WEEK IN REVIEW

NewNASETPublications and Articles of Interest in Special Education and Disabilities That Were Reported This Week

October 11, 2013 - Vol 9, Issue 41

New This Week on NASET

Missing Genes May Contribute to Autism Risk

Shedding more light on what's behind the developmental disorder, new research suggests that people with autism are more likely to be missing genes than those who are typically developing.

In a genome analysis of more than 800 people, researchers found that gene deletions were more common in those on the spectrum. That means that individuals with autism had a single copy of one or more genes when they should have had two. "This is the first finding that small deletions impacting one or two genes appear to be common in autism, and that these deletions contribute to risk of development of the disorder," said Joseph Buxbaum, a professor of psychiatry, genetics and genomic sciences and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who led thestudypublished this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

New Test Spots Risk for PTSD in Injured Kids

A simple, short mental health test already used for pediatric patients has been found effective at predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk among preschoolers seriously injured by such things as a burn or car crash. "The most important point is that until now we had no evidence-based method to identify preschool-age children for their risk of long-term psychological problems early after accidents," said the study's lead author, Markus Landolt, head of pediatric psychology at University Children's Hospital Zurich. Such problems can manifest as repetitive nightmares or the "replaying" of the initial trauma, anxiety, aggressive behavior, temper tantrums and problems with concentration, according to the researchers. To read more,click here

Cold, Abusive Parenting May Set Child Up for Health Woes as Adult

Adults who suffered childhood abuse and whose parents didn't show them affection are at increased risk for numerous types of health problems, a new study finds. Researchers looked at 18 markers of health risk in 756 adults, including blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone levels, cholesterol, waist circumference and blood sugar regulation. Each of these markers was given a score and these scores were added up to determine a person's risk for health problems. Those with higher scores were at greater risk. To read more,click here

Smoking in Pregnancy May Be Tied to Bipolar Disorder in Adult Offspring

Adult children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy may be at increased risk for developing bipolar disorder, a new study suggests. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that causes extreme mood swings. Symptoms of the condition typically become noticeable in the late teens or early adulthood. Researchers looked at 79 people with bipolar disorder and 654 people without the condition who were born between 1959 and 1966. People born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had a twofold increased risk of developing bipolar disorder. To read more,click here

Starbucks to Offer Accessible Gift Cards

In response to a customer request, coffee-giant Starbucks says it will make a Braille gift card available year-round. Since 2011, Starbucks has offered a Braille gift card for a limited time each fall. The card features the word "Starbucks" in the tactile writing system so that customers with visual impairments can differentiate it from other items in their wallets.

Now, the company says it will keep the accessible cards stocked at its retail stores permanently. The move comes in response to a request from a mother who told the company that her daughter who is blind loves using the card to buy her own hot chocolate. To read more,click here

Determining Whether a Preschool Child Has ADHD

When preschoolers have trouble staying still or paying attention, a combination of parent, teacher and clinician observations helps most in predicting the child's risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at a later age, a new study indicates. Many previous studies on school-age children have shown that parents and teachers -- rather than clinicians alone -- are more likely to assess ADHD accurately, but there's little evidence to support similar conclusions with preschoolers, according to the researchers. Sarah O'Neill, of City University of New York, and colleagues followed 104 hyperactive and/or inattentive 3- and 4-year-old children for two years. Their behavior was rated by their parents and teachers, as well as clinicians who conducted psychological tests on the children. To read more,click here

Preschoolers' Use of Psychiatric Drugs Levels Off, Study Shows

Doctors don't seem to be as quick as they once were to reach for their prescription pads when treating preschoolers for mental troubles, a new study shows. The research, published online Sept. 30 in the journal Pediatrics, looked at recent trends in the use of psychotropic medications -- drugs that alter mood or behavior -- in children between the ages of 2 and 5. After reaching a peak between 2002 and 2005, the use of drugs such as stimulants and antidepressants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression, respectively, leveled off between 2006 and 2009, even though diagnoses of those disorders climbed over the same time period. To read more,click here

NASET Sponsor - University of Kansas

Many More Kids Visiting ER for Sports Concussions

Many more children are showing up at emergency departments with traumatic brain injuries -- such as concussions -- from sports activities, a new study finds. Doctors at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that the number of emergency department visits for these injuries increased 92 percent between 2002 and 2011. Meanwhile, although the number of children admitted to the hospital rose in proportion to emergency department visits, the hospitalization rate held at a steady 10 percent. One bright spot in the study was that the severity of injuries decreased. And the rise in emergency department visits is probably due in part to better awareness, experts said. To read more,click here

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Teaching Sleep Tips to Parents Seems to Help Kids With Autism

Sleep education for parents of children with autism helps improve the youngsters' behavior and quality of life, according to a new study. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by difficulties in social interactions and communications. Autism spectrum disorders encompass a wide range from mild to severe. For the study, researchers provided sleep education for the parents of 80 children, aged 2 to 10, with an autism spectrum disorder. During the sessions, the parents learned about daytime and evening habits that promote sleep, including the importance of increasing exercise, limiting caffeine, and lessening the use of video games and computers close to bedtime. To read more,click here

For Many with Autism, Sleep Problematic Into Tween Years

Children with autism are waking up frequently and getting less sleep than their typically developing peers, researchers say, and the troubles may contribute to learning and behavior issues. In a long-termstudypublished online in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers found that poor sleep is affecting many children with autism into the tween years.

Researchers looked at data on more than 14,000 children born in 1991 and 199­2 in England, 86 of whom were ultimately diagnosed with autism. Parents were asked about the kids' sleep habits at eight different points when their children were between the ages of 6 months and 11 years. The children's intelligence, social and communication skills were also assessed at age 7. To read more,click here

NASET Sponsor - University of Kansas

First Global Study Confirms Widely Held Practices On Science, Math, and Reading Education

It's a long held belief that parental and administrative support helps breed academic success; now there's data to back that up. A new study released today by the IEA and the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College examines what makes up "cultural educational excellence" while quantifying the strengths of best practices at school, and at home. "The data supports many long held beliefs about good ways of raising your children and preparing them for school," says Dr. Michael Martin of Boston College, co-executive director of TIMSS and PIRLS and the study's co-author. "The analysis focuses on, 'How does that work, what's behind that?' There's never been data to do this, to show this mechanism, this path." To read more,click here

Leukemia Cells Are Addicted to Healthy Genes

What keeps leukemia cells alive almost forever, able to continue dividing endlessly and aggressively? New research at the Weizmann Institute suggests that, in around a quarter of all leukemias, the cancer cells rely on an internal "balance of terror" to keep going. When one version of a certain gene is mutated, it becomes a cancer-promoting gene -- an oncogene. But the new findings show that the second, normal version of the gene, which functions alongside the mutation, is what keeps the cells both cancerous and alive, able to continue forging their destructive pathway in the body. This research appeared last week in Cell Reports.To read more,click here

Pediatricians Warn That Cuts to SNAP Program Will Harm Children

In a commentary in this week's issue of Lancet, pediatricians from Boston Medical Center (BMC) call the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program), one of America's most cost-effective and successful public health programs in the country. According to the authors, not only does it make life much better for children and families, it also saves society money. Unfortunately they also point out that despite convincing evidence of the beneficial effects of SNAP on child health, legislators have targeted SNAP for cuts as they struggle to address the federal budget, lagging economy and the U.S. farm bill. To read more,click here

Three Hours Is Enough to Help Prevent Mental Health Issues in Teens

The incidence of mental health issues amongst 509 British youth was reduced by 25 to 33% over the 24 months following two 90-minute group therapy sessions, according to a study led by Dr. Patricia Conrod of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre. "Almost one-in-four American 8 to 15 year olds has experienced a mental health disorder over the past year. We know that these disorders are associated with a plethora of negative consequences," Conrod said. "Our study shows that teacher delivered interventions that target specific risk factors for mental health problems can be immensely effective at reducing the incidence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders in the long term." To read more,click here

Senator Wants More Young People with Disabilities Working

A key U.S. senator is pressing for a quarter-million more young people with disabilities to be employed by 2015. In a newreport, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, says that public and private sectors should come together to grow the number of young workers with disabilities by 250,000 in the next three years. "The enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 23 years ago, helped grant the promise of equality to Americans with disabilities. But today, more work remains to be done to knock down one of the last remaining barriers -- the gap in workforce participation that exists for millions of young adults," Harkin said. To read more,click here

Did You Know That....

The Order of Words: Understanding Differences in How Children and Adults Learn

There are words that convey a meaning, like verbs, nouns or adjectives, and others, like articles or conjunctions that sustain them, providing a structure for the sentence. A few years ago some scientists of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, together with collaborators from other Universities, showed that the order of the two categories of words within a sentence is important for language acquisition in infants already in their first year of life. Today a study, carried out by the same SISSA scientists, shows that also adults have similar preferences. A phenomenon that may help understanding the differences between how children and adults learn. To read more,click here

Experts Devise a Way to Cut Radiation Exposure in Children Needing Repeat Brain Scans

A team of pediatric neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center has developed a way to minimize dangerous radiation exposure in children with a condition that requires repeat CT scans of the brain. The experts say they reduced exposure without sacrificing the diagnostic accuracy of the images or compromising treatment decisions. The approach, described ahead of print in a report in the Journal of Neurosurgery, calls for using fewer X-ray snapshots or "slices" of the brain taken by CT scanners ­ seven instead of the usual 32 to 40 slices. The approach, the study found, reduced radiation exposure by an average of nearly 92 percent per patient compared with standard head CT scans, while still rendering the images diagnostically accurate. To read more,click here

Disney's New Disability Access Service Card: Everything You Need to Know

Disney's Guest Assistance Card (GAC) program is changing, and starting Oct. 9, will be called theDisability Access Service Card (DAS Card). Instead of gaining unlimited "front of the line" privileges (not how the program was ever supposed to work), guests with special needs will now be given an assigned return time to one attraction at a time. Modifications to the program will ensure that guests who truly need assistance will get it, while giving all guests the magical experience they've come to expect from Disney. To read more,click here

Honor Society for Special Education Teachers

Autism More Common In Kids with Cerebral Palsy

As the prevalence of cerebral palsy remains largely steady, new findings from researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that kids with the developmental disorder are at higher risk of having autism too. Roughly 1 in 323 American 8-year-olds have cerebral palsy, according to findings reported this week. Of them, nearly 7 percent are also diagnosed with autism. That's significantly higher than the 1 percent of all American kids estimated to be on the spectrum. The figurespublished last week in the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology come from the latest national effort to track the number of children with cerebral palsy. Such surveillance is conducted every other year much like the more commonly reported tracking of autism prevalence. To read more,click here