http://www.ldonline.org/ en-us LD OnLine Administrator hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Faltering_in_Special_Education%2C_LA_Unified_Seeks_Answers Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:20 GMT After failing for the eighth straight year to meet service delivery targets for special education, Los Angeles Unified School District has begun interviewing staff to understand why records indicate thousands of students with disabilities are not receiving their prescribed services. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Faltering_in_Special_Education%2C_LA_Unified_Seeks_Answers http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities_Flourish_at_Tailored_Camps Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:10 GMT Camp can be best experience of a child's life, or the worst, according to Marty Hornstein, executive director for the Learning Disabilities Association in Calgary. With 50 offices in 10 provinces and one territory (Yukon), the Learning Disabilities Association is country's leading authority on the subject of educating children and helping adults with learning disabilities, which affect 10% of the population. Though attending summer camp can be a very enriching childhood experience, it can also be devastating to a child who has trouble in social situations. This led the Calgary chapter to start their own camp specifically for kids with LDs. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities_Flourish_at_Tailored_Camps http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/High-Tech%2C_Low-Tech_Methods_Meet_to_Help_with_Learning_Disabilities Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT Using "assistive technology" to overcome learning difficulties is not new. But newer gadgets like Kindles, iPads and smartphones are becoming some of the most popular tools. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/High-Tech%2C_Low-Tech_Methods_Meet_to_Help_with_Learning_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Standards_Open_the_Door_for_Best_Practices_From_Special_Ed. Thu, 03 May 2012 13:34:16 GMT Some instructional approaches associated closely with special education are gaining traction more quickly than ever as more states and districts look to them as the ideal tools to implement the Common Core State Standards. In particular, two strategies—universal design for learning and response to intervention—are being cited by states in requests for waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act in the section about how they will implement the standards. Those familiar with the techniques say the pairings are logical, and the timing is right. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Standards_Open_the_Door_for_Best_Practices_From_Special_Ed. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Grant_Helps_UH_Learning_Disabilities_Research Thu, 03 May 2012 13:33:54 GMT The University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities has been awarded a 5 year, $9 million grant to continue its unique research on learning disabilities. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Grant_Helps_UH_Learning_Disabilities_Research http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/A_Big-League_ADHDer_Hits_It_Out_of_the_Park Thu, 03 May 2012 13:33:33 GMT If attention deficit has gotten you down, pro baseballer Andres Torres will show you how to swing for the fences. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/A_Big-League_ADHDer_Hits_It_Out_of_the_Park http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Bullying_Tied_to_Depression_in_Special-Needs_Kids Thu, 03 May 2012 13:33:03 GMT Special-needs youth with chronic medical conditions or developmental disabilities are at risk for anxiety and depression if they're excluded or bullied by other young people, a new small study says. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Bullying_Tied_to_Depression_in_Special-Needs_Kids http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Strategies_for_Meeting_All_Students%27_Needs Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:40 GMT Whether you're a special education teacher or not, you likely teach students who are on the autism spectrum or who have learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety disorders, or emotional disabilities. Differentiating instruction for such students can be challenging. But as an urban middle school teacher with more than 30 years of experience, I've identified some strategies that increase the chances that we're meeting all students' needs on a daily basis. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Strategies_for_Meeting_All_Students%27_Needs http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Special_Education_Teacher_Evaluation_Methods_A_Struggle Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:30 GMT Spurred by the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion Race to the Top grant competition, more than a dozen states have passed laws to reform how teachers are evaluated and include student growth as a component. For most students, that growth will be measured on standardized tests. But for special education students that is considerably more complicated. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Special_Education_Teacher_Evaluation_Methods_A_Struggle http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Sandwich_Cafe_Helps_People_with_Learning_Disabilities Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:20 GMT As a customer, Christine Golding says muffins at Cafe Riverview "are the best on the planet" and she's become a big fan of the orange-lavender variety since the place opened five weeks ago. Cafe Riverview is a real-world classroom for 16 of its employees: They are students or recent graduates of the nearby Riverview School, which helps people with complex learning disabilities learn to live and work independently. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Sandwich_Cafe_Helps_People_with_Learning_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Change_of_Diet_Helps_Some_Kids_with_ADHD Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:10 GMT A new report suggests a change in diet can relieve attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in some children. ADHD is believed to affect about 3 to 5 percent of children globally and is diagnosed in about 2 to 16 percent of school aged children. Although more research is necessary, some studies show that by changing their diet, it is possible to improve the condition for some ADHD children, said Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, Ph.D., from the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Copenhagen. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Change_of_Diet_Helps_Some_Kids_with_ADHD http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/When_Push_Comes_to_Love%3A_IEP_Meetings_Aren%27t_Just_for_Educators Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT It is hard to believe that the school year is winding down. It seems like we were just dealing with the after-effects of Hurricane Irene and the delay of the start of the school. But hence, spring is upon us and for schools that means a lot of things, including PPT season. Planning and Placement Team meetings occur near the end of the school year to review the child's progress and plan for the coming year. It is when parents get to hear about the growth their child made that year and what the school will plan to do next year to ensure growth continues. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/When_Push_Comes_to_Love%3A_IEP_Meetings_Aren%27t_Just_for_Educators http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/iPads_Especially_Helpful_for_Special-Needs_Students Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:50:02 GMT Two years after Apple introduced the iPad, the tablet is becoming increasingly popular with educators of students with special needs, especially learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. These teachers and administrators are repeatedly turning to iPads, which cost between $300 and $800, and other tablets to improve communication, reading and math skills, to virtually dissect animals or to give students an easier way to take notes. Results, they say, are promising. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/iPads_Especially_Helpful_for_Special-Needs_Students http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Intersection_of_Race_and_Students_with_Disabilities Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:49:36 GMT Strategies including response to intervention are making a dent in the over-identification of some students of some backgrounds as having particular disabilities. But it may not be enough to overcome deeply rooted stereotyping all by itself. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Intersection_of_Race_and_Students_with_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Boston_Schools_Lag_in_Special-Ed_Plans Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:49:15 GMT The Boston public system is facing a ballooning backlog in its review of special education plans, federally mandated each year for thousands of students, prompting officials to propose one-time bonuses to staffers to get the job done. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Boston_Schools_Lag_in_Special-Ed_Plans http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Math_is_a_Four-Letter_Word Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:48:38 GMT Overcoming her fear of math has been tough for my adolescent daughter. But with plenty of support — and a lot of parental patience — she's finally moving past meltdowns. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Math_is_a_Four-Letter_Word http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Signs_of_Dyslexia_Start_Before_Reading%2C_Study_Finds Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:30 GMT Signs of dyslexia may begin even before a child tries to read, according to new research published in the journal Current Biology. Dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process certain symbols, cannot just be considered a language problem anymore, as it affects comprehension and visual understanding of symbols and patterns, said Andrea Facoetti, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Padova and co-author of the study. It has been widely "accepted that reading disorders arise from a spoken language problem, [but] results demonstrate the critical role played by visual attention in learning to read." http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Signs_of_Dyslexia_Start_Before_Reading%2C_Study_Finds http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Drug_Shortage_to_End_Soon Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:20 GMT After months of Americans being unable to fill their drug prescriptions for medications that are commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday that the shortages are expected to end this month. Many ADHD medications, such as Adderall, have been in short supply since 2011. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Drug_Shortage_to_End_Soon http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Chuck_Close%27s_Advice_to_His_Younger_Self Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:10 GMT Ever wish you could give advice to yourself as a younger person? That's the premise of the series "Note to Self." Continuing the series, CBS asked Chuck Close, a preeminent portrait painter to give his younger self some advice. Close has overcome enormous obstacles: learning disabilities, face blindness and a rare condition that left him mostly paralyzed more than 20 years ago. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Chuck_Close%27s_Advice_to_His_Younger_Self http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/In_Praise_of_%85_Praise%21 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT The right kind of praise can create mini-Rockys, kids who keep getting up when the world knocks them down. Learn how to build real resilience in your ADHD child. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/In_Praise_of_%85_Praise%21