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 NASET Special Educator e Journal
Table of Contents - Special Education Legal Alert. By Perry A. Zirkel
- A Parent-digm Dilemma: Communicating with Parents for better Outcomes of Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder. By Helane Folske-Starlin, Ph.D
- Administering Special Education: In Pursuit of Dignity and Autonomy (Book Review). By Rossana Hahn
- Computer Software and Improving Word Problem Skills in Mathematics for Middle School Students: A Review of the Literature. By Marta M. Gonzalez
- Hacking Leadership (A Book Review). By Linda Pearson
- Underachievement Among Elementary Gifted Students. By Abdulmajeed Alzahrani
- The Least Restrictive Environment and the Development and Implementation of Its Concepts. By Nassim Aljohany
- Buzz from the Hub
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NASET's Career Center Professional Development Course Free for Members only
Learners with Intellectual Disabilities- Video Lecture Course This NASET professional development course will provide an overview of learners with intellectual disabilities. After taking this course, you should understand the following: - Definition of intellectual disabilities
- Prevalence of intellectual disabilities
- Levels and Intensities of Support
- Degrees of intellectual disabilities
- Causes of intellectual disabilities
- Characteristics of children with intellectual disabilities
- Classroom management strategies for children with intellectual disabilities
This is a course that contains two video lectures, an accompanying PowerPoint Presentation file and PDF of the PowerPoint slides for your notes.
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Alexa Is a Revelation for the Blind Is it 'Electra?'" my father asks, leaning in close to the Amazon Echo my mother has just installed. Leaning in close is his trademark maneuver: Dad has been legally blind since age 18, the result of a horrible car crash in 1954. He has lived, mostly successfully, with limited vision for the 64 years since. "Call it the right name!" my mom shouts as Dad tries to get the device's attention. In response, he adopts an awkward familiarity, nicknaming the Echo "Lexi." Hearing this, I groan. There goes Dad again, trying to be clever, getting it wrong, and relishing the ensuing chaos. Then I stop myself. Isn't it possible that he expects Alexa to recognize a prompt that's close enough? A person certainly would. Perhaps Dad isn't being obstreperous. Maybe he doesn't know how to interact with a machine pretending to be human-especially after he missed the evolution of personal computing because of his disability. Watching him try to use the Echo made me realize just how much technology forms the basis of contemporary life-and how thoroughly Dad had been sidelined from it. Read More |
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Action Urged after Chicago Public Schools Special Education Report The findings of a just-released state probe into how Chicago Public Schools handles special education funding and procedures is a good start but doesn't go far enough, says the group that sought the investigation. "The findings capture the technical violations, but kids were affected, kids didn't get aides, kids got injured, they didn't get summer school, they didn't get transportation," said Matt Cohen, an attorney for the advocates who brought the original claim against CPS. "What we really need to see now is what does the board do with the recommendations?" State investigators held three public meetings in March and also collected some 8,600 pages of documents before releasing their findings Wednesday at the Illinois State Board of Education monthly meeting. Read More |
Some Mutations Tied to Autism May Be Passed Down from Fathers Some children with autism carry rare mutations in DNA segments that flank genes and control their expression-and they tend to inherit these mutations from their unaffected fathers, according to a study published today in Science. The finding is unexpected because most studies implicate mutations inherited from mothers in autism risk. For this reason, some experts are skeptical of the results. The study is the largest yet to explore how mutations outside of genes contribute to autism: It is based on an analysis of 9,274 whole genomes. And it focuses on 'structural variants'-deletions or duplications in DNA-in these noncoding regions. Once dismissed as 'junk DNA,' some of these regions are now known to control the expression of genes. Read More |
Pregnant Moms and their Offspring Should Limit Added Sugars in their Diets to Protect Childhood Cognition A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of sugar. Substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened versions during pregnancy also appeared to have negative effects. However, children's fruit consumption had beneficial effects and was associated with higher cognitive scores. Research is increasingly focusing on the adverse impact of sugar consumption on health, especially high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar consumption among Americans is above recommended limits, and the Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of reducing calories from added sugars. They are incorporated into foods and beverages during preparation or processing, with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) being the greatest contributor in Americans' diets. Read More |
Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members  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 |
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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to: Tanisha Cunningham, Jennifer Womble-Ericson, Patsy Ray, Melody Owens, Falecia Jackson, Olumide Akerele, Darlene Desbrow, Rena Root, Diane Campbell-Mitchell, Cindi Maurice, Andria Halbert, who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question.
QUESTION: In conjunction with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), this theme park recently announced the completion of a staff-wide autism sensitivity and awareness training. The completion designates this theme park as a Certified Autism Center (CAC) as distinguished by IBCCES, - the first theme park in the world to receive such a distinction. The certification aligns with National Autism Awareness Month and comes as the park readies for its 38th season, opening on April 28, 2018. What is the name of this theme park that has now become the first with Certified Autism Center Designation?
ANSWER: SESAME PLACE This week's question: Tarik El-Abour is not a Major League Baseball player yet, but his signing by the Kansas City Royals marks a historic first for the national pastime. After signing a minor league contract in early March, El-Abour is believed to be the first pro baseball player to have what diagnosis? If you know the answer, email us at contactus@naset.org by May 1, 2018. We will acknowledge your correct answer in the next edition of the Week in Review |
Young Victims of Cyberbullying Twice as Likely to Attempt Suicide and Self-harm, Study Finds A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of sugar. Substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened versions during pregnancy also appeared to have negative effects. However, children's fruit consumption had beneficial effects and was associated with higher cognitive scores. Research is increasingly focusing on the adverse impact of sugar consumption on health, especially high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar consumption among Americans is above recommended limits, and the Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of reducing calories from added sugars. They are incorporated into foods and beverages during preparation or processing, with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) being the greatest contributor in Americans' diets. Read More |
Young Victims of Cyberbullying Twice as Likely to Attempt Suicide and Self-harm, Study Finds Children and young people under 25 who are victims of cyberbullying are more than twice as likely to self-harm and enact suicidal behavior, according to a new study. The research also suggests that it is not just the victims of cyberbullying that are more vulnerable to suicidal behaviors, but the perpetrators themselves are at higher risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well. Cyberbullying is using electronic communication to bully another, for instance by sending intimidating, threatening or unpleasant messages using social media. The systematic review study, led by Professor Ann John at Swansea University Medical School in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham looked at more than 150,000 children and young people across 30 countries, over a 21-year period. Read More |
Eyes of Adolescents Could Reveal Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Study Finds New research has found that poorer well-being or 'health-related quality of life' (HRQoL) in adolescence could be an indicator of future cardiovascular disease risk. Researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research found that adolescents with poorer scores in the social and mental well-being domains of HRQoL have structural changes in their retinal blood vessels that could be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. Lead researcher Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath said this was the first study to demonstrate an independent link between poor HRQoL and changes to the retinal blood vessels. "Poor well-being and certain structural changes to the retina are both associated with an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease, but few studies have explored the link between the two," Associate Professor Gopinath explained. Read More |
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A Look Inside an Autism-Friendly Workplace and Culture Last week, I was in New York and had the opportunity morning to tour a true "autism-friendly workplace"-one that differs not only from most workplaces today but also from most workplaces that describe themselves as autism-friendly. I think you'll be interested, whether you have a connection to autism or not. A little background. The previous afternoon, I had joined 12 autism employment practitioners from throughout the New York area at the Duane Morris LLP offices on Broadway near 46th. In attendance were representatives of Integrate, Job Path, Goodwill NY, Spectrum Designs, Best Buddies, and Extraordinary Ventures NY. David Kearon of Autism Speaks, the person most at the center of autism initiatives nationwide, brought us together. Read More |
Why Don't Kids Use Their Asthma Medicines? In a new analysis of interviews conducted with children who have asthma, their caregivers and their clinicians, Johns Hopkins researchers found that there was significant lack of agreement about why the kids miss their needed daily anti-inflammatory medication. A report on the findings, published in the Journal of Asthma on Feb. 8, 2018, highlights the need for improved communication among patients, families and pediatric clinicians, according to Carolyn Arnold, a medical student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the paper's first author. "Consistent use of daily anti-asthma drugs -- generally steroids delivered by inhaler -- is lifesaving and the best way to prevent recurrent exacerbations and costly hospitalizations," she adds. Read More |
Modeling Prosocial Behavior Increases Helping in Young Children Shortly after they turn 1, most babies begin to help others, whether by handing their mother an object out of her reach or giving a sibling a toy that has fallen. Researchers have long studied how this helping behavior develops, but why it develops has been examined less. A new study looked at the role of imitation to find that when 16-month-olds observe others' helping behavior, they're more likely to be helpful themselves. The findings come from researchers at the University of Münster and Free University Berlin in Germany. They appear in Child Development, a journal of the Society for Research in Child Development. "Our study is the first to demonstrate that observing helping, or prosocial, behavior in others affects infants' prosocial behavior and provides a critical mechanism in early prosocial development," says Joscha Kärtner, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Münster and senior author of the study. Read More |
Newly Identified Gene Mutation Results in Intellectual Disability and Developmental Delay An international group of researchers led by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Assistant Professor Gholson Lyon has identified a new genetic mutation associated with intellectual disability, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, abnormal facial features, and congenital cardiac anomalies. The genetic mutation, which can run in families, is related to the mutation underlying Ogden syndrome, a much more serious condition that shares many of the same symptoms. In 2011, Lyon and his colleagues published the first paper about Ogden syndrome, named for the Utah town in which five boys across two generations of a single family were struck down by the disease before age 3. Caused by a mutation in a gene called NAA10, Ogden is an X-chromosome-linked condition, meaning only males are afflicted. Read More |
Mentoring Program Helps Parents of Children with Disabilities Connie Calhoun could have used a listening ear when doctors told her about her son's diagnosis after he had his first seizure at 8 months old. As he grew up, it would have been easier if she had a person to direct her to resources and offer advice based on their own real experiences. For Calhoun, a mentor would have been the support she needed. "I was a new parent," she said. "I didn't know anything." Even without a mentor, Calhoun was able to learn as she went along, and eventually found her son the help and support he needed. Now, her son is 33, and she is volunteering as a parent mentor with the Family Mentor Program to make herself available to other parents caring for a child or adult with a disability. Read More |
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Report Finds Wide Disparities in Punishment of Students with Disabilities by Race A new report providing the first state-by-state estimate of lost instruction due to discipline for black and white students with disabilities finds dramatic disparities in suspensions by race. The study, called "Disabling Punishment: The Need for Remedies to the Disparate Loss of Instruction Experience by Black Students with Disabilities," was conducted by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School (CHHI) and UCLA's Center for Civil Rights Remedies at The Civil Rights Project. While research has documented the impact of exclusionary school discipline practices on other student groups, the educational experience of black students is unique. This report, "Disabling Punishment," documents disparities faced by a particularly vulnerable group of black students-children with disabilities. Read More |
Brain Scans May Help Detect Neurological, Psychiatric Disorders A scan which shows how brain regions interact may help diagnose migraines, depression, bipolar disorder and many other ailments of the brain, scientists say. A study published in the journal Neuron shows that a kind of brain scan called functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) can reliably detect fundamental differences in how individual brains are wired. The technique could potentially be used to distinguish healthy people from those with brain diseases or disorders, and provide insight into variations in cognitive ability and personality traits. "This is a step towards realising the clinical promise of functional connectivity MRI," said Steven Petersen, a professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in the US. Read More |
Art Center Helps Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Discover Hidden Talents Nestled in a shopping center, there's a haven where adults with intellectual disabilities can explore their creativity through art. "We have discovered that a lot of our folks have these hidden talents, and they didn't know they had them, and start to identify themselves as an artist," said Trista Lawrence, TURN Community Service's director of program services, as the nonprofit held a celebration for its new art center. The new Everest Arts and Learning Center in American Fork will give people a place to take part in art, adventure and learning activities. Those involved with the center gathered with community members for a ribbon-cutting and celebration within Everest's colorful rooms Wednesday. Read More |
Honor Society for Special Education Teachers
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Study: Transgender Youth More Likely To Be Diagnosed with Mental Disorders New research finds that transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are diagnosed with mental health conditions much more frequently than young people who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth. Although this correlation has been discovered in small clinically based studies, Kaiser Permanente researchers discovered a similar link upon review of health information associated with a large group of transgender/gender non-conforming individuals enrolled in a comprehensive care system. Investigators mined electronic health records of the cohort examining the prevalence of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. The research findings appear in the journal Pediatrics. Read More |
Ban on Corporal Punishment for Most Students with Disabilities Goes to Tennessee Governor A bill that limits the use of corporal punishment for students with disabilities unless schools have parental written permission is on its way to Gov. Bill Haslam's desk. Senators approved the measure, sponsored by Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, on a 28-0 vote. The measure previously passed the House. The bill originally set out to ban corporal punishment outright for all students with individualized education plans but was amended previously in the House to permit it in instances where parents give permission. "There's a lot of high schools across Tennessee trying to address this issue," Kyle said later. "So in this bill we have left that if a parent wants to opt in and allow corporal punishment for their child, they can." She said a "a lot of behavior we think is acting out, or a child is upset, is due to their disability," citing cases where a student may have attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Read More |
LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET
* Family Assistant - Working single parent with 5 children, aged 8 through 16, seeks an experienced Family Assistant in Lake Forest to join the household team. The ideal candidate has an active, fun, easy-going personality and will enjoy a bustling household with a pool, tennis court, game room, etc. Education degree or certification in special education required. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Wayfinder Family Services (Wayfinder), formally known as Junior Blind of America, is looking for a Special Education Teacher. Wayfinder's Special Education School provides the best possible services to its students. Our non-public special education school is an individualized, non-academic school for students, ages three through 21, who are multi-disabled and blind or visually impaired. To learn more - Click here
* Teacher of the Visually Impaired - The Teacher for the Visually Impaired is responsible for providing itinerant services to students who are served under contract with schools in the Greater New Orleans area. In addition, TVI duties include collaboration with VRS team members to provide extracurricular activities for skill development through transition, recreation, and summer camp programs. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - This position reports to and is evaluated by the site principal. Special Education teachers plan and provide learning experiences for students with disabilities, including cognitive, emotional, or physical disabilities, in a variety of educational settings. Special Education Teachers create a flexible program and learning environment that provide specialized instruction; establish effective rapport with students; may modify general education curriculum to meet students' needs with supplemental aides, accommodations, and other needed supports; and establish good relationships with parents and with other staff members. To learn more - Click here
* Assistant Principal / BCBA - We are currently seeking a qualified and enthusiastic Assistant Principal / BCBA for our school in Sherman Oaks. This is an exciting hybrid role that will work directly with our current Assistant Principal, as well as serve as the BCBA. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS) provides vital, individualized, results-driven, therapeutic and supportive services for thousands of children, adults and families of all backgrounds each year. 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 - $50,000/school year (185 days), summers off with year round pay and year round appreciation. Special Education Teachers needed in Arizona (Phoenix and surrounding cities). Needs are in the self-contained and resource settings serving students with emotional disabilities (ED), Autism (A), Severe/Profound (S/P), and Intellectual Disabilities (ID). STARS is the largest school contract agency in AZ. STARS is owned and operated by Occupational Therapists. You will be an employee and receive full benefits. To learn more - Click here If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information |
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