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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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New Mexico May Face Loss of Federal Special Education Funds
Education Week, On Special Education
A New Mexico newspaper is reporting that the state could be docked up to $93 million in federal special education funding because it made reductions to the program without U.S. Department of Education approval. The state is facing a penalty because it did not follow a rule known in federal funding circles as "maintenance of state financial support."
ER Visits Tied to ADHD Meds Rising
Newsmax Health
U.S. emergency department visits involving attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs more than doubled from 2005 to 2010, with the largest hike occurring among adults, says a new government report. In that period, such ER visits rose from about 13,400 to 31,200, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
ADHD Studies Shed Little Light on Efficacy of Nonpharmacologic Treatments
Medscape News
Poor scientific assessment of nonpharmacologic treatments — including dietary and psychological therapies — for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is leaving physicians and their patients in the dark about their efficacy, new research suggests.
ADHD Medication Can Slow Growth in Teenage Boys, Study Finds
MedicalXpress.com
Adolescent boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to be shorter and slimmer than their same-age peers, according to a new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Childhood ADHD Diagnoses Jump 25 Percent Over Decade
ABC News
The rates of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis have increased by nearly 25% over the past decade, researchers found. From 2001 to 2010, the rate of ADHD diagnosis increased from 2.5% to 3.1%, according to Darios Getahun, MD, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Medical Group in Pasadena, and colleagues.
Program Helping Students Combat Dyslexia
WTVA (MS)
Dyslexia is a disorder that can prevent students from learning, but there are many ways for them to overcome this challenge. One option is now being used by the Tupelo Public School District. Thanks to the Barton Program, students can utilize a scripted program to help them with language intervention.
Teaching Children with Dyslexia
Huffington Post
Specialist London-based tutoring agency Tutor House has recently come up with a guide to aid teachers, private tutors and parents on teaching dyslexic children. The article analyses the effects of dyslexia on academic performance, how to identify it as well as quality teaching strategies to help people with dyslexia.
First US Liquid ADHD Drug Launched
FireceDrugDelivery
Pfizer has launched Quillivant XR (controlled-release methylphenidate hydrochloride) for the treatment of ADHD. This is the first once-daily, extended-release liquid methylphenidate for ADHD available in the U.S.
Arkansas Legislation Could Require Dyslexia Testing for All Students
Today's THV (AK)
A proposed legislation would require Arkansas schools to test for dyslexia. The disorder causes the brain to misinterpret letters and words, and studies show many children diagnosed before 3rd grade can be treated.
How to Succeed Despite Dyslexia
Lehigh Valley News (PA)
Some people with disabilities or challenges focus on how much harder their lives are because of the odds they were dealt. Others spend their time figuring out ways to live their lives to the fullest despite those challenges.
Twenty-three-year-old Elisa Cabrera belongs to the latter group. She didn't let dyslexia — a learning disability that affects reading — stand in her way. Instead, she figured out how to succeed in spite of the obstacle.
Does Snoring Cause ADHD In Children?
Herald Online (PA)
Studies show that pediatric nasal congestion, childhood snoring, and childhood obstructive sleep apnea can have major impacts on children's behavior and learning. Some experts believe that nighttime airway obstruction, including snoring, may cause as many as 30% of childhood attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases.
Demystifying Learning Disabilities: Empowering Students
The Jewish Press
Though Noam was extremely smart, he had ADHD, which made it hard for him to focus on all of the material presented during class. Before we even looked at the material together, I asked Noam how he learned best. His face was blank as he responded, "Um, Mrs. Schonfeld, I really am not sure." We spent the next hour discussing the learning strengths and weakness of children with ADHD.
Chicago Faulted on Assessment for Learning Disabilities
The New York Times
In a complaint filed on Monday with the Illinois State Board of Education, a nonprofit advocacy group says that thousands of children are in Rashaan's position because the Chicago Public Schools have repeatedly failed to evaluate children with disabilities and move them into special education preschool programs.
Federal Appeals Court Backs Parents in Special Ed Placement
Education Week, On Special Education
A Colorado school district must reimburse the parents of a student with learning disabilities as well as emotional and behavioral difficulties for the costs of the student's enrollment at an out-of-state residential treatment facility, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Spielberg on Dyslexia: "You Are Not Alone"
ADDitude Magazine
Despite being bullied in school, Steven Spielberg didn't let dyslexia prevent him from becoming a Hollywood legend. Read his encouraging words for people with learning disabilities.
Learning with Dyslexia Doesn't Come Easy
Rapid City Journal (SD)
As a result of his learning disability, Austin Rasby struggled in school. Now in college, he continues his battle against the disorder. "I'm still a terrible, terrible writer," he said. Yet he is finding that new technology is allowing him to make college more manageable.
Common Core Testers Unveil Proposed 'Read-Aloud' Accommodations
Education Week, On Special Education
Two accommodations policies under consideration by a 23-state assessment consortium could narrow the pool of children that would qualify for assistance on those tests in some of those states.
Talk Therapy Touted as First-Line Treatment for Youth with Psychosis Risk
PsychCentral.com
A small clinical trial led by an Australian researcher suggests that young people at very high risk for psychotic illness should engage in talk therapy as an initial treatment rather than take antipsychotic drugs.
The Biggest Myths About Girls with ADHD
PsychCentral.com
It's only in recent years that ADHD is becoming better understood in girls and women. But we still have a long way to go, according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and coach who specializes in ADHD. She noted that we need to improve how we identify girls with ADHD, evaluate them and administer treatment.
Connecticut School Shooting Unleashed Attack on Disabilities, Too
Education Week, On Special Education
When the media cited unnamed law enforcement officials who said the gunman in the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn., last week may have had a form of autism or a mental health condition, the unconfirmed diagnosis was quickly blamed for triggering the massacre of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary.