Dear NASET News,

NASET News Team

NEW THIS WEEK ON NASET

Professional Development Courses - Free for Members

Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities-Specific Types

What you will learn from this one-hour course:

• Overview of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
• Definition of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
• Description of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
• Diagnostic Symptoms
• Who is affected by Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
• Further Key Points
• Motoric Nonverbal Learning Disability
• Social Nonverbal Learning Disability
• Visual-Spatial-Organizational Nonverbal Learning Disability

Childhood Trauma Linked to Impaired Social Cognition Later in Life for Individuals with Major Psychiatric Disorders

A new report published in European Psychiatry identified a significant association between childhood adversity and impaired social cognitive functioning among adults diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders. Through a comprehensive review of all research conducted to date, the investigators established that a traumatic early social environment frequently leads to social cognitive problems and greater illness severity for individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. "Early childhood neglect, abuse, and/or trauma puts patients at greater risk for developing cognitive impairments that will later affect social perception and interaction, a core aspect of disability in major psychiatric disorders," explained lead investigator, Gary Donohoe, MPsychSc, DClinPsych, PhD, Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. 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 

ADHD May Increase Risk of Parkinson's Disease and Similar Disorders

While about 11 percent of children (4-17 years old) nationwide have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the long-term health effects of having ADHD and of common ADHD medications remains understudied. Researchers at University of Utah Health found that ADHD patients had an increased risk of developing Parkinson's and Parkinson-like diseases than individuals with no ADHD history. The results are available online on September 12 in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. "Parkinson's disease is commonly thought of as a neurodegenerative disease associated with aging," said Glen Hanson, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and School of Dentistry at U of U Health and senior author on the paper. "This may be the first time where a childhood disease and its treatment may be linked to a geriatric expression of neurodegenerative disorder." Read More

Prenatal Exposure to Cannabis Impacts Sociability of Male Offspring 

Taking cannabinoids during pregnancy can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in adult male offspring, while females remain unaffected, says new research published in eLife. The study in rats, from the Inserm and Aix-Marseille University Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology, France, and Roma Tre University, Italy, in collaboration with Indiana University, US, suggests that prenatal cannabinoid use can lead to less sociability and increased neuronal excitability in males only. The findings also point towards a potential pharmacological strategy to help reverse these effects in humans. Senior author Olivier Manzoni, Inserm Research Director at the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology, and Director of the CannaLab at the institute, says: "As cannabinoids can cross the placenta, they may interfere with fetal endocannabinoid signaling during neurodevelopment, which is involved in regulating a variety of processes such as pregnancy, appetite, pain sensation, and mediating the pharmacological effects of cannabis. This could in turn lead to some serious long-term deficits. Read More

Back Pain Linked to Mental Health Problems and Risky Behaviors in Teenagers

A new study in the Journal of Public Health indicates that adolescents who experience back pain more frequently are also more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and report problems like anxiety and depression. During adolescence, the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (pain arising from the bones, joints or muscles) in general, and back pain in particular rises steeply. Although often dismissed as trivial and fleeting, adolescent back pain is responsible for substantial health care use, school absence, and interference with day-to-day activities in some children. The aim of this study was to determine whether adolescents who experience back pain more often were also more likely to report other health risk indicators, such as alcohol use, smoking, school absenteeism, and depression or anxiety. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Olumide Akerele, Melody Owens, Patsy Ray, and Cindi Maurice who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question.
 

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, what is the single most important factor affecting quality of life in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI)? 

ANSWER:  INDEPENDENCE IN MOBILITY 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW WILL RETURN ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

A Subway Map for Diabetes

High or low concentrations of insulin activate different cell signaling pathways, according to a new scientific method that combines data from multiple databases and large-scale lab experiments. This ongoing research project may help unveil better approaches to understand the causes of and potential therapies for type 2 diabetes. Scientists already have methods to understand all the genes (genomics), proteins (proteomics), or metabolites (metabolomics) within a cell, but not all of these different types of molecules at the same time. University of Tokyo researchers are pioneering the new trans-omics approach that combines all of these previously individual fields -- the different "omics" -- to understand the interactions between molecules inside cells in a comprehensive, highly detailed way. Read More

New Guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury

Clinical practice guidelines play a critical role in promoting quality care for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A new set of guidelines for rehabilitation of patients with moderate to severe TBI -- incorporating insights from the rehabilitation professionals responsible for providing care from initial assessment through long-term follow-up -- is introduced in the September issue of the The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR), official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America. "The novel approach of consulting and working with end users to develop a clinical practice guideline for moderate to severe TBI should influence knowledge uptake for clinicians wanting to provide evidence-based care," according to an introductory article by Bonnie Swaine, PhD, of Université de Montréal and the Center for Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (CRIR) and colleagues. Read More

Emotional Scars Increase the Risk of Sports Injury

Active top-flight athletes who have experienced sexual or physical abuse at some time in their life run a greater risk of sports-related injury. A new study from the Athletics Research Center at Linköping University in Sweden has shown an association between lifetime abuse experience and injury risk in female athletes. The study has been carried out on elite athletes in Sweden, and is the first of its kind to investigate the consequences of sexual and physical abuse for athletes. Earlier in 2018, the Athletics Research Center published a report commissioned by the Swedish Athletics Association that surveyed sexual abuse within Swedish athletics. "We wanted not only to repeat our study into the presence of abuse, but also examine what it means for the athlete. How does a traumatic event influence athletic performance? We wanted to investigate whether abuse is connected to the high degree of overuse injuries that we see in competitive athletics," says Toomas Timpka, professor in the Department of Medical and Health Sciences and head of the study, which is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Read More

Some Conditions Tend to Accompany Autism in Pairs

Children with autism are more likely to have both sleep problems and constipation than would be expected based on the prevalence of each of those conditions. Young autistic children are also unexpectedly likely to have both sleep and eating troubles. The findings come from a large study of autistic children aged 17 months to 17 years who visited a network of autism clinics in the United States between 2010 and 2016. The researchers analyzed how often any of 12 conditions that commonly affect people with autism occur together in these individuals. Understanding the relationships between conditions that frequently accompany autism could hint at their shared genetic origins, medical director at the Lurie Center for Autism at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston. It could also inform treatments. Read More 

Loss of Large Proteins Underlies Fragile X Syndrome

The protein missing in fragile X syndrome, FMRP, facilitates the production of hundreds of unusually large proteins, some of which are linked to autism, a new study suggests. And the loss of these large proteins is what produces the severe features associated with the syndrome, according to the study. "Fragile X syndrome, and maybe some other types of autism, may have to do with not being able to make the largest proteins," emeritus director of the embryology department at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Baltimore, Maryland. Read More

We Just Got Even More Evidence That Autism and Schizophrenia Share Genetic Roots 

Genetic changes that contribute to the development of autism in young children also appear to be responsible for schizophrenia. While the body of evidence is convincing, it's still based largely on western populations. A new study from Japan backs up the hypothesis that the two disorders share genetic underpinnings in people from around the globe, revealing more details on the biochemistry behind them. The strength of our study is the systematic head-to-head comparison of pathogenic CNVs and biological pathways between autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Read More

Therapy Dog Added to Special Education School, Students Delighted!

Schools never want to play favorites. But at the North Florida School of Special Education, the new staff member might be everyone's favorite. He's kind, patient and covered in fur. Meet Zenbowie! He belongs to teacher Nikki Szwedzinski and she says Zenbowie is a help to students every day. Even helping kids just get into school. "We will take him up front and if a child doesn't want to come in, we will walk with him into school," she explains. He started coming to the school last year and was such a hit, they decided to make it official with his ID badge and contract! Complete with a daily payment in Bark'n Biscuits, his favorite treat, handmade by kids just down the hall. Read More 

New York Offering a Way for People with Disabilities to Save

NY ABLE is making investing a little easier for people with disabilities. The program allows people with disabilities, or their family members to save thousands of dollars each year without disqualifying them for necessary federal benefits, like supplement income. A presentation in Albany with New York State Comptroller Tom Dinapoli aimed to share the program with more people, detailing who is qualified and their growing enrollment. Read More 

Special Harness at Hospital Giving Kids with Disabilities More Independence

Watching your child take their first steps is a milestone, but for young children with disabilities, that milestone takes many years to reach. However, there's a tool in the metro that can help, and there's about to be a lot more of them. Two-year-old Skylar Spratley is a special kind of kid. When his mother looks at her blonde toddler with sky blue glasses, she smiles. "He can be bribed with just about anything with bubbles," Wendy Spratley said. Yet the toddler has a genetic disorder only 200 others on Earth have: Trisomy Nine Mosaic. "He has a tripling of his ninth chromosome, but it's in a mosaic pattern, so it affects his chromosomes differently," Spratley said. "Some cells may be completely normal, and some cells may be highly (affected) or, you know, moderately affected." "And for him, it's definitely developmental delays, low muscle tone -- that's why he's two and a half and not walking yet," she said. "It takes a long time for his body to develop the strength to walk upright." That's why Skylar wears a harness during his therapy at the Lee Ann Britain Center at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Read More

New Gymnastics Program Empowers Youngsters with Disabilities

A special one-to-one movement therapy program for people living with various disabilities is being introduced at Delta Gymnastics this fall. The Empowering Steps Movement Therapy Program (ESMT) is an innovative, gymnastics motor intervention program for children and youth living with neurodevelopmental disabilities, says Vivien Symington, the developer of the program in Coquitlam who is now partnering with Delta Gymnastics. The program works with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and children who are unable to walk, to name a few. Read More

ADHD on the Rise in the U.S.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, has nearly doubled over the last generation to include more than 10 percent of U.S. children, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open. Between 1997-1998 and 2015-2016, the prevalence of the diagnosis increased across age, gender, race/ethnicity, income and geography, but is notably twice as high in girls and Hispanic children and has more than doubled for Black children. The results contain several qualifiers, such as the findings "suggest" an "estimated" prevalence of 10 percent. Several Texas Medical Center experts said the analysis confirmed the trends they have observed over the last two decades. Read More

Illinois Officials Zero in on Shortages of Special Education, Bilingual Teachers 

After a year of surveys and panel discussions, the Illinois State Board of Education found that teachers want what workers everywhere want: More money and job security. The State Board of Education recently released a report about the best ways to ease the state's teacher shortage. State officials found that there is a statewide shortage of teachers. The need is acute for special education and bilingual educators in rural and poor school districts. The Board of Education is proposing programs to attract more young people to the teaching profession and making it easier to become a teacher in the state. Read More