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NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

July 24, 2020                    Vol 16 Issue #30

Dear NASET Members and Guests,

Welcome to NASET's WEEK in REVIEW.  Here, we provide you with the latest publications fromNASET 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,

WHATS NEW AT NASET

NASET's Parent Teacher Conference Handouts

What is Early Intervention?

It is crucial to assist parents in understanding what is services are available if they have developmental concerns about their child ages birth to three. Early intervention services are designed to address the developmental needs of eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities, ages birth to the third birthday, and their families. Early intervention is authorized by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Read More

Night Owl Teens at Greater Risk for Asthma, Allergies

A new study shows that asthma and allergies are more common among teens who prefer to stay up late and wake later in the morning, compared to those who sleep and wake earlier. Asthma symptoms are known to be strongly linked to the body’s internal clock, but this study is the first to examine how individual sleep preferences influence asthma risk in teenagers. Researchers say the study reinforces the importance of sleep timing for teenagers and opens up a new channel of research into how sleep affects teenagers’ respiratory health. The new findings are published in the journal ERJ Open Research. Read More

Cystic Fibrosis: Why So Many Respiratory Complications?

Cystic fibrosis causes severe respiratory and digestive disorders. Despite considerable therapeutic advances, this disease still reduces life expectancy, in particular due to life-threatening respiratory infections. Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have discovered the reason for this large number of lung infections: a protein, Vav3, promotes these infections by creating a "bacterial docking station" on airways' surface. Inhibiting this protein might prevent bacteria from docking on airways' surface and causing recurrent infections. These results, to be read in the journal Cell Reports, pave the way of interesting therapeutic prospects for limiting respiratory complications in people with cystic fibrosis. Read More

Study of Natural Gas Flaring Finds High Risks to Babies

Researchers from USC and UCLA have found that exposure to flaring -- the burning off of excess natural gas -- at oil and gas production sites is associated with 50% higher odds of preterm birth, compared with no exposure. "Our study finds that living near flaring is harmful to pregnant women and babies," said Jill Johnston, an environmental health scientist at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "We have seen a sharp increase in flaring in Texas' Eagle Ford Shale, and this is the first study to explore the potential health impacts." The research appears July 15 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Read More

Early Life Stress is Associated with Youth-Onset Depression for Some Types of Stress but not Others

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that individuals exposed to early life stress (ELS) were more likely to develop a major depressive disorder (MDD) in childhood or adolescence than individuals who had not been exposed to ELS. Examining the association between eight different types of ELS and youth-onset depression, the authors found that while some types of ELS (e.g., poverty) were not associated with MDD, other types of stress, including emotional abuse, were associated more strongly with MDD than a broader assessment of ELS. Read More

Learning the Wiring Diagram for Autism Spectrum Disorders

A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified brain circuitry that plays a key role in the dysfunctional social, repetitive, and inflexible behavioral differences that characterize autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The findings, published online this week in Nature Neuroscience, could lead to new therapies for these relatively prevalent disorders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 1 in 54 children in the U.S. have ASD, a broad range of neurodevelopmental conditions thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although researchers have identified some key genes and pathways that contribute to ASD, the underlying biology of these disorders remains poorly understood, says Peter Tsai, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the departments of neurology and neurotherapeutics, neuroscience, pediatrics, and psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. Read More

Parents Can Visit Children with Disabilities at NJ Facilities After 4-month COVID-19 Lockdown

Parents will be allowed to visit their children with disabilities at long-term care facilities after being apart for four months when the homes were locked down to halt the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday. "We know this has been a trying time for the families of residents in these settings," Murphy said at his COVID-19 briefing. "With these guidelines in place and with the proper safety protocol within these facilities, I am grateful that families will once again be together," he said. Read More

Teen Creates Comics with Superheroes with Disabilities to Inspire Her Friend

When Trinity Jagdeo’s best friend was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, a rare and serious degenerative disease, Trinity wished her friend had a hero she could relate to, someone to inspire her. She couldn’t find one. So she created one. “Seeing what my best friend was going through, I wanted to do more for others like her.” In 2014, her friend Alexus Dick was hospitalized for six months. “We’d watched all of the movies that she had lining her room, and I took note of how drained she was. She had nobody to look up to while she was going through that battle.” Read More

New for this Year’s Back-to-School Shopping List: Face Masks

Below the requests for highlighters, colored pencils and glue sticks, past the descriptions of spiral notebooks, two-pocket folders and three-ring binders, is a newly added line on many school supply lists for the 2020-21 academic year—one that illustrates just how much the world has changed since spring. The new line item goes by “face masks,” “fabric masks,” “cloth masks” or “face coverings.” Whatever term is used, the overall message is clear: Many schools and districts, whether by their own choice or by a decision handed down from the state, will be encouraging—and in some cases requiring—that students and staff wear face masks when they return to their school buildings in the fall. Read More

Higher Education’s Next Great Challenge: Ensuring Full Inclusion for Students with Disabilities

Disability-diversity on college campuses is no longer optional—it is an expectation. Students entering college today have grown up with the ADA and they have witnessed inclusion and mainstreaming of students with disabilities their entire lives. The most powerful barriers to full inclusion include stigmas about students with disabilities, negatives attitudes, technology barriers, and lack of understanding among campus administrators, faculty, and staff.  Becoming an inclusive community takes work at all levels—from the top administration and Board of Trustees, to faculty and staff, to students. This new guide outlines specific actions that all institutions can take to create an inclusive environment for students whether in-person or online. Encouraging a more diverse student and alumni population benefits the entire learning establishment while preparing all students for a future workforce that is fully inclusive. Read More

Virtual Learning Keeps Students with Special Needs Engaged

As the debate continues over whether it will be safe to return to school in the fall, some students are trying to stay engaged during the summer. For students with special needs, it can be especially challenging. Learning new life skills is about overcoming those challenges. From inside her home, special education teacher Rebecca Josefek begins her classes with meditation each morning. “We try to find one that would energize us and get us started for the day. But it's important for them to center to focus,” said Josefek. Read More

State Will Appeal Federal Court Decision to Educate Special Ed Students Up To Age 22

With little explanation the state of Connecticut appealed a federal court ruling that found it must continue to provide services to special education students until they turn 22 years old. Bob Joondeph, executive director of Disability Rights Connecticut, who represented A.R. in the lawsuit said he’s “disappointed,” on behalf of the 600 to 800 students who need these services and have been denied these services. In June, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Haight Jr. ruled that the Connecticut State Board of Education’s decision to limit services to special education students after their 21st birthdays violates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The ruling found that because Connecticut provides public education to non-disabled individuals over the age of 21 in the form of adult education and GED programs, it must offer something similar for special education students. Read More

Autism Researchers Map Brain Circuitry of Social Preference

Some individuals love meeting new people, while others abhor the idea. For individuals with conditions such as autism, unfamiliar social interactions can produce negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. A new study from Scripps Research reveals how two key neural circuits dictate the choice between social approach and avoidance. Neuroscientists who study autism have sought to define the brain circuits underlying these challenges, to enable more precise diagnosis, and to develop protocols for testing the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Brain mapping efforts have implicated multiple areas, including the emotional center of the brain and the region responsible for coordinating thoughts and actions. Assigning cause and effect to changes in these regions to the symptoms of autism, however, has been challenging. Read More

&nbs

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Cindi Maurice, LeighAnne Haygood, Wendy Stein, Olumide Akerele, Patricia Hummel, Karen Frantz-Fry, Tracey Christilles, Patsy Ray, Jerrica Hawkins, and Angela Fernandez who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

According to research done at The Ohio State University, children who do this from kindergarten to eighth grade may suffer unexpected costs as young adults. Researchers found that those who do this in the early years of school were less likely to vote, reported having greater economic difficulties and had poorer educational outcomes when they were 22 to 23 years old. There's a misconception, especially among parents, that it doesn't matter as much if kids do this early on -- that it only becomes important when they get to middle or high school. The results suggest this should be taken more seriously. What is it?

Answer: SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM

This Week's Trivia Question: This inherited disorder causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. It affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. These secreted fluids are normally thin and slippery. But in people with this disorder, a defective gene causes the secretions to become sticky and thick. Instead of acting as lubricants, the secretions plug up tubes, ducts and passageways, especially in the lungs and pancreas. More than 30,000 people are living with it (more than 70,000 worldwide). What is the disorder?

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by July 27, 2020. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review

Removing Barriers for Those Living with Disabilities

In UNDP Belarus office, there was a mirror around two metres high. Most people cannot use it. “Now you understand how people in wheelchairs, like me, usually feel with mirrors hanging at the usual height,” explains Aliaksander Audzevich, who prefers to be called Sasha. A former participant of the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities, he served as an inclusion officer in the UNDP Belarus Hub, in Minsk. “My main goal at UNDP was to remove barriers to employment for persons with disabilities and to educate employers on how to create accessible and inclusive working environments,” he says. He describes how, in Belarus, only about 20 percent of persons with disabilities work. In order to improve that figure, Sasha has been striving to remove barriers to inclusion, both physical such as promoting the use of accessible toilets and desks, and ramps, and cultural. Read More

Parental Factors and Home Environment Found to Play a Role in Student Math Abilities

A pair of researchers at the University of Sussex has found that the kind of relationship a child has with his or her parents can have a major impact on how well they do in learning math at school. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Danielle Evans and Andy Field describe their study of data from an ongoing research effort aimed at learning about how children grow up in the U.K. and what they learned from it. The United Kingdom is in the midst of what the authors describe as a "maths crisis." Half of all adults in the U.K., they claim, have math skills no better than what would be expected of a child in kindergarten. Such deficiencies are seen as a threat to employment opportunities and give rise to higher rates of people living at the lower end of the economic spectrum. Read More

Vanderbilt Poll: One-Third of Tennessee Parents Worry about Kids & Mental Health

According to a new poll from the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Health Policy, one-third of Tennessee parents with children aged 6 to 17 are worried their child has an undiagnosed mental health condition. Research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Medical Center found these concerns include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression. “Mental health conditions are common among children and adolescents,” said Dr. S. Todd Callahan, associate professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Health. “Mental health symptoms can be a serious threat to a child’s health, growth and development. The good news is that these symptoms usually improve with intervention and treatment.” The poll surveyed a statewide sample of 1,100 Tennessee parents about their concerns related to social, emotional and behavioral health. Read More

JOB POSTINGS

* Special Education Teacher - Teacher needed for students ages 7-23 with intellectual disabilities. Students are in non-graded classes but do have goal work. Located in Columbia, TN (45 minutes south of Nashville), the school boasts small (4-to-1) student-to-teacher ratio class settings. Teachers enjoy extensive training opportunities, generous classroom supply budgets, benefits, and competitive non-public-school salaries. To Learn more - Click here

* Learning Specialist Teacher - The primary responsibility of the Bennett Day School Learning Specialist is to support the academic and developmental needs of the Bennett Day School community. We seek a Learning Specialist Teacher who will work in close partnership with students, faculty, and families to provide support and direction connected to academic and developmental growth of students in grades Senior Kindergarten through Seventh Grade. To learn more - Click here

* Chief Executive Officer - St. Coletta of Greater Washington is seeking an experienced Chief Executive Officer to lead and manage the organization while achieving educational and operational goals. This person will be responsible for strategically growing St. Coletta with an eye toward achieving success not only for the school, but for the children and adults that benefit from their services.To Learn more - Click here

* Asst Supt - Exceptional Children - The Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Services is a critical leadership role that directly affects the acceleration of improved student outcomes for GCS’s 10,534 students with special needs. This role directs, monitors and strengthens programs and ensures all services are implemented within federal, state, and local regulations. To learn more - Click here

* Education Specialist - We are always looking for compassionate, exceptional educators to join our SPED Team (grades K-5 or 6-8) ! You’ll work collaboratively with your colleagues to drive the achievement of all students in your grade level. You will be encouraged and supported to lead engaging, personalized, and rigorous lessons that integrate our four pillars: Heart, Smart, Think, and Act. To learn more - Click here

* High School Special Education Teacher - New Trier High School is a large, high-achieving school in the northern suburbs of Chicago with two campuses in Northfield and Winnetka, Illinois. The outstanding Special Education department is large and comprehensive. To learn more - Click here

* Diverse Learner Teacher - We are seeking experienced full-time Diverse Learner Teachers (K-8 Grades) to join CICS Avalon, CICS Basil, and CICS Washington Park Campuses for the 2020-2021 school year. A Diverse Learner Teacher holds primary responsibility for providing academic, emotional, and physical services for students who require additional support to thrive within the school’s core academic program. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - We are looking for highly motivated and skilled Special Education teachers to join our team at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). DCPS serves more than 51,000 students through the e?orts of approximately 4,000 educators in 117 schools. DCPS intends to have the highest-performing, best paid, most satis?ed, and most honored educator force in the nation and a distinctive central o?ce sta? whose work supports and drives instructional excellence and signi?cant achievement gains for DCPS students. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Environmental Charter Schools is seeking a talented and dynamic Special Education Teacher who is passionate about preparing low-income students of color for college success. The mission of the Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) is to reimagine public education in low-income communities of color to prepare conscious, critical thinkers who are equipped to graduate from college and create a more equitable and sustainable world. To learn more - Click here

If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The healthiest response to life is joy.

Mark Twain