NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

December 24, 2021                 Vol 17 Issue #52

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 IEP Component Series
Development and Implementation of IEP

This issue of NASET’s IEP Component series offers our readers the opportunity to view a webinar from the U.S. Department of Education. Content is focused explicitly and in detail on the development and implementation of IEPs as students return to school. Revisions to a student’s IEP may be crucial, given changes that may have occurred in the social, emotional, mental, and behavioral well-being of the child during the pandemic. Students may need to reevaluated to determine what their current needs are, so these can be addressed in their IEPs. Much discussion centered around compensatory services: what they are, when and how schools should determine whether a student needs such services, and more.

Read More

Social Behavior and Autism: Can Social Skills Be Taught?

When someone is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social cues, language skills and the ability to decipher what the other person or people are expecting, socially, can be difficult or misconstrued. This can equate to a delay in social skills as well as related behaviors, expectations, and interactions. Social behavior encompasses many aspects, some of which include an individual’s ability to communicate with others. Within this understanding, language skills, social cues, and the ability to understand what is expected, and respond with the appropriate social behaviors are necessary. According to Dr. Boaz Barak and Dr. Guoping Feng, the deficits that are common among individuals with ASD are having delayed and impaired social skills development, such as being unable to initiate interactions with others and develop relationships.  The ability to read or understand the feelings of others while displaying feelings themselves, a lack of interest in how someone else feels, developmental delays in speech and nonverbal interactions, and sharing joy and interests with other people.  Read More

What Does 'Long COVID' Look Like in Kids?

Long COVID can be tough to diagnose in children, but there are a number of things to look for. “Many children don’t have any symptoms when they have a COVID infection,” said Dr. Sindhu Mohandas, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and attending physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “So if the symptoms of long COVID appear later, it can be difficult to link them to the coronavirus.” There is no simple nasal swab or other diagnostic test for long COVID. Instead, doctors have to assess a child’s pattern of symptoms and past exposure to the virus. Symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient, but in kids, the most common long COVID symptoms are unusual tiredness/fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating (brain fog). Read More

Black and Latino Students Are Still More Likely to Have Inexperienced Teachers, Study Says

Black and Latino students are still more likely than their peers to have teachers with one year or less of experience in the classroom, despite years-long federal efforts to change that trend, concludes a new analysis. The disparities are the largest for Black students. The two reports from the Education Trust, a civil rights group that advocates for more accountability of low-performing school districts, look at data from the U.S. Department of Education’s 2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection. They compare rates of novice teachers—defined as those in their first or second year of teaching—in schools with high percentages of Black and Latino students to schools with lower percentages of Black and Latino students. Read More

Headspace App Reduces Anxiety, Sleep Problems in Children with ADHD: Study

Headspace, a digital meditation application, significantly reduces anxiety and sleep problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to a small study recently published in the Journal of Attention Disorders. The pilot study, which evaluated the efficacy of the health app in 18 children with ADHD between 6 to 12 years old, saw a decrease in anxiety and sleep problems in the group after four weeks of use compared to baseline. These reductions were true for participants no matter how much they meditated. The Headspace app guides users through mindfulness-based techniques and exercises designed to reduce stress. For this study, the authors tested the recently developed pediatric version of Headspace. (Headspace’s role in the study was limited to providing participants with free access to the app and providing the authors with data on participant application usage). Read More

Profound Autism is Now an Officially Recognized Term

The new Lancet Commission report has formally recognized the need for, and endorsed the use of, the term “profound autism” for the first time in a peer-reviewed medical journal. According to the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), the term is critical in order to distinguish individuals who have high dependency or support needs. It can be used to describe people on the spectrum who are unable to advocate for themselves and are likely to need 24-hour support throughout their lives.  “As an autism advocate and mother of a child with profound autism, I am thrilled to see The Lancet formally recognize the term profound autism, which provides critical specificity within the extremely broad autism spectrum,” said ASF Co-Founder and President Alison Singer, a member of the Lancet Commission. Read More

Overweight Children are Developing Heart Complications

The percentage of obese children and teens jumped from 19% pre-pandemic to 22%, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the rate at which body mass index (BMI) increased doubled. New research from the University of Georgia suggests that could spell bad news for children's cardiovascular systems both now and down the line. Published in Pediatric Obesity, the study measured abdominal visceral fat levels and arterial stiffness in more than 600 children, adolescents and young adults. Visceral fat is the fat found in the abdomen that infiltrates vital organs. Arterial stiffness forces the cardiovascular system to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. The researchers found significantly higher levels of visceral fat and arterial stiffness in the overweight youth, suggesting that abdominal fat likely contributes to cardiovascular problems in kids. Read More

Opinion-Curriculum Case Study: We’ve Been Teaching Reading Wrong for Decades

“Teaching reading is rocket science,” Louisa Moats is well known for saying. It is something we frequently referenced during our guided reading professional development for teachers. Sadly, until we started on our Science of Reading journey two-plus years ago, we had no idea how bereft our instruction was of the benefits of that science.  Our collective awakening started as a result of listening to Emily Hanford’s podcast, “At a Loss for Words”, in which Hanford reveals that reading instruction in America has led children to read poorly based on a flawed theory of the mechanics of reading. While the three of us had different emotional reactions to hearing it, our powerful common experience was, “We have to do something!” The “do something” started with a lot of reading from Google searches, Facebook groups, and blog posts. Then came reflections on our own practices as teachers — practices we’d learned in our teacher prep programs and in professional development sessions in the years that followed — much of which has now been disproven (if, indeed, it was ever actually founded in evidence). Read More

504 Plan Versus IEP: A Guide for Parents

If you’re confused about whether your child needs a 504 plan or an IEP, you’re not alone. The world of accommodations and support for learning differences can be confusing. But federal law provides a great deal for public school students who need help, and two important pieces of that system – and terms parents are likely to hear – are a 504 plan and an Individualized Education Program, or IEP. Both are programs that allow students with learning difficulties to receive help, if they qualify. A 504 plan provides equal access to education for people with disabilities, and it focuses on accommodations like the ability to leave the classroom or additional time to take a test. It falls under anti-discrimination laws and is usually much less involved than an IEP. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Katrina Snider, Jenifer Womble Ericson, Karen Breisinger, Stacy Shrimplin Kaser, Helma Wardenaar, Stephanie Jenkins, Patsy Ray, Karen Frantz-Fry, Lauro Esquilona, Catherine Cardenas, Olumide Akerele, Cindi Maurice, Diane Campbell-Mitchell, and Zenaida Lemus who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

A UNICEF report published last year found that children in this country had the highest sense of well-being. The United Nations children’s agency analyzed data across 41 high-income countries, ranking the countries according to how they scored on children’s mental well-being, physical health, and the development of both academic and social skills. This country was found to rank highest in the league table of the three well-being outcomes, followed respectively by Denmark and Norway. Chile, Bulgaria and the U.S. were at the bottom of the table. According to this UNICEF report, what is the name of the country where children have the highest sense of well-being?

Answer: THE NETHERLANDS

This week's trivia question: According to data collected by busyteacher.org (and according to Google), the average teacher does this around 1,500 times per day. That number, which equates to about three per minute in an 8-hour work day, is based on research that was conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, but is still widely cited in education circles today. But tack on all the new technologies now used by teachers and other factors in 2021, that number of 1,500 seems like it should be much higher in today’s world. What does the average teacher do around 1,500 times a day?

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by December 28, 2021. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review

Why Student Data Remains at Risk and What Educators are Doing to Protect it

In 1998, when the World Wide Web was an exciting novelty, several government agencies and advocates raised alarms about the unregulated collection of children's personal information from website owners. A Federal Trade Commission survey conducted at the time — when about 14% of children used the internet at home or at school — found 89% of websites marketed for children had collected personal information directly from young users. Most troubling, the FTC wrote in a report, was the ease with which predators could communicate with children in chat rooms or online forums. These "deep concerns" led to the passage of laws to safeguard children's personal online data, with the aim to prevent the unintended exposure of the details of a child's life and to keep kids safe. Read More

Exercise, Good Food, Meditation: Alternatives to ADHD Meds

Struggling with symptoms of ADHD? Call the doctor; get more meds. Right? Not necessarily. In fact, recent research results are expanding the arsenal of behavior and lifestyle strategies that patients can use to manage this chronic and pervasive disorder without upping their supply of pills. Among the latest investigations is a study published November 2021 in Scientific Reports, showing a connection between a restrictive, “few-foods” diet and a reduction in ADHD symptoms. Specifically, authors report a correlation between improved nutrition and changes in brain activity that increase a person’s inhibitions. Inhibition is the antithesis of impulsiveness, which is a hallmark behavior of ADHD. Although this study focuses on children, other scientific initiatives have noted relationships between healthy eating and improvements in ADHD management. Read More

NYC Proposed Legislation Would Force Agencies to Replace Archaic Language

Legislation has been introduced in the City Council that, if passed, would prevent city agencies from using the pejorative and offensive word “retarded” and would instead refer to individuals as having “intellectual disabilities.” In 2010 Congress passed Rosa’s Law, which changed references of “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability” in federal laws, recognizing the use of the term “mental retardation” was not only archaic and clinically outdated, but offensive and insensitive. Introduced by Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), Intro 2141-2020, would do the same for city legislation and within city agencies. “New York City is woefully behind in the continued use of clinically outdated and stigmatizing language in health laws, perpetuating the use of the R-slur and other hateful, archaic language,” Rivera said. “I am proud to have worked with advocates and allies on this bill replacing that language with the term ‘intellectual disability’ to ensure the city provides inclusive, person-first services to all New Yorkers,” she said. Read More

Fostering an Effective Professional Learning Community at Your School

While teachers and school leaders have shown great resilience over the last two years, schools that have a strong professional learning community (PLC) presence have seen amazing results despite the pandemic, with learners, families, and teachers enjoying the learning process and working together effectively. A professional learning community, according to Louise Stoll,  a professor at University College London’s Institute of Education, is “an inclusive and mutually supportive group of people with a collaborative, reflective and growth-oriented approach towards investigating and learning more about their practice in order to improve pupils’ learning.” Here’s how to ensure that PLCs are an integral part of the school. Read More

The Pandemic Hit Vulnerable Students Hardest. Now, Schools Have to Reckon With the Effects

Over the past two years, the main constant of pandemic schooling has been that there is no constant. Many students struggled with remote learning, but some thrived. Some children have been in a physical school building most days this year, while others have dealt with multiple quarantines or even temporary building-wide shutdowns. Some students have access to academic recovery support, and others do not. These different realities aren’t randomly distributed, though. Studies and reporting throughout the pandemic have shown that students of color and students from low-income families were hardest hit by disruptions to in-person school. Read More

Group Homes Face Severe Shortage of Caregivers for Minnesotans with Disabilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a staffing crisis in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and that crisis has been covered widely. But the staffing crisis also extends into another part of our society, where it affects some of our most vulnerable citizens. One in 10 Minnesotans live with some form of disability. Some require support from disability service providers, and some require residential care. According to reporting from the Star Tribune, 44 percent of Minnesotans with disabilities reported living in group homes in 2018. That’s more than twice the national average and the highest rate in the nation. Due to the disruptions of the pandemic and the “Great Resignation,” group homes are short-staffed, and some may have to resort to extreme measures to care for their residents if the worker shortage continues. Read More

Students Are Suffering From Low Academic Self-Esteem. Democratizing the Classroom Can Save Them.

I will never forget sitting down with Elijah when school began last year. As a 5th-grader, he didn’t understand the concept of multiplication.  I started at the beginning, teaching him that any number multiplied by zero is zero. Then, I taught him that any number multiplied by one is that number, one group of five or five groups of one is five, and so on. I made no judgments. I never made him feel like it was his fault. Eventually, he started to get it. He knew I invested in his learning, so he became invested, too. Pretty soon, Elijah was bragging to other teachers, “I know multiplication!” That is when it hit me: Too many of our students suffer from low academic self-esteem, which has been made exponentially worse by the experience of the past two years. We have students in 5th grade who have never had a project where they got to choose a topic or subject that excited them. I’m not interested in pointing fingers or placing blame, but I’m not willing to accept that. Read More

JOB POSTINGS

* Executive Director of Special Education - Willamette Education Service District is accepting applications for a full-time (40 hours per week) Executive Director of Special Education position.  Successful candidate will work as a member of the Special Education Department and will follow a 240-day calendar. This position will be based at the Willamette ESD Marion Center in Salem, OR and will begin July 1, 2022. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher-Options Program - The teacher would need to be passionate about supporting inclusion in an academically rigorous environment as well as qualified to teach differentiated, developmental instruction based on student needs. The options Program teacher would help support success for both the student and general education teacher in the inclusion classroom. The teacher is also a key member of the larger Special Services team and should be excited to not only teach, but also work collaboratively to grow this new program. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher (All Specializations) - 2022-23 School Year - DCPS serves approximately 49,000 students in the nation's capital through the efforts of approximately 4,200 educators in 117 schools. As part of a comprehensive reform effort to become the preeminent urban school system in America, DCPS intends to have the highest-performing, best paid (Salary Range: $56,313 - $90,905), most satisfied, and most honored educator force in the nation and a distinctive central office staff whose work supports and drives instructional excellence and significant achievement gains for DCPS students. To learn more- Click here

* Potential Special Education Teachers 22-23 School Year - If you’re a passionate educator or professional looking for a place to build greatness—within  students and your own career—you've come to the right place! Our greatness begins with our staff. If you believe each child is capable of finding their own greatness, and working hard to help them pursue their passions, you will fit in well at McPherson Public Schools. To learn more- Click here

* School of Education (Special Education),Tenure Track Faculty - We value the ability to serve students from a broad range of cultural heritages, socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, abilities and orientations. Therefore, we prioritize applicants who demonstrate they understand the benefits diversity brings to a professional educational community. The successful candidate will be an equity-minded individual committed to collaborating with faculty, classified staff, administration, and students who are also committed to closing equity gaps. To learn more- Click here

* Dean of the College of Education - A key member of the Provost’s leadership team, the Dean reports to and works with the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. The Dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer in the College, overseeing strategic planning; budgets; fundraising; curriculum; student recruitment and retention; faculty and staff recruitment, development, support, evaluation, and retention; program development; assessment and reporting; accreditation activities; administration; and community outreach. To learn more- Click here

* Laurence J. Adams Distinguished Chair McDaniel College & President & CEO Target Community & Educational Services, Inc. - McDaniel College in partnership with Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., both located in Westminster, MD., announce the search for a uniquely talented individual to serve the College as the Laurence J. Adams Distinguished Chair and to serve as President & CEO of Target, Inc. (Target), a human service organization. In this dual role, the incumbent will teach half-time at the College and coordinate McDaniel’s Human Services Management graduate program and also serve half-time at Target, the program’s internship site. To learn more- Click here

* Director of Special Services - The job of Director-Special Services is done for the purpose/s of planning, directing, managing, and supervising multiple Special Services programs; providing information, direction, training and implementation of Special Services processes; serving as a resource to others; achieving defined objectives by planning, evaluating, developing, implementing and maintaining services in compliance with established guidelines; and serving as a member of the leadership team. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Works closely with all members of the dedicated, inter-disciplinary therapeutic team supporting the students and classroom. Teachers also collaborate with parents and guardians to ensure the greatest wrap around services, school -to-home communications, and understanding of the student. Collaboration with our partnering school districts is also essential. To learn more - Click here

* Physical Education Teacher - Works closely with all members of the dedicated, inter-disciplinary therapeutic team supporting the students and classroom. This teacher also collaborates with parents and guardians to ensure the greatest wrap around services, school -to-home communications, and understanding of the student. Collaboration with our partnering school districts is also essential.  To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Our Teachers assist in providing direction and support to those that work with the students and work in cooperation with Leadership to provide evidence-based, ethical services based on Sherwood Autism Center's philosophy of care, thus ensuring the highest quality of services is provided in a timely and consistent manner to all students. To learn more- Click here

* Elementary and Middle School House Administrator - Green Chimneys School offers an enriched academic environment with a vast array of innovative programming, including life skills, music and art, therapeutic animal-assisted activities, and outdoor education, all based in experiential learning. The fully integrated approach to education at Green Chimneys includes: Academics, Therapeutic Education, Clinical & Related Services, Animal & Nature Program and Vocational Education. To learn more- Click here

*ESE/ESOL Teacher - The ESE/ESOL Teacher at New Beginnings High School utilizes a blended learning approach that combines traditional classroom instruction with online instruction and activities. This model enables New Beginnings High School to offer a wide variety of courses and to increase the amount of self-directed learning that is so crucial to the post-secondary success of our customer. To learn more- Click here

* Faculty - ABSE Special Needs and Learning Disabilities - Lane Community College Faculty members are expected to be skilled educators, with a passion for teaching and continuous improvement in best practices that support equitable student success. The primary responsibilities of full-time faculty is to provide quality education and teaching in a range of community college courses, which may include transfer and/or career technical courses, and to engage in academic professional activities which advance the goals of the College and Division. Faculty members are responsible for following College and Division policies and procedures in support of teaching and learning. To learn more- Click here

* Middle School Special Education Teacher - The Halton School, an independent school for students with Asperger’s, is looking for a Middle School Special Education teacher. The teacher will provide special education instruction to students in a small multi-grade class. The teacher will utilize a variety of teaching methods to meet student’s educational needs and adapt and develop instructional materials accordingly. To learn more- Click here

* Director of McKay Academic Center (Academic Support) - The Dunham School is a PK-12, non-denominational Christian, independent school serving 785 students on one campus. The school offers fee paid tutoring, coaching, small group instruction and individual courses for students with a range of learning challenges including ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and high functioning autism. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - STARS is owned and operated by Occupational Therapists. You will be an employee and receive full benefits. Summers off with year-round pay and year-round appreciation. With a proven track record, STARS is able to offer you an unbeatable support system and resources. STARS is hiring for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. STARS places Special Education Teachers throughout the Phoenix, Tucson and the surrounding area public schools. To learn more- Click here

* Middle School and High School Special Needs Teacher at the Anglo-American School of Sofia - We are a school of extraordinary families and outstanding teachers. We are an inspiring educational community - nestled in the stunning foothills of Mount Vitosha on the outskirts of Sofia. We are an exceptional IB world school offering children from 4 to 18 years a world class educational experience. We take pride in academic achievement, and value creativity and athletic talent with equal vigor. We offer a curriculum and approach that looks beyond the classroom and prepares our students for the challenges and opportunities that the world has to offer. To learn more- Click here

* Coordinator, Residential Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities - Lakeland University seeks a mission-oriented individual passionate about creating a more inclusive world to develop and coordinate an innovative residential program for students with intellectual disability slated to open on its campus in Fall 2022. The program is designed to provide students with a residential collegiate experience while preparing them for the next steps in their lives, whether that would be continuing with higher education or moving into employment and the community. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher - This position is responsible for the instruction of educational programs and curricula for exceptional students. The Emotional Support Special Education Teacher develops and implements the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for each student and collaborates with members of the instructional team in the planning and implementation of behavioral and academic interventions and supports to ensure students receive a quality educational program. To learn mor- Click here

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

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start. Nido Qubein, President of High Point University