| New This Week on NASETParent Teacher Conference Handout- July 2012
How is Autism Diagnosed?
Introduction The diagnosis of autism requires a variety of factors that many parents may not be aware of at the time of assessment. Correctly diagnosing autism as early as possible enhances the chances of adaptability in the school setting. This Parent Teacher Conference Handout explains what factors may be included in a diagnosis of autism. To read or download this issue -Click here (login required)______________________________________________________The Practical Teacher- July 2012 Trusting Information Resources
Maybe you've heard on the news recently something like this: "Exciting results today from a research study showing that children who have..." Or maybe you have heard from a parent of a student you teach, "Have you thought about XYZ intervention? It just might work for my child". Sound familiar? Ever had your interest piqued by such news of research with children who have disabilities? We know we have. Education research is great, because it can help us find new (and hopefully better) ways of doing things, such as educating our children with disabilities. But when your research sources are friends, the internet, or the popular press, how do you know if you can trust that information? This issue of NASET's Practical Teacher discusses five factors to keep in mind when considering research findings. To read or download this issue -Click here (login required) |
| Supreme Court Ruling Sets Stage for Full Rollout of Health-Care Reform Law The U.S. Supreme Court's long-awaited ruling Thursday upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act means that changes to the American health care system will roll out largely as planned when the bill was signed into law two years ago, experts say. "The opinion cleared the way for implementation to proceed," said Karen Pollitz, senior fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C. Perhaps the biggest impact of the law will be the decrease in the number of people who are uninsured or underinsured. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office estimates that the rolls of the uninsured will go down by 30 million to 33 million people by 2016, leaving 26 million or 27 million people uninsured, a 50 percent reduction. To read more,click here |
| Did You Know That....Under IDEIA, specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia |
| New Gene Mutations That Lead to Enlarged Brain Size, Cancer, Autism, Epilepsy Identified A research team led by Seattle Children's Research Institute has discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. Mutations in three genes, AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA, were also found to be associated with a constellation of disorders including cancer, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, autism, vascular anomalies and skin growth disorders.The study was published online June 24 in Nature Genetics. The discovery offers several important lessons and hope for the future in medicine. First, the research team discovered additional proof that the genetic make-up of a person is not completely determined at the moment of conception. Researchers previously recognized that genetic changes may occur after conception, but this was believed to be quite rare. Second, discovery of the genetic causes of these human diseases, including developmental disorders, may also lead directly to new possibilities for treatment. To read more,click here |
| NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT - Group Savings Plus from Liberty MutualAs a member ofNASETyou qualify for a special group discount* on your auto, home, and renter's insurance through Group Savings Plus® from Liberty Mutual. This unique program allows you to purchase high-quality auto, home and renters insurance at low group rates. See for yourself how much money you could save with Liberty Mutual compared to your current insurance provider. For a free, no-obligation quote, call 800-524-9400 or visit www.libertymutual.com/naset,or visit your local sales office.
*Group discounts, other discounts, and credits are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. Certain discounts apply to specific coverage only. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. |
| Smallest, Largest Fetuses at Higher Risk of Stillbirth Fetuses at the extremes of weight -- either very small or very large -- have a greater risk of being stillborn than babies of more average weight, a new study indicates. Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital in Ontario examined records of about 767,000 live births and nearly 4,700 stillbirths that occurred in Ontario between 2002 and 2007. Stillbirth is typically defined as a fetus that dies at the 23rd week of gestation or later and weighing at least 1.1 pounds, though this research included fetuses that died at 20 weeks or later. To read more,click here |
| Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Effective in Combatting Anxiety Disorders Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach -- a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders. The combination was more effective than CBT combined with other types of anxiety disorder treatments, like relaxation training according to Peter Norton, associate professor in clinical psychology and director of the Anxiety Disorder Clinic at the University of Houston (UH). To read more,click here |
| Did You Know That....Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage
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| Job Worries for Parents May Mean Poorer Nutrition for Kids The more work-related stress parents experience, the more likely their children are to eat unhealthy meals, a new study shows. "Who would have thought that a child's nutrition is affected by [parents] worrying about their jobs?" said Katherine Bauer, a researcher and assistant professor of public health at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education. Bauer conducted the research while at the University of Minnesota. To read more,click here |
| NASET Sponsor - Arkansas State University
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| TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEKGuess the answer to this week's trivia question and we'll recognize you in next week's Week in Review.
Congratulations to: Jessica L. Ulmer,Prahbhjot Malhi, Marlene Barnett, Lois Nembhard,Olumide Akerele, and Emily Oliver who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,17percent of children and teens are obese.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: According to recent research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience what type of loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers? (The researchers estimated that this loss affects 9 to 15 percent of HIV-infected children and 5 to 8 percent of children who did not have HIV at birth but whose mothers had HIV infection during pregnancy).
If you know the answer, send an email tocontactus@naset.org
All answers must be submitted no later than Monday, July 9, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. |
| New Insights Into the Effects of Stress On Pregnancy Expectant mothers who dealt with the strain of a hurricane or major tropical storm passing nearby during their pregnancy had children who were at elevated risk for abnormal health conditions at birth, according to a study led by a Princeton University researcher that offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy. The study used birth records from Texas and meteorological information to identify children born in the state between 1996 and 2008 whose mothers were in the path of a major tropical storm or hurricane during pregnancy. The children's health at birth was compared with that of siblings whose gestation didn't coincide with a major weather event. To read more,click here |
|  NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT - Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET MembersThrough 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. For more information on Board Certification in Special Education,click here |
| Small Babies Can Be Sign of Heart Problems in Mother Women who give birth to small babies may have abnormal heart function and be at risk for long-term heart problems, researchers report. The study involved 29 women with a condition known as fetal growth restriction (when fetuses are smaller than 90 percent of other fetuses for their gestational age), 25 women with preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and 58 women with normal pregnancies. To read more,click here |
| Sometimes, Cheating Is Allowed, Study Suggests No lying, cheating or forging parents' signatures -- school children basically want to be honest. Depending on the school situation, however, they make exceptions and adopt unconventional honesty rules. Then they are sometimes dishonest to get a better grade. Not lying is regarded as a learned and well-known rule of honesty among 14 and 15-year-olds at Zurich's high schools. Additional theoretical moral knowledge also includes conventional rules of honesty such as not using unfair aids during school tests or forging parents' signatures. What might seem like a duty to live up to school expectations at face value is actually a very different story beneath the surface. After all, dishonest practices are permitted for young people in certain classroom situations and with individual teachers. "In such cases, young people deem it acceptable to cheat on exams, withhold information or sign their parents' signatures themselves," explains Emanuela Chiapparini. The youth researcher from the University of Zurich studied the virtue "honesty" from the perspective of school children, conducting 31 in-depth interviews with high-school children aged between 14 and 15 in the Canton of Zurich. Based on the reports and accounts, she pieced together the explicit and implicit honesty rules among young people. To read more,click here |
| Standing at Work All Day While Pregnant Linked to Smaller Babies Standing for long periods of time or working more than 40 hours a week while pregnant may affect the baby's development, Dutch researchers report. In the new study, women who had jobs in sales, child care and teaching, which required spending many hours on their feet, had infants with heads about 3 percent smaller than women who worked in other jobs during their pregnancies, the researchers found. To read more,click here |
| Limited Radiation May Help Some Kids With Lymphoma Limited radiation therapy was associated with high rates of two-year, event-free survival in children with favorable-risk Hodgkin lymphoma who had a complete response to chemotherapy, a new study shows. More than 90 percent of children with favorable-risk Hodgkin lymphoma are long-term survivors. Research has shown, however, that these patients have elevated death rates more than 10 years after their diagnosis due to long-term toxic effects of their treatment, particularly radiation, said Dr. Monika Metzger, of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and colleagues. To read more,click here |
| Magnets in iPad2 May Alter Settings on Brain Shunt Devices Magnets embedded in the Apple iPad 2 can interfere with the settings of magnetically programmable shunt valves, which are critical devices to drain excess fluid from the brains of those with hydrocephalus and other conditions, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of Michigan decided to investigate the phenomenon after a 4-month-old patient with hydrocephalus was found to have a shunt malfunction three weeks after getting one implanted. The baby's mother had fed the child and used the iPad simultaneously, inadvertently placing the baby's head close to the tablet computer. To read more,click here |
| Asthma Rates Higher Near Busy Highways Residents of homes that are located near congested highways have higher rates of asthma, new research finds. Living close to a busy highway was not linked to seasonal allergies, which suggests that emissions from cars could increase the risk for inflammatory lung disease, researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in New York said. To read more,click here |
| Did You Know That....Children classified with a specific learning disability make up approximately 40% of all children receiving special education in the United States today. |
| New Approach to Reverse Multiple Sclerosis in Mice Models Mayo Clinic researchers have successfully used smaller, folded DNA molecules to stimulate regeneration and repair of nerve coatings in mice that mimic multiple sclerosis (MS). They say the finding, published June 28 in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests new possible therapies for MS patients. "The problem has been to find a way to encourage the nervous system to regenerate its own myelin (the coating on the nerves) so nerve cells can recover from an MS attack," says L. James Maher III, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic biochemist and senior author on the paper. "We show here that these small molecules, called aptamers, can stimulate repair in the mice we are studying." To read more,click here |
| Brain EEG Test Might Help Spot Autism: Study Electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that shows the electrical activity of the brain, might be used to spot autism in children, a new study suggests. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University Medical School, looked at the synchronization of brain activity across different brain regions, as measured by EEG. "These scientists used sensors to record electrical brain activity across many different regions on the scalp," explained Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer at the advocacy group Autism Speaks. "They then looked at the extent to which brain activity from one region was synchronized with brain activity from another region," a phenomenon known as "EEG coherence," said Dawson, who was not involved in the research. To read more,click here |
| Curry Spice, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Preserve Walking Ability Following Spinal-Cord Injury UCLA researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. Published June 26 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, the findings suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck. "Normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue," explained principal investigator Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can't repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself." To read more,click here |
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