Dear NASET News, Welcome to NASET'sWEEK in REVIEW. Here, we provide you with the latest publications from NASET to read and or download, as well as some of the most interesting articles that have happened this week in the field of special education. We hope you enjoy this publication. Feel free to send us articles for this publication or let us know your thoughts about the WEEK in REVIEW at news@naset.org. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
NASET News Team |
NEW THIS WEEK ON NASETNASET's RTI Roundtable Series
The Role of FBA in RTI2-B By Cindy Widner This issue of NASET's RTI Roundtable was written by Cindy Winer and will focus on the role of FBA in RTI 2-B. With the upcoming implementation of RTI 2-B, it is imperative that educators understand the role of a functional behavior assessment in the process. One of the most controversial issues that arises within the RTI process is the responsibility of the implementation of components. The conflict stems from a lack of understanding, training, and direction in the FBA process. This article is intended to increase the understanding of who is responsible for conducting a FBA and how it can be done both as a formal and informal assessment. Read More |
NASET's HOW TO SeriesHow To Understand Adult Service Agencies Involved in the Transition ProcessMany different individuals come together to help the student plan for transition. Typically, transition planning is handled by members of the IEP team, with other individuals becoming involved as needed. It's important to involve a variety of people, for they will bring their unique perspectives to the planning table. The team draws upon the expertise of the different members and pools their information to make decisions or recommendations for the student. In addition to the regular players at the IEP table (parents, student, special education and general education teachers, related service providers, administrators, others), when transition is going to be discussed, representatives of outside agencies may be invited, especially those who are well informed about resources and adult services in the community. Here's a list of four different agencies to consider, plus the ever-useful "Other" category. Each is discussed in some detail further below. Read More
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NASET's HOW TO SeriesHow To Understand Age of MajorityIDEA's Exact WordsThe relevant IEP-related provision within IDEA requires the following: (c) Transfer of rights at age of majority. Beginning not later than one year before the child reaches the age of majority under State law, the IEP must include a statement that the child has been informed of the child's rights under Part B of the Act, if any, that will transfer to the child on reaching the age of majority under §300.520. [§300.320(c)] Read More
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Pattern of Marijuana use During Adolescence May Impact Psychosocial Outcomes in AdulthoodHow an adolescent uses marijuana, in particular a pattern of escalating use, may make an adolescent more prone to higher rates of depression and lower educational accomplishments by the time they reach adulthood. Those findings come from a new study led by researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Pitt Department of Psychology published in the journal Addiction. "We know that cannabis use in adolescence is associated with outcomes like lower educational level, and difficulties with mood and depression, but through this long-term study, we've been able to provide a much deeper insight into this relationship, showing that certain characteristics of use may be more important than others," said Erika Forbes, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, psychology and pediatrics, and lead author of the study. "The findings highlight that understanding marijuana use across the entire period of adolescence, which we know is an extremely vulnerable developmental phase, may tell us much more about detrimental long-term impacts than knowing about overall or one time use." Read More
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Toddlers Begin Learning Rules of Reading, Writing at Very Early Age, Study FindsEven the proudest of parents may struggle to find some semblance of meaning behind the seemingly random mish-mash of letters that often emerge from a toddler's first scribbled and scrawled attempts at putting words on paper. But new research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that children as young as 3 already are beginning to recognize and follow important rules and patterns governing how letters in the English language fit together to make words. The study, published this month in the journal Child Development, provides new evidence that children start to learn about some aspects of reading and writing at a very early age. Read More |
Autism Advocate Temple Grandin Says Video Games Can Negatively Impact People with AutismInternationally renowned animal behaviour scientist and autism advocate Temple Grandin has used a meet and greet in regional Queensland the discuss the risks of video game addiction for people with autism. Professor Grandin, who has been diagnosed with autism herself, said she saw the negative impact of video game playing. "We've got to limit the screen time unless they're doing a college class online or something like that," she said. "What I'm seeing now is the kids who learnt how to work before they graduated from high school, they're doing well - I'm talking about fully verbal kids - and the ones who haven't learnt how to work, they are getting addicted to video games. Read More |

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'Are We There Yet?' Explaining ADHD Science to ChildrenNobody will deny it: science is very complex. But it does not mean that only a select few should be able to grasp scientific concepts. Many recent efforts have been directed towards involving the public in the scientific process and broadening access to scientific data. Consistent with this approach, scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) just published their research on ADHD in a most unusual academic journal: the Frontiers for Young Minds is an electronic scientific journal whose primary audience comprises children from elementary and junior high schools. Moreover, children are also involved in the fact-checking process necessary for any respected scientific journal, including the thorough peer-review of submitted articles. Read More |
Maternal Obesity May Raise Risk of Depression, Psychiatric Problems in ChildrenA new study has found a link between a high-fat diet in pregnant primates and brain development problems in their offspring, and suggests that the same may be true for humans. Although the research is preliminary, it could have important implications considering the high rate of obesity in American women. For the study, the team from Oregon Health & Science University looked at 65 pregnant Japanese macaques, half of which were given a high-fat diet during the course of their pregnancy while the other half were given a normal balanced diet. The 65 monkeys gave birth to 135 offspring, all of which were observed for psychiatric problems. Results revealed that both males and females born to macaques who were fed the high-fat diet displayed more nervous and anxious behavior than those born to mothers fed a normal diet. In addition, further investigation revealed that on a biological level, offspring of mothers fed a high-fat diet had impairments in neurons that made the neurotransmitter serotonin. Read More |
Very Preterm Birth Not Associated with Mood, Anxiety DisordersDo very-preterm or very-low-weight babies develop anxiety and mood disorders later in life? Julia Jaekel, assistant professor of child and family studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Dieter Wolke, professor of psychology at the University of Warwick, co-authored a study to answer this question. The team studied nearly 400 individuals from birth to adulthood. Half of the participants had been born before 32 weeks gestation or at a very low birth weight (less than 3.3 pounds), and the other half had been born at term and normal birth weight. They assessed each participant when they were 6, 8 and 26 years old using detailed clinical interviews of psychiatric disorders. Read More |
Child Abuse and Neglect Linked to Gender InequalityChildren growing up in societies that experience high levels of gender inequality -- irrespective of whether these are developed or developing countries -- are more likely to be maltreated. This is according to a cross-national analysis of data from 57 countries worldwide, conducted by Joanne Klevens and Katie Ports of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. The results are published in Springer's Journal of Family Violence. Klevens and Ports analyzed data about severe physical discipline of children, such as being hit, slapped or repeatedly beaten, or child neglect (being left without the supervision of an adult). The source of the data was surveys conducted by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Demographic and Health Surveys conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2011 to 2015. Face-to-face questionnaires were completed by adult caregivers; they were asked about an index child in the household aged between 1 and 14, and about the levels of discipline this child was subjected to. Read More |
Maine Could Face Higher Fetal Alcohol Syndrome RatesBabies born in Maine probably will be more susceptible to physical and behavioral effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders because of higher rates of alcohol and drug use in the state compared to other parts of the country, according to a professional at a recent conference at Colby College. During the conference on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders - an umbrella term for the conditions that occur to a person whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant - Dr. Douglas Waite said 2 percent to 5 percent of the country's population have these conditions, and potentially up to 70 percent of children in foster care, as it's unknown if the mothers of those children drank while pregnant. But Waite said it's likely the numbers for Maine are even higher. Maine ranks as one of the states with the highest level of alcohol consumption and is also one of the states hit hardest by the opiate epidemic. Both alcohol and opiates, when used by a person who is pregnant, can affect the child's brain development. Read More |
Virtual Reality Lessons Can Help Students Become Better Real-Life TeachersBecause Associate Professor of Education Mary Catherine Scheeler has spent her career concentrating on ways to make special-education teacher preparation as effective as possible, she spent her recent sabbatical speaking with individuals - some human and some not - who could help her heighten that effort. What's reality, Scheeler said, is when new teachers leave Penn State's College of Education, "they are ready to hit the ground running, they are good. But we're always looking for ways to improve what we do." That's where the virtual reality comes in. Scheeler invested some time getting to know a quintet of avatar friends named Ed, Sean, Maria, CJ and Kevin. They are the stars of the educational show named TeachLivE, which originated at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and is an avatar-based simulation for teaching skills that is being used at about 50 universities domestically and globally. Read More |
Louisiana Seeks Proposals for Improving Schools for Students Who are Deaf or Those with Visual ImpairmentsThe state Department of Education issued a request for proposals Friday aimed at improving three special schools, including the Louisiana School for the Deaf. All three will undergo reviews by third-party evaluators, with a report due by the end of the year. "It is first and foremost an opportunity to improve these schools," state Superintendent of Education John White said. The other two that will undergo scrutiny are the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and the Louisiana Special Education Center. The schools for the deaf and visually impaired are in Baton Rouge. The special education center is in Alexandria. Read More |
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