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Each week, 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 websites.
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Annika Helber Wants To Give Back To Disabled Students
AnnArbor.com
As a second-grader Ann Arbor's Annika Helber was told that her dyslexia was so severe that she'd never be able to read past the fourth-grade level. College was certainly out of the question. For Helber, it's been a long fight against dyslexia, and when she enrolls at Grand Valley State University in the fall, she'll pursue an education that will enable her to help other learning-disabled students reach their potential.
Anniversary of ADA Brings Presidential Order to Hire More Disabled Workers
Washington Post
As the country marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act this week, the Obama administration and Congress are taking steps to give the disabled greater access to federal jobs and technology. Under a new executive order from President Obama, federal agencies will step up efforts to hire 100,000 disabled employees over the next five years.
Another State Requests Waiver to Cut Special Ed Spending
On Special Education Blog, Education Week
It's official: This month, Oregon asked the U.S. Department of Education to allow it to cut about $15.7 million from its special education budget and not lose the same amount of federal money for students with disabilities—a double hit.
Answers to Your Questions on Applying With a Learning Disability
New York Times
The Choice Blog: The Choice has lined up Marybeth Kravets to field questions this week about applying to college with a learning disability, the subject of a column published over the weekend in The Times's Education Life supplement. In this first batch of answers, Ms. Kravets addresses questions on test scores and foreign language requirement waivers. Answers to additional questions will continue this week.
Anthony Mullen: 2009 National Teacher of the Year
Education Week
At the end of April, the White House announced that Anthony Mullen, a special education teacher in Greenwich, Conn., had been selected as the 59th National Teacher of the Year. A plain-spoken, unvarnished man of 50, Mullen worked as a New York City police officer for 21 years before leaving the department in 2000 to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a teacher of students with special needs.
Anxiety Attack: Conquering a Fear of Math
WNYC
Math anxiety refers to feelings of tension and fear that interfere with solving mathematical problems in everyday life and school settings. Math anxiety involves physiological arousal (e.g., sweaty palms, racing heart), negative thoughts (e.g., “I am just not a math person.”), escape and/or avoidance behaviors (e.g., developing pains to get out of math class), and, when the individual cannot escape the situation, poor performance.
The negative impacts of math anxiety are enormous. Math-anxious students do not see the value of math for everyday life, they participate — and learn — less in math classes, receive lower grades in math, and take fewer math classes in high school and college.
Apple Highlights Disability Offerings in App Store
Disability Scoop
Apple is highlighting a growing number of apps catering to individuals with special needs with a featured special education section in its App Store. The section titled “Special Education” launched late last week and includes 72 applications for the iPhone and 13 applications for the iPad in 10 categories ranging from communication to emotional development and life skills, according to Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman.
Appreciating Special Education Students' Diversity
Education Week
A new concept has emerged on the horizon that promises to establish a more positive foundation upon which to build new strength-based assessments, programs, curricula, and environments for these kids.
The concept is neurodiversity. The term, which was coined by Australian autism-activist Judy Singer and American journalist Harvey Blume in the late 1990s, suggests that what we've called in the past "disabilities" ought to be described instead as "differences" or "diversities." Proponents of neurodiversity encourage us to apply the same attitudes that we have about biodiversity and cultural diversity to an understanding of how different brains are wired.
Apps for Children with Dyslexia
Motherlode Blog, New York Times
The parent of a second grader newly diagnosed with dyslexia wrote me asking if I knew of any apps that might help her son with reading and math. She'd searched and come up with nothing — and so did I, with the same result. I asked Warren Buckleitner, who reviews children's technology for The Times's Gadgetwise blog, what he'd recommend.
ARCH Teacher among Finalists for State Award
Greenwich Time (CT)
After six years teaching at ARCH School, Anthony Mullen, 48, is now being recognized as one of four finalists in the state's 2009 Teacher of the Year Contest, an annual competition that recognizes Connecticut's top educators for their efforts in and out of the classroom. Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg chose Mullen to represent Greenwich in the state's contest last spring, after observing him in the classroom and talking to him about local and statewide issues in special education.
Are Americans More Prone to ADHD?
New York Times
Whether you call it hypochondria or American exceptionalism, the numbers are plain: Americans lead the world in diagnoses of mental health problems. For some conditions, perhaps wealth explains the disparity: in developing nations, more people are focused on pressing needs like food and shelter, making depression a "luxury disorder" in wealthy nations like the United States. But are there other factors at play for conditions like attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, that may be "culture-specific"? Maybe the condition is more common in the United States because the high-energy, risk-taking traits of ADHD are part of America's pioneer DNA.
Are Children Diagnosed With ADHD More Likely to Be Overweight?
HealthNews
Each year in the United States, an increasing number of children and teens are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and each year the percentage of children and teens that are overweight increases. Could there be a link between the two? According to a study published in the July issue of Pediatrics, the answer is YES.
The Atlantic
Dyslexia is often diagnosed when a child or adult has more difficulty with reading than their IQ would suggest. New research adds to this discrepancy model by using fMRI patterns.
Are Food Dyes Fueling Kids' Hyperactivity?
ABC News
The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban artificial coloring in all U.S. foods based on a controversial claim that artificial coloring is behind the rise in kids' behavioral problems, like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. To others, however, that connection is far less clear.
Are L.A. Charter Schools Screening Out Special Ed. Students?
On Special Education Blog, Education Week
A new report from the Office of the Independent Monitor in the Los Angeles school district looks at whether charter schools ask parents up front—before they can enroll—if their children have disabilities. In traditional Los Angeles public schools, about 13 percent of students have a disability, while in the district's 183 charter schools, only about 8 percent of students have special needs.
Are Our Schools Failing Dyslexics?
The Herald (Scotland)
It was more than a century ago that dyslexia was first identified as a distinct learning difficulty. The term was coined in 1887 by a German ophthalmologist to describe the case of an otherwise normal boy who had a severe impairment in reading and writing. In the intervening years, the understanding and treatment of the condition has grown rapidly but, as a new report out today shows, schools across Scotland are still failing some dyslexic pupils.
Are Some Brains Better at Learning Languages?
Discovery News
There may be certain areas in the brain that are enlarged or extra efficient that could lend some language learners an advantage. Studies show that it becomes more difficult to learn new languages as you get older. Neuroscientists are still trying to understand all the various brain regions involved in learning language.
That raises the question: Is there something unique about certain brains, which allows some people to speak and understand so many more languages than the rest of us?
Are You Ready for the ADA Amendments Act of 2008?
Workforce Management (CA)
When President George W. Bush signed legislation to expand the protections afforded by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, it broadened the definition of 'disabled,' triggering important changes for employers. Being informed of these changes—and in compliance with the new law—is a must for employers and HR.
Arizona Educator Sets an Example
Arizona Republic
The 40 students at Scottsdale, Arizona's Lexis Preparatory School have a special relationship with Head of School Dana Herzberg. The students, who have learning disabilities such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, have a school leader who has overcome similar learning disabilities. "They can't say, 'You don't understand. It's hard.' " Herzberg said. "Well, I do get it."
Arizona Woman Helps ADHD/ LD Students Prepare for SAT
The Arizona Republic
Clair Hinckley runs a tutoring service that helps high school students take the SAT and improve their grades and writing skills to help them become better candidates for college admissions and scholarships. She helps two groups of students, she said: the high achievers who want to get into prestigious colleges and students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities who want to improve their test scores and schoolwork. Hinckley has an adult form of ADHD herself, so it helps her connect with those kids, she said.
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