WEEK IN REVIEW

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

May 2, 2014 - Vol 10, Issue 18

FDA Warns Against Bogus Autism Treatments

Companies that make false or misleading claims that their products and therapies can treat or even cure autism face possible legal action if they continue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned them. As part of National Autism Awareness Month in April, the FDA wanted to inform consumers about bogus autism therapies. Autism disorders affect about one in 68 children, according to figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children with autism have difficulty with social interactions and communication, among other symptoms. There is no cure for autism, so any products that claim to do so are scams, and the same is true of many products marketed as autism treatments. Some of these products pose serious health risks, according to the agency. Products include chelation therapies, which claim to rid the body of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. They're sold in many different forms, including sprays, capsules, liquid drops, suppositories and clay baths. But these treatments can remove important minerals needed by the body, resulting in significant and life-threatening problems, the FDA said in a news release. To read more,click here

UN: People With Disabilities Free To Make Own Decisions

People with even the most severe disabilities have the right to make their own decisions, no matter if their choices are risky or ultimately turn out to be mistakes, a United Nations panel says in new guidelines to nations. The comments come from the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - an 18-member group charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - in a statement Tuesday designed to dispel misunderstandings about the international treaty. Under the convention, nations commit to "recognize that persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life." To read more,click here

NASET Sponsor - University of Cincinnati

ADHD Drug Ritalin Boosted Self-Control in Tests

Ritalin, a drug used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may help people maintain self-control so they can stick to a diet or a boring project, a new study suggests. Despite the findings, you shouldn't start using Ritalin to assist your self-control, the study authors cautioned. Ritalin is a powerful psychiatric drug that should only be taken with a prescription. Previous research suggests that maintaining self-control for long stretches of time can deplete that attribute, said the authors of the U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded study. "It is as if self-control is a limited resource that 'runs out' if it is used too much," lead researcher Chandra Sripada, of the University of Michigan, said in a journal news release. "If we could figure out the brain mechanisms that cause regulatory depletion, then maybe we could find a way to prevent it." To read more,click here

Telemedicine Shows Promise For ABA Therapy

Using web-based technology to teach parents the strategies of applied behavior analysis could offer big gains for kids with autism, new research suggests. In a small study of rural parents who participated in a series of online tutorials and videoconferencing sessions, researchers found that they could help moms and dads substantially increase their knowledge of ABA and apply the techniques without forcing the families to make long drives to a clinic. The finding could have particularly big implications for families living in remote communities that lack therapy offerings, researchers said. To read more,click here

1 in 13 U.S. Schoolkids Takes Psych Meds: Report

More than 7 percent of American schoolchildren are taking at least one medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties, a new government report shows. Apparently, the medications are working: More than half of the parents said the drugs are helping their children, according to the report. "We can't advise parents on what they should do, but I think it's positive that over half of parents reported that medications helped 'a lot,' " said report author LaJeana Howie, a statistical research scientist at the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Howie and her colleagues weren't able to identify the specific disorders the children were being treated for, although she said 81 percent of the children with emotional or behavioral difficulties had been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at some point in their lives. To read more,click here

Language Problems Common for Kids With ADHD, Study Finds

Children who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are nearly three times more likely to have language problems than kids without ADHD, according to new research. And those language difficulties can have far-reaching academic consequences, the study found. The study, published online April 21 in Pediatrics, looked at 6- to 8-year-olds with and without ADHD in Australia. "We found that 40 percent of children in the ADHD group had language problems, compared to 17 percent of children in the 'control' group," said Emma Sciberras, a clinical psychologist and post-doctoral research fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Victoria, Australia. "Rates of language problems were similar in boys and girls with ADHD," she added. To read more,click here

NASET Sponsor - University of Nebraska

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

NASET Sponsor - University of Kansas

FDA Reconsiders Behavior-Modifying 'Shock Devices'

They're likened to a dog's "shock collar" by some and called a "life-saving treatment" by others. But the days of electro-shock devices as a tool for managing hard-to-control behavior in people with disabilities may be numbered, U.S. health officials say. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel is meeting Thursday to discuss a ban on using "electrical stimulation devices" to modify aggressive or self-injurious behavior in people with severe emotional problems or developmental disorders such as autism. "The FDA has grown concerned that serious risks of using these devices may outweigh the benefits for patients with limited intellectual ability or developmental disabilities, and that they may pose an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury to patients," agency spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said. To read more,click here

Debate Surrounds Condition That Mimics Psychiatric Disorders

One day, Tessa Gallo was a typical sixth-grader, performing in school plays, running on the track team, goofing around with her two sisters and giggling with girlfriends at sleepovers. The next, said her mother, Teresa, "She was psychotic and mentally retarded." In bizarre and frightening scenes, Tessa acted as frantic as a caged animal, darting out of the family car into traffic, jumping fences and hiding in neighbors' bushes. At times she seemed catatonic, with food falling out of her mouth because she somehow couldn't swallow. She repeated the same few sentences over and over, worried about her braces, wanting to go home. To read more,click here

Bullying Rates Drop Among American Teens: Study

American teens are much less likely to engage in bullying than they were a decade ago, new research suggests. Surveys completed by middle school and high school students between 1998 and 2010 suggest that instances of both verbal and physical bullying dropped by roughly half, with much of the decline seen specifically among boys. Study author Jessamyn Perlus, a fellow in the division of intramural population health research with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, described her team's findings as "encouraging." To read more,click here

Bowel Illnesses Sometimes Coincide in Kids

Children suffering from irritable bowel syndrome are four times more likely than other kids to have a condition called celiac disease -- an allergy to gluten -- Italian researchers report. More than 2 million people in the United States have celiac disease, or about one in every 133 people, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Irritable bowel syndrome, another condition, causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. Some symptoms may overlap with those of celiac disease. To read more,click here

Annual Special Education Law Symposium at Lehigh University

Lehigh University offers its annual Special Education Law Symposium from June 22 to 27, 2014 on its Bethlehem, PA campus. Featuring experienced attorney presenters from various states and balancing school and parent perspectives, the week-long symposium offers a choice of two tracks: 1) one that addresses the needs of experienced professionals who desire an in depth update by exploring current "hot topics," and 2) an alternate one that addresses the foundational needs of individuals new to special education laws, regulations, and case law. The featured keynote speakers will be Michael Yudin and Dr. Melody Musgrove, respectively the leaders of OSERS and OSEP in the U.S. Department of Education. The symposium separately includes an inaugural ALJ/IHO Institute exclusively for administrative law judges and impartial hearing officers. The symposium concludes with a National Case Law Update by Dr. Perry Zirkel.  Registration options are available on a daily basis or for the week, as are graduate and continuing education credit. For program topics, fees, and other information, visit the website: coe.lehigh.edu/law or email or call Shannon Weber or Donna Johnson atspecialedlaw@lehigh.eduor (610) 758-5557(610) 758-5557.

Cell-Targeted Therapy Shows Early Promise Against MS

Treatment targeting specific white blood cells in the immune system known as B cells may help people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. The study involved 231 people with a form of MS that's called relapsing-remitting. For these patients, there are times when their disease is very active. At other times, the condition becomes less intense and they may experience a full or partial recovery of function. Researchers gave the participants either several low doses of a drug called ofatumumab or a harmless placebo pill. Ofatumumab is an "anti-B cell antibody" and is not yet approved for the treatment of MS. The research was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's maker. To read more,click here

Group Homes' Decision To Bar Newlyweds From Cohabiting Upheld

A federal judge has thrown out a discrimination claim from a married couple with intellectual disabilities who were denied the opportunity to live together in the same group home. Paul Forziano, 31, and Hava Samuels, 36, sued the administrators of their group homes last year alleging disability discrimination after they were told that they could not live together following their April 2013 wedding. Before marrying, Forziano and Samuels lived in separate group homes in Manorville, N.Y. The couple and their parents claimed that requests for the pair to live together as a married couple were denied by administrators of the group homes who indicated that such an arrangement would be "unprecedented," "impossible" and "fraught with difficulties." To read more,click here

Gene Therapy May Enhance Cochlear Implants, Animal Study Finds

Australian researchers say that gene therapy may one day improve the hearing of people with cochlear implants, allowing them to appreciate music and hear in noisy environments. In experiments with deaf guinea pigs, senior study author Gary Housley and colleagues found that inserting genes in the area of the cochlear implant and passing an electric charge through the implant stimulated the growth of cochlear cells. "Our study found a [new] way to provide safe localized delivery of a gene to the cochlea, using the cochlear implant device itself. The gene acts as a nerve growth factor, which stimulates repair of the cochlear nerve," said Housley, a professor and director of the Translational Neuroscience Facility at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. To read more,click here

How Kids' Brain Structures Grow as Memory Develops

Our ability to store memories improves during childhood, associated with structural changes in the hippocampus and its connections with prefrontal and parietal cortices. New research is exploring how these brain regions develop at this crucial time. Eventually, that could give insights into disorders that typically emerge in the transition into and during adolescence and affect memory, such as schizophrenia and depression.To read more,click here

Two Drugs Work Equally Well for Epileptic Seizures in Kids: Study

Researchers comparing two drugs used to treat epileptic seizures in children -- lorazepam (Ativan) and diazepam (Valium) -- found no difference between them in safety or effectiveness. Although previous studies gave the edge to Ativan, Dr. James Chamberlain, lead researcher for the new study, gave several reasons why Valium might be as good or better. "Unexpectedly, Ativan is not superior to Valium for treating pediatric seizures. It's been dogma in medicine that Ativan is better than Valium, but this study shows that they are just about equal," said Chamberlain, division chief of emergency medicine and trauma services at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. To read more,click here

Discovery Could Lead to Novel Therapies for Fragile X Syndrome

Scientists studying the most common form of inherited mental disability -- a genetic disease called "Fragile X syndrome" -- have uncovered new details about the cellular processes responsible for the condition that could lead to the development of therapies to restore some of the capabilities lost in affected individuals. In a paper that will be published in the May 8 Molecular Cell, but is being made available this week in the early online edition of the journal, the researchers show how the fragile X mental retardation protein, or FMRP, which is in short supply in individuals with Fragile X, affects the protein-making structures of cells in the brain to cause the disease.To read more,click here

Size of Fetus May Affect Stillbirth Risk

Fetuses that are either too small or too large are at increased risk for stillbirth, a large new study says. Researchers analyzed all the stillbirths that occurred over 2.5 years at 59 hospitals in five regions of the United States. They found that abnormal fetal growth was associated with between 25 percent and 50 percent of the stillbirths. Stillbirth refers to a fetal death that occurs during pregnancy at 20 weeks' gestation or later, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The news study found that fetuses that were small for gestational age had a threefold to fourfold higher risk of stillbirth compared to those with normal weight. Being large for gestational weight was also associated with a greater likelihood of stillbirth. To read more,click here

Honor Society for Special Education Teachers

'Brain Training' Overcomes Tics in Tourette Syndrome, Study Finds

Children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) may unconsciously train their brain to more effectively control their tics. Teenagers diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome (TS) were slower than their typically developing peers when asked to perform a task that involved them simply moving their eyes to look at targets. However, they significantly outperformed their peers when the task was more demanding and required them to choose between looking at or away from targets. In this task they were as fast as their peers but made fewer eye movements in the wrong direction.To read more,click here

Participants Sought for Study Being Conducted by U.S. Department of Education

We are seeking Special Educators to participate in an interesting study funded by the U.S. Department of Education.  Please forward this email to any people or groups you think might be interested in participating.  Participants must:

• Currently serve at least one student with complex communication needs at any grade level, including early intervention/early childhood special education.
• Be responsible for developing communication-related IEP/IFSP goals for one student, as described above.
• NOT currently use the Communication Matrix to evaluate students

Participants will receive an honorarium ranging from $200-$350 depending on the group they are assigned to.

If you are interested in further details about this study, please email cooal@ohsu.edu.

Grant #H327A110010

U. S. Dept. of Education

Dr. Charity Rowland, P. I.

No Connection Between Induced Labor, Autism: Obgyns

There is no connection between inducing labor in childbirth and autism, according to a new statement released Monday by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Existing guidelines on when and how labor should be induced or accelerated should not be changed, because limiting labor inductions could have negative effects on the health of women and their babies, ACOG's committee on obstetric practice recommended in a "committee opinion." Although some studies have suggested there may be a link between autism and the use of oxytocin to induce or speed up labor, this research has significant limitations, according to an ACOG news release. The studies were small, inconsistent and retrospective, the opinion said, and limited comparison groups meant certain factors might not have been accounted for. To read more,click here

Inhibited Children Become Anxious Adults: Examining the Causes and Effects of Early Shyness

Three little girls sit together in a room, playing with the toys surrounding them. One of the girls -- "Emma" -- has clearly taken charge of the group, and the others happily go along with her. A fourth girl -- "Jane" -- enters the room, hiding her face while clinging to her mother. The first three continue to play, while mom sits Jane down with some toys a few feet away from the group. After mom leaves, however, Jane sits alone against the wall. Emma makes her way over to Jane, inviting her to play with the rest of the group. Jane -- looking trapped -- starts to cry, then stands up and tries desperately to open the door.To read more,click here