Week in Review - December 1, 2017

NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

December 1, 2017                     Vol 13 Issue #47

Dear NASET News,

Welcome to NASET'sWEEK in REVIEW.  Here, we provide you with the latest publications fromNASET 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
December 2017 Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents
MRI Shows Brain Differences Among Individuals with ADHD

Information from brain MRIs can help identify people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and distinguish among subtypes of the condition, according to a study appearing online in the journal Radiology. ADHD is a disorder of the brain characterized by periods of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. The disorder affects 5 to 7 percent of children and adolescents worldwide, according to the ADHD Institute. The three primary subtypes of ADHD are predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and a combination of inattentive and hyperactive. While clinical diagnosis and subtyping of ADHD is currently based on reported symptoms, psychoradiology, which applies imaging data analysis to mental health and neurological conditions, has emerged in recent years as a promising tool for helping to clarify diagnoses. Read More

In San Diego, Parents Say They Fear for Students' Safety Amid Special Ed Staffing Shortage

For 16 days so far this school year, Josclyn Davis chose not to send her second-grader to school at Sherman Elementary for fear of what could happen to her. Davis' daughter Aiyana, who is on the autism spectrum and has such a limited vocabulary that she's considered non-verbal, has already escaped the classroom twice this year. She also has a disorder called pica, in which people have an appetite for non-food items like paper, stones, drywall or metal. Aiyana needs a one-on-one aide to help her with schoolwork, calm her down at times, watch what she eats and keep her from wandering off. But this year, with the transitions, restructuring and staffing shortages throughout special education classrooms at San Diego Unified, Aiyana lost the aide she had for the past two years, Davis said. Read More
Brains of Children with a Better Physical Fitness Possess a Greater Volume of Gray Matter

Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) have proven, for the first time in history, that physical fitness in children may affect their brain structure, which in turn may have an influence on their academic performance. More specifically, the researchers have confirmed that physical fitness in children (especially aerobic capacity and motor ability) is associated with a greater volume of gray matter in several cortical and subcortical brain regions. In particular, aerobic capacity has been associated with greater gray matter volume in frontal regions (premotor cortex and supplementary motor cortex), subcortical regions (hippocampus and caudate nucleus), temporal regions (inferior temporal gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus) and the calcarine cortex. All of those regions are important for the executive function as well as for learning, motor and visual processes. Read More
Video Game Improves Balance in Youth with Autism

Playing a video game that rewards participants for holding various "ninja" poses could help children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve their balance, according to a recent study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Balance challenges are more common among people with ASD compared to the broader population, says study lead author Brittany Travers, and difficulties with balance and postural stability are commonly thought to relate to more severe ASD symptoms and impaired activities in daily living. "We think this video game-based training could be a unique way to help individuals with ASD who have challenges with their balance address these issues," says Travers, an investigator at UW-Madison's Waisman Center and an assistant professor of kinesiology. Read More
New Simple Test Could Help People with Cystic Fibrosis Find Best Treatment

Several cutting-edge treatments have become available in recent years to correct the debilitating chronic lung congestion associated with cystic fibrosis. While the new drugs are life-changing for some patients, they do not work for everyone. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, a team led by UNC researchers presented a simple test that aims to predict which treatment is most likely to work for each patient, an approach known as personalized or precision medicine. "Any given drug may not be the drug that works best for a given patient, because there's so much variation from person to person," said Jennifer Guimbellot, MD, who conducted the research at UNC and is now assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "We still have a long way to go to get a really optimized therapy for most cystic fibrosis patients, and the only way we can do that is to have a model like ours, where we can take cells from each individual patient and test them with each individual drug to find out which one is the best match." 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
Children with Alagille Syndrome Have Malformed Bile Ducts

Serious liver and heart problems can affect children with Alagille Syndrome early in life. While there is as yet no cure, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that the liver disease part of the syndrome is caused by specific malformations of the bile ducts. The results, which are published in the journal Gastroenterology, were discovered with the aid of a new mouse model that can now be used to develop and test new therapies. About 2 in 100,000 children are born with the rare genetic disease known as Alagille Syndrome. Some of them become very ill with chronic liver and heart problems, sometimes so serious that they require a transplant. The liver problems can also give rise to severe itching. Other possible symptoms of the disease, which is usually caused by different mutations of the JAGGED1 gene, are deformities of the eyes or bones, and sometimes growth disorders. The children can also develop problems with other organs, such as the kidneys. Little is currently understood about how the disease can develop and each symptom is treated separately. Read More
Eagle Scout Builds Buddy Bench to Fight Bullying, Promote Autism Awareness

Sometimes kids who are bullied don't know where to go for help. Thanks to an Eagle Scout, that's no longer the case at a Maryland elementary school. For his Eagle Scout project, Tory Ridgeway built a buddy bench at Windy Hill Elementary School in Owings, Md. Whenever a student is feeling down, he or she can sit on the bright blue bench, which is decorated with handprints and inspiring phrases like "be happy" and "speak up." "If they don't have a friend or if they're having problems, they can come sit here and a friend will come and talk with them or bring them into their game," said Cara Quade, Tory's fourth-grade teacher and the woman to whom the bench is dedicated. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
This week's question:
According to Martin Luther King Jr., intelligence plus character is the goal of what?
If you know the answer, email us at contactus@naset.org by December 4, 2017.  We will acknowledge your correct answer in the next edition of the Week in Review
Non-Fearful Social Withdrawal Linked Positively to Creativity

Everyone needs an occasional break from the social ramble, though spending too much time alone can be unhealthy and there is growing evidence that the psychosocial effects of too much solitude can last a lifetime. But newly published research by a University at Buffalo psychologist suggests that not all forms of social withdrawal are detrimental. In fact, the research findings published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences suggest that one form of social withdrawal, referred to as unsociability, is not only unrelated to negative outcomes, but linked positively to creativity. "Motivation matters," says Julie Bowker, an associate professor in UB's Department of Psychology and lead author of the study, which is the first study of social withdrawal to include a positive outcome. Read More
New Approach to Studying Chromosomes' Centers May Reveal Link to Down Syndrome and More

Some scientists call it the "final frontier" of our DNA -- even though it lies at the center of every X-shaped chromosome in nearly every one of our cells. It's called the centromere, and it plays a crucial role in the everyday cell division that keeps us healthy. Which also makes it a key suspect in birth defects, cancers and other diseases that arise from cell division problems. Now, a new technique may force this mysterious stretch of DNA to give up its secrets at last. Already, the first test of the approach has yielded clues about the role of centromeres in Down syndrome, which arises when a child inherits an extra copy of chromosome 21. Read More
Proteins in Breastmilk Protect Offspring Against Food Allergy

Research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine indicates that a mother's diet can protect nursing newborns against food allergies. Conducted by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the study offers an explanation for how breastfeeding can promote tolerance to the foods that most often cause allergies. The study received support from Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the world's largest private source of funding for food allergy research. Michiko Oyoshi, the senior author of the study, received FARE's Mid-Career Investigator in Food Allergy Award in 2015. In mice, milk from mothers exposed to egg protein gave protection against egg allergy not only to the mothers' own offspring, but also to fostered newborns whose birth mothers had not received egg. Newborns gained an insignificant degree of protection from mothers who were exposed to egg during pregnancy but did not breastfeed them. The protective effect was strongest when the newborns were born to and nursed by mothers who were exposed to egg before and during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Read More

A Mom's Support Helps a Child Learn to Handle Negative Emotions, but What if Mom is Distressed?

Handling a poorly timed tantrum from a toddler -- such as in the middle of the grocery store -- is never an easy task. It could serve as a teachable moment for a mom to help her child learn to manage his own emotions. After all, research shows that how parents react in these types of situations can play an important role in a child's emotional development. But how does that child's negative behavior -- that tantrum in the frozen food aisle -- affect a mother's own stress level, and therefore, her ability to parent? When children become upset, showing negative emotions or behaviors, some parents become distressed themselves, while others are able to talk their child through the difficult situation. Studies have shown that a mothers' reaction -- positive or negative -- to her child's negative emotions and behavior can predict whether her child develops the ability to effectively regulate his emotions and behavior. Read More
Progesterone to Fight Preterm Birth

A new study published today -- World Prematurity Day -- in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology provides additional support for treatment with vaginal progesterone to reduce the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and infant death in pregnant women with a short cervix. A shortened cervix is the most powerful predictor of preterm birth. A meta-analysis of individual patient data by researchers at the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Detroit Medical Center, further validates the use of vaginal progesterone to decrease the risk of preterm birth and improve perinatal outcomes in women with a single pregnancy found via sonography to have a short cervix. Vaginal progesterone therapy to reduce preterm birth was developed at the PRB in 2011. Read More
Asthma Attacks Reduced in Tree-Lined Urban Neighborhoods

People living in polluted urban areas are far less likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma when there are lots of trees in their neighborhood, a study by the University of Exeter's medical school has found. The study into the impact of urban greenery on asthma suggests that respiratory health can be improved by the expansion of tree cover in very polluted urban neighborhoods. The study, published in the journal Environment International, looked at more than 650,000 serious asthma attacks over a 15 year period. Emergency hospitalizations were compared across 26,000 urban neighborhoods in England. In the most polluted urban areas, trees had a particularly strong association with fewer emergency asthma cases. In relatively unpolluted urban neighborhoods trees did not have the same impact. Read More
New Therapy Lessens Impact of Mistreatment at a Young Age

Everyone has challenges of one kind or another. But research shows that mistreatment at an early age can have long-lasting and life-altering repercussions that could be passed to future generations. Work underway in the laboratory of University of Delaware neuroscientist Tania Roth suggests new ways to help mitigate that damage. The research was highlighted as a "hot topic" by the Society for Neuroscience in its literature for the world's largest gathering of those in the field -- Neuroscience 2017 -- a five-day event that started Saturday in Washington D.C. Organizers expected more than 30,000 participants from 80 countries. Roth and graduate student Tiffany Doherty are onsite to present details of the research at a poster session Tuesday, Nov. 14. Undergraduates Johanna Chajes and Lauren Reich also contributed to this work. Read More
Study: Michigan Special Education is Underfunded by $700M

Special education in Michigan schools is underfunded by nearly $700 million - a shortfall that leaves school districts with less money to educate their general education students. That's according to a report from a special education task force subcommittee that was released Wednesday by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, an advocate for special education students. The $700 million is the difference between what it costs to educate special education students in Michigan and what the state spends to educate them. Who makes up for the $700 million? That falls on the shoulders of all students in the state. "Because special education services must be funded regardless of whether there is sufficient state or federal funding to cover the costs in their entirety, the dollars needed to cover the shortfall actually come from the general operating budgets of schools," the report says. Read More
Getting Pregnant Again Shortly After Giving Birth May Be Linked to Autism

Although there is no confirmed cause of autism, various studies, including a new one done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that overly long or short birth spacing might be linked to autism. The study, published in Autism Research, is based on data from over 350 kids with autism spectrum disorder, 600 with developmental disorders, and 524 without any disorders at all. Researchers found, according to the Daily Mail, that both "too long" or "too short" birth spacing was "uniquely" related to autism, but not any other disorders. 
There have been six other studies looking to this correlation, according to the Daily Mail, but the evidence hasn't been conclusive yet that birth spacing is a cause of autism. But it has affirmed the CDC's recommendation that women don't wait more than four years between births to possibly lower the chances of developmental disorders. Read More

jobs
LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET
* Private Teacher - Are you an unencumbered teacher at a top public or private school looking for a new opportunity? Do you want to step out of the classroom and use your experience to support the academic journey of a young teen with a promising future? If so, we have an excellent Private Teacher opportunity to oversee the overall curriculum, education, and college preparation for a young teen's high school career. You will assist this bright adolescent in all subject matters, in addition to helping formulate strategies and taking the time to help the student manage their language based learning disability. - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - The Adolescent Care Unit (ACU) at Tséhootsooí Medical Center on the Navajo Nation seeks a Special Education Teacher to work with 8 to 10 teens aged 13-17 with mild emotional or behavior issues in a subacute 60-day inpatient program. ACU combines western therapy with Native American traditional cultural methods to foster health and Hozho or harmony, and is located in northeastern AZ. To learn more - Click here

* SEIT - Seeking qualified, dedicated professional educators who are fully licensed by NYS to work as seits. Immediate need in Manhattan and Brooklyn, general need in Queens, Bronx as well. To learn more - Click here
* Early Childhood Special Education Teacher - This private special education school services students with language, learning, sensory motor disabilities, and moderate to high functioning Autism. This special education teacher position is for an early education classroom. To learn more - Click here

* Licensed Special Education Teacher - Think is a multidisciplinary center offering services to children in Bahrain who have developmental and behavior disorders. We are a dynamic center with in-clinic and outreach programs, supervisors, leads and primary therapists in addition to SLT and OT services. We have a beautiful, custom facility that accommodates over 20 clinical staff. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - JCFS is currently seeking a Special Education Teacher to work with individuals and small groups of children (K - 12) with emotional and behavior disorders in a therapeutic special education classroom. The Therapeutic Day School is located in West Rogers Park, Chicago, IL. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Various Positions Open: 2 positions for Special Education Resource 5th - 8th, Special Education Resource K-3rd, SPED - Social Skills le-4th, SPED - Social Skills 6th - 8th, Arizona certification required. To learn more - Click here

* Licensed Special Education Teacher - Now Offering $2,000 sign on payment** and **$2,000 relocation allowance (if applicable). 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 of the Visually Impaired - 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
* Lead ED Special Education Teacher - The Lead Special Education Teacher for Cornerstone is an integral member of the academics team whose focus is to guide students in their social-emotional and academic development. To learn more -Click here

If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information
Food For Thought..........
When the world says"Give up", hope whispers, "Try one more time".
Author Unknown


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