New This Week on NASET

Are Too Many Young Americans Getting Antipsychotics for ADHD?

A growing number of teens and young adults are being prescribed powerful antipsychotics, even though the medications aren't approved to treat two disorders -- ADHD and depression -- they are commonly used for, a new study shows. Researchers found that antipsychotic use rose among children aged 13 and older -- from 1.1 percent in 2006 to nearly 1.2 percent in 2010. And among young adults -- people aged 19 to 24 -- antipsychotic use increased from 0.69 percent in 2006 to 0.84 percent in 2010. To read more,click here

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State To Require Cameras In Special Ed Classrooms

In what's believed to be a first, a new law in Texas will require schools to install cameras upon request in classrooms serving students with disabilities. The law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month mandates that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the state employ video cameras if they are requested by a parent, trustee or staff member. Under the measure, such requests can only be made for self-contained classrooms and other environments where the majority of students are receiving special education services. To read more,click here

Parents' Genetic Similarities Could Affect Kids' Intellect, Height

The less alike two parents are genetically, the taller and mentally sharper their kids tend to be, according to a new study of populations around the world. Researchers said the findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest that humans evolved to favor height and quick thinking. That may not sound surprising, experts said. But the work is "fascinating" in that it culled genetic information on more than 350,000 people from across the globe -- and found consistent patterns, said Dr. Martin Bialer, a medical geneticist who was not involved in the research. To read more,click here

Doctoral Student Dissertation: Volunteers Requested to Complete Survey for Research Study

My name is Melissa Douglas and I am a doctoral candidate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  I am working on a research study that focuses on the perceptions of Special Education Teachers in regards to music teacher participation in the IEP process.

Extracurricular Sports May Give Kids' Academics a Boost

Extracurricular sports may help children develop the discipline they need to succeed in the classroom, a new study suggests. Kids' attention span and level of self-control are linked to their participation in organized, after-school sports, the researchers said. They noted their findings could help school and public health officials develop improved strategies that would reach children at risk for obesity as well as those struggling in school. "We worked with information provided by parents and teachers to compare kindergarteners' activities with their classroom engagement as they grew up," study leader Linda Pagani, of the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Children's Hospital, said in a university news release. To read more,click here

Feds Aim To Help College Students With Disabilities

Federal officials are looking to add new resources to support students with disabilities pursuing higher education. The U.S. Department of Education said it plans to fund a new National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students With Disabilities. This center would "provide technical assistance and information on best and promising practices for students with disabilities as they transition to or attend postsecondary education," the Education Department said in a notice published in the Federal Register announcing the funding availability. To read more,click here

Cystic Fibrosis Might Be Deadlier for Hispanics, Study Suggests

Cystic fibrosis is deadlier for Hispanic patients than others, and genetic differences may make Hispanics less likely to benefit from new treatments for the disease, researchers report. "We need to ask if the care model for patients with [cystic fibrosis] is working for this minority group," study author Dr. MyMy Buu, an instructor in pediatric pulmonary medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., said in a university news release. "We want to make sure that what we are doing is not inadvertently causing disparities." To read more,click here

Speech Disorder More Common In Kids With Autism, Study Finds

New research suggests that an otherwise rare speech disorder may affect nearly two-thirds of kids with autism, a finding that's prompting calls for greater screening. The condition called apraxia is estimated to affect just one or two out of every 1,000 children, but a study finds that 64 percent of children with autism may also have the speech disorder. "Children with apraxia have difficulty coordinating the use of their tongue, lips, mouth and jaw to accurately produce speech sounds, so that each time they say the same word, it comes out differently, and even their parents have difficulty understanding them," said Cheryl Tierney, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Penn State College of Medicine, who led the study published online in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. To read more,click here

Umbilical Cord 'Milking' May Help Preemies Delivered by C-Section

Gently massaging the umbilical cords of preterm infants delivered by C-section may improve their blood pressure, boost blood flow and increase levels of red blood cells, a new study finds. Researchers suggest this technique could offer these preemies greater health benefits than the current method of delaying cord clamping for up to one minute after delivery. "The study results are very encouraging," Dr. Tonse Raju, chief of The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, said in an agency news release. "The findings need to be confirmed in a larger number of births, but at this point, it appears that umbilical cord milking may prove to be of great benefit to preterm infants delivered via cesarean." To read more,click here

Losing Weight May Ease Asthma in Obese People

Losing weight may help reduce asthma severity in obese adults, a new Canadian study finds. "We were pleased to see significant improvement in asthma symptoms, as well as quality of life for these individuals. This study further supports the need to manage [chronic disorders] to improve patient lives," said study author Dr. Smita Pakhale, from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa. People who are obese are about 1.5 times more likely to have asthma than those who aren't obese. A 3-unit increase in body mass index -- BMI, an estimate of body fat based on weight and height -- is associated with a 35 percent increase in the risk of asthma, the researchers said in a news release from the American College of Chest Physicians. To read more,click here

Parents, Stop Hovering: 'Risky' Play May Have Benefits for Kids

Children may benefit, physically and socially, from being allowed to play with less monitoring from mom and dad, a new research review finds. There was a time when parents sent their kids outside to play, with the instruction to '"just be home by dinner." Times have changed, however, and worries over children's safety -- whether it's being injured, or harmed by a stranger -- have led to kids having more structured activities, and less "free play." But there is such a thing as too much caution, experts say. To read more,click here

Could Brain Scans Help Guide Treatment for OCD?

Psychotherapy can help some people avoid the disruptive behaviors linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and a new study suggests that brain scans can help spot those patients for whom the therapy will be most effective. The treatment is called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It works by placing patients in controlled situations where they are exposed to anxiety-causing stimuli, so that they gradually learn to deal better with these situations. "Cognitive behavioral therapy is in many cases very effective, at least in the short term," said Dr. Jamie Feusner, an associate professor of psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the Semel Institute's Adult OCD Program. To read more,click here

U.S. Kids Suffer High Rates of Assault, Abuse, Study Finds

More than one-third of U.S. children and teens have been physically assaulted -- mostly by siblings and peers -- in the past year, a new study finds. And one in 20 kids has been physically abused by a parent or another caregiver in the same time period, the researchers said. "Children are the most victimized segment of the population," said study author David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. "The full burden of this tends to be missed because many national crime indicators either do not include the experience of all children or don't look at the big picture and include all the kinds of violence to which children are exposed." To read more,click here

School Coaches Often Ill-Equipped to Spot, Manage Concussions

U.S. middle school and high school coaches may not be sufficiently trained and equipped to quickly recognize concussions in student athletes, two new studies suggest. Without solid concussion training, coaches may mishandle a student's head injury, experts said. "High school coaches are the primary responders on the field when head injuries occur, and every state now has some sort of mandate when it comes to the handling of student athlete concussions, which is great," said Meredith Madden, a resident in athletic training at Boston College and lead author of one of the new studies. Her survey of Massachusetts coaches revealed some shortcomings. To read more,click here

Diabetes Rates Fall in Neighborhoods With Healthy Food, Parks and Gyms

Neighborhoods with easy access to healthy foods and safe places to exercise may help residents reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. The study found that the risk of developing diabetes was 12 percent lower in neighborhoods with access to healthy foods. The researchers also found a 21 percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in areas with greater opportunities for physical activity. "Most of the efforts to prevent type 2 diabetes focus on individuals," said lead researcher Paul Christine of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Our study points to the need to consider neighborhood environments as targets that could complement individual-based intervention programs," he said. To read more,click here

Complaint Alleges ADA Violations In Conservatorship Proceedings

A disability-rights group has filed a federal complaint alleging that the Los Angeles County Superior Court has systemically violated the civil rights of residents with intellectual disabilities who are under limited conservatorships by failing to provide effective legal assistance through its court-appointed attorneys. The class-action complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in Los Angeles late last week, claims that court-appointed attorneys routinely violate the Americans with Disabilities Act during limited-conservatorship proceedings. To read more,click here

Overuse Injuries More Common in High School Females

Young female athletes appear to face a far greater risk for repetitive motion injuries than young males do, new research suggests. The finding stems from an analysis that looked at overuse injuries among 3,000 male and female high school athletes participating in 20 different sports. Researchers from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus report that the highest overuse injury rate was observed among girls who ran track. This was followed by girls who played field hockey and girls who played lacrosse. To read more,click here

Disability Advocates Push Back Against Wage Limits

When Josie Badger was 21 and needed a job, her best bet for employment as a person with a disability was to create her own nonprofit - so she did. Ten years later, the Ohio Township, Pa. resident, who has a doctorate in health care ethics, works three jobs - but she has to be careful to make sure she is paid enough to eat, yet not enough to lose her government health care benefits. Badger uses a scooter for mobility and a ventilator to breathe and needs attendant care around the clock. Medicaid finances the care that Badger needs. While the program is not income dependent for children, as an adult there are income limits. And those mean she has to live on poverty wages of less than $1,040 a month to keep her benefits. To read more,click here