LD News
Each weekday, LD OnLine gathers interesting news headlines about learning disabilities and ADHD issues. Please note that LD OnLine does not necessarily endorse these views or any others on these outside web sites.
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Frank Ricci Becomes Champion for Those with Dyslexia
Examiner (DC)
As Ricci v. DeStefano drew public attention for the involvement of Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonya Sotomayor and the questions it raised about racial justice, those who face a disability in learning how to read gained a champion. Multiple articles on the case detailed the effort that plaintiff and fireman Frank Ricci, a man diagnosed with dyslexia invested in a plan of study. His was a demonstration of supreme effort.
Opinion: Court Ruling Should Encourage Government to Adequately Fund Special Needs Schooling
Daily News (SC)
News of last week's Supreme Court ruling in favor of an Oregon special needs student whose parents sought reimbursement for the cost of private schooling was quickly knocked off the front page by higher profile end-of-term decisions. But school districts here and throughout the nation will be studying this 6-3 ruling for months to come, trying to determine just how far they're going to have to stretch already tight budgets.
Opinion: Special Education Spending Merits Second Look
Salem News (MA)
As cities and towns continue to struggle with the question of how to pay for their schools, a look at the explosion in spending on special education might be instructive. Legally and morally, children with disabilities are entitled to a "free, appropriate public education," and it's a given that in some cases the cost of providing such is going to be expensive. But while the cost of special education services approaches $2 billion a year in Massachusetts, the results have been mixed.
UK: One in 14 Children Unable to Speak Properly
The Times (UK)
Rising numbers of children are not able to speak properly, official figures indicate. Communication difficulties have been linked to poor academic achievement, substance abuse, increased depression and criminal activity. Almost one in seven primary school children with special educational needs has trouble with speech - making it the most common special educational need.
Opinion: Not Addressing Learning Disabilities has High Cost
The Daily News (Canada)
Dyslexia itself does not qualify for aid support time in British Columbia's schools. Of course, even if it did, there is the more serious question of the lack of the use of research-based programming for dyslexics (and other learning disabilities) in our schools. Even if other disabilities are present to qualify for aid time, most districts are keenly reluctant to train aids to fill these gaps. The reality is, most teachers are neither trained nor providing appropriate support for these children.
School Admin Hopes for Center for Learning Disabilities in CT
Register Citizen (CT)
Growing up in Torrington, Connecticut Helen Waldron was exposed to politics at an early age. Her father, Fletcher, served on the city council and board of education. Her uncle, Hodges, was the city’s mayor. Today, Waldron, 44, is the newly-appointed assistant head of the Forman School, a private boarding school in Litchfield that specializes in specializing in college preparatory programs for high school students with learning disabilities. Waldron said she would like to see a learning center for students with learning disabilities established in Torrington.
Stimulus Boosts Special-Ed. Program for Infants, Toddlers
Education Week
The federal economic-stimulus package's $12.2 billion in funding for special education has been cheered as a way to offer financial breathing room for cash-strapped states. But for the part of the federal special education program that provides programs for the youngest children, the stimulus gave more than breathing room: It provided a chance for survival.
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What's Available to LD Students
Charlotte Observer (NC)
When you add learning disabilities (LD) to the mix during the college admissions process, the search can go from plain confusing to utterly bewildering. Parents of students with learning disabilities must do more homework. Their questions encompass the traditional parental concerns of security, drinking on campus and dining options but additionally, they need to understand each college's academic environment.
UK: Rise in Number of Pupils with Special Educational Needs
The Guardian (UK)
Almost 18% of pupils in English schools have special educational needs, government figures released today show. The proportion has steadily grown over the last four years, from 14.9% in 2005 to 17.8% in 2009, according to statistics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
MPS Share of State Aid for Special Education Students Rises 36%
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Following a wave of criticism over Milwaukee Public Schools' shortcomings when it came to state payments for high-cost special education students, district officials upped their efforts to apply for aid this year. It partly paid off. The district's share rose 36%, earning it $54,807 to cover the costs of some of its neediest disabled students. But, perhaps more importantly, both district and state officials now say MPS has shown there's not much more it can do to qualify for this particular pool of aid.
Special-Ed Problems Continue In District
Washington Post
Some D.C. public charter schools continue selective admissions practices that discourage special-needs students from enrolling, and students citywide with possible disabilities still face delays in special education evaluations, a federal court monitor said last week.
Opinion: Education Ruling Worrisome
Deseret News (UT)
In a state with the lowest per-pupil funding in the nation, there's just cause for concern when the possibility exists to further dilute those resources. Last Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act authorizes reimbursements for private school tuition, even when a child has never received special-education services from a public school. School administrators nationwide fear the ruling will lead to a jump in expensive private-school placements and will cut into special education funding for students in public schools.
Hundreds of Genes Could Be Linked to ADHD
HealthDay News
Hundreds of gene variations that may be associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been identified by U.S. researchers. Many of these genes were known to be involved in learning, behavior, brain function and neurodevelopment, but this is the first study to link them to ADHD.
Maine Educators Weigh Implications of Court Ruling on Special-Ed
Maine Public Broadcasting Network
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that parents of special-education students may seek reimbursement for private school tuition, even if those students have never received special-education services in public school. Maine school officials, parents and special education advocates are wondering whether the ruling will prompt more parents to place their children in private schools and seek reimbursement from already cash-strapped public school districts.
Decision May Help Special-Ed Families in VT
Brattleboro Reformer (VT)
A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week could help Vermont families with special education students that are battling with their local school districts over out-of-district placement costs. Tim Palmer, executive deputy director of the Vermont Family Network, said the decision will probably not cause an increase in the number of families that ask schools to pay for expensive private education. But Palmer said the decision will likely remain in the forefront of conversations as families and administrators try to determine the best place for the disabled students.
UK: Dyslexia Linked to Muscle Control
BBCNews (UK)
Dyslexia could be caused by defects in the part of the brain that controls muscle co-ordination, Edinburgh scientists have discovered. Edinburgh University scientists have found the cerebellum, at the base of the brain, may influence how a person learns to interpret written language.
Special Education: Schools Taking Ruling in Stride
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio educators don't expect much to come from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling reaffirming that parents can send special-needs students to private school on a public school's dime. Parents still will have to appeal to the state to force unwilling school districts to cover private-education costs, state officials said. But special-education advocates called the ruling a small victory, and experts said it will put districts on notice that they must provide a "free and appropriate public education," a requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Unspent Special-Education Funds Under Scrutiny
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Chester Community Charter School, Pennsylvania's largest charter, would be among the biggest losers if an administration proposal from the governor to change special-education funding for charter and cyber charter schools becomes law. The 2,150-student Delaware County charter school received $21,840 last school year for each special-education student from its home district, Chester Upland, but state calculations show that the charter spent less than a third of the $9.4 million it received for special-education students on special education.
Disabled Woman Gets College Dream
The Washington Times
23-year-old Melissa Gurman was diagnosed with information processing delays when she was just 17 months old, and later with attention deficit hyperactive disorder and performance anxiety. She is considered intellectually disabled. But in May, she graduated from George Mason University's Mason Learning Into Future Environments (LIFE) program. Four years at the college have given her a long list of achievements, including mastering her fear of public speaking.
(Opinion) The Tragedy and Triumph of T.A.
The Boston Globe
Charles P. Conroy, Ed.D., executive director of Perkins School in Lancaster writes in this opinion column, "On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a special-education decision, Forest Grove School District v. T.A, that had been closely tracked in many sectors of American education. Those who compulsively need to keep score might conclude that private schools for children with special needs had 'won.' They would be wrong. The true winners were children with what one might call hidden disabilities — social, emotional, and learning needs that are often less apparent than some visual, auditory, ambulatory, or intellectual challenges."
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