Week in Review - June 23, 2017

NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

June 23, 2017                                                Vol 13 Issue # 25




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

The Practical Teacher


Understanding and Achieving Collaboration in Special Education. By Hana Z. Alamri

This issue of NASET's Practical Teacherwas written by Hana Z. Alamri. Collaboration is one of the best ways to ensure that a student will receive the greatest value from his or her education. This is true for general education students and also for special education students who are often diagnosed through collaboration. In order to be certain that effective collaboration is taking place, it is important that everyone involved (parents, educators, administrators and students) understand the importance of collaboration and how to carry it out. In conducting interviews of a variety of people involved in education, the responses reveal that most people understand how important collaboration is, but many differ about certain views on the limitations or details of the best ways to collaborate. This means that we must work hard to spread knowledge about the best collaboration methods so that everyone can be on the same page to reach the same goal. Read More

NASET's Inclusion Series

Teaching Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This lecture focuses on teaching students with emotional and behavioral disorders.  Topics covered include: overview of emotional disturbance (ED), definition of ED, social maladjustment, prevalence controversy, gender features of students with ED, age of identification of students with ED and education of students with ED. Read More

ACLU of Washington Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Special-Education Students

The ACLU of Washington has filed a lawsuit against the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on behalf of public-school students the organization says were wrongfully disciplined because of their disabilities. Across the state, students who receive special-education services are suspended or expelled about two times more frequently than their classmates. The lawsuit alleges that the state superintendent's office failed to address that problem, and provide schools and teachers with needed support. The ACLU of Washington filed the lawsuit in Thurston County Superior Court on behalf of students who receive special-education services in Pasco and Yakima, and who have been suspended and expelled from school. One student, a 13-year-old Yakima boy, has been excluded from his classroom for 52 days in the past two years because of outbursts related to several mood and anxiety disorders. The ACLU says instead of de-escalating the student's outbursts, teachers disciplined and physically restrained him. Read More

Co-Teaching Aims to Make Middle School Math 'Doable' for All

Noodle this middle school math problem: Napoleon Dynamite and his friend Pedro walk down the hall of their high school. If we know there are 500 lockers in their school, how many are there of each color based on the pattern we see in the movie clip? A movie clip to teach a math concept? Why not, says Lori Gardner, retired Park City School District associate superintendent of teaching, learning and technology, addressing 36 middle school teachers taking part in the start of a yearlong training on co-teaching. It's a new take on story problems, "using a problem-solving activity they can relate to," she said. Read More

Connecticut Bill Updating Disability References Advances

Connecticut lawmakers are taking steps to update how state government refers to older adults and people with disabilities. By a vote of 138-12, the House of Representatives gave final legislative approval Wednesday night to a bill originally proposed by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy that replaces the references with so-called "person-first," respectful language. Malloy says the concept was brought to his attention by the Department of Developmental Services, which pointed to several areas in state law that used out-of-date words and did not promote inclusion or respect for people with disabilities. Read More

Autism Risk: Why Are Girls More Protected From Diagnosis?

Jennifer and Sarah Ross are 6-year-old twins, but they couldn't be more different. Jennifer is quiet, reserved and calm. She likes to dance, do gymnastics and jump on trampolines. She has plenty of friends. Sarah, on the other hand, is all energy. She has trouble sitting still. She has a gift for math and puzzles, and she likes to play video games. While Sarah has only a few friends and is usually content to be on her own in the playground, she does love a captive audience. "Everyone know I can sing opera?" she asks. "Whaaaaaaa! " Jennifer and her mother, Alycia Halladay Ross, giggle. On a recent morning, the three sat in the playroom at the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Halladay Ross, the chief science officer at the Autism Science Foundation, planned to spend the better part of the day at the center with her two daughters. Read More

Does This New Fad Toy Fight ADHD and Autism?

It's the latest fad toy that's dominating social media and the classroom. Some say the fidget spinner, a small gadget that can spin quickly between your fingers, is supposed to help children with ADHD and autism learn how to focus. "If you notice you have an ADHD kid in the classroom, they like to fidget when they try to think of a cognitive task," family therapist Dr. Linda Mintle told CBN News. "That's okay because what that physical movement tends to do is stimulate an under stimulated part of the brain. It helps them focus a little bit.  However, researchers and psychiatrists aren't convinced the toy really helps fight ADHD. Read More

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

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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

Infants Born Preterm May Lack Key Lung Cells Later in Life

Mice born into an oxygen-rich environment respond worse to the flu once fully grown due to an absence of certain lung cells, a discovery that provides a potential explanation for preterm infants' added susceptibility to influenza and other lung diseases later in their lives, according to new research from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). The research, published in the April issue of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, focuses on alveolar type II cells, which help to rebuild lung tissue after damage. When newborn mice are exposed to extra oxygen at birth -- which causes their lungs to respond and develop similarly to those of preterm infants -- they end up with far fewer of these cells once they reach adulthood. Once exposed to influenza virus as adults, these mice then developed a much more severe disease than mice born in a traditional oxygen environment. Read More

Sanitation Access Linked to Children's Growth and Health

An estimated 1 billion people in the world live without access to any type of sanitation facility, such as a toilet or latrine. Sanitation access is known to be associated with the risk of transmitting certain diseases, including parasitic worms. But the impacts don't stop there. For children, living in a community with poor levels of sanitation access increases their odds of stunted growth, anemia, and diarrhea, even if their household has access to a sanitation facility researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Without sanitation facilities, human feces aren't contained, and diseases are often spread when feces contaminate water, dirt, or food. Diarrheal diseases spread this way kill millions of children a year, and can cause malnutrition, developmental delays, and stunted growth in those who survive them. Infections with certain worms are also known to be associated with anemia. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

According to a study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, baby teeth from children with this disorder contain more toxic lead and less of the essential nutrients zinc and manganese, compared to teeth from children without this disorder. The findings, published June 1 in the journal Nature Communications, suggest that differences in early-life exposure to metals, or more importantly how a child's body processes them, may affect the risk of this disorder. What is the disorder?

If you know the answer, email us at contactus@naset.org by June 26, 2017.  We will acknowledge your correct answer in the next edition of the Week in Review

SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW SYMPOSIUM (JUNE 18-JUNE 23, 2017)

Lehigh University's intensive one-week institute provides a practical analysis of legislation, regulations, and court decisions relating to the education of students with disabilities. The symposium is designed for special education coordinators and teachers, principals, psychologists, parent advocates, charter school personnel, attorneys (on both sides), hearing officers, state education agency personnel, and other individuals interested in a thorough exploration of the special education legal landscape.

The Symposium is offered with the options of graduate or continuing education credit for week-long participants. Shorter, including daily, registrations are also available. For full information, go to http://go.lehigh.edu/spedlaw. For any questions, email or call Shannon Weber or Donna Johnson at specialedlaw@lehigh.edu or (610) 758-5557.

NY Nonprofit Throws Prom for People with Disabilities

"I was surprised awestruck and like wow because in school I never went to my prom," said Timothy Hebert. Herbert is not alone. Nearly 200 people with disabilities attended a prom at The Queensbury Hotel in Glens Galls Saturday. For many of the attendees, it was their first prom. "I like it," said Mary Livingston. "It's my first time and everything and it's really nice." "Intellectual and developmental disabled adults," said Warren, Washington, Albany ARC Director of Recreation, Doug Ernenwein. "But they're people. Their people that we support. And their people that deserve everything that we have in life." Ernenwein said that's why the organization decided to throw the event. Read More

Parents' Interactions with Infants May Alleviate Autism Features

Teaching parents to respond to cues from babies at high risk of autism eases the severity of autism features at age 3, a new study suggests. The research is a follow-up to a 2015 study that showed that a parent-delivered behavioral therapy decreased autism signs in their high-risk babies at age 15 months2. The new study suggests these gains persist for months to years. "We seem to have a sustained effect on reducing symptoms," says lead researcher Jonathan Green, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. "It suggests we've done something in the mechanics of the development of the child to change it." The 2015 study involved 28 babies who have an older sibling with autism. These so-called 'baby sibs' are 20 times more likely than a typical child to be diagnosed with autism. The new study followed the same babies until age 3. The work appeared 10 April in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Read More

Fever During Pregnancy May Increase Autism Risk in Offspring

A mother's fever during pregnancy, especially in the second trimester, is associated with a higher risk that her child will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, researchers reported Tuesday. Three or more fevers after 12 weeks of gestation may be linked to an even greater risk of the condition. The study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health adds support for the theory that infectious agents that trigger a pregnant woman's immune response may disrupt a fetus's brain development and lead to disorders such as autism. "Fever seems to be the driving force here," not the infection itself, said Mady Hornig, director of translational research at the school's Center for Infection and Immunity. Fever can be part of the body's immune response to an infection, and molecules produced by a mother's immune system may be crossing into the baby's neurological system at a critical time, she said. Read More

Study Looks at Motor Vehicle Accident Risk in Young Drivers with ADHD

Earlier studies have pegged the risk of motor vehicle crashes with teenagers suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behind the wheel, as much higher than what a recent study has revealed. Now it is known that the risk of a motor vehicle crashes with adolescents with ADHD is 36% higher than all other newly licensed teenagers and young drivers. This is high but earlier the risk was considered to be four times higher than this. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics today is the first large-scale study to look at this issue in such detail. The study taken up by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) linked more than 18,500 electronic health records (EHR) of children born from 1987 through 1997 and the crash data and licensing data from New Jersey. They looked at the three way associations between presence of ADHD in the young drivers, their licensure, and involvement in the crashes. They noted that among these 18,500 records, around 2,500 patients were diagnosed with ADHD. They kept in mind other factors such as gender, age at which license was obtained and other factors. The results showed that the crash risk is similar during initial driving years irrespective of these factors. Read More

Socioeconomic Background Linked to Reading Improvement

About 20 percent of children in the United States have difficulty learning to read, and educators have devised a variety of interventions to try to help them. Not every program helps every student, however, in part because the origins of their struggles are not identical. MIT neuroscientist John Gabrieli is trying to identify factors that may help to predict individual children's responses to different types of reading interventions. As part of that effort, he recently found that children from lower-income families responded much better to a summer reading program than children from a higher socioeconomic background. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the research team also found anatomical changes in the brains of children whose reading abilities improved -- in particular, a thickening of the cortex in parts of the brain known to be involved in reading. Read More

How Do Preemies Perform in School?

Parents of prematurely born babies often fear their children may go on to struggle in school, but findings from a new large-scale study from the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University and Northwestern Medicine should reassure parents. The large-scale study found that two-thirds of babies born at only 23 or 24 weeks were ready for kindergarten on time. Unexpectedly, nearly two percent of them even achieved gifted status in school. While these extremely premature babies often scored low on standardized tests, preterm infants born 25 weeks or later performed only slightly lower than full-term infants. In fact, as the length of pregnancy increased after 28 weeks, the differences in test scores were negligible. Read More
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Better Outcome Measures Needed for Clinical Trials for Fragile X Syndrome

A group of researchers from several institutions in the USA, including Johns Hopkins Medicine, reports that its review of 22 clinical trials of fragile X syndrome (FXS) suggests the need for a wider use of newer and improved treatment outcome measurement tools for this and other several neurodevelopmental disorders. FXS is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and the most common form of autism associated with a single gene mutation. A report of the findings, published in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders on June 12, indicates the need for more sensitive and objective instruments to better capture global or symptom-specific benefits of drugs and other interventions. Read More

Kids and Concussions

Every year, hundreds of thousands of school-aged children get concussions, a mild form of traumatic brain injury. But the after effects of a concussion can be serious. Experts from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), share what you can do to protect your child from this injury and its consequences. A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a bump or blow to the head. During a concussion, the brain literally bounces inside the skull. It causes chemical changes in the brain and temporary changes in normal brain function. Health-care providers often describe a concussion as a "mild" traumatic brain injury (TBI). While other TBIs may be more severe and even life-threatening, any brain injury can be serious and should be treated promptly. Read more

Honor Society for Special Education Teachers

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The Miracle of an Artificial Pancreas

Thanks to investments in new research, new and improved methods for managing type 1 diabetes are on the horizon, including the artificial pancreas. The artificial pancreas is an integrated system that monitors blood glucose (sugar) levels automatically and provides insulin or a combination of insulin and a second hormone to people with type 1 diabetes. A successful artificial pancreas would be a life-changing advance for many people with type 1 diabetes. This closed-loop system would replace reliance on testing by fingerstick or continuous monitoring systems and separate, non-integrated delivery of insulin by shots or a pump. The first of several major research efforts to test and refine artificial pancreas systems is now underway. Four separate projects, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), are designed to be the potential last steps between testing the automated devices and requesting regulatory approval for permanent use. Read More
jobs

LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET


*Special Education Preschool Teacher -  Longview School District seeks lead teacher for special education preschool classroom serving three and four year old children with a range of communication, social-emotional, and physical developmental delays, including those with autism spectrum disorder. To learn more - Click here
*Inclusive Specialist (Special Education) Teacher - Bright Star Schools is a free, publicly funded and open enrollment non-profit organization with seven public charters in urban Los Angeles. We are seeking a certified Inclusive Specialist (Special Education) Teacher to join our people-first and student-first family! We are also currently offering a $5,000 signing bonus to all new 2017-18 Inclusive Specialist Teachers. To learn more - Click here
*Special Education Teacher - Summit Public Schools is hiring Special Education teachers in Redwood City, San Jose, and Richmond, CA, as well as Tacoma, WA. Teaching at Summit is unlike teaching in a traditional environment. Our teachers know the individual strengths and areas for growth of each of their students. To learn more - Click here
*K-5 Special Education Teacher - ASU Preparatory Academy offers competitive salary, generous benefits, PTO and paid holidays, tuition waivers, professional development opportunities, and a collaborative environment that drives innovation. ASU Preparatory Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. To Learn more - Click here
*Autism Home School Teacher - A Unique Opportunity for the Intellectually Curious in Autism Education and Adult Development. We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic autism education specialist to be the main curriculum development and program director/teacher for our homeschool program. To learn more - Click here
*Hebrew Learning Specialist Grades 1-5 - The ideal candidate will be a special educator who is fluent in Hebrew and will have expertise in teaching students with diverse learning needs to read Hebrew accurately and fluently, to improve their vocabulary acquisition, language comprehension and written expression in Hebrew. To learn more - Click here
*Teacher of the Visually Impaired - Help Lighthouse Louisiana to build a better tomorrow for our students with vision impairment, while living in an exciting city with food, fun, and festivals galore. Lighthouse Louisiana is seeking a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired who is eager to use his/her skills and creativity to provide itinerant vision services and to develop youth programs for children with vision loss in the Greater New Orleans area. To learn more - Click here
*Teaching in New York City - New York City public schools offer competitive starting salaries ranging from $54,000 to $81,694, based on prior teaching experience as well as your undergraduate and graduate education. 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..........

To err on the side of kindness is seldom an error.
Liz Armbruster

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