This issue ofNASET'sADHD serieswas written by Renee B. Brown, Ed.S. and comes from the Fall 2013 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP). It reviews pertinent research, then uses a single-subject experimental design and methodology to assess the impact of both positive and negative interventions to reduce the incidence of inappropriate classroom behavior in a 12.2 year old male student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the context of this study, inappropriate classroom behavior is defined as speaking out inappropriately in class. Evaluation of the data indicates several methods that (a) succeed in reducing instances of inappropriate behavior, and (b) demonstrated synergistic effects when used in combination. While not eliminated completely, instances of this inappropriate behavior were reduced from 5.2 instances per class session to less than one instance per class session.

Parents of those with developmental disabilities are no more likely to divorce than other moms and dads, new research suggests, but different factors are at play. For most couples, divorce odds increase as they have more children. Among parents of kids with special needs, however, this phenomenon is absent, according to findings published this month in the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Researchers looked at data collected through the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which has followed more than 10,000 people since they graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957 and some of their siblings. From this group, the researchers identified 190 parents with a biological child with a developmental disability and compared their experiences to over 7,250 parents of those without disabilities. To read more,click here

Children with autism may have a greater risk of obesity, with weight differences seen as early as preschool, a new study reveals. "A lot of things are happening for these families when their children are under 5, including going through the process of getting a diagnosis and just managing day-to-day behaviors and juggling their child's education and treatment needs," said study author Alison Presmanes Hill. "It is possible that the early signs and symptoms of autism are so salient for parents that they could overshadow concerns about weight problems," explained Hill, who is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Institute on Development and Disability at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. To read more,click here

Experiencing math anxiety -- nervousness and discomfort in relation to math -- impairs math performance for some students, but new research shows that it's linked with improved performance for others, at least to a degree. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In two studies, researchers Zhe Wang of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Stephen Petrill of The Ohio State University, and colleagues found that a moderate level of math anxiety was associated with high math performance among students who reported high math motivation -- that is, among students who reported that they valued math and embraced math challenges. For those who are low in this kind of math motivation, however, high math anxiety appears to be linked with low math performance. To read more,click here

The first guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension in children have been released by the American Heart Association and the American Thoracic Society. Pulmonary hypertension is a sometimes fatal heart and lung disease that affects nearly two of every 1,000 babies born each year. Children with the condition have blockages in the blood vessels of their lungs, making it harder for the heart to pump blood through them. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fainting and appearing blue. To read more,click here

A federal agency is calling on automakers and lawmakers alike to consider the needs of people with disabilities as self-driving cars inch closer to reality. With a report released this week, the National Council on Disability said that self-driving cars have "enormous potential" for people with disabilities, many of whom cannot currently obtain a driver's license. But, the independent federal agency charged with advising Congress and the president on disability matters said that many factors that are still in flux - both technological and regulatory - will determine how meaningful these cars can be for those with special needs. To read more,click here

Whooping cough may be tied to a slightly increased risk for a young child to develop epilepsy, a new study finds. Whooping cough (pertussis) is relatively rare in the United States, however. And the absolute risk to any one child of getting epilepsy remains "low," said Dr. Meghan Fleming, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She reviewed the findings from the new study. According to background information in the study, vaccination can prevent whooping cough, but roughly 16 million cases of the disease still occur worldwide each year. There were nearly 50,000 whooping cough cases reported in the United States in 2012, the study authors noted. To read more,click here

Pediatric researchers have developed the first set of growth charts for U.S. children with Down syndrome since 1988. These new charts provide an important tool for pediatricians to evaluate growth milestones for children and adolescents with this condition. With these new charts, pediatricians will be able to compare each patient's growth patterns with peers of the same age and sex who have Down syndrome. "Growth is a good indicator of a child's health and well-being, so it's an essential part of the pediatric examination," said study leader Babette S. Zemel, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition and Growth Laboratory at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). "Children with Down syndrome grow differently from other children, so it is important to have growth charts that reflect their unique growth pattern." To read more,click here

Exposure to dogs or farm animals early in life appears to reduce a child's risk of developing asthma, a new study shows. Researchers looked at more than one million Swedish children. They found that those who grew up with dogs in the home were nearly 15 percent less likely to develop asthma than those not exposed to dogs. The new study also confirmed earlier research showing that children who grow up on farms have lower rates of asthma. While the study can't prove cause-and-effect, it does "support the 'hygiene hypothesis,' in that early exposure of children to microbes may support the development of a healthy immune system," said Dr. Sherry Farzan, an allergist and immunologist at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. She was not involved in the study. To read more,click here

When Martha Youman was starting out as a second-grade teacher, every Friday she would stay late after school to make what she called "seat work" for her 30 students- packets to help differentiate instruction for the three levels of learners in her classroom. "My high-level [students] would get lots of reading passages with reading comprehension questions," she said. "My medium level would get the same thing, but shorter. And my students at the low level would get things like coloring pages, connect the dots - just things to keep them busy so they wouldn't act out." She said that some students at the lowest learning level couldn't even write the alphabet yet, so she'd even put kindergarten-style trace-the-letter pages into their seat work. To read more,click here

Using gene therapy, researchers report they've successfully treated muscular dystrophy in dogs. They believe this could pave the way for clinical trials of the treatment in humans within the next few years. The dogs had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which is the most common form of the disease in humans and primarily affects boys. Patients lose their ability to walk and breathe as they get older, the researchers said. "This is the most common muscle disease in boys, and there is currently no effective therapy," said study author Dongsheng Duan, a professor of medical research at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. To read more,click here

The U.S. preterm birth rate of nearly 10 percent -- one of the highest among wealthy nations -- has earned the country a "C" on the new March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card. Among 100 American cities with the most births, Shreveport, La., scored an "F" on the report card for its preterm birth rate of almost 20 percent in 2013, the most recent year for which city-by-city data is available. Portland, Ore., had the lowest preterm birth rate at about 7 percent, which earned it an "A." Only three other cities -- Oxnard, Calif., St. Paul, Minn., and Seattle -- received an "A." To read more,click here

Breast-fed children are just as likely to develop allergies as children who were formula-fed, preliminary new research suggests. But the study, which analyzed medical records from nearly 200 children aged 4 through 18, compared those who were "ever" breast-fed -- regardless of duration -- with those who had consumed only formula. The results conflict with conventional wisdom indicating that breast-feeding might protect children from a host of infections and other ailments, including allergies. "We think breast-feeding prevents a lot of allergies, but surprisingly, we found that kids [in both groups] had similar numbers of allergies," said study author Dr. Quindelyn Cook, a resident physician in pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center. To read more,click here

Nearly all U.S. kids under age 4 have used a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone, and they are using them at earlier and earlier ages, a new study finds. The study of 350 children in a low-income, minority community suggests that an income-based "digital divide" is shrinking. Parents surveyed said tablets are the most popular mobile devices for children, and kids as young as 1 use them more than 20 minutes a day on average. "Access to, familiarity with and skill using mobile devices are the first steps in achieving digital literacy," said one of the study's authors, Dr. Matilde Irigoyen, chair of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. To read more,click here

Employers - especially at small companies - are far less likely to respond to job seekers with disabilities, according to findings from a field test looking at thousands of applications. Using fake cover letters, researchers found that job applicants who mention a disability are 26 percent less likely to hear back from employers, according to findings reported in a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. For the study, researchers sent in applications in response to 6,016 advertised openings for accounting positions. All of the fictional applicants were appropriately qualified for the jobs, half of which were entry level while half were for more experienced professionals. To read more,click here

Identifying children with dyslexia as early as first grade could narrow or even close the achievement gap with typical readers, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Yale University. The data indicate that it is no longer acceptable to wait until a child is in third grade or later before undertaking efforts to identify or address dyslexia. "If the persistent achievement gap between dyslexic and typical readers is to be narrowed, or even closed, reading interventions must be implemented early, when children are still developing the basic foundation for reading acquisition," said Emilio Ferrer, a UC Davis psychology professor. He is lead author of the article published in The Journal of Pediatrics this month. To read more,click here

When Asperger's syndrome was dropped from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the change prompted concerns about increased stigma, but a new study finds those fears may be unfounded. In fact, researchers found that adults in the American general public appear to harbor no negative perceptions about a particular label on the autism spectrum over another. For the study, 465 adults were presented with vignettes describing a 9-year-old with symptoms that would qualify for both the old diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome as well as the current definition of autism. Though the story remained nearly identical for each participant, there was one key distinction - some were told the child had a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome while others were told the boy or girl was on the autism spectrum. A third group read the same story with no label provided at all. To read more,click here