outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  Read More

NASET Special Educator e-Journal

April 2017


Table of Contents

*Teaching Parents to Advocate: A Review of the Literature

By Christina Aleman

*Co-Teaching in Rural Middle Schools: An Exploration

By Anthony Friedman, M.Ed. and Dr. Brooke Blanks

*The Impact of Advocacy Training and Teacher Development on Parent-School Collaboration: A Review of Literature. By Gloria M. Gonzalez

*Book Review:  If You Don't Feed The Teachers They Eat The Students!

By Michelle Noviot

*Let Their Voices Be Heard: Self-Determination and Elementary Student Participation in the Individual Education Plan. By Theresa A. Pedersen, M.A.T., E.D.S

*Parental Involvement and Advocacy in Latino Families of Children with Disabilities: A Review of the Literature. By Pilar Villegas

*Parent-School Collaboration: A Driving Force for Success in Special Education-- Literature Review. By Kellecia West

*Special Education Legal Alert.  By Perry A. Zirkel

*Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET

*Acknowledgements

Read More

The Supreme Court Rules in Favor of a Student with Special Needs

School districts must give students with disabilities the chance to make meaningful, "appropriately ambitious" progress, the Supreme Court said in an 8-0 ruling. The decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District could have far-reaching implications for the 6.5 million students with disabilities in the United States. The case centered on a child with autism and attention deficit disorder whose parents removed him from public school in fifth grade. He went on to make better progress in a private school. His parents argued that the individualized education plan provided by the public school was inadequate, and they sued to compel the school district to pay his private school tuition. The Supreme Court sided with the family, overturning a lower court ruling in the school district's favor. Read More

Sesame Street Debuts Character with Autism

CBS's "60 Minutes" introduced a new "Sesame Street" Muppet named Julia, who will debut on the children's educational show next month. Christine Ferraro, a "Sesame Street" writer for more than two decades, told "60 Minutes" reporter Lesley Stahl that Julia is meant to expose the show's young viewers to children with autistic traits. "It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism. There is an expression that goes, 'If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism,' " Ferraro said. Read More

Nonadherence to ADHD Medication in Adolescents Transitioning Into College

Nonadherence to medical treatment is a major problem, especially in adolescents and young adults whose nonadherence rates can be as high as 75% for chronic illnesses. Majority of nonadherence studies in adolescents have primarily focused on illnesses like asthma, cancer, HIV, and diabetes. However, very little adherence literature exists on conditions that affect mental health, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Nonadherence to ADHD medication can have significant consequences for individuals including greater symptom severity, poor academic performance, less productivity, decreased focus, and impaired communication skills. Long-term consequences can include the inability to successfully complete college degrees, little to no progress in career development, poor social life, and low work performance ratings. It is important to better understand the challenges individuals with ADHD face, especially while transitioning to college. Complications at this stage of life can have significant long-term repercussions on social health and career development. Read More

How TV shows like 'Sesame Street,' 'Parenthood' and 'Speechless' write Characters with Disabilities

"Sesame Street" is the latest to join a relatively short list of TV shows that have included a character with a disability. After nearly 50 years on the air and more than 4,000 episodes, the hit children's television show added a sweet-natured, red-headed character named Julia, who has autism. But one of the show's writers hopes that viewers will see beyond her disability. "I would love her to not be 'Julia, the kid on 'Sesame Street who has autism,' I would like her to be just Julia," writer Christine Ferraro recently told "60 Minutes." In preparing to introduce Julia to the world, Ferraro said the "Sesame Street" team thought long and hard about how to approach their portrayal of the learning disability that makes it difficult for those diagnosed to communicate with others. Read More

Largest Survey to Date of Patient and Family Experience at US Children's Hospitals

A survey of more than 17,000 parents of hospitalized children, conducted by the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement at Boston Children's Hospital, gives mixed responses about the quality of the inpatient experience at 69 U.S. children's hospitals. The analysis, the largest to date in pediatrics, found much variability from hospital to hospital. The findings are reported online in the journal Pediatrics. "Patient and family experience is one of the core aspects of quality healthcare, and has been associated with improved health outcomes," says lead author Sara Toomey, MD, MPhil, MPH, MSc, medical director of patient experience at Boston Children's and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. "This large data set gives us a much-needed overview of how well hospitals are doing in providing positive pediatric patient and family care experiences." Read More

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

AASEP Logo
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.Read More

Brain 'Rewires' Itself to Enhance Other Senses in Blind People

The brains of those who are born blind make new connections in the absence of visual information, resulting in enhanced, compensatory abilities such as a heightened sense of hearing, smell and touch, as well as cognitive functions (such as memory and language) according to a new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers. The report, published online today in PLOS One, describes for the first time the combined structural, functional and anatomical changes in the brain evident in those born with blindness that are not present in normally sighted people. "Our results demonstrate that the structural and functional neuroplastic brain changes occurring as a result of early ocular blindness may be more widespread than initially thought," said lead author Corinna M. Bauer, Ph.D., a scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear and an instructor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "We observed significant changes not only in the occipital cortex (where vision is processed), but also areas implicated in memory, language processing, and sensory motor functions." Read More

Premature Infants in NICUs Do Better with Light Touch, Study Affirms

Treatment in the nation's Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) save millions of infants born prematurely every year. But this treatment is not without cost. Painful procedures such as needle pricks can impact early brain development. In a multi-institution study conducted researchers for the first time have quantified a reduction in electrical activity in the part of the brain that responds to light touch in premature infants in the NICU compared with infants born full-term. But when premature infants were given more "supportive touch" experiences, including skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding, their brains responded more strongly to light touch, according to an international research team from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Monroe Carell's Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, and Lausanne University in Switzerland. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Katie Venable, Suzanne Osborne, Sharon Johnson Hiltz, Soan Haughton, Melody Owens, Patsy Ray, Olumide Akerele, Laurine Kennedy, Sharon Carpenter and Denise Keeling who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question.

QUESTION: According to former U.S. President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is what?

ANSWER:  EDUCATION

THE WEEK IN REVIEW WILL RETURN ON 4/7/17

Two-Decade Old Legal Battle Over Special Education Oversight Nears Resolution, Brings Major Changes

The California Department of Education said last week that it will comply with a federal court order to improve significantly its system for monitoring special education, after years of legal maneuvering to block the changes.
The department said it would end its legal challenges and follow a "corrective action plan" for special education monitoring issued in 2014 by the U.S. District Court of Northern California in San Francisco. On March 9, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a mandate upholding its December decision that the state must comply with the district court order to follow the corrective action plan. The department had sought a rehearing, after losing its appeal to overturn the order. Legal recourse would be an appeal to the high court, which the department said it had rejected. Read More

Insight Into Day-to-Day Lives of Parents Raising Children with Autism

Like all parents, couples who have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) share the ups and downs of parenting. A new study by Waisman Center researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison looks at the daily experiences of these parents to provide a more detailed picture of the strengths and vulnerabilities of couples raising a child with ASD. "I think we can use these findings to develop more effective therapies and strategies to address potential challenges in couple relationships for parents of children with ASD," says Sigan Hartley, lead author of the new study, published this month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Read More

Food Insecurity in Early Childhood Linked to Young Children's Skills in Kindergarten

In the United States, estimates show that a substantial number of children under age 5 live in households that are food insecure. That means that they do not have food, or they lack sufficient quantity or quality of food to fuel a healthy and active lifestyle. A new study has found that children who experience food insecurity in early childhood are more likely to start kindergarten less ready to learn than their peers from homes that are food secure. The findings come from researchers at Georgetown University and the University of Virginia. They are published in the journal Child DevelopmentRead More

Children Who Play Outside More Likely to Protect Nature as Adults

Protecting the environment can be as easy as telling your kids to go outdoors and play, according to a new UBC study. Research by Catherine Broom, assist. prof. in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 per cent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 per cent said taking care of the environment was a priority. "Developing positive experiences in nature at a young age can influence our attitudes and behaviors towards nature as adults," says Broom. "It is important to study these childhood experiences in order to develop environmental awareness and action in the next generation." Read More

Infections During Pregnancy May Interfere with Genes Linked to Prenatal Brain Development

If a mother picks up an infection during pregnancy, her immune system will kick into action to clear the infection -- but this self-defense mechanism may also have a small influence how her child's brain develops in the womb, in ways that are similar to how the brain develops in autism spectrum disorders. Now, an international team of researchers has shown why this may be the case. In a study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at the University of Cyprus, University of Cambridge, University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University used rats and mice to help map the complex biological cascade caused by the mother's immune response, which may lead to important consequences. Read More

Study Underscores Benefit of Smartphone Use to Track Children's Health

A new, wide-ranging review of available research shows parents and caregivers can improve health outcomes for kids by using mobile-phone apps and text messaging. The research appears in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics on March 20. Previous to this investigation, the only across-the-board review of mobile health (mHealth) effectiveness centered on childhood obesity alone. "The take-home message is that a smartphone can help a child be healthier across a number of health care behaviors, like making sure they get vaccines or eat a healthy diet," said Christopher Cushing, assistant professor of clinical child psychology at the University of Kansas, who co-authored the findings. "We have some idea that a smartphone and messaging can be a good way to go, but we also have a long way to go to optimize this kind of intervention." Read More

Untreated Sleep Apnea in Children Can Harm Brain Cells Tied to Cognition and Mood

A study comparing children between 7 and 11 years of age who have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea to children the same age who slept normally, found significant reductions of gray matter -- brain cells involved in movement, memory, emotions, speech, perception, decision making and self-control -- in several regions of the brains of children with sleep apnea.
The finding points to a strong connection between this common sleep disturbance, which affects up to five percent of all children, and the loss of neurons or delayed neuronal growth in the developing brain. This extensive reduction of gray matter in children with a treatable disorder provides one more reason for parents of children with symptoms of sleep apnea to consider early detection and therapy. Read More

Link Between Vitamin D Treatment and Autism Prevention

Giving vitamin D supplements to mice during pregnancy prevents autism traits in their offspring, University of Queensland researchers have discovered. The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute. "Our study used the most widely accepted developmental model of autism in which affected mice behave abnormally and show deficits in social interaction, basic learning and stereotyped behaviors," Professor Eyles said. Read More
jobs

LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET


*Special Education Teacher - Ideal candidates will have certification from the State Education Department to teach children with special needs. Since 1949, our client has been serving children with multiple and complex disabilities that public and private schools aren't able to accommodate. To learn more - Click here
* Teacher-Various Positions, $2,300-$4,400/Month - All positions are for Sept. 2017-18 Academic year. We are a top job placement company in Turkey and we are fulfilling vacancies in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Vietnam, and Portugal. To learn more - Click here
*Special Education Teachers for NYC P-TECH Schools - We're looking for candidates who are passionate about making college and careers a reality for all students! NYC P-TECH staff members are eager to be part of a cross-disciplinary professional learning community that includes their college and industry counterparts. Our schools support learners from all backgrounds and seek educators who can meet students where they are through effective teaching styles using technology, their colleagues, and their community. To learn more - Click here
*Arizona: Special Education Teacher - $46,000/school year (180 days).  Summers off with year round pay.  Special Education Teachers needed in Arizona (Phoenix and surrounding cities). Needs are in the self-contained and resource settings serving students with emotional disabilities (ED), Autism (A), Severe/Profound (S/P), and Intellectual Disabilities (ID).  To learn more - Click here
*Special Education Teacher - Provide special education services in small community/ies in northwest Alaska. Work with team, complete required paperwork, follow IEPs, assist with assessments. To learn more - Click here
*Special Education Specialist - The primary responsibility of the Special Education Specialist is to provide instruction and other related services to Special Education students. The Special Education Specialist will also facilitate diagnostic assessment including administration, scoring and interpretation. To learn more - Click here

If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information

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

No one has ever become poor by giving
Anne Frank

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