WEEK IN REVIEW

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

August 2, 2013 - Vol 9, Issue 31

New This Week on NASET

• Updatefrom the U.S. Department of Education
• Book Review: Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid: A Survival Guide for Ordinary Parents of Special Children. By Trisha Spencer, Florida International University
• Special Education Resources
• Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET
• Upcoming Conferences and Events
• Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities
• Acknowledgements

White House Honors Young Disability 'Champions'

As the nation marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the White House is honoring eight "next generation leaders" in the disability community. During a ceremony last Thursday to commemorate the twenty-third anniversary of the ADA, Obama administration officials lauded the young leaders - some of whom are still college students - as "Champions of Change." "These everyday heroes are an inspiration to so many, including myself," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, who noted that one of the things that made the honorees stand out is how much they've accomplished at such a young age. "Our champions embody the spirit of the ADA and many of them have never known a world without it." To read more,click here

Honor Society for Special Education Teachers

Do Hospital Rankings Really Matter? Or Are They Just Another Public Relations Stunt?

Patients and families cannot be faulted for wanting the best doctors and best care facilities available. For invasive procedures and tests that could determine life or death, it only makes sense. But to what extent does our idea of "the best care possible" reflect reality, and to what extent does it reflect public relations stunts?Recently, U.S. News and World Report has released its annual list of the Best Hospitals. This can be important information for consumers, as rankings are based on a mix of death rates and physician reputation. But like its college rankings counterpart, the methodology is flawed, and whether the rankings change anything for hospitals and patients is questionable. To read more,click here

Overnight Separation From Mother Linked to Weaker Infant Bond

Infants who spent at least one night a week away from their mothers had weaker bonds with their mothers than infants who were with their mothers every night, a new study finds. The findings are important in light of the growing number of American parents who don't live together and have some form of joint custody, said study lead author Samantha Tornello, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Virginia. She and her colleagues analyzed data from thousands of children born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000. Among parents who were not living together, about 7 percent of babies who were less than 1 year old and lived primarily with their mothers spent at least one overnight a week away with their fathers. To read more,click here

Music May Ease Pain for Kids During Hospital Procedure

Music decreases children's pain when they're undergoing an uncomfortable medical procedure, according to a small new study. The study included 42 children, aged 3 to 11, who were treated at a pediatric emergency department and required an intravenous (IV) needle insertion. Some of the children listened to music while getting an IV. Children who listened to music reported much less pain and some showed lower levels of distress than those who didn't listen to music. In addition, the parents of children who listened to music were more satisfied with their youngster's care. To read more,click here

Zoos Offering Rare Access For Those With Special Needs

Zoos from California to Illinois are going to great lengths to allow kids with disabilities unique access to some of the wildest animals on the planet. In what may be the most extreme example, the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Ore. recently offered children with visual impairments the opportunity to touch a Siberian tiger who was sedated for her physical, reportsThe Wall Street Journal. The children got to run their hands through the giant cat's fur and along her sandpaper-like tongue. In addition to the tiger, the Oregon Zoo program offers access to other large animals like elephants. To read more,click here

How Peanut Allergies Prompted Societal Change

Whether you have a peanut allergy, or you know someone who does - you may have found yourself double - checking labels or restaurant menus to make sure the food in question has no trace of a peanut. Though it seems like common knowledge, a researcher from Princeton argues that such habitual allergy awareness wasn't always present in American society.Miranda Waggoner is a postdoctoral researcher at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In a recent study, she analyzed the journey of the peanut allergy from its early days of being nearly unheard of, to its prevalence and influence in today's society, where schools, restaurants, airlines and other public places have taken steps to enforce safety by banning peanuts. To read more,click here

Smoking During Pregnancy Tied to Behavior Issues in Kids

Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may be at increased risk for conduct problems, such as having trouble following rules or behaving in a socially acceptable way, according to the results of a large-scale review. Researchers in England analyzed data from three studies in order to assess the effect that smoking during pregnancy had on children raised by genetically related mothers and genetically unrelated mothers. In both groups, there was a significant link between smoking during pregnancy and increased risk of conduct problems in children, the study authors reported in the July 24 online edition of the journal JAMA Psychiatry. To read more,click here

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Study Sees No Link Between Mercury Exposure, Autistic Behavior

Children exposed to low levels of mercury in the womb because their mothers ate large amounts of fish during pregnancy don't appear to be at increased risk for autism, a new study suggests. Worry that low levels of mercury might affect a child's developing brain has long been a cause for concern, and some experts have suggested that the chemical element may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism. The new findings from more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles -- a group of islands in the western Indian Ocean -- found no such link, the study authors said. To read more,click here

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

For Boys With Autism, Video Gaming Can Be Problematic

Boys with autism are spending significantly more time playing video games than their typically developing peers and are at higher risk for gaming to be problematic or addictive, researchers say. On a daily basis, boys with autism are spending more than two hours playing video games. That's nearly twice the playing time clocked by their typically developing peers, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers surveyed the parents of boys ages 8 to 18 - 56 with autism, 44 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 41 with no diagnosis - about their children's gaming habits. To read more,click here

Epilepsy Plus Mental Ills Linked to Premature Death, Study Says

People with epilepsy are 11 times more likely to die prematurely than people in the general population. And the increased risk of early death is significantly higher among those with mental illnesses, especially depression and alcohol and drug-use disorders, a new study suggests. "Our results have significant public health implications as around 70 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and emphasize that carefully assessing and treating psychiatric disorders as part as part of standard checks in persons with epilepsy could help reduce the risk of premature death in these patients," said study leader Seena Fazel, from the University of Oxford, in England. To read more,click here

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Childhood Abuse May Add to Drug Users' Suicide Risk

Drug users with a history of severe childhood abuse may have an increased risk for suicide, a new study says. Researchers looked at more than 1,600 drug users in Vancouver, Canada, and found that those who had been victims of severe-to-extreme childhood abuse -- particularly emotional or sexual -- had a significantly higher risk for suicide attempts. Less severe abuse, and any degree of physical or emotional neglect, did not boost the risk, according to the researchers. During the study, 80 participants reported 97 suicide attempts. That rate is about five times higher than in the general population. Those who suffered severe-to-extreme childhood abuse had much higher risk of suicide attempts -- 2.9 to 3.5 times more for emotional abuse, 2.5 to 2.8 times for sexual abuse and 1.6 to 2 times for physical abuse -- than those who experienced little or no abuse. To read more,click here

Epilepsy Drugs in Pregnancy Tied to Developmental Delays in Children

The children of women who take drugs to treat epilepsy during pregnancy may be at increased risk for physical and mental developmental delays early in life, a large, new study finds. Epilepsy is fairly common among women of childbearing age, and the use of antiepileptic drugs by pregnant women ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 percent. In this study, researchers recruited Norwegian mothers at 13 to 17 weeks of pregnancy. For more than 61,000 children, mothers provided details about motor development, language skills, social skills and autistic symptoms at age 18 months. At 36 months, mothers provided that information for more than 44,000 children. To read more,click here

Study: 1 In 4 With Cerebral Palsy In Pain

Many children and teens with cerebral palsy are struggling with chronic pain, researchers say, but it often goes unrecognized and untreated. More than 25 percent of young people with cerebral palsy have moderate to severe chronic pain that limits their activities, researchersreportthis month in the journal Pediatrics. The most common causes cited were hip dislocation and dystonia. The findings come from a study looking at more than 250 individuals ages 3 to 19 with cerebral palsy. Physicians, primary caregivers and, when possible, the individuals themselves responded to questionnaires about their experiences with pain. To read more,click here

Black Kids With Diabetes Less Likely to Get Eye Exams

Black American children with the greatest risk for an eye disease caused by type 1 diabetes are the least likely to have received an eye exam, a new study finds. Retinopathy is an inflammation of the retina that can lead to blindness. Researchers found that only 64 percent of eligible children were screened for the condition in the two-year study period. This, they said, was despite recommendations for yearly exams to all families. "Children who were not screened were significantly more likely to be black or have poorer diabetes control," the authors wrote. To read more,click here

FDA Approves Brain Wave Test for ADHD

The first brain wave test that could help diagnose children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The device can be used in patients between the ages of 6 and 17 as part of a complete psychological examination to either help confirm an ADHD diagnosis or bolster a doctor's decision that more testing for ADHD or other disorders is needed, the FDA said in a news release Monday. Called the NEBA system, the 20-minute noninvasive test uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) to calculate the ratio of two brain wave frequencies, called theta and beta, which studies have shown is higher in children and teens with ADHD. To read more,click here

In First, Down Syndrome Chromosome Turned Off

In a finding that could pave the way for new treatments, scientists say they've found an "off switch" that can be applied to the extra chromosome responsible for Down syndrome.. Researchersreported that they were able to silence the extra twenty-first chromosome in human stem cells in the laboratory. The finding, published in the journal Nature, offers the first evidence that it may be possible to suppress the genetic defect that causes Down syndrome. "Our hope is that for individuals living with Down syndrome, this proof of principle opens up multiple exciting new avenues for studying the disorder now, and brings into the realm of consideration research on the concept of 'chromosome therapy' in the future," said the study's lead author, Jeanne Lawrence, a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. To read more,click here

Brain Wired Differently in Those With Autism: Study

The way the gray matter in the brain is wired appears to be different in people with autism, new research shows. Specifically, those with the disorder are more likely to have enhanced connections in the brain that are associated with common autism symptoms, such as narrow interests and repetitive behaviors, the scientists reported. "Our study [and others] reliably and repeatedly demonstrate that the brain in autism is built and functions differently, which explains a variety of autistic symptoms," said study author Christine Ecker, a lecturer in neuroimaging at King's College London. To read more,click here