Week in Review – October 19, 2018

Dear NASET News,

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,
 

NASET News Team

NEW THIS WEEK ON NASET

NASET’s Classroom Management Series

10 for 10:  

Leading a Well Managed Classroom

This issue of NASET’s Classroom Management series provides teaching professionals with ten proactive strategies for behavior management in both the special education and general education settings.  While the suggestions the authors make are not in any particular order, they do note that implementing these strategies provide long-term individual, classroom, and school-wide benefits as a result of implementation. In addition, they provide questions to consider for establishing and practicing classroom routines, strategies for preventing misbehavior through instruction, as well as ten benefits of  implementing successful proactive classroom management strategies. Read More

Infants Capable of Complex Babble May Grow into Stronger Readers

Infants’ early speech production may predict their later literacy, according to a study published October 10, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kelly Farquharson from Florida State University and colleagues. Children with difficulties in identifying letters are more likely to develop reading impairments, but such difficulties cannot be uncovered until the child is 3 to 5 years old. The authors of the present study investigated whether assessing language ability even earlier, by measuring speech complexity in infancy, might predict later difficulties. The authors tracked nine infants from English-speaking US families between the ages of 9 and 30 months. They recorded each infant’s babble as the child interacted with their primary caregiver, looking specifically at the consonant-vowel (CV) ratio, a demonstrated measure of speech complexity. The authors then met each child again when they were six years old to examine their ability to identify letters, a known predictor of later reading impairment. Read More

Siblings of Children with Autism have Social, Emotional Problems

Even typical siblings of children with autism tend to struggle with anxiety, depression and social difficulties, according to a large new analysis. The findings provide the most robust evidence to date that these siblings have problems, too, says lead author Carolyn Shrivers, assistant professor of human development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “We’ve found evidence now from nearly 70 studies that says there is actually something going on there.” The findings jibe with the ‘broad autism phenotype’ theory, which posits that family members of autistic children share some traits of the condition. However, it does not reveal how much of the siblings’ difficulties are dictated by genetics rather than family environment, says William Mandy, senior lecturer in clinical, education and health psychology at University College London, who was not involved in the study. Read More

New Approach Could Jumpstart Breathing After Spinal Cord Injury

A research team at the Krembil Research Institute in Toronto has developed an innovative strategy that could help to restore breathing following traumatic spinal cord injury. The team, led by principal investigator Dr. Michael Fehlings — a neurosurgeon/neuroscientist, specialist in spinal cord injury and senior scientist at UHN — published its findings today in the journal Nature in a paper titled “Cervical excitatory neurons sustain breathing after spinal cord injury.” Using pre-clinical models, the team employed a novel strategy to target a dormant group of neurons located in the cervical area of the spinal cord. When stimulated, this latent population of cells called interneurons was activated and were able to restore breathing following injury. Read More

Brain Circuits for Successful Emotional Development Established During Infancy

Researchers in the UNC Early Brain Development Study tracking the development of the brain’s emotion circuitry in infancy found that adult-like functional brain connections for emotional regulation emerge during the first year of life. And the growth of these brain circuits during the second year of life predicted the IQ and emotional control of the children at 4 years old, suggesting new avenues for early detection and intervention for children who are at risk for emotional problems. These results were published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. “If confirmed in future studies, these findings suggest that it may be possible to identify children at risk for behavioral difficulties associated with psychiatric disorders very early in life, allowing early intervention to reduce risk and improve long term behavioral outcomes,” said John Gilmore, MD, co-senior author of the study, the Thad and Alice Eure Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Research & Scientific Affairs in UNC’s Department of Psychiatry, and director of the UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Antonio Aguilar-Diaz, Daniel Rayder, Babajide Odunfa, John Adduru, Olumide Akerele, Patsy Ray, Darlene Desbrow, Cindi Maurice, Denise Keeling, and Melody Owens who all knew the answer to last week’s trivia question.
 

QUESTION: According to recent research published by the American Psychological Association, as early as the fourth grade, is it girls or boys who perform better than the other on standardized tests in reading and writing? Note: And as they get older that achievement gap widens even more.

ANSWER:  GIRLS 

This week’s question:  According to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), suicide is a major public health problem affecting American youth and is the second most common cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 24 years old. First suicide attempts are more lethal than previously realized. What percentage of youth dying by suicide do so on their first attempt (also known as the “index” attempt).

If you know the answer, email us at contactus@naset.org by October, 22, 2018.  We will acknowledge your correct answer in the next edition of the Week in Review

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

Through an agreement with The American Academy of Special Education Professionals(AASEP), NASET members now have the opportunity to achieve AASEP Board Certification in Special Education – (B.C.S.E.) at a reduced fee. AASEP Board Certification in Special Education – (B.C.S.E.) is a voluntary choice on the part of the candidate. The candidate for Board Certification wishes to demonstrate a commitment to excellence to employers, peers, administrators, other professionals, and parents. From the standpoint of the Academy, board certification will demonstrate the highest professional competency in the area of special education. Board Certification in Special Educationestablishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children. Read More 

New York City’s Public Transit is a Nightmare for People with Disabilities

New Yorkers love grumbling about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public benefit corporation responsible for public transit in the city, for notorious problems like overcrowding, fare hikes, and long delays. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. People with disabilities not only deal with those issues, but with other overlooked and often-ignored flaws that hinder their independence and daily well-being. “You really don’t realize how inaccessible the city is until you need it to be accessible for you,” Eman Rimawi, 32, a disability advocate who became a double amputee five years ago, told HuffPost. “Unfortunately, people see me as damaged goods and as broken … like I’m just sort of the garbage of society,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Nah. I’m not anybody’s garbage. I’m actually a queen.’” The MTA’s accommodations for the disability community, however, are certainly not fit for royalty. Or even the average Joe. Read More

Asthma May Contribute to Childhood Obesity Epidemic

Toddlers with asthma are more likely to become obese children, according to an international study led by USC scientists. The finding is a turnabout for children’s health as obesity has often been seen as a precursor to asthma in children, not the other way around. The study, conducted by a team of 40 scientists including researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was recently published in the European Respiratory Journal. This is the largest study yet about early-onset asthma and obesity. It focused on more than 20,000 youths across Europe. It shows that, beyond wheezing and shortness of breath, asthma can lead to bodies that make young people more susceptible to other health problems later in life. Read More

Diet and Weight May Affect Response to Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Data from a clinical trial has shown that how people respond to treatment for Bipolar Disorder may be influenced by their weight and the overall quality of their diet, including whether they are eating a diet high in foods thought to contribute to general inflammation. These are early results, but if replicated may mean that treatment of some mental health problems could benefit from the inclusion of dietary advice. This is presented at the ECNP Conference in Barcelona. Bipolar Disorder (which used to be called ‘manic depression’) is characterized by episodes of mood swings, between being very up or very down with periods in between the two extremes. The fact that there are two opposite sets of symptoms means that finding an effective treatment is difficult. Read More

Arkansas Sees Increase in Special Education Teachers

The Arkansas Department of Education is reporting consistent gains in both teachers and students studying to enter the field of special education. While the need remains high, the growth in these licenses will benefit families across northwest Arkansas. “It’s a win – win for everyone,” Tom smith, U of A Professor of Special Education. A field that lacked educators, now on the mend bringing hope to many like the Volf’s, a family with two children who need special education.  “There has obviously been a few bumps here and there, no program is perfect but we have been really lucky with the teachers that we have had.” said Erin Volf, Bentonville mom. Arkansas changed its special education license program 3 years ago, a move Tom Smith with the University of Arkansas says is the reason for the increase of educators. Read More

Michigan Administrator Tapped to Oversee Federal Special Education Programs

Laurie VanderPloeg, a special education administrator from the Grand Rapids, Mich., area, has been chosen to lead the federal office of special education programs, the Department of Education announced. VanderPloeg, currently the director of special education for the Kent ISD, brings broad experience in special education to the position. Kent ISD is one of Michigan’s 57 regional educational service agencies, and provides administrative and educational services to more than 300 schools and more than 14,500 students with disabilities in western Michigan. As a part of its work, the Kent ISD runs special education centers that provide services too costly for any one local district to provide. (ISD stands for “intermediate school district,” meaning an entity that operates between the local district and the state department of education.) Kent ISD also provides teacher training and technical assistance to the districts and private schools in its region.  Read More

Special Education Teaching Vacancies on the Rise in Kansas

Kansas public school districts are finding it harder to fill vacant teaching positions this year, despite the fact that increased funding has allowed many districts to offer higher salaries, according to a report released this week by the Kansas State Department of Education. According to the report, 612 teaching positions were vacant this fall. That’s an increase of 19 percent from the same time last year. “Every year we have vacancies, but it’s getting more and more and more challenging to get people to apply for those,” Deputy Education Commissioner Brad Neuenswander said during an interview. Special education positions made up the largest share of those vacancies, the report indicated. That was followed by positions in elementary education, English language arts, science and math. Read More

Kurt Warner and his Wife Built a House in Arizona that Will Help People with Disabilities

Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, are on their way to creating a legacy that’s bigger than winning the Super Bowl. The two decided to build a house in Arizona that will help people dealing with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The house, which the Warners have called Treasure House, was built after they discovered their adult son Zack, who has a developmental disability, had no place to live on his own in Arizona. They decided to build Treasure House to not only help Zack, but to assist others as well. When Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner & Brenda Warner discovered there wasn’t a place for their son to live independently, they took matters into their own hands, building the “Treasure House.” Read More

Fragile X Syndrome’s Link to Autism, Explained

Fragile X syndrome is a leading genetic cause of autism. About one in three people with the syndrome also has autism. But even those who do not have autism often share certain autistic traits, such as avoidance of eye contact and difficulties in social situations. Mutations in the gene FMR1, which cause fragile X syndrome, account for up to 5 percent of autism cases. For these reasons, research on fragile X can provide insights into the biology of autism and its treatment. Here is what scientists know about the mechanisms that underlie fragile X and some research angles they are pursuing. Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of intellectual disability. It affects roughly 1 in 4,000 men and about half as many women. People with the syndrome also tend to have unusual physical features, such as a long face, large ears and flat feet. Some men have large testes, and some people with the condition have seizures. Read More

Honor Society for Special Education Teachers

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New Study Links Hyperfocus and ADHD

A newly published study has pried the lid off the mysterious phenomenon of “hyperfocus,” tying it inextricably to symptoms of attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) in adults. Though not included in the official DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ADHD, hyperfocus is a condition familiar to many individuals with ADHD who report becoming intensely focused on activities they find rewarding or interesting. Anecdotally, we have known that, when a person with ADHD experiences hyperfocus, his or her attention becomes laser-like. They lose track of time, and distractions fade away. Switching to other tasks becomes difficult. But from a scientific standpoint, we’ve known very little about hyperfocus, most notably whether it is truly more prevalent among people with ADHD. Read More

Overlap in Traits of Autism, Attention Deficit Persists into Adulthood

Traits linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to co-occur even in adulthood, according to one of the first studies of the traits in that age group. The results extend support for the idea that autism and ADHD are intrinsically linked- a notion that is largely based on studies of children. “Not much is known about the transition from later adolescence into adulthood with regard to autism and ADHD,” says lead investigator Ralf Kuja-Halkola, a statistician at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The findings have implications for how clinicians should treat people with the traits. “If a young adult is seeking help for one disorder, it’s a very good idea to also assess symptoms of the other disorder,” Kuja-Halkola says. Read More

South Dakota Official Says Graduation Changes Limit Special Ed Students

Sioux Falls’ school board president is concerned that statewide graduation requirement changes will limit opportunities for thousands of special education students across South Dakota.The Argus Leader reports that the state updated graduation requirements earlier this year for the first time in almost a decade. But School Board President Kent Alberty says the state’s action came with a little-known change in federal law that could negatively affect at least 3,500 special education students in the city. He says federal law will only allow special education students to graduate if they pass final exams with 85 percent proficiency on their first try. Read More

LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET

* SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER- Mountainside, NJ – The Arc Kohler School, Mountainside NJ is a leading collaborative private special education school serving student’s preschool age through high school. The Arc Kohler School is seeking a Special Education Teacher to work full-time with their unique population. Full-time, 8:30 A to 3:00 P. To learn more – Click here

* Behavior Trainer- New York – New York State Certification in Special Education required. Ability to work effectively with children with autism. Knowledge of signs of abuse and mandated reporting requirements as required by law. Proven ability to provide expert supervision to staff on individual or group level, based on ongoing and current knowledge of theory, research and best practices in field of developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher- Chicago – Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS) provides vital, individualized, results-driven, therapeutic and supportive services for thousands of children, adults and families of all backgrounds each year. JCFS is currently seeking a Special Education Teacher to work with individuals and small groups of children (K – 12) with emotional and behavior disorders in a therapeutic special education classroom. The Therapeutic Day School is located in West Rogers Park, Chicago, IL. To learn more – Click here

* Middle/High School Principal- New York – Under the direction of the Education Department’s Vice President and/or Director, the Principal ensures that the school provides a safe, productive learning environment of the highest quality and is aligned with NYS Learning Standards and Individual Educational Program mandates.To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher- West Chester, PA – The Devereux Pennsylvania Children’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services (CIDDS) center serves children, adolescents and young adults – from birth to age 21 – with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral and emotional disorders.To learn more – Click here

* DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTION (Per/DIEM) – Springfield, NJ – The Arc of Union County’s Early Intervention Program is in search of Development Intervention Consultants to join our multi-disciplinary team providing services to children ages 0-3 with developmental needs ages in their homes or community settings throughout Union County. Schedules are flexible and based on the needs of the children and families.  To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher – Chicago, IL – We are currently seeking full-time Special Education Teachers in Chicago, IL where you will be part of a dynamic, collaborative team of professionals focused on driving positive outcomes for students in Chicago area schools. Call 800-434-4686 today to speak with a dedicated Career Services Manager! To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher – Philadelphia, PA – We are currently seeking a full-time Special Education Teachers in Philadelphia, PA where you will be part of a dynamic, collaborative team of professionals focused on driving positive outcomes for  students in a high school, charter school setting. For more information, call 800-434-4686 today to speak with a dedicated Career Services Manager! To learn more – Click here

* Director of the Arch Learning Community – The Director of the Arch Learning Community (a comprehensive academic enhancement program for students with diagnosed Learning Challenges). The Arch Learning Community has been widely regarded for 15 years as a premiere program for college students with learning disabilities and/or challenges. As a critical component of the Morton Family Learning Center, the qualified candidate will direct all aspects of the program including vision, staff supervision, development, implementation, budget and evaluation. To learn more – Click here

* Martin Luther School Director – Martin Luther School (MLS) serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade who require full-time emotional support in an out-of-district placement. The School’s curriculum closely mirrors that of the public schools, and MLS has a strong record of helping students make sufficient behavioral and academic gains to successfully transition back to their home districts. To learn more – Click here

* Part Time School Social Worker – Under the direction of the Principal and Director of Student Services, perform a variety of social service case management functions involved in identifying, assessing, and counseling students and families with attendance problems; develop referral plans; provide intervention as needed; and participate in the development of programs aimed at improving student attendance, achievement, self-esteem, and behavior. To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Resource Teacher – Full Time Special Education Resource Teacher. Seeking candidates with PEL with Special Education (K-12) endorsement. We offer a competitive salary, health insurance, fully paid TRS pension, flexible benefits, 50K life insurance policy, etc. To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Coordinator – This position will work from home and can be based anywhere in the state. This is a statewide position and will provide support to districts throughout Wisconsin. This includes day and some overnight travel. The Wisconsin RtI Center works in a virtual office environment. To learn more – Click here

* Development Intervention (Per/Diem) – The Arc of Union County’s Early Intervention Program is in search of Development Intervention Consultants to join our multi-disciplinary team providing services to children ages 0-3 with developmental needs ages in their homes or community settings throughout Union County. Schedules are flexible and based on the needs of the children and families. To learn more – Click here

* Teacher – Special Education (all categories) – Responsible for planning and providing for appropriate learning experiences for students based on the district’s AKS curriculum as well as providing an atmosphere and environment conducive to the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of individuals. GCPS offers full benefits and 2 Retirement Packages! To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher – Rivermont Schools are now hiring special education teachers at multiple locations throughout Virginia. Sign on bonus of $2,000 and relocation assistance of $5,000 are available for those who qualify. To learn more – Click here

* Special Education Teacher – DCD Center Based at Roosevelt Elementary School – Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student’s IEP. Assesses student progress and determines the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques. Employs various teaching techniques, methods and principles of learning to enable students to meet their IEP goals. To learn more – Click here

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

Food For Thought……….

Education is the foundation upon which we build our future.  

                                                               Christine Gregoire