WEEK IN REVIEW

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

June 27, 2014 - Vol 10, Issue 26

As Antidepressant Warnings Toughened, Teen Suicide Attempts Rose: Study

Teen suicide attempts rose nearly 22 percent after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about dangers of antidepressants, a new study finds. In 2003, the FDA mandated a "black box" warning -- the most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling -- on popular antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), signaling a possible risk of suicidal thoughts among children and teens. Examples of these drugs include Celexa, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Following the warnings, antidepressant prescriptions for young people fell by more than a fifth. At the same time, suicide attempts rose, possibly because depression was being undertreated, according to background information in the study. To read more,click here

New Accountability Framework Raises the Bar for State Special Education Program

To improve the educational outcomes of America's 6.5 million children and youth with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education today announced a major shift in the way it oversees the effectiveness of states' special education programs. Until now, the Department's primary focus was to determine whether states were meeting procedural requirements such as timelines for evaluations, due process hearings and transitioning children into preschool services. While these compliance indicators remain important to children and families, under the new framework known as Results-Driven Accountability (RDA), the Department will also include educational results and outcomes for students with disabilities in making each state's annual determination under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To read more,click here

Feds Seek Comment On Subminimum Wage Plan

The Obama administration is moving forward with a plan to ensure that federal contract dollars no longer go toward paying workers with disabilities less than minimum wage. Under a proposed rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Labor would raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers - including those with disabilities - to $10.10 per hour. The change would effectively put an end to federal contractors paying workers with disabilities less than minimum wage, a practice that's traditionally been allowed for employers who obtain special permission from the Labor Department. To read more,click here

Genes Tied to Curvature of Spine in Kids

Scientists say they've identified two rare genetic mutations that greatly increase a child's risk for severe scoliosis -- curvature of the spine. Children with these mutations have a quadrupled risk of developing s-shaped curves in their spines that are serious enough to require surgery, according to the team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "We've had a difficult time finding ways to predict who will develop severe scoliosis, and these newly identified mutations have the potential to be very helpful," study senior author Dr. Christina Gurnett, an associate professor of neurology, said in a university news release. To read more,click here

Diabetes Risk: Understanding How Children's Bodies Process Foods

With the increase in childhood obesity and the associated increase in type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents, there is growing interest in how children's bodies process the foods they eat and how obesity and diabetes begin to develop at early ages. Two studies presented at the American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Sessions® help to shed light on this topic. One study, by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, compared how the brains of adolescents and adults differed in their response to ingestion of a glucose drink. It found that in adolescents, glucose increased the blood flow in the regions of the brain implicated in reward-motivation and decision-making, whereas in adults, it decreased the blood flow in these regions.To read more,click here

Parents of a Child With Autism Often Forgo Further Childbearing: Study

Couples who have a child with autism are much less likely to have more children compared to other parents, a new study finds. One expert wasn't surprised by the finding. "Clearly, parenting a child with an autism spectrum disorder requires a huge commitment of time, energy and money; this is a stress to couples and impacts siblings," said Dr. Ron Marino, associate chairman of the department of pediatrics at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. "There is no surprise that many people do not have the desire to undertake parenting more children in this context," said Marino, who was not involved in the new research. To read more,click here

Children with Allergies and Asthma and the Classroom

For parents of kids who have asthma and allergies, getting them ready to head back to school means a lot more planning and preparation than buying new folders and figuring out who their new teachers will be. It sometimes requires meetings with school administrators, teachers and nurses to develop a plan to ensure avoidance of triggers, and safe studying and eating.To read more,click here

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Antidepressants in Pregnancy Won't Harm Baby's Heart, Study Suggests

Antidepressants taken during the first three months of pregnancy don't appear to increase the risk of heart defects in babies, new research suggests. However, this latest study contradicts previous research that found that taking antidepressants in pregnancy can be risky. The question is an important one because depression is common in pregnancy. It's diagnosed in 10 percent to 20 percent of pregnant women, and up to 13 percent of women take antidepressants while pregnant, according to the researchers. To read more,click here

Disability An 'Advantage' For Valedictorian On The Spectrum

Defying the odds, a teen with autism who was once in a self-contained classroom and relied on a one-to-one aide is graduating high school as his class valedictorian. Montel Medley, 17, was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and struggled through the years to become verbal and learn to socialize. He attended a special education classroom early in elementary school before being mainstreamed with an aide. Even into high school, Medley told The Washington Post he needed support to deal with anger and learn to organize his school work. To read more,click here

Study Sheds Light on How Immune System Works in Infants

New insight into infants' immune systems could lead to improvements in vaccines that would better protect youngsters from infectious diseases, researchers report. Compared to adults, infants' immune systems respond faster and more aggressively, but the protection they create lasts only a short time. This leaves infants more susceptible to infections, according to the Cornell University team. "The perfect vaccine would be a single dose given at birth that generates long-lasting immunity," study author Brian Rudd, an immunologist in the College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a Cornell news release. To read more,click here

Children in Low-Income Homes Fare Better in Kindergarten if Moms Work When They are Babies

Kindergarteners from lower-income families who were babies when their mothers went to work outside the home fare as well as or even better than children who had stay-at-home moms, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.This finding, in a study published in APA's journalDevelopmental Psychology, is contrary to the findings of previous studies of children born two to three decades ago. Family income is apparently a key factor, with the new research finding children from low-income families had slightly higher cognitive skills if their mothers went back to work before they were 9 months old, and fewer conduct problems if their mothers went back to work when they were between 9 and 24 months old. For children in middle-income households, there were no ill effects if their mothers worked when they were babies. However, for children in high-income households, the study found small detrimental effects. The results showed no significant differences across racial and ethnic groups. To read more,click here

Anxiety May Affect Kids' Brains

Children with anxiety problems actually have a bigger "fear center" in their brain, researchers report. The study included 76 children aged 7 to 9, which is when anxiety-related traits and symptoms can first be reliably detected, according to the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. The parents provided information about their youngsters' anxiety levels, and the children also underwent MRI scans of their brain structure and function. The investigators focused on an area of the brain called the amygdala, which is a person's "fear center," and found that kids with high anxiety levels had a larger amygdala compared to children with low anxiety levels. This part of the brain, the researchers noted, had more connections to other brain regions involved in attention, emotion perception and regulation. To read more,click here

Early Elementary School Start Times Tougher on Economically Advantaged Children

Middle- and upper-class elementary school students in Kentucky demonstrated worse academic performance when they were required to start classes early, compared to peers whose school day started later, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Researchers led by Peggy S. Keller, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, theorized that earlier school start times would be associated with lower standardized test scores, poorer attendance, more students being left back, lower school rank and school underperformance. They also expected that earlier start times would be especially risky for school performance standards in more disadvantaged schools, including Appalachian schools and those with a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-cost lunches.To read more,click here

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Experts Revise Optimum Blood Sugar Level for Kids With Type 1 Diabetes

Experts at the American Diabetes Association are advising a lower blood sugar target for children and teens with type 1 diabetes. According to the ADA, patients younger than age 19 should try to maintain an A1C blood sugar level lower than 7.5 percent, the group said in a new position statement. A1C is a test that determines average blood sugar (glucose) levels over several months. "The new targets should help redouble efforts at improving glucose control in the patient group that is currently most challenging -- adolescents," said Dr. Robert Rapaport, director of the division of pediatric endocrinology and diabetes at Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai, New York City. He was not involved in drawing up the new guidelines. To read more,click here

Congress To 'Combat' Autism No More

In a win for self-advocates, lawmakers said this week that they will no longer seek to include the term "combating" in the title of the nation's primary autism legislation. A bill to reauthorize hundreds of millions of dollars in federal spending for prevalence tracking, research, early identification efforts and other autism initiatives will move forward under a new name - the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act, or Autism CARES. The new name emerged earlier this week in a U.S. Senate proposal to renew the law previously known as the Combating Autism Act. A committee in the U.S. House of Representatives quickly followed suit by attaching the new title to its version of the bill and voting to move the measure on for consideration by the full House. To read more,click here

Mom's Epilepsy Drugs Appear Safe in Breast Milk

Taking epilepsy drugs while breast-feeding does not appear to harm the developing brains of young children, a new study finds. There have been concerns that using epilepsy drugs while breast-feeding could pose a threat to youngsters because it's been shown that some epilepsy drugs can cause cell death in young animals' brains. And in spite of the fact that epilepsy experts recommend breast-feeding, "it is still a sensitive topic among women with epilepsy," noted one expert, Dr. Patricia Dugan, assistant professor of neurology at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City. To read more,click here

MRI Technique May Help Prevent ADHD Misdiagnosis

Brain iron levels offer a potential biomarker in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and may help physicians and parents make better informed treatment decisions, according to new research. ADHD is a common disorder in children and adolescents that can continue into adulthood. Symptoms include hyperactivity and difficulty staying focused, paying attention and controlling behavior, and affects 3 to 7 percent of school-age children.To read more,click here

Delinquent Teens More Likely to Die Violently as Adults: Study

Delinquent youth face a significantly increased risk for a violent death when they're adults, a new study finds. Their rate of violent death was nearly twice as high as U.S. combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the researchers. Among these delinquent teens, girls and Hispanics are most likely to die violently when they're adults, the investigators found. The rate of violent death among delinquent females was nearly five times higher than for females in the general population. For males, the rate of violent death was nearly three times higher among delinquents than in the general male population. Rates among delinquent Hispanic females and males were nine and five times higher, respectively, than in the general population, the study revealed. To read more,click here

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Parents Sue Wal-Mart Over Arrest Of Daughter With Special Needs

Wendy Kozma was wrapping up her workday with a client when she got a mind-numbing phone call from her daughter: "Mom, this man is trying to take me from Wal-Mart." Kozma feared the worst: a kidnapping. Within minutes, she would learn what was really happening. Her 25-year-old daughter, Jodi, who has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, was being questioned for shoplifting at a Livonia, Mich. Wal-Mart. Jodi was suspected of stealing hair ties and hiding them in her waistband and purse during a shopping trip with her grandmother, records show.

Jodi wound up in handcuffs, muscled to the floor by Livonia police. To read more,click here

Suicidal Behavior Not Increased by ADHD Drugs, Research Concludes

Drug therapy for ADHD does not entail an increased risk of suicide attempts or suicide, as was previously feared, a new register-based study from Sweden shows. Earlier research has indicated that ADHD drug treatment would increase the occurrence of suicidal thoughts. One strong point of the study now being published is that all the individuals were compared to themselves, as this allowed the researchers to take into account the differences between those taking the drugs and those who do not.To read more,click here

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