| November 3, 2009 | News for special education professionals |
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- Hawaii parents worry about furloughs' effect on special education
Parents of Hawaii students with special needs are struggling to help their children meet already challenging academic goals with fewer school days this year because of teacher furloughs. It takes some students three days or even a week to catch up after missing a day of scheduled classes, said one provider of behavioral services who encouraged parents to work at home with children who have special needs to help them maintain the progress they are making at school. KHON-TV (Honolulu)
(11/1)
     
- Parents of students with special needs want collaboration with district
Some parents of students with special needs in Pennsylvania's West Shore School District say officials have become less collaborative with them when making changes to students' Individualized Education Programs.
Parents and advocates expressed their concerns in an open letter to the school board and urged district officials to support a more collaborative relationship. School officials did not immediately comment on the issue, but one state advocate said it's incumbent on districts to ensure a smooth relationship with parents. The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)
(11/2)
- Schools work to monitor rising number of students with diabetes
Fewer schools have full-time nurses on staff, and an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with diabetes and are in need of monitoring during the school day. Transferring students to better-equipped schools is discrimination, according to a legal expert who works with the American Diabetes Association. Some schools are providing paraprofessionals to shadow students, and others are taking a team approach among staff to help monitor students' conditions. USA TODAY
(11/1)
 | New software provides real time IEP data collection and analysis — AbleNet's innovative software program Flourish integrates with any existing IEP system to provide collection, organization, and analysis of required IEP goal data. Flourish measures student progress and demonstrates accountability in accordance with NCLB and IDEA. Learn more. |
- Educator: Create better university programs to train better teachers
 Fixing the nation's schools requires that the study of education be valued at the university level, argues Susan Engel, director of the teaching program at Williams College. Programs should be highly selective and free of charge, writes Engel in this opinion piece, and should include in-depth study of a candidate's subject of choice reinforced with intense in-field mentoring and observation -- similar to that of a surgeon-in-training. The New York Times (free registration)
(11/1)
 | Can't Decode?
With My Reading Coach from MindPlay, even students with the most severe reading difficulties can learn to read. My Reading Coach provides every student with personal help from a virtual reading specialist and speech pathologist giving every student direct instruction with limitless patience and encouragement. Free preview click here. |
| Technology Trends |  | |
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- New device improves reading for people with visual impairments
 A new device called FarView is helping people with visual impairments by magnifying and storing text and images. Produced by San Diego's Optelec, the device has an automatic scrolling feature that helps users with visual impairments read documents more smoothly, and it is available in a compact, easily portable version. KGTV-TV (San Diego)
(11/2)
- Private-school data is public domain on education Web site
An unheralded database on the Department of Education Web site is proving to be a comprehensive resource for families interested in private schools. Although not mandated, some 91% of private schools respond to survey questions about demographics, length of the school year and college-enrollment rates, among other things. Survey results are posted to the site in a searchable format that provides information that may not be otherwise available to the public. The Washington Post
(11/2)
| Policy News | | |
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- Experts updating diagnostic manual consider eliminating Asperger's
Experts revising psychiatry's diagnostic manual have proposed eliminating Asperger's syndrome and another form of autism -- pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified -- and folding them into a single general diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The New York Times reports that the change -- bound to be controversial -- is part of an effort to modernize the mental-illness model as a continuum, with degrees of severity. The New York Times (free registration)
(11/2)
- Salaries of top execs at disability-services provider are scrutinized
The owners of Social Vocational Services, a California-funded nonprofit that provides services to people with developmental disabilities, are under fire in this report by the Los Angeles Times for enriching themselves with six-figure salaries as well as millions of dollars in other compensation. Against a backdrop of widespread state cuts in services for people with disabilities, a lawyer for the owners of SVS contends that they deserve to be compensated as if they were working in the private sector. Los Angeles Times
(11/2)
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| Eye on Exceptionalities | | |
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- Prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome rise in U.S. while births decline
American mothers gave birth to 15% fewer babies with the genetic condition during a time when it was likely to increase because of a trend of advancing maternal age, according to a researcher. Parents' decision to terminate pregnancies in more than 90% of cases where Down syndrome is discovered is the reason for the decrease in births, said Dr. Brian Skotko, a pediatric geneticist at Children's Hospital Boston. Advocates for people with Down syndrome worry that the decline in births will lead to reduced funding to study the disorder. ABC News
(11/2)
- Clinical trials set on drug to treat fragile X syndrome
Researchers are set to begin clinical testing of STX107, a drug to treat fragile X syndrome, which is believed to be the most common cause of intellectual disabilities. After initial safety testing on healthy adults, researchers will test whether the drug is able to restore normal brain connections in people who have fragile X. The inherited condition is found in 1 in 6,000 girls and 1 in 4,000 boys. Disability Scoop
(11/2)
| CEC Spotlight | | |
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Plan your next career move with CEC's Online Job Board
Looking for a new job? CEC's Online Job Board is the perfect place to post your resume. And watch for the latest special-education career opportunities featured right here in CEC SmartBrief. Find out more. Are you an employer? Find out about our great job-posting rates.
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Almost, but without stereos, bicycles and clothes! The new CEC Publications Catalog is available in print and online, and features the latest products from CEC and our publishing partners. New products on RTI, LD, co-teaching, policy, early childhood, assistive technology and more will add so much to your professional-development portfolio. Look for it in the mail or download it from CEC's Web site.
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