Week in Review - November 18, 2016

NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

November 18, 2016                                            Vol 12 Issue # 46

Continuing_Ed


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

IEP Component Series

Placement in the Least Restrictive Environment By Jay Gottlieb, Ph.D., Mark Alter, Ph.D.,  and Marc A. Gottlieb, Esq.

This issue of NASET's IEP Component series was written by Jay Gottlieb, Ph.D., Mark Alter, Ph.D., and Marc A. Gottlieb, Esq.  Why, forty years after passage of the original Education for All Handicapped Act of 1975 (the predecessor legislation to IDEA), is there is still no agreed-upon operational heuristic for defining the least restrictive environment?  As with so many aspects of public education, the answer is complex.  Schools are ultimately responsible for identifying the LRE, but they are buffeted by many external and internal influences that affect the quality and quantity of education IEP students receive. Even in the absence of internal or external influences, substantial variability in LRE implementation is to be anticipated; in fact, it is desirable. The underlying rationale of the federal special education law is that each student is unique and requires a tailored program. The potential wealth of services and placements recommended on an IEP define an appropriate education, and they should be different for each person.
Read More

PTSD May Affect Boys, Girls Differently, Brain Scans Show

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the brains of girls and boys in different ways, a new study suggests. Researchers used MRI scans to examine the brains of 59 children, aged 9 to 17. The participants included 30 kids with PTSD and 29 without the disorder (the "control" group). Girls and boys in the control group had no differences in brain structure, the researchers said. But among those with PTSD, girls and boys showed differences in one part of the insula -- an area of the brain involved in emotion and empathy.  This brain area was larger in boys with PTSD than in other boys, and was smaller in girls with PTSD than in the control group girls, according to researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. Read More

Gestational Age May Impact Academic Performance

indicates that being born either too early or too late may have a long-term effect on children's academic performance. The risk of cognitive and developmental problems in premature infants is well-established, but preventing preterm birth is limited clinically. By contrast, less is known about what happens to cognitive performance in children born post-term, or about the influence of birth weight variations within post-term populations, where there may be more scope for intervention.
This study details the relationship between gestational age at birth and school grades at age 16 across the full range of pregnancy duration (22 to 45 completed weeks), by weight-for-gestational age, focusing on extremely pre- and post-term births and taking account of possible effects within and between families. Read More

Poor Children with Epilepsy May Face Social Hurdles

In a population-based Canadian study of children with epilepsy, each of whom had access to universal health care, those from poor families had the same medical course and remission rate as their wealthier counterparts, but they had a less favorable social outcome as adults. There were 421 children with new onset epilepsy diagnosed in Nova Scotia, Canada between 1977 and 1985. Parental income, education and home ownership were noted at the time of epilepsy onset, and patients were followed for an average of 26 years. Remission of epilepsy occurred in 65% of the poor, 61% of the adequate, and 61% of the well-off patients. Intractable epilepsy, number of antiepileptic drugs used, and the number of seizures were similar in all groups. Poor children had significantly more adverse social outcomes, including failure to graduate from high school, unemployment, personal poverty, inadvertent pregnancy, and psychiatric diagnoses. Read More

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Doctors Use iPads to Treat 'Lazy Eye,' With Mixed Results

Does playing video games on an iPad work better than standard eye-patching for improving vision in children with lazy eye?  Two new studies in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology reach seemingly contradictory answers. In one, patching worked better. In the other, gaming outperformed standard treatment. "If parents prefer their child to play a computer game for an hour a day rather than wear a patch for what is usually two hours a day, then the computer games are a reasonable alternative," said ophthalmologist Dr. John Sloper, who wrote a patch-versus-play editorial for the same journal. "But there is no evidence that they produce better results in the long term." Sloper is an honorary consultant in the strabismus and pediatric service of Moorfields Eye Hospital in England. Read More

Premature Calcium Deposits May Trigger Premature Births

Researchers say they've identified a new potential risk factor for premature birth. Ten percent of infants are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy), and many suffer long-term health problems. Knowing why preterm births occur might help prevent them, the researchers said.
A team at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that calcium deposits in the membrane surrounding the fetus can form early and may cause a mother's water to break too soon. The deposits -- early markers of bone -- make the membrane less elastic, the researchers said. The same kind of deposits have also been implicated in kidney stones and hardening of the arteries. But the new study did not prove that these early calcium deposits cause premature birth. Read More

Blood Test May Spot Babies at Risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A blood test on expectant mothers may help identify infants at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), according to a new study. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders occur when women drink large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. The condition can affect a child's development and cause long-lasting physical and mental health problems. Being able to identify infants at risk for FASD might lead to early treatment and better outcomes, the researchers said. "It's a huge problem, but we might not realize the full scope because infants born with normal-looking physical features may be missed, making many cases difficult to diagnose early," study co-senior author Rajesh Miranda said in a Texas A&M University news release. He is a professor in the university's Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. Read More

Parents Often Miss Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Kids

Parents often fail to recognize post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in young children, a new British study says. "When people talk about PTSD they often think about soldiers returning from war zones. But children who experience traumatic events such as car accidents, assaults and natural disasters are also at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder," said lead researcher Richard Meiser-Stedman, from Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia. "Symptoms can include traumatic memories and nightmares, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and feeling like the world is very unsafe," he explained in a university news release. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

According to the latest reports from the March of Dimes and U.S. Department of Education, have the rate of premature births in the United States increased, decreased or remained the same for the first time in 8 years?

If you know the answer, email us at contactus@naset.org by November 21, 2016.  We will acknowledge your correct answer in the next edition of the Week in Review

Kids with Cardiac Arrest Less Likely to Survive CPR at Night

Hospitalized children who have suffered cardiac arrest have lower chances of surviving when CPR is performed on them at night than at other times of the day, a new study finds. The finding is similar to what has been seen in studies of adult hospital patients, the researchers said. The authors of the new study called the lower nighttime survival rates "an important, yet under-recognized public health concern." Researchers reviewed an American Heart Association database of cardiac arrests in hospitals. Cardiac arrest is when the heartbeat stops abruptly, usually caused by an abnormality in the heart's electrical system. Read More

Twenty Percent of Children with Celiac Disease Do Not Heal on a Gluten-Free Diet

Even after a year on a gluten-free diet, nearly 20 percent of children with celiac disease continue to have intestinal abnormalities (enteropathy) on repeat biopsies, reports a study in the
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. Symptom status and laboratory results do not predict which children will have persistent celiac enteropathy despite a gluten-free diet, according to the new research by Dr. Maureen Leonard of Mass General Hospital for Children, Boston. "These findings suggest that a re-visitation of monitoring and management criteria of celiac disease in childhood," Dr. Leonard comments. Read More

Participate in a SURVEY

Dear Educator,
I am doctoral candidate at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.  I am conducting a study to evaluate teachers' perceptions of and experience with positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and their level of implementation in both general and special education settings.  It should take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. Your responses will remain anonymous and confidential.

As an incentive, for every survey completed, I will donate $1.00 to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (up to $200). If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you can call the Fairleigh Dickinson University Instructional Review Board at (201) 692-2219.

Please take a moment to click HERE and complete the survey.  Thank you for your participation.

Anesthesia Before Age 4 May Have Slight Impact on Later School Performance

A new Swedish study suggests that children exposed to surgical anesthesia before the age of 4 may have slightly lower school grades and IQ scores in their late teen years. But the study didn't prove that exposure to anesthesia was responsible. Dr. Pia Glatz, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the medical records of 2 million children born in Sweden from 1973 through 1993.  The researchers focused on approximately 33,500 children who had one surgery and one exposure to anesthesia before the age of 4 and then didn't undergo surgery or hospitalization again until at least age 16. The researchers compared those children to approximately 160,000 children who didn't undergo surgery or anesthesia before the age of 16. Read More

Few States Have Plans for Kids Returning to Class After Concussion

All U.S. states have "return-to-play" laws designed to protect young athletes who've suffered a concussion. But only a handful have regulations on handling kids' return to the classroom, researchers report. As of May 2016, only eight states had "return-to-learn" laws aimed at managing kids' concussion recovery, the researchers found. The findings highlight a gap, the study authors said, since some children who suffer concussions are athletes -- but all of them are students. "Some kids suffer concussions during recreational activities, others are injured in accidents," said senior researcher Dr. Monica Vavilala. "They're not all athletes. But they are all students." Read More

Maternal B12 Deficiency May Increase Child's Risk of Type-2 Diabetes

B12 deficiency during pregnancy may predispose children to metabolic problems such as type-2 diabetes, according to research presented at the Society for Endocrinology's annual Conference in Brighton. These findings could lead to a review of current vitamin B12 requirements for pregnant women, whether through an improved diet or supplements. Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk, meaning deficiency is more likely in those following a vegan diet. Previous studies show that mothers with low B12 levels had a higher BMI and were more likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight as well as high cholesterol levels. These children also had higher insulin resistance in childhood -- a risk factor for type-2 diabetes. Read More
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Childhood Cancer Survivors Living Longer But Not Always Better

Despite three decades of advancements in treating children with cancer, patients who survive into adulthood don't report better physical or mental health than their counterparts who were treated years ago, researchers report. Adults treated as children in the 1990s were more likely to report poor general health and anxiety than adults treated as children in the 1970s, the researchers said. That's not what the researchers had expected to find. After all, patients are living longer today than in past generations. More than 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years after their diagnosis, the U.S. National Cancer Institute says. Read More

Urine Samples May Yield Clues to Fetal Health

Urine samples in pregnancy may help doctors assess fetal growth and individualize recommendations for the baby's health, a new study contends. Abnormal fetal growth and birth weight are risk factors for chronic diseases later in life, including type 2 diabetes and obesity, the researchers noted. But metabolic substances in a mother's urine appear to indicate how large a baby will be at birth, the researchers said.  Doctors could then suggest lifestyle changes to help maintain healthy fetal size, the researchers said in the Nov. 3 issue of BMC MedicineRead More

How Brain Surgery Eliminates Seizures in People with Epilepsy

By the time epilepsy patient Erika Fleck came to Loyola Medicine for a second opinion, she was having three or four seizures a week and hadn't been able to drive her two young children for five years. "It was no way to live," she said. Loyola epileptologist Jorge Asconapé, MD, recommended surgery to remove scar tissue in her brain that was triggering the seizures. Neurosurgeon Douglas Anderson, MD, performed the surgery, called an amygdalohippocampectomy. Ms. Fleck hasn't had a single seizure in the more than three years since her surgery. Read More

Early Planned Birth Linked to Risk of Poor Child Development

Planned births occur where a considered decision is made to deliver an infant, and in recent years there have been significant changes in clinical practice resulting in an increase in planned births before the ideal time of birth at 39-40 weeks' gestation. This is mostly attributable to the increased use of elective caesarean section and induction of labor. The study of 153,000 Australian children published today in Pediatrics reports that overall, 9.6 per cent of children were developmentally high risk. In particular, infants born following planned birth before the optimal time of birth were more likely to have poor child development. Read More

When Do Speech Difficulties in Children Matter for Literacy?

A new study found that speech difficulties are linked with difficulties in learning to read when children first start school, but these effects are no longer apparent at 8 years of age. Researchers confirmed that early language impairment that co-occurs with speech difficulties predicts poor literacy skills at both 5½ and 8 years of age. Having a family history of dyslexia had a small but significant effect on literacy at both ages, above and beyond the effects of speech and language. Read More
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LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET


*Special Education Teacher - Teaches in a Level V educational setting, serving children with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities, often accompanied by learning disabilities. The Special Education Teacher is responsible for developing and implementing plans for meeting the educational needs of students and for improving psychosocial development. To learn more - Click here
*Special Education Teacher - Youth Villages' Residential Treatment programs serve children with emotional and behavioral problems.  Our residential campuses provide the setting for an intensive treatment program that combines the unique balance of structure and freedom. To learn more -Click here
*Teacher Mild/Mod. & Mod./Sev. (Elem. & MS) - The Education Specialist, will serve as classroom teacher in both general education settings as a co-teacher and leading a Learning Center to support students with IEPs in the least restrictive environment. Case management, professionalism, communication, and ability to co-teach/collaborate with colleagues are cornerstones to this position. To learn more -  Click here
*Assistant/Associate Professor - Special Education - The Department of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum (TLC) in the School of Education of Drexel University seeks to appoint an Assistant or Associate Professor tenure-track or tenured faculty member in the area of Special Education. The individual should hold expertise to conduct or have an established record of scholarly or applied research. To learn more -  Click here
*Special Education Teacher - The Hoffman Academy is a special education, private, academic school for students identified with social and emotional disorders.  The school is aligned with, and located on the grounds of, Hoffman Homes for Youth- a psychiatric residential treatment facility outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The Hoffman Academy educates approximately 100 students. To learn more -  Click here
*Early Childhood Special Education Teacher - Full Time, 12 Month Teaching Position in a Unique Day Treatment/Therapeutic Preschool Program. Work Collaboratively as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team to Implement Academic, Behavioral and Therapeutic Services for Special Eduction Students with Emotional Needs. To learn more -  Click here
*Special Education Teacher - Seneca Family of Agencies provides an unconditional continuum of care for the most vulnerable children and families in California. We provide a range of school-based, community-centered and residential services to support the diverse needs of our clients. To learn more -  Click here
*The Special Education Specialist- (SPED) provides technical assistance across one or more contracts in administering assessment programs for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Develops special education content materials for professional development, item development and the administration of alternate assessments. To learn more -  Click here
*Early Childhood Special Educator- Position works with children of American military families stationed overseas at RAF Lakenheath, UK.  Provides early intervention services to developmentally delayed infants and toddlers, in a home-based program. 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
* Special Education Coordinator - Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) is a nonprofit organization that starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students in high poverty, high need areas to graduate from college. Uncommon seeks Special Education Coordinator is passionate about supporting the students who are at-risk for academic underperformance due to emotional and/or physical challenges so that they can succeed in the school's rigorous academic program. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - We are looking for highly dedicated educators who will bring an unwavering commitment to helping children succeed. KIPP DC's teachers are responsible for delivering effective, high-quality, rigorous instruction in their content areas, producing unmatched academic results and student growth. To learn more -   Click here
*Special Education Teacher - Under general supervision of the House Manager, the incumbent is responsible for teaching and supervising a class of special needs students utilizing various techniques to promote learning. Duties include planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating class activities, developing Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and working with assigned staff, therapists and students to achieve the IEP goals and objectives. To learn more -  Click here
*Special Education Teacher - is sought by Barstow Unified School District in Barstow CA. At present there is a single job opening for a full time position for 7 hours a day 185 days per year. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To learn more -  Click here

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

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

Disciplining yourself to do what is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.

Margaret Thatcher

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