WEEK IN REVIEW

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

August 8, 2014 - Vol 10, Issue 32

Doctors Urge Meningitis Shots for Vulnerable Infants, Children

Infants and children who are at risk of contracting meningitis because of specific health problems should be vaccinated against the infection, according to updated recommendations from the largest pediatrician group in the United States. And routine vaccinations for the potentially deadly infection should continue for adolescents and college students, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. In its first statement on meningococcal vaccines since 2011, the academy notes that three such vaccines are now licensed for use down into infancy. They are deemed appropriate for youngsters age 2 months and older with immune deficiencies, missing spleens, sickle cell disease or other higher infection risks. Other young children don't need the shots, the guidelines say. To read more,click here

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Supreme Court Asked To Clarify Schools' IDEA Obligations

The nation's school district leaders are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on who should pay for a child's private school tuition while special education disputes are litigated. Currently, school districts are responsible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's "stay-put" provision for paying for a student to remain in their existing educational placement while parents and schools sort out disputes related to the child's special education services. Now, however, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the National School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association say that schools should be relieved of the responsibility to foot the bill for private school placements once a court finds in a district's favor. To read more,click here

Even Thinking an Odor is Harmful May Spur Asthma Symptoms

For patients with asthma, just believing an odor is potentially harmful is enough to trigger airway inflammation for at least 24 hours, a new study indicates. "It's not just what you smell, but also what you think you smell," study author Cristina Jaen, a physiologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said in a Monell news release. "Asthmatics often are anxious about scents and fragrances. When we expect that an odor is harmful, our bodies react as if that odor is indeed harmful," Jaen explained. "Both patients and care providers need to understand how expectations about odors can influence symptoms of the disease." To read more,click here

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Early Stem Cell Transplant Vital in 'Bubble Boy' Disease

Babies born with so-called "bubble boy" disease can often be cured with a stem cell transplant, regardless of the donor -- but early treatment is critical, a new study finds. Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), as the condition is medically known, actually refers to a group of rare genetic disorders that all but eliminate the immune system. That leaves children at high risk of severe infections. The term "bubble boy" became popular after a Texas boy with SCID lived in a plastic bubble to ward off infections. The boy, David Vetter, died in 1984 at the age of 12, after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant -- an attempt to give him a functioning immune system. To read more,click here

Summer Can be Time to Address Behavior Problems

Summertime is a time for sun and fun, but with kids spending more time at home, it could also be a time of whining and bickering.After weeks of the kids being out of school, some parents have had enough of their behavior and are counting the days until they go back. Some may also be wondering how much of the defiant behavior is normal and when it's time to seek help. According to Daniel Waschbusch, Ph.D., Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and professor, Penn State College of Medicine, defiance includes a child saying 'no' to a request, sitting and doing nothing when the child is expected to do something, and continuing a behavior that the child has been asked to stop. To read more,click here

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Inflexibility May Be Hardwired In Those With Autism

Kids with autism have less flexible brains, researchers say in a new study that may help explain why switching from rest to a task can be particularly difficult for those on the spectrum. Brain scans of children with autism indicate that there's little difference in how key networks connect no matter if they're at rest or engaged in an activity, according to findings published this week in the journal Cerebral Cortex. In contrast, typically-developing children display a more significant shift in brain connections when they take on new tasks. For the study, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to observe brain activity in 34 kids with autism and 34 without. Each child was monitored at rest and while performing two tasks - solving a simple math problem and looking at pictures of different faces. To read more,click here

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Background TV Can be Bad for Kids

Leaving the television on can be detrimental to children's learning and development, according to a new study. Researchers found that background television can divert a child's attention from play and learning. Regardless of family demographics, parenting can act as a buffer against the impacts of background TV, the research team found. To read more,click here

Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Closer than Ever?

Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute are one step closer to creating a viable cell replacement therapy for multiple sclerosis from a patient's own cells. For the first time, NYSCF scientists generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells lines from skin samples of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and further, they developed an accelerated protocol to induce these stem cells into becoming oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system implicated in multiple sclerosis and many other diseases. Existing protocols for producing oligodendrocytes had taken almost half a year to produce, limiting the ability of researchers to conduct their research. This study has cut that time approximately in half, making the ability to utilize these cells in research much more feasible. To read more,click here

Many Depressed Preschoolers Still Suffer in Later School Years

Children diagnosed with depression as preschoolers are likely to suffer from depression as school-age children and young adolescents, new research shows. The investigators followed 246 children, now ages 9 to 12, who were enrolled in the study as preschoolers when they were 3 to 5 years old. The children and their primary caregivers participated in up to six annual and four semiannual assessments. They were screened using a tool called the Preschool Feelings Checklist and evaluated using an age-appropriate diagnostic interview.To read more,click here

In First, State Adopts Updated 'Handicapped' Symbol

A revamped version of the blue and white icon that's long symbolized accessibility everywhere from parking lots to restrooms will soon be commonplace in more communities. Under a bill signed late last week, New York will be come the first state to require all new and replacement signage used to signify accessibility for people with disabilities to include a more active, in-motion image of a person using a wheelchair. The state will also change the terminology on such signs, employing the word "accessible" instead of "handicapped." The shift is about more than aesthetics, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in signing the legislation. To read more,click here

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Electronic Screening Tool to Triage Teenagers and Risk of Substance Misuse

An electronic screening tool that starts with a single question to assess the frequency of substance misuse appears to be an easy way to screen teenagers who visited a physician for routine medical care.Substance use can cause illness and death in adolescents. Screening adolescents and intervening if there is substance use can reduce the burden of addiction. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional organizations recommend that primary care physicians screen adolescents for substance use. The authors examined use of an electronic screening and assessment tool to triage adolescents into four categories regarding nontobacco substance use: no past-year alcohol or drug use, past-year use with a substance use disorder (SUD), mild or moderate SUD and severe SUD. The tool also can assess tobacco use. The study included 216 adolescent patients (ages 12 to 17 years) from outpatient centers at a pediatric hospital who completed the screening from June 2012 through March 2013. The screening started with a single question that assessed the frequency of past-year use in eight categories of substances, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs. Patients who reported use were asked additional questions. To read more,click here

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'Love Hormone' Oxytocin May Help Some With Autism

Treating certain adult autism patients with just a single dose of the hormone oxytocin quickly improved their ability to judge facial expressions and emotions, Japanese researchers report. Known as the "love hormone," oxytocin has been shown to play a role in emotional bonding between lovers, and between mothers and their children. In this study, it boosted underperforming neural activity in a key area of the brain that has long been associated with the processing of both empathy and emotion recognition. To read more,click here

Runner With Autism Vies For Magazine Cover

Alex Schneider has pulled away from the pack. The 24-year-old Great Neck, N.Y. resident who is competing for the cover of Runner's World has earned a spot on the leaderboard. Schneider is one of the roughly 1,700 runners vying to be on the cover of the national magazine's December 2014 issue, and as of midday Tuesday, online voters had put him in the 8th place, with more than 3,800 votes. "It's been crazy," said Schneider's mother, Robyn. "He keeps inching up and inching up." Robyn Schneider said many of the votes being cast for her son are coming from the autism community. Alex Schneider and his twin brother, Jamie, both have autism and are nonverbal. To read more,click here

New Drugs to Combat Asthma, Similar Illnesses

Science and industry are collaborating to develop future pharmaceuticals for treating chronic inflammatory diseases. The medicines will combat immunological processes that have gone wrong. Statistics indicate that there are 300 million asthma sufferers worldwide, a further 600 million people living with chronic pneumonia and up to 30% of the global population contending with allergic rhinitis (allergic inflammation of the nasal airways).To read more,click here

Inclusive Classrooms Provide Language Boost, Study Finds

For young children with disabilities, the key to mastering language may be surrounding them with their typically-developing peers, researchers say. Over the course of just one school year, a new study finds that preschoolers with disabilities who attended mainstream classes with highly-skilled peers were using language on par with their classmates without disabilities. By comparison, kids with special needs who were surrounded by children with weak language skills remained far behind their typically-developing peers at the end of the school year. To read more,click here

Computerized ADHD Testing

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood condition characterized by more than normal difficulty with focus, behavior control, impulsivity and hyperactivity. It affects nine percent of children younger than 18 and about approximately four percent of American adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition as girls but after adolescence, males and females are diagnosed in equal numbers. Some kids grow out of it, and some never do. Arti Lal, MD, a pediatrician who specializes in treating patients at the ADHD Clinic at Scott & White in North Austin, is currently utilizing a new technology on patients which is called the Quotient® ADHD Test. It is FDA-cleared for the objective measurement of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, as an aid in the assessment of ADHD. The test measures motion and analyzes shifts in attention state to give an assessment of the core symptom areas of ADHD: * Hyperactivity * Impulsivity * Inattention "Since ADHD shares traits with other mental health conditions, it can be difficult to diagnose. So, a thorough assessment by a trained professional is critical. The test is a more objective test than previous methods of diagnosis and will serve as an additional tool for us as clinicians," Dr. Lal said. "Testing can be done from age six to 55 years."To read more,click here

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Different Areas of Brain Affected in Autism, Sensory Disorders

Although the vast majority of kids with autism have abnormal sensory behaviors, their brains are still wired very differently from children who have trouble processing sensory stimuli, researchers report. Children with sensory processing disorders (SPD) can be overly sensitive to sound, sight and touch. They can also have poor motor skills and show a lack of concentration. Complicating matters, some kids with SPD have more severe symptoms than others. Some have trouble tolerating loud noises, like a vacuum. Others can't hold a pencil or control their emotions. Symptoms can also vary from one day to the next. This had led to a debate about whether SPD should be considered a separate disorder, the researchers pointed out. To read more,click here

* Assistant Professor - Special Education - is a full-time Faculty position.  The incumbent is responsible for the coordination, planning, preparation, presentation, and evaluation of classroom instruction and related activities.  To learn more - click here

* $125,000 Salary for Master Middle School Teachers! - The Equity Project Charter School is a 5th through 8th grade middle school serving low-income students in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.TEP is the school that pays its experienced teachers a $125,000 salary to work on a team of master practitioners in an environment that values and develops teaching excellence. - To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Mesa Public Schools is committed to providing unprecedented excellence in education. We believe in holding all students to high academic expectations and providing the resources and support to ensure that each student is equipped with the skills, attitudes and values necessary for success in life. - To learn more - Click here

* Prepster Support Teacher - The Prepster Support Teacher works with Blue Chip Teachers, the Director of Academic Achievement and Prepster Support Coordinator to ensure our prepsters have the academic supports necessary to excel. - To learn more - Click here