http://www.ldonline.org/ en-us LD OnLine Administrator hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Johnson_has_Seen_Many_Changes_in_Special_Education Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:19:20 GMT On the eve of her retirement, Fergus Falls Area Special Education Cooperative Director Nancy Johnson reflects on the history of special education, and some of the dramatic waves of innovation she's seen, over the past 35 years. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Johnson_has_Seen_Many_Changes_in_Special_Education http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Finding_the_Answers Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:17:46 GMT Kay MacDonald's efforts to help her own son turned into a lifelong passion for helping other children with learning disabilities. She retires this week after 25 years with the Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Finding_the_Answers http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/States_Found_Moving_to_Head_Off_Due-Process_Hearings Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:35:32 GMT The fear of due-process hearings looms large in disputes between parents of children with disabilities and schools. But more than 80 percent of requests for due process mdash; a legal remedy outlined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mdash; never get to the point at which a hearing is held, according to the Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education, a national technical-assistance center on resolving special education disputes. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/States_Found_Moving_to_Head_Off_Due-Process_Hearings http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexic_Student_Finds_MacEwan_Opens_Door_to_Academic_Success Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:34:17 GMT Throughout her years in public school, Kerie Hildebrandt struggled. In college, her world changed counsellors, new equipment and learning devices she had never seen before were all available to her. Her grade point average zoomed to a 3.8 with the right support. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexic_Student_Finds_MacEwan_Opens_Door_to_Academic_Success http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Editorial%3A_Special_Ed Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:32:59 GMT Is it really possible that disabilities are much more common than they were just a few years ago? That's what special education enrollment numbers would indicate. But don't be startled. The explanation is probably encouraging, not alarming. We're better at identifying learning disabilities than ever before. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Editorial%3A_Special_Ed http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Gaithersburg_School_Tailors_Teaching_To_Help_Students_Cope_With_Disorder Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:31:28 GMT A special program in Montgomery County, Md., addresses one of the most vexing problems in special education: What to do with a child who is disabled but capable of work at or above grade level? Such programs are unusual in public education. Because children with Asperger's often are bright and capable, albeit with some behavioral quirks, schools tend to assign them to regular classrooms, either missing or misdiagnosing their disability. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Gaithersburg_School_Tailors_Teaching_To_Help_Students_Cope_With_Disorder http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Editorial%3A_MPS_Should_Settle_Case Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:29:28 GMT After losing another round in its long battle over how it identifies and works with special education students, Milwaukee Public Schools has a decision to make: Keep fighting or find a way to end this seven-year dispute. The district should find a way to put its long battle over special education behind it. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Editorial%3A_MPS_Should_Settle_Case http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Genetics_Sometimes_Beneficial Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:20:37 GMT A study in Kenya finds that those with genes associated with ADHD who still live a nomadic life are actually more fit, but those who have adopted a more settled life are less fit. Cynthia Graber reports in this podcast. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Genetics_Sometimes_Beneficial http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/NYC_Special_Education_Students_Wait_and_Wonder_about_Middle_Schools Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:20:00 GMT City special education fifth-graders are still waiting to find out where they're going to middle school next fall. It's been particularly troublesome for students in inclusion classes, where general- and special-education students attend class together, educators said. Middle school parents have charged it took months to learn where their children would be attending school next year - and some haven't yet heard where. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/NYC_Special_Education_Students_Wait_and_Wonder_about_Middle_Schools http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/No_Child_Left_Behind_is_Catch-22_for_California_School_District Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:18:54 GMT The conflicting demands of federal and state law have presented the Manhattan Beach Unified School District with a predicament: The district has been unable to meet the testing standards of the No Child Left Behind Act for the third straight year, despite the fact that its test scores rank among the top five school districts in the state. The catch-22 binding the districts' schools is that students with disabilities who are on state-mandated Independent Education Plans (IEPs) are legally allowed to have accommodations while taking standardized tests. The federal government, however, negates such students' tests and counts them as though the student failed to show. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/No_Child_Left_Behind_is_Catch-22_for_California_School_District http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Shire_Issues_Voluntary_Recall_for_ADHD_Skin_Patch Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:18:18 GMT Shire Ltd. said Monday it is voluntarily recalling some of its Daytrana attention deficit hyperactivity disorder skin patches because some people could have difficulty removing the release liner, or backing material, of the patch before applying it to the skin. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Shire_Issues_Voluntary_Recall_for_ADHD_Skin_Patch http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%27Creating_an_Atmosphere_Of_Acceptance%27 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:36:09 GMT "On both HBCU and White campuses, many Black and Latino students with learning disabilities never get any help," says Thomas Mays, manager of disability services for Prince George's Community College in Maryland. "Many are never diagnosed, and many of those who were identified as having LDs in grammar or high school had such a terrible time in special education that they never want to be identified in college even though they could really benefit from our services." http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%27Creating_an_Atmosphere_Of_Acceptance%27 http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/School_Districts_Struggle_with_Special_Education_Costs Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:35:35 GMT Each year, school officials create a budget, hoping the money is enough to run a school district. Certain expenses, such as oil, can be difficult to plan for, because of the volatility of weather and price. But no single expense is as problematic for a school district as special education. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/School_Districts_Struggle_with_Special_Education_Costs http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/St._John%27s_Wort_Doesn%27t_Work_for_ADHD Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:34:42 GMT Published in the June 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study compared St. John's wort to a placebo in children aged 6 to 17 and found the herb wasn't any more effective than the placebo at treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/St._John%27s_Wort_Doesn%27t_Work_for_ADHD http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%27Rewired%27_Brains_Help_Children_Read_Better Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:33:35 GMT Carnegie Mellon University researchers said Wednesday that brain scans of 25 fifth-graders who participated in the reading program managed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit improved to near-normal activity in brain areas responsible for reading. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%27Rewired%27_Brains_Help_Children_Read_Better http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Including_Special-Needs_Children_in_Class%3A_Is_it_Worth_it%3F Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:36:08 GMT Some parents are asking themselves an uncomfortable yet critical question: Does the practice of inclusion detract from my child's education? Is it really worth it?  It all depends on your point of view. The author's has changed in the past 30 years, after seeing some unexpected benefits from having her son, who has Down syndrome, enrolled in regular school. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Including_Special-Needs_Children_in_Class%3A_Is_it_Worth_it%3F http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Supporting_Children_with_Learning_Disabilities Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:35:32 GMT This parenting column discusses ways to support your child, including understanding their disability, finding their strengths, and identifying ways to work with the disability.  http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Supporting_Children_with_Learning_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study%3A_Attention_Deficit_Disorder_Gene_a_Boon_for_Kenyan_Nomads Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:35:01 GMT U.S. researchers found that a gene associated with ADHD was linked to better health and body weight in a group of nomadic cattle herders, but could cause malnourishment in their cousins who have recently settled and begun to grow crops.  "Our findings suggest that some of the variety of personalities we see in people is evolutionarily helpful or detrimental, depending on the context," said lead author Dan Eisenberg, an anthropology graduate at Northwestern University. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study%3A_Attention_Deficit_Disorder_Gene_a_Boon_for_Kenyan_Nomads http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Work_for_Adequate_School_Plan_for_Child_with_Disabilities Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:34:23 GMT Columnist Paige Fumo Fox reflects on her recent meeting with school staff about her son's individualized education plan, and encourages any parent about to enter the IEP process to be optimistic, but prepared. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Work_for_Adequate_School_Plan_for_Child_with_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Food_Dyes_Fueling_Kids%27_Hyperactivity%3F Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:59:16 GMT 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. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Food_Dyes_Fueling_Kids%27_Hyperactivity%3F