Week in Review - July 16, 2021

Continuing_Ed


NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

July 16, 2021                 Vol 17 Issue #29


 


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 Autism Spectrum Disorder Series

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Effects on Family Life

By Nohelis Mena

This literature review was written by Nohelis Mena from Florida International University. It considers the study of typical siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most research conducted regarding family life and ASD is centered around parents and their emotional state. With the few studies that have observed siblings, it has been noted that siblings of children with ASD develop empathy and patience, as well as mature mentally much sooner than their peers. Though these may seem to be considered positive outcomes to such a situation, it can also be compared to the feeling of loneliness and the role substitute parenting in which typical siblings tend to adopt. 

 Read More


Board Certified Inclusive Education Specialist (BCIES) -b

 

Researchers Clarify Reasons for Low Rate of Employment Among People with Disabilities

A team of researchers identified nine meaningful reasons that prevent people with disabilities from seeking employment. Their findings provide a much-needed understanding of this population's motives for remaining unemployed, which can inform programs and policies that promote labor force participation of people with disabilities. The article, "Understanding Persons with Disabilities' Reasons for Not Seeking Employment". In 2016, just 26 percent of people with disabilities were employed, versus 72 percent of people without a disability. Unraveling the socioeconomic, medical, and personal reasons for the chronic low employment rate among people with disabilities is a difficult task, in part because there is a scarcity of studies utilizing a nationally representative sample that includes narrative data. However, learning why people living with disabilities are not seeking or returning to work is critical to developing targeted employment interventions. Read More

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/kf-rcr070721.php

 

Enrollment Data: How Many Students Went Missing in Your State?

America’s public school system lost more than 1.3 million students this year, according to an Education Week analysis of state data. The loss was spread out across the nation, touching almost every demographic group and concentrated in lower grades. It will likely have academic, financial and staffing repercussions for years to come. Education Week reached out to 51 state departments of education in order to collect a more comprehensive picture of enrollment losses across the country. The 1.3 million drop was calculated based on enrollment from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Delaware and Illinois did not have total enrollment numbers. Read More

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/enrollment-data-how-many-students-went-missing-in-your-state/2021/07

 

 

 

Chicago Teachers Union Wants a Fall Deal with Student Vaccination Targets

Chicago’s teachers union wants school district officials to agree to help vaccinate the majority of eligible students and to guarantee teleworking options for some teachers before reopening schools this fall. In the proposal made public Tuesday, the district would work with city health officials to vaccinate 80% of eligible students before Oct. 1 through a mix of school-based clinics and coordination of home-based vaccination visits. The union’s fall reopening proposal also asks for more mental health positions funded from the central office, a 10% boost in special education and arts teachers, and a rent assistance program for families experiencing housing instability. Read More

https://chicago.chalkbeat.org/2021/7/6/22565801/chicago-teachers-union-wants-a-fall-agreement-school-reopening-student-vaccination-targets-housing

 

What Leaders Can Do to Prepare for 2021-2022

Across America and around the world you could hear a big sigh of relief as the school year began to end. It was one of the most remarkable school years in history and left many teachers and principals, as well as students and their families, exhausted. However, for school leaders, the end of one year always signals the beginning of another. There’s usually a little extra time for R&R, but summer is still very busy in the admin office. There are people to hire, schedules to create, students to register, and budgets to develop. This summer all of those routine things are matched by the need to recover from the effects of the pandemic and address issues that emerged as a result of school closures and other disruptions. We talk with lots of school leaders, and despite the disruption they’ve experienced, they describe some important lessons that can be applied to good effect in the coming school year (and the next). Read More

https://www.middleweb.com/45345/what-leaders-can-do-to-prepare-for-2021-2022/

 

Accessibility Gains Must Become Lasting Learning Practices

For too long, colleges and universities have waited for students with disabilities to request accommodations before deciding to remove barriers to access and full participation that existed all along. Higher education’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic shone a stark light on those practices, highlighting the shortcomings of this “wait and see” approach when it comes to digital accessibility and curricular access. In the new normal, post-pandemic education institution, we must broaden our focus to create inclusive learning environments that recognize and remove barriers, creating a more equitable system for all. The pandemic revealed a number of biases in higher education as students proved that they can learn remotely, when necessary, and accommodations previously considered unreasonable became standard practice. Read More

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/07/07/colleges-must-continue-work-create-inclusive-learning-environments-opinion

 

Governor Signs Law Extending Some Special Education Services, Allowing All Students to Repeat a Year

Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania has signed legislation that would allow 21-year-old students with disabilities to receive another year of instruction. The new law, Act 66, also would permit students enrolled in the 2020-21 school year to repeat their most recent grade, even if they met the requirements for promotion and don’t have a disability. The decision would be up to their parents, not the school or district. The law, which passed the General Assembly unanimously, provides more time for students with disabilities who usually would “age out” of the public school system. Under federal law, school districts are required to provide specialized services to students with individualized education programs, or IEPs, at least through the school year in which they turn 21. Students whose IEPs call for services up to age 21 typically have disabilities that require support for life skills. Read More

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/7/6/22565994/wolf-signs-law-extending-some-special-education-services-allowing-all-students-to-repeat-a-year

 

Feds OK First State Plans for Remaining Share of $122 Billion in K-12 Virus Aid

Federal officials gave six states and the District of Columbia the greenlight to spend billions of dollars in K-12 relief aid, and also outlined the application process for a separate fund targeted toward the needs of students experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Education approved the first wave of states’ K-12 relief plans to spend the remaining portions of the American Rescue Plan’s $122 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, known as ESSER. And, alongside officials from the White House, Education Department officials detailed promising practices for how states plan to use that money, an unprecedented influx of aid with a broad range of allowable uses. Read More

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/feds-ok-first-state-plans-for-remaining-share-of-122-billion-in-k-12-virus-aid/2021/07

 

Children Slept Over an Hour More with Mindfulness Training, Study Finds

Elementary schoolchildren who took mindfulness training two times a week for two years slept an average of 74 extra minutes a night, a new study found. That boost in total sleep time included an additional 24 minutes of rapid eye movement (REM), the dream stage of sleep when memories are consolidated and stored. "The improvement in the rapid eye movement stage of sleep is really remarkable," said senior study author Ruth O'Hara, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. "Rapid eye movement is a very important phase of sleep for neuronal development and for the development of cognitive and emotional function," O'Hara said. "So it was a striking finding for us, and we were somewhat surprised at the substantial amount of benefits we saw in the quality of the children's sleep." Read More

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/06/health/child-sleep-mindfulness-wellness/


TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Diane Campbell-Mitchell, Karen Frantz-Fry, Mary Ellen Denmon, Tracey Christilles, Susan Franklin, Sara Spikes, Cindi Maurice, Kim Adkins, Stephanie Jenkins, Tracey Anderson, Savetria Francis, Olumide Akerele, Jennifer Mabry Ragsdale, and Brandi Renya who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

In most states, a child may be classified as having an intellectual disability when a comprehensive evaluation indicates deficits in both intellectual functioning and one other area. What is the other area? (Hint-IDEA definition of intellectual disability, “Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in _____”)

Answer: ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR

This week's trivia question: Parallel Teaching, Alternative Teaching, Station Teaching, One Teach/One Assist (One Drift), One Teach/One Observe, and Team Teaching (Teaming) are the six different delivery models of what type of teaching?

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by July 19, 2021. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review


Amazon’s Latest Alexa Trick is Helping Kids Read

Amazon has announced a new feature for its Kids Plus service on Fire tablets and Echo smart speakers called Reading Sidekick. Designed to help kids improve their reading skills and ability, the Reading Sidekick allows kids to read either physical or digital books along with Alexa by taking turns at reading the books aloud with the digital assistant. Once the Amazon Kids mode is enabled on the smart speaker or smart display (through the Alexa smartphone app), a child can then say “Alexa, let’s read” to start the Reading Sidekick. They will then be prompted to choose a book, either physical or digital on a Fire tablet or in the Kids Plus app on other devices; opt to read a lot, a little, or take turns; and then begin reading the book. Amazon says that “over 700” books are available in the system now, with more releasing each week. Read More

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/29/22554428/amazon-reading-sidekick-alexa-echo-skill-kids-voice-profiles

 

Sleep Problems for Children with Autism Linked to Behavioral Regulation Issues

Sleep problems in young children with autism are associated with behavioral regulation difficulties later in childhood, according to a new longitudinal study. The finding points to the importance of helping families address sleep problems in their young autistic children, says lead investigator Mayada Elsabbagh, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Beyond the well-established importance of high-quality sleep to general health, providing support and therapy to improve sleep quality in autistic children also may help them develop better behavioral regulation as they grow older, she adds. Read More

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autistic-childrens-sleep-problems-linked-to-behavioral-regulation-issues/

 

Telehealth: Tips for Helping Kids with Autism Take Part

Telehealth is increasing in popularity in the United States, partly due to the pandemic. But some children with autism have difficulty sitting through these virtual appointments. Yet those visits can be a helpful part of a child's ongoing medical care, and their convenience may help limit time away from work and school, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Children website.  Dr. Kristin Sohl, a pediatrician with University of Missouri Health Care, offers some tips for making these visits successful. It's best when your child sees the same doctors because they know your child and are familiar with their needs, Sohl said in an academy news release. Read More

https://consumer.healthday.com/b-7-5-telehealth-tips-to-helping-kids-with-autism-take-part-2653591645.html

 

 

Researchers Explore How Children Learn Language

Small children learn language at a pace far faster than teenagers or adults. One explanation for this learning advantage comes not from differences between children and adults, but from the differences in the way that people talk to children and adults. For the first time, a team of researchers developed a method to experimentally evaluate how parents use what they know about their children's language when they talk to them. They found that parents have extremely precise models of their children's language knowledge, and use these models to tune the language they use when speaking to them. The results are available in an advance online publication of the journal of Psychological Science. Read More

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210702114538.htm

 

Impulsiveness Tied to Faster Eating in Children, Can Lead to Obesity

Children who eat slower are less likely to be extroverted and impulsive, according to a new study co-led by the University at Buffalo and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The research, which sought to uncover the relationship between temperament and eating behaviors in early childhood, also found that kids who were highly responsive to external food cues (the urge to eat when food is seen, smelled or tasted) were more likely to experience frustration and discomfort and have difficulties self-soothing. These findings are critical because faster eating and greater responsiveness to food cues have been linked to obesity risk in children, says Myles Faith, PhD, co-author and professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the UB Graduate School of Education. Read More

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210707140721.htm

 

How Heat Waves, Climate Change Put People with Disabilities at Risk

It was more than 90 degrees in Moranda Rasmussen's Portland, Oregon, apartment during a historic heat wave late last month when the 27-year-old began to panic. They have cerebral palsy and depression and rely on Supplemental Security Income while they work on their degree. They said they couldn't afford an air conditioner and couldn't charge their electric wheelchair battery because it could easily overheat. Taking antidepressants also wasn't an option, because it makes it difficult to regulate their body temperature. Rasmussen said they were left scrambling for a solution to escape the searing heat, which reached a high of 115 degrees. In Portland, the average high temperature in June is around 74 degrees. "We don't get temperatures like that in the Pacific Northwest," Rasmussen said. "I was just really frantic. What if we have more days like this? When am I going to be able to take my medication again? When am I going to be able to charge my wheelchair again?" Read More

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/heat-waves-climate-change-put-people-disabilities-risk/story?id=78689514

 

GAO: Ed Dept Can Improve K-12 Operations in 3 Priority Areas

Over the last year, the U.S. Department of Education has made progress in key priority areas identified by the Government Accountability Office, including raised awareness of the dangers of lead in drinking water in K-12 facilities and improved cybersecurity management, according to a GAO report released publicly Wednesday. Priority areas still in need of attention include: helping states give accurate information about the rights of students with disabilities when they are parentally placed in a private school; improving data quality problems regarding instances of restraint and seclusion; and the collection and public reporting of districts’ use of federal COVID-19 relief dollars, according to the nine-page report. The GAO, a non-partisan government research service, has made a total of 80 higher education and Pre-K-12 recommendations for the Department of Education over the last few years, and has suggested department operations can be improved by fully implementing the recommendations. Read More

https://www.k12dive.com/news/3-priority-areas-where-ed-dept-can-improve-k-12-operations/602988/


JOB POSTINGS

* Special Education Teacher- We're looking for an exceptional Special Education Teacher for a full-time position in North View, GA for the 2021-2022 School year, from July 29, 2021 - May 24, 2022. This position is 37.5 hours per week working with high school age students, 14-22 year-olds, who experience significant cognitive impairment. TherapyTravelers is a mission-driven organization in the business of changing lives! To learn more- Click Here

* Special Education Teacher - Middle School- The Middle School (MS) Special Education Teacher is responsible for the education of each pupil in his or her charge. This position will accomplish these duties while working with students, parents, other teachers and staff toward achieving the goals set forth in the Prospect Ridge Academy Mission Statements. To learn more- Click Here

* Director of Special Services- The Director coordinates and evaluates special education programs and staff, and works with general education, support staff, building administrators, and parents to develop appropriate programs for special education students who receive services in PK-12. This position reports to the Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services. To learns more- Click Here

* [2021-2022] High School Math Learning Specialist - Reporting to the Academic Dean, the High School Math Learning Specialist will be responsible for providing tailored support to students with special education needs, through integrated co-teaching, in small group settings, or a combination of both. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned educator who is passionate about ensuring all students succeed and thrive in school. To learn more - Click here

* Special Needs Tutors -  is seeking dynamic, state credentialed special needs teachers to tutor on our virtual platform teaching learners all over the world. This is a perfect second job to earn extra money from the safety of your own home.  There is no minimum hourly requirement; all you need is a computer, reliable internet, a quiet space and willingness to teach. To learn more - Click here

* Full Time Director of Special Needs Ministry - The Director of Special Needs Ministry will provide oversight and leadership to five direct reports. This leader will be responsible to develop, oversee and implement a philosophy of ministry that shares the gospel, provides discipleship and creates a sense of belonging for those with special needs and their families. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - This is a full-time, ten-month position to provide general classroom instruction for students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, serious Emotional Disturbance or Development Delays. As a Special Education Teacher, you will play an integral role in the success of our students while overseeing the classroom team and dynamics. To learn more - Click here

* ESE Teacher K-12 - Morning Star School is looking for a full-time K-12 Special Education teacher. Our student  population consists of students with specific learning difference (SLD), high functioning autism, ADD/ADHD, sensory disorder, anxiety, and some lower cognitive ability students. We offer 12:1 student/teacher ratio for class sizes and average about 140 students K-12. To learn more - Click here

* National, Virtual Special Education Teacher - Stride K12  is looking for Special Education Teachers to join our talented group of passionate education professionals. 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.  To learn more -Click here

* Emotional Disabilities Teacher Wanted (SPED) - Teachers To Go is looking for two highly motivated and skilled Special Education Teachers to fill two full-time emotional support classroom teacher positions at a special needs private school in Philadelphia.  Positions are open for grades 1-3 or 6-9 or 9-12 (your choice) for the 21/22 school year. To learn more - Click here

* Autism Program Coordinator - Hammitt Schools - The Autism Program Coordinator works collaboratively with the school staff to ensure development and implementation of best practice social/behavioral, communication, and instructional strategies within the Challenges classrooms.  Serves as a clinical leader in developing instructional and behavioral interventions in classrooms. To learn more - Click here.

* 21-22 Middle School Special Education Teacher 5-8 - We know that talented, committed, culturally competent teachers and leaders have the power to amplify our children’s potential by creating a school experience that affirms, values, and challenges them each day. We seek to create a professional environment full of joy, candor, care and respect where excellent educators can make a long-term home. To learn more - Click here

* Learning Disabilities Teacher, ES/MS/HS - Provides and is accountable for the planning, assessment, instruction, communication, human relations, safety, and management of a classroom or assigned instructional setting.  Supports FCPS mission to "inspire, enable, and empower students to meet high academic standards, lead ethical lives, and demonstrate responsible citizenship." To learn more - Click here

* Emotional Disabilities Teacher, MS/HS - Provides and is accountable for the planning, assessment, instruction, communication, human relations, safety, and management of a classroom or assigned instructional setting.  Supports FCPS mission to "inspire, enable, and empower students to meet high academic standards, lead ethical lives, and demonstrate responsible citizenship". To learn more - Click here

* Multiple Disabilities Teacher, ES/MS/HS - Provides and is accountable for the planning, assessment, instruction, communication, human relations, safety, and management of a classroom or assigned instructional setting.  Supports FCPS mission to "inspire, enable, and empower students to meet high academic standards, lead ethical lives, and demonstrate responsible citizenship." To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher -  Provides services to students with a range of moderate to severe disabilities ages three to 21 years of age. Leads the IEP team to develop data driven student learning and behavioral goals. Responsible for developing curriculum and program strategies consistent with the student's learning level and to continually assess student progress towards IEP goals. To learn more - Click here

* Learning Specialist -  Kehillah Jewish High School is seeking a full-time experienced Learning Specialist to support students with learning needs through case management, collaboration and consultation with classroom teachers, and partnership with parents. The ideal candidate must be an expert in understanding the strengths of students with high-incidence disabilities and learning differences, and a proven practitioner in the implementation of research-based interventions and teaching learning strategies. To learn more - Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Willamette Education Service District is accepting applications for a full-time (40 hours per week) Special Education Teacher position; bilingual Spanish preferred. Successful candidate will work as a member of the School Improvement Services department and will follow a 225-day calendar.  To learn more - Click here

* Director of Special Education - Reports directly to the Executive Director with responsibility for planning, directing, and coordinating the delivery of school-wide special education and related services in compliance with state regulations and federal laws. The Director of Special Education provides leadership and coordination to ensure the overall design and implementation of individualized educational programs and support services. To learn more - Click here

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


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.

Tim Fargo

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