Week in Review - December 20, 2019


NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

December 20, 2019                     Vol 15 Issue #51



Dear NASET Members and Guests,


Welcome to NASET's WEEK 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,


NEW THIS WEEK ON NASET

Bullying and Children with Disabilities Series

Bullying and Children with Disabilities Series


In high school, there are many difficulties that children must face. Grades, assignments, and extracurricular activities are just to name a few. There is one topic, however, that can be detrimental to a child with disabilities' health and mental state. This has to do with bullying. Bullying can be found as early as elementary schools, although this can have serious effects as the children grow into young adults. Although it is common to see in multiple school settings, there is not enough research to show how students in self-contained settings are affected by bullying. Bullying is disproportionately represented by special education students. There is not enough research to show how students in self-contained settings are affected by bullying. The articles being used in this literature review are as follows: Comparative Study of Bullying Victimization Among Students in General and Special Education, Exposure to bullying among students with autism spectrum conditions: A multi-informant analysis of risk and protective factors, Bullying and Students With Disabilities: Examination of Disability Status and Educational Placement, and Bullying Experiences, Anxiety About Bullying, and Special Education Placement. Using the Florida International University (FIU) website, the articles were obtained with the ProQuest database. With these articles, bullying will be delved into from this review to see the effects it has on students with disabilities based on the data collected. Read More


Promoting Prosocial Behaviors in the Classroom

Humans are born with prosocial behaviors. Each time we do a prosocial act, our brain releases chemicals that make us feel good, and those same chemicals enhance learning.  According to a study from the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, "Prosocial behavior is linked positively to classroom grades and standardized test scores." Using prosocial behaviors in the classroom improves learning outcomes for students. Here are three prosocial behaviors you can use today in your classroom: gratitude, kindness, and empathy. In the classroom, foster gratitude by setting aside time for students to journal weekly or daily about things they are grateful for. Consider having them use a notebook, work with a shared folder in Google Drive, or staple sheets of paper to keep their entries together. Over time, remind students to go through their journal and look at previous entries because this type of review helps deepen the effectiveness of the gratitude journal. Read More


 

Major Changes in IEP Diagnosis and Classification for Children with Disabilities Proposed by NASET

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is proposing major changes to the existing system in which children with disabilities are diagnosed and classified on EPs (Individual Educational Programs). This new system will provide all professionals working in the field of special education, college students preparing to work with children with special needs, administrators, college professors, parents, and students with disabilities the information necessary to adequately determine the most comprehensive, detailed, and precise diagnoses of disabilities or disorders seen in infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents, particularly in the educational environment. Read More

 


Schools Ramp up Efforts to Prevent, Reduce Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Do your school staff members have gatherings or activities to help them build relationships with each other? Is there a process for collaborating with community-based behavioral health providers for students who need support? Does your district track schools' use of social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices or other efforts to support students' and staff members' well-being? Those are among the questions school and district leaders can ask themselves as part of a growing initiative to respond to the adverse childhood experiences - or ACEs - research has shown can impact school performance and long-term health outcomes. Read More



TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Rezty Gapuz, Simone Wilson, Daniel Rayder, Mazie Wellington, Stephenie Blakemore, Latorrya Buie, Patsy Ray, Karen Frantz-Fry, Diane Campbell-Mitchell, Olumide Akerele, Matthew Lunsford, Katie Venable, Charlette Pettis, Cindi Maurice, Amy Ross Bradl, and Jenifer Womble-Ericson who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

Many children with emotional and behavioral disorders have a loss of interest in things they used to enjoy (e.g., they used to enjoy going to the mall, now they stay in their rooms; they used to enjoy playing sports, now they are inactive). What is the term that means "a loss of interest or pleasure in things a person used to enjoy"?  

Answer: ANHEDONIA 

This Week's Trivia Question: In this movie, no one expects much from Christy Brown (Academy Award Winner--Daniel Day-Lewis), a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy has spastic quadriplegia, and is essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of a certain body part by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his mother-- and no shortage of grit and determination -- Christy becomes a painter, poet and author. What is the name of this movie? 

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by December 23, 2019. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review 



Schools Ramp up Efforts to Prevent, Reduce Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Do your school staff members have gatherings or activities to help them build relationships with each other? Is there a process for collaborating with community-based behavioral health providers for students who need support? Does your district track schools' use of social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices or other efforts to support students' and staff members' well-being? Those are among the questions school and district leaders can ask themselves as part of a growing initiative to respond to the adverse childhood experiences - or ACEs - research has shown can impact school performance and long-term health outcomes. Read More


U.S. Agency Warns Company Marketing 'Stem Cells' for Autism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has over the past week taken multiple actions against makers of stem-cell products. On 5 December, the agency warned California-based Liveyon that its unapproved stem cell products "put patients at rsik" due to the possibility of microbial contamination. On 9 December, the agency issued a safety alert, warning the public about unapproved products based on stem cells and exosomes - membrane-bound sacs that shuttle molecules between cells. Spectrum reported in March that Liveyon's stem cell products are increasingly being prescribed for autism, even though the therapy is unproven and potentially dangerous. The cells are derived from umbilical cord blood that would otherwise be discarded at public hospitals. Doctors inject the products into the blood of autistic children or spray them up children's noses for several thousand dollars per treatment. Read More



Proposed Bill May Help Provide Employment for People with Disabilities in South Carolina

South Carolina Representatives Neal Collins and Mandy Powers Norrell prefiled a bill Dec. 11 that aims to create more employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Currently, only 32 states have policies that encourage businesses to hire people with disabilities while the federal government provides the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to employers who hire people with physical or mental disabilities. South Carolina does not have any guidelines or incentives to incline businesses to hire disabled people. According to executive director of Able SC Kimberly Tissot, the goal of the Employment First Initiative Act is to advance employment of disabled people in the state. "We look forward to having these discussions at the Statehouse in the new session. South Carolina has been behind other states for far too long, and it is time that we develop an employment culture that truly includes all people, with and without disabilities," Tissot said. Read More


For Many, Federal Protections for Those with Disabilities are not Enough

Tate Hall, like many other buildings on the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus, is compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.  The bathrooms have accessibility stalls, there are multiple elevators and the building has two entrances for those with mobility challenges. Despite its compliance, it can seem hard, if not impossible, for some attending classes to navigate the building alone. The ADA is a federal law enacted in the 1990s to mitigate discrimination of people with disabilities. While there are multiple sections, one aspect requires public buildings, like those on the University's campus, to meet certain accessibility standards. According to Katrina Jirik, who has multiple disabilities impacting her motor control, communication and sensory perception, many buildings on campus are extremely difficult to navigate, even accounting for the aid she depends on to travel the halls in her power chair.  Read More


For Some with Disabilities, ADA-Compliant Bathrooms aren't Always Accessible

For some people with disabilities, finding bathrooms to use in public facilities can be a challenge. Even if a bathroom meets Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, the stalls might still be inaccessible if a person uses a high-tech wheelchair or service animal. To prevent that from happening in the bathroom of the new Municipal Court building being built downtown, some members of the Mayor's Council for People with Disabilities tested the bathroom layout with those working on the project. "It's so important for us to be involved, because the general public doesn't understand what it's like to have a disability," said Julie Tucker, a member of the council. Read More


The ADHD Symptoms that Complicate and Exacerbate a Math Learning Disability

At math conferences, I am often the only one talking about learning disabilities. And at learning disabilities conferences, when I present my talk "What's math got to do with it? Math learning disabilities, dyslexia, and ADHD," I'm often the only one talking about math. There is a near-void of information about the connections and interactions between ADHD, language-based disorders, and math learning disabilities - and the implications for treatment. Yet data tell us this is a critical need. Roughly 35% of the population experiences math difficulties of some kind, and 6.4% have dyscalculia, or math learning disabilities (MLD). Children with a family history of math difficulties are 10 times more likely than the general population to have trouble with math themselves. Read More


 

Area Businesses Give Students with Special Needs a Day They Won't Forget

The holidays are a busy time for businesses in the area. But despite that, several local companies put time and money aside to make some students at Holmen High feel and look like a million dollars. A ride in a limo is usually reserved for a special occasion. "I heard it's going to be fun," projected Jacob Flick, a student with Project LIVE at Holmen High School. Most people can count the times they've been in one on one hand.  "We decided to kick it up a notch," said Nick Slusser, Special Education Teacher at Holmen High School.  Read More

 



 

Side Effects of Pediatric Medications for Anxiety, OCD

Sometimes, the medications needed to function and live a quality life cause side effects that can make life quite uncomfortable. Dr. Jeffrey Strawn, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Jeffrey Mills, associate professor in the Department of Economics at the UC Lindner College of Business, published a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry looking specifically at side effects that impact children and adolescents being treated for anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Strawn says this is one of the first studies examining side effects of these medications in youth that doesn't just focus on suicidal thinking or discontinuation of medication. Read More

 


Settlement Orders Ohio to Improve Education for Students with Disabilities 

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has five years to create and implement a plan providing more support and resources to students with disabilities. It's part of a tentative sttlement in a class action lawsuit with advocates for children with disabilities. ODE will work with an advisory board to develop a plan to improve performance outcomes for students with disabilities. The settlement also calls for the state to provide additional support for special education services. The plan will focus on student literacy, prepare disabled students for life after graduation, and provide training for educators. Kerstin Sjoberg is the assistant executive director for the nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights Ohio (DRO). She said students with disabilities face more barriers in getting a quality education. Read More

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As Workers Become Harder to Find, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs Hope Neurodiverse Talent Can Be the Missing Piece

As organizations look for new talent pools in a tight labor market, neurodiverse individuals have become an attractive target. Neurodivergent people include those with autism, Asperger's syndrome, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other people with cognitive differences. According to Lawrence Fung, Ph.D, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University Medical Center and head of the Stanford Diversity Project, 80% of people on the autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed. The father of a neurodivergent teenager with autism, Fung is trying to help employers understand the untapped potential of this population. And while some companies began looking at opportunities to hire neurodivergent employees several years ago, efforts are gaining more traction today. Read More


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"Sensitive Santa" Makes Sure Kids with Sensory Disabilities Join in the Holiday Fun

Many children wait all year to see Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. We've all seen the long lines of people at shopping malls waiting to take a picture with Santa and ask for that perfect Christmas gift, but for children with autism and other sensory disabilities, it's not a lot of fun. "They're overstimulated by too much light, too much noise. You go to a mall and it's crowded and you get a little anxious? Amplify that by 10," organizer Jeannine Morrissey said. Kids with sensory issues got their own space to spread holiday cheer in Pittston. Volunteers at First Baptist church welcomed "sensitive Santa," only kids with sensory disabilities were invited to tell Santa why they should make the "nice list." Read More


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Prenatal and Early Life Exposure to Multiple Air Pollutants Increases Odds of Toddler Allergies

A new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) shows a significant association between multiple prenatal and early life exposures to indoor pollutants and the degree of allergic sensitivity in 2-year-olds."Because most children are exposed to more than one pollutant or allergen, we examined the relationship between multiple exposures and allergic sensitizations at 2 years of age," says Mallory Gallant, MSc, lead author of the study. "We examined exposure to dogs, cats, air fresheners, candles, mold, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and carpet, all of which have been associated with childhood allergies. Of the exposures we measured, prenatal exposure to candles, 6-month exposure to cats and 2-year exposure to ETS significantly increased the chance of a positive skin prick test (SPT) at 2 years of age." Read More


Prenatal and Early Life Exposure to Multiple Air Pollutants Increases Odds of Toddler Allergies

A new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) shows a significant association between multiple prenatal and early life exposures to indoor pollutants and the degree of allergic sensitivity in 2-year-olds."Because most children are exposed to more than one pollutant or allergen, we examined the relationship between multiple exposures and allergic sensitizations at 2 years of age," says Mallory Gallant, MSc, lead author of the study. "We examined exposure to dogs, cats, air fresheners, candles, mold, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and carpet, all of which have been associated with childhood allergies. Of the exposures we measured, prenatal exposure to candles, 6-month exposure to cats and 2-year exposure to ETS significantly increased the chance of a positive skin prick test (SPT) at 2 years of age." Read More



LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET

* Long Term Sub Special Education 4th Grade STEM Teacher - The Quad Preparatory School is an alternative, non-profit, K-12 college preparatory school dedicated to the education of Twice Exceptional Students -- bright, neurodiverse, and creative children who learn differently. The Quad Preparatory School is a young, fast-growing school founded five years ago, and also a vibrant professional learning community for employees. To learn more - Click here

* Principal - Julie Billiart Schools - ("JB Schools") is a network of Catholic, non-public schools serving children in grades K-8 with special learning challenges. Currently operating on two campuses in Lyndhurst and Akron with plans to expand to a third campus in Greater Cleveland in August 2021, JB Schools creates unique learning environments for students with autism, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia and social learning challenges. To learn more - Click here

* Classroom Special Educators Needed - Fulltime NYS Certified Special Education Teacher needed in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Bronx private schools for children with developmental and behavioral delays. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits. The ideal candidate is a school-based professional with a friendly and team player demeanor. To learn more -  

Click here

* Teacher Assistant - The Teacher Assistant assists the classroom teacher in carrying out the academic and behavioral objectives set forth in the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) by providing direct instructional services to students and performing non-teaching support duties under the supervision of the classroom teacher. To learn more - Click here

* Resource Specialist - The Resource Specialist is a certificated, exempt position with Element Education, Inc. (EEI) which operates Dimensions Collaborative and Community Montessori Charter Schools. The Resource Specialist directly reports to the Director of Special Education. The Resource Specialist will work directly with the Director of Special Education to implement the EEI's Special Education programs and provide support and guidance to Educational Facilitators and parents of students with special needs. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education (Charleston, IL). Spec. Ed. Teacher. Develop materials for indiv. programs, goals/objectives for students, and evaluate acad/therapeutic/social growth for Spec. Ed students (K - age 21). Keep records and progress reports. Give standardized tests, other evaluative materials, maintain IEPs. To learn more - Click here

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



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

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: The fear of failure.

                                             Paulo Coelho


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