Week in Review - October 23, 2020

Continuing_Ed


NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

October 23, 2020                    Vol 16 Issue #43



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 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE HANDOUT

How to Report Progress to his/her Teachers while Working At Home with Your Child with Special Needs


Introduction

Normally, the IEP must identify when periodic reports on the progress your child is making toward the annual goals will be provided to the student’s parents.  However, since many students are online and not in school it becomes more difficult for teachers to determine the progress when working online. Therefore the role iof the parent in assisting the teachers as to the progress that the parent sees can be crucial. This PTCH provides parents with an outline of what top look for and how to report the progress observed. Read More


 

When School is Home and Home is School, Which Rules Prevail?

Toys that look like weapons. Barefoot students. Disruptive imagery in the background. Pets roaming the room. All a clear violation of rules inside most American classrooms. But that was when most American students were actually inside schools. How do standards like these translate when everyone is logging on from home? Schools are struggling to figure it out this fall — yet another adaptation demanded of educators during the coronavirus pandemic. In the learn-from-home world, teachers and experts can easily imagine the friction of extending regular classroom discipline into young people’s previously private spaces. Can students have posters visible in the background backing social or political movements that others disagree with or find racist? Can they wear clothes at home that are banned from classrooms? How can a teacher respond when a student says or does something that the instructor deems rude, offensive or threatening? Read More

Schools are 2 Months into Reopening Under Covid-19 and No One's Officially Keeping Track of How It's Going

A 6-year-old afraid to go outside. A mom scared to send her children back to school, then thrilled at how they've thrived. A teacher worried she'll be ordered back to the classroom and become some kind of test subject. These are some of the stressed stories of the pandemic-hit school year so far -- but it's impossible to know how widespread the experiences are because there is no national tracking of what happens when children and staff return to schools. And without that tracking, health and education experts say, there's no way to come up with best practices to restart schools, educate children most effectively and open up their parents to commit to their work lives. Read More

 

 

Study Explains the Process that Exacerbates MS

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) gradually develop increasing functional impairment. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now found a possible explanation for the progressive course of the disease in mice and how it can be reversed. The study, which is published in Science Immunology, can prove valuable to future treatments. MS is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and one of the main causes of neurological functional impairment. The disease is generally diagnosed between 20 and 30 years of age. It can cause severe neurological symptoms, such as loss of sensation and trembling, difficulties walking and maintaining balance, memory failure and visual impairment. Read More

Could Excessive Sugar Intake Contribute to Aggressive Behaviors, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder?

New research suggests that conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and even aggressive behaviors may be linked with sugar intake, and that it may have an evolutionary basis. The research, out today from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and published in Evolution and Human Behavior, presents a hypothesis supporting a role for fructose, a component of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and uric acid (a fructose metabolite), in increasing the risk for these behavioral disorders. "We present evidence that fructose, by lowering energy in cells, triggers a foraging response similar to what occurs in starvation," said lead author Richard Johnson, MD, professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Read More

Trying to Teach Students at All Levels Together in One Class

It was 7:58 a.m., and Bruce Hecker’s 12th grade English class at South Side High School had the focused attention of a college seminar, with little chitchat or sluggishness despite the early hour. Students discussed the relevance of Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” to the McCarthy hearings and to current competing fears of terrorism and technological surveillance. The conversation that morning in December 2019 followed the lead of the seven or eight most vocal students. Occasionally, Hecker interrupted to encourage participation from a handful of students who receive support services to keep up with the class’s rigorous curriculum. Read More

 

 

NASET ADVOCACY - Board Certification for Advocacy in Special Education (BCASE)

Gene Therapies Come of Age for Some Forms of Autism

Allyson Berent is a specialty veterinarian in New York City. She treats animals that other doctors cannot help. When no good therapies are available, she invents one. Cats and dogs consumed almost all of her time — until six years ago, when her second daughter was born.

As a baby, Quincy appeared healthy and happy, smiling at an early age and giggling frequently. But during her first few months of life, she missed many developmental milestones: At 10 weeks, she was not making eye contact. When her parents waved toys in front of her, she stared blankly. She had trouble feeding. And when she was lying on her stomach, she could not lift her head. Read More

Parents: NYC Teacher Shortage Hurts Special Ed Students The Most

Some New York City parents point to the teacher shortage in the public school system as having an especially harmful impact on children enrolled in the special-education program known as integrated co-teaching (ICT) which requires two teachers per class, rather than one. Parents, teachers, administrators, and advocates for students with disabilities told Gothamist/WNYC the under-staffing problem was widespread. Administrators said they have no choice and teachers have filed grievances through their union. Ben Landfield, an eighth grader at M.S. 447 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, who chose to learn remotely this year, said he used to be an honors student but, with only one teacher per class, has struggled. Read More

Ford Aims to Boost Hiring of Employees with Autism

For people living with autism, finding a job can be an extremely difficult process. The Ford Motor Company is looking to fix that. People on the spectrum have some of the highest unemployment rates, but they’re qualified and smart enough to have good high paying jobs. That’s why Ford has worked to hire more people with autism over the last few years -- and it’s proving to be highly successful. In 2016, Ford partnered with the Autism Alliance of Michigan to introduce the Ford Works Program. The program focuses on hiring individuals -- like Ford IT business analyst Nick Howard -- who are on the autism spectrum. Howard graduated from University of Detroit Mercy with a computer science degree and knew he was qualified for an IT job. Read More

Students with Disabilities are Still Facing Obstacles in Online Classes

Halfway through the fall semester, some Syracuse University students with disabilities are still facing challenges taking online classes and accessing course accommodations. While the coronavirus pandemic has created its own set of complications for students with disabilities, it has also brought to the foreground accessibility issues at SU that predate the health crisis, students said. Disability services and staff have made adjustments to better serve both students who are taking classes remotely and those coming to campus for in-person classes. But some students said they have faced pushback when they asked for accommodations. Read More

 

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Cindi Maurice, Olumide Akerele, Patsy Ray, Melody Owens, and Karen Frantz-Fry who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

Fill in the Blank: According to a study published online Sept. 28 in Pediatrics, children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) who are enrolled in early intervention (EI) by 6 months of age are more likely to be ready for ______ than those who enter EI later.

Answer: KINDERGARTEN

This Week's Trivia Question: According to research done at the University of Montreal School of Psychoeducation in Quebec, Canada, girls who played after-school sports in elementary school seem to have fewer symptoms of what disorder once they reach middle school? (Note: The research included both boys and girls, but the effect of sports on specific symptoms associated with this disorder was only significant in girls. Girls, in particular, benefit from participation in sport when it comes to symptoms of this disorder).

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by October 26, 2020. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review


 

Nerves that Sense Touch May Play Role in Autism

Autism is considered a disorder of the brain. But a new study suggests that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that control our sense of touch, pain and other sensations, may play a role as well. The exploratory study is published in the October 14, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "More than 70% of people with autism have differences in their sensory perception," said study author Sung-Tsang Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D., of National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "For some people, even a light touch can feel unbearable while others may not even notice a cut on their foot. If larger studies can confirm these results, it is possible that further insight into the peripheral nervous system could help us understand how this disorder develops and potentially light the way for treating these distressing sensory symptoms that most people with autism experience." Read More

Distracted Learning a Big Problem, Golden Opportunity for Educators, Students

Scanning social media while listening to a lecture. Watching a favorite television series while studying. Today's young people frequently juggle multiple streams of information and entertainment media while doing schoolwork, a trend that researchers call distracted learning. And while numerous researchers found that simultaneous use of electronic devices has a significant detrimental impact on learning, many students shrug off warnings about the negative consequences because they consider themselves such good multitaskers, said food chemistry professor Shelly J. Schmidt of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In a paper published in the Journal of Food Science Education, Schmidt reviewed recent studies on distracted learning and suggested strategies to help students stay engaged and on task. Read More

Helping Youth Diagnosed with Early Stages of Psychosis

New UBC research is highlighting the need for improved training when it comes to helping young people living with psychosis determine their sense of identity. "Identity development is a normal part of growing up and generally happens when someone is in their late adolescence or early adult years," explains Shelly Ben-David, assistant professor at UBC Okanagan's School of Social Work and study lead author. "It's that time in life when a young person starts asking who they are and exploring their personal goals, their own values and even their role in life." But at this stage in life, when personal identity is being explored and acknowledged, young people might also have their first experience with a mental health issue such as psychosis -- if that happens, those young people may have a difficult time clearly defining their personal identity or even a sense of worth. Read More

Special Education Top of Mind as Pandemic Learning Continues

Special education teachers face their own challenges in the time of remote learning, even as hybrid models are beginning at K-12 schools throughout Ohio. Like other teachers, the immediacy of the school shutdowns in March left Laura Haines and other special education intervention specialists scrambling to come up with a plan. “We had to go through all their IEPs (individualized education plans) and find work that they could take home and that we could grade,” said Haines, who works for Ashtabula Area City Schools. Those packets were separate from the other school work the kids had to do along with the other students. Students with IEPs have goals tailored to their learning abilities, and sometimes to address things like behavioral issues. For some students, Haines said these IEPs can involve in-person monitoring in school, where an intervention specialist can watch a student interact in a class and assess their progress. For others, the goals are tracking progress with speech therapy or learning methods. Read More

Colorado Wanted to Make it Easier for People with Disabilities to Vote. Then Came Coronavirus.

Curtis Chong has witnessed a lot of election cycles where voting officials with good intentions for expanding access to people living with disabilities end up replacing one kind of barrier with another. Chong, a Coloradan who is blind and a professional and personal advocate for voters who have disabilities, was living in New Mexico in 2014 when he and his wife — who is also blind — were invited to test the state’s new voting equipment. Like the old system, the freshened New Mexico method offered a voice reader for the ballot; once the blind voter had made selections, a paper ballot was printed and placed in the usual ballot box. Read More

How New Orleans Schools Are Making Up Special Education Losses from the Spring Pandemic Shutdown — and Why the Process Could Improve Distance Learning This Fall

By law, U.S. students who are wrongly denied special education are entitled to something called compensatory services. Typically, getting them follows a long and bitterly contentious process that starts when a parent or advocate complains that a needed service was withheld. If a student’s rights are found to have been violated, a plan is drawn up to make up for what was lost. Even under normal circumstances, getting special education services can be a challenge. But as schools struggled to shift to distance learning in March, very few students with disabilities received much, if any, of the special education they were supposed to be getting. And now, weeks into the new school year, special education students throughout the country still aren’t receiving the most basic services — let alone extra help making up for last spring’s lost learning. Read More


JOB POSTINGS

* FT Special Education Teachers, (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) - PA Virtual has openings for Full Time Special Education Teachers at the Elementary, Middle and High School Levels. All teaching positions are remote and we require candidates to have a current, valid certification to teach in the state of Pennsylvania. The Teacher position is responsible for the planning, organization and implementation of an appropriate instructional program, in an elementary or secondary virtual learning environment. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - A local school district in Charleston, SC has partnered with an industry leading healthcare job placement agency, to fill several vacant Special Education Teacher positions in Charleston, SC for the entire 2020-21 School Year. The Special Education Teacher is responsible for planning, coordinating and the provision of special education services to eligible students. This position assures adherence to timelines and federal and state requirements for special education services and the responsibility for monitoring compliance with Individualized Services Plans (ISP) and/or Individualized Education Plan (IEP). To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Merakey is seeking a Special Education Teacher to join our Education Services within our Children's and Family division in our school in Chambersburg PA for the 2020-2021 school year. The Merakey Children's and Family Division focuses on a continuum of care throughout the lifespan. The core, fundamental principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are incorporated into a specialized approach across all service offerings. To learn more - Click here

* Exceptional Children's Teacher - Sterling Montessori is seeking a full time Exceptional Children’s teacher who has experience working with students in K-8th grade. Candidates must have an undergraduate degree and EC licensure. Ideal candidates have Montessori experience or a desire to learn the Montessori method. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education (Autism) PreK-4  - General responsibilities indlude aiding each student consistent with his or her abilities and educational needs. Develop competence in the basic learning skills, progress on the basis of achievement, and to qualify for further education and/or employment. To learn more - Click here

* Virtual Special Education Teacher Positions - K12 believes in education for everyone. We provide families an online option for a high-quality, personalized education experience. Students can thrive, find their passion, and learn in an environment that encourages discovery at their own pace. In support of this, we are committed to creating and maintaining a culture of inclusion and diversity. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - $60,000/school year (185 days), summers off with year-round pay and year round appreciation. Special Education Teachers needed in Arizona (Phoenix and surrounding cities). Needs are in the self-contained and resource settings serving students with emotional disabilities (ED), Autism (A), Severe/Profound (S/P), and Intellectual Disabilities (ID). STARS is the largest school contract agency in AZ. STARS is owned and operated by Occupational Therapists. You will be an employee and receive full benefits - To learn more - Click here

* (Remote) Special Education Teacher - Special Education Teacher provide instruction, support and guidance, manage the learning process, and focus on students’ individual needs as defined by each student’s IEP.  The special education teacher is also responsible for the compliance documents required in serving students with special needs. To learn more - Click here

* Early Childhood Specialist - Willamette Education Service District is accepting applications for multiple full-time (1.0 FTE) EI/ECSE Specialist positions with the Special Education Department’s Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) program. The positions are for the 2020-2021 school year and may be based in Marion, Polk and/or Yamhill County.  Successful candidates will will follow a 190-day calendar and will begin on August 21, 2020. To learn more - Click here

* Executive Director of Special Education - Garland ISD seeks an Executive Director of Special Education with the following qualifications, Master’s Degree, Special Education Certification, Principal/Mid-Management Certification, three (3) years’ teaching experience; special education preferred, experience in successful leadership role at the District or State level, earned or in progress doctorate. To learn more - Click here

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


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Art Turock

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